[nekysportsfan]

The loss of Messer will hurt the Rams quite a bit as he was a Swiss army knife player who certainly opened up some things for the coaches and team. However, I think that loss will be offset by the realignment where Raceland should win regional titles for the foreseeable future with little resistance. The realignment opens things up for the Rams much like things were set up for Russell in the mid-2000's when they made their state title runs. They shouldn't meet much of a challenge until the state semi game where they will meet either Hazard, Pikeville, or Williamsburg. Raceland should be making their first appearance in a state title game soon. In fact, I would say they are the favorites next year.