[BlackcatAlum]

I might be bias, but I don’t see Prestonsburg falling off that much if Laferty leaves. Don’t get me wrong, it’ll hurt. I don’t want to lose him, but it gives someone else an opportunity to step in, gain experience, and learn on the fly. May take a few weeks during the season to get some of the younger guys feet wet and comfortable on the line but it’ll pay off down the road. I just think Elliott, Harris, and Holbrook are too talented for Prestonsburg and you can lean on those guys to make big plays against really anyone on the schedule.

Those three are incredibly talented but everyone knows football is won up front on both sides of the ball. If you think losing Lafferty won’t cause a drop off then you’re saying the rest of the line is so bad having one good lineman doesn’t help.

I said I don’t see Pburg falling off that much. Losing Laferty is going to hurt. There’s not another player on that roster that can replace what he brings to the table as far as strength and physicality goes. Junior Daniel Adams is very capable. He’s bigger than Cole, but he’s not as aggressive just yet. That could change. Sophomore Noah Price might be the one closest to reminding you of Laferty. Naturally strong, quick first step, and aggressive. He’s just about 40-50 lbs smaller. Freshman Karston Johnson, Cayden Reynolds, and Rylan Stephens each have size and strength that you like to see in your linemen. You just worry about them being freshman. If those boys can get over that hump then they’re more than capable of holding their own on Friday nights. Biggest concern on the line though aside from inexperience is depth. There won’t be many teams that Prestonsburg is going to be bigger than. That’s why this team needs to adopt the mentality of some past Pburg teams that had skill but lacked size and be aggressive, tackle well, and force turnovers.