[16thregioner]

Facts in Ashland's favor:

Belfry has won 1 game this season against a team with a winning record and that was by 3 points against a 6-4 Central team.

Belfry lost by 14 to the last average balanced team they faced on grass on the road as Lawrence County ran for 174 yards and threw for 118 against them.

Facts in Belfry's favor:

Ashland needed a final drive interception to beat Russell by 6 while Belfry beat Russell by 42.

The last team Ashland faced this season with a power rushing attack was Wheelersburg and they lost that game by 42 giving up 300 rushing yards.

Can Ashland stop Belfry's run game? T-Cats says head coach Chad Tackett knows how. I'd feel better about those chances if his son, Caleb Tackett, were still on the field. According to the KHSAA stats, not a single current Ashland defensive player made a single tackle in that 2020 game.

Can Belfry stop Ashland's balanced attack? All I know is they better find a way to get to the QB Strader early and often. He may be the best pocket passer in the area given time and he has a wide array of weapons to go to on all levels of the field.

This should be a great game that will probably come down to something like special teams play or a field goal. It seems dead even to me.