[Hoot Gibson]

I’ll go ahead throw out the disclaimer for Bob Seger who is sure to show up in this thread talking about how great Johnson Central is and how terrible Ashland is...we know, Bob...please just worry about your mighty Eagles trying to win state, something they’ve amazingly only been able to do once during their recent run of “dominance”.

That was one more that Ashland won during the same period. The truth is Coach Matney is a difference maker and Ashland has only been willing to schedule Johnson Central when the Tomcats have been forced to compete in the same district as the Golden Eagles. My guess is that the series record between Belfry and Ashland has been skewed by the fact that Ashland schedules teams that they think they can beat and runs and ducks teams that are most likely going to saddle them with a loss.

In the Matney era, Johnson Central has won over more talented Tomcat teams and they have beaten less talented Tomcat teams. Never once did Ashland upset a Johnson Central team that had an edge in athletic talent. Bill Musick put Johnson Central's football program on the map and Jim Matney launched it into a high altitude, stable orbit. Think how much different the Tomcats' football fortunes would have been if Ashland had lured Coach Matney away from Sheldon Clark instead of Johnson Central.

As for this game, I am picking Belfry on the basis that it has a HOF coach in Phillip Haywood and will be hosting the game on Pond Creek. For Ashland to win, somebody other than Pitman and Hester will need to have a big game because Belfry will find a way to take away their primary options.

Belfry 23
Ashland 17