[samson81]

First of all, congrats to Coach Haywood on his incredible achievement. I heard somewhere that he's now one of only ten active coaches in the country with 400 wins.

Secondly... Russell's future looks promising, but there's still obviously a long way to go. The younger kids just need to hit the weight room hard and stay at it all off-season. The biggest gap between Russell and Belfry lies in the trenches. That's where the Devils are playing catch-up the most. Also, I think it's important to point out that while yes, Russell regressed after '06, Belfry continued to get better and better. It's not like Belfry just held steady after '03-'04. As good as they were a decade ago, there's a greater depth of talent in Pond Creek these days. Russell went in one direction, Belfry in another.

I think Russell fans were spoiled a little by the success we had in year one of Maynard's tenure. Russell's region last year was pretty weak. Bourbon Co. and Mason Co. weren't what they had been in years past. The region was there for the taking and Russell seized it. Then we got thrashed in the semis. This year, due to realignment, the thrashing came two rounds earlier.