[EKUAlum05]

Hopefully Johnson can come back healthy by Round 3.

After sleeping on it I think the Chapman/sportsmanship talk has ran its course. Belfry fans will have their opinion and will be unwavering, Pike Central fan will stand behind their coach.All we will do is bicker back and forth an achieve nothing at this point. Lets just leave it be.

We are 4 pages into this and there have only been a handful of posts actually discussing the game.

Getting back to my original post:

Haywood did an unbelievable job of adjusting his gameplan on offense to adjust to what PC was doing. Willis was destroying the Hawks up the middle and forced an adjustment by the Hawks which temporarily served as a band-aid. As expected Belfry couldn't really get a lot going outside, so Haywood then started attacking the LOS with misdirection. The two runs by Dixon were back breakers to start the 2nd Half. PC couldn't have asked to be in a better position down only 6 at the Half in spite of turnovers. When Dixon broke those two quick scores you could sense the clock was ticking in PC's head as they knew time was their enemy.

The turning point of the game was the Shouse fumble at the goal line. Any, if not all, of PC's momentum immediately shifted.


If Pike Central can keep their emotions in check and protect the football I feel they can be a VERY tough matchup for Breathitt in Round 2. Breathitt beats team with athleticism, quickness, and forcing them to match skill depth vs. skill depth. PC matches up very well to this, where the Hawks struggle is they do not have the depth up front to survive the constant grind of a team like a Belfry, or in last year's case Russell.

In order for PC to pull off the upset they will have to bring their A-game and stop the Collins kid as he runs the ball. I have always liked the Boggs kid and the Shouse kid, but IMO the Smith kid is the X-factor for PC. Kid is a tough runner and gets a ton of balls out of the backfield. I also hope Pugh can recover from his ankle injury in time for their 2nd Round matchup.

As for Belfry, the road gets a lot less steeper in Rounds 1 and 2. They need to get through next week healthy, Jackson County will provide the starter's a chance to rest in Round 1.