[nekysportsfan]

The teams Russell has played with a winning record so far are Raceland, Ironton, and Fleming County. Their most impressive win of the season came against Raceland. They were very close to Ironton as well in a loss at Ironton.

The teams Ashland has played with a winning record so far are George Washington, Wheelersburg, Ironton, Raceland, and East Carter. Their most impressive win came against Ironton. They were very close as well in a loss to Wheelersburg at Wheelersburg.

Ashland has played the tougher schedule and has a little bit better wins so they have the advantage there for what it's worth.

Russell has the advantage at the QB position. Jachimczuk is slightly better than Gregg. He can run the ball better and has shown some ability to complete balls downfield. Ashland keeps Gregg very limited in only throwing short and safe passes. He doesn't scramble at all.

Both teams have excellent running backs. Anderson and Conley run with more of a power style for Russell while Hester and Pittman are more elusive and have breakaway speed. I give the slight advantage to Ashland here because Hester is truly something special who can win a football game by himself and if Pittman gets the slightest bit of daylight, he is gone.

Russell's offensive line has been very good this season while Ashland's has gotten the job done as well. I give the slight edge to Ashland here because of their experience, but Russell isn't far behind because their line is nastier and will maul you.

The same can be said for Russell's entire defensive front 7. They have put in the work in the weight room and they play with bad intentions. Ashland has been effective, but they are smaller and play more reserved. I give the edge to Russell here because the linebacking corps is the heart of their team and is what makes this Russell team really special.

Both secondaries are similar. Both can be taken advantage of, but I don't know if either team has the weapons in the passing game to truly take advantage of the other. I think Jachimczuk to Griffith might be the most dangerous combination on the field Friday so I would give a very slight edge to Russell here.

Both teams kicking games and return games are average. I see no difference here.

I think Russell has the coaching advantage as this staff has shown many times that they can shut down one-dimensional teams. This has been a trait of Maynard even from his days at Raceland. They will likely make Ashland throw the ball to beat them. Ashland has fine coaches as well, but they are facing a power running game that coaching can only do so much to stop. The Ashland linebackers are small. Can they tackle Conley and Anderson?

The eye test tells me that Russell is the more physical team. They are certainly the more passionate of the two teams as they have looked more fired up with an in-your-face type of attitude in the games I have seen them play this year. Russell has something to prove. Ashland seems to be more business-like in their approach. I think Russell has the advantage in these intangibles because at the end of the day, as much as society tries to make football into a softer game at all levels, passion and wanting to really hit someone hard still count for a lot. There's no doubt in my mind that Russell will be coming to inflict some pain on Ashland tomorrow night. Plus, they have the additional motivation of being embarrassed at Ashland last year.

I think Ashland's depth is their biggest strength in this game. They don't play players both ways while a lot of Russell's players play both ways. Will Russell get worn down as the game goes on?

This is going to be a great game to watch. The weather is supposed to be good football weather. The crowd should be big. It's Russell's passion versus Ashland's depth in my mind. My prediction is that passion wins out. Russell wins 21-20.