[EKUAlum05]

I'll open with this.

Bourbon is by far the most skilled, balanced offensive team Belfry will have seen this season. They have arguably the best or 2nd best HB Belfry will have seen in Hopkins (behind Bell though HSFOOTBALL disagrees). They have the 2nd best QB Belfry will have seen in Pope (behind Trent). They have the 2nd or 3rd best ATH (behind Massey and IMO equal to Jackson) in Johnson. They have possibly the best or 2nd best true WR (behind Shouse) in Hilander. I said in the Breathitt buildup that the Bobcats may have the #1 and #2 players on the field, but Belfry had players #3-8 and most of the next ten players as well. In this game, that is going to be much more balanced out between the two teams.

This may shock people, but Hopkins is not the guy who scares me the most. In fact, I could envision a scenario where Belfry completely shuts Hopkins down. The guy who holds the keys in this game is the QB Pope. This guy is legitimately one of the Top 3 or 4 QB's in 3A football IMO, he can throw short, he can throw long, and he is very mobile and a tough runner on designed plays. If Bourbon simply tries to force feed Hopkins and pass as a secondary notion then Belfry will absolutely crush the Colonels IMO. If Bourbon establishes a short passing game, utilizes Pope's legs, and maintains balance then Bourbon legitimately has a chance to not only score on Belfry,,, but score more than most Belfry fans want to admit.

For all the talk of Hopkins being the fastest back Belfry has seen,,, it also needs to be noted Belfry will be by far the fastest/most athletic team Bourbon has seen. From what I have seen Belfry also has three significant advantages:

1. Line Play- The Bourbon OL is what I would consider to be "servicable". The majority of their offensive damage is done by shear talent... yards after contact... and utilizing the space created by the spread. Bourbon's DL is undersized and they have not remotely seen an offensive line with the mix of size, experience, quickness, and strength as Belfry's over the past two years.

2. Depth- From what I see Bourbon plays a lot of their team both ways. In addition, Bourbon hasn't played a single team who can grind them and create a physical toll over the course of a game. Belfry plays 2 seperate units with the exception of Robinson, Messer, and Warren.

3. Schedule- The Colonels simly are making a monumental step up in class. To their credit, with the exception of the bizarre Bath County score, the Colonels have dominated like they needed to. Still, just as I pointed out against Breathitt, a lack of quality 2nd Half stats and a team who will hit you in the mouth can be a major adjustment in an evironment like Pond Creek will be Friday Night. The Semi-Final stage is familiar to Belfry, the Pirates have played 4 teams who are better than Bourbon's toughest opponent (Madison Southern IMO), and Belfry has seen teams who do some of the same things as Bourbon.... Bourbon cannot say the same.

I think the best thing to happen to Belfry was Garrard County last year. The Pirates did not overlook GC, by I don't think they appreciated how talented they were.... I don't expect Belfry to let their guard down this week.

Really looking forward to this one...should be a highly entertaining game and a close game.