[FBALL]

No 3A team has definitively proven that they are in a class of their own thusfr this year. Across the board it seems to be a year of great parity and Russell has just as good of a shot as anyone at this point. A win over Mason County makes as strong of a case that Russell will contend for the title as any other win a 3A team has had.

In terms of defense, the agrressive, disruptive defense is a double edged sword when talking about Belfry. When the Josh Wills led defense shut Belfry out they typically hit the RB before the ball got handed off... Belfry had no chance in that game except to pass the football. Conversely, just like you pointed out with Breathitt,,, if you don't have the strength, conditioning, and tackling ability.. then Belfry might hang 60 on you.

The one defense which will never work against Belfry is to simply wait for the play to come to the defense. Belfry's line will ultimately create a 2-3 yard surge and Belfry's backs are good enough to gain an extra couple yards a play on top of that. If Belfry gains 4-5 yards a carry then haywood will have a big smile on his face because he will take drives like that all night.

I personally think Russell has everything needed to disrupt Belfry's backfield, but they will DEFINATELY have to improve tackling. The one thing you never would want to see is Ivan Lee at full speed in the secondary.

That 05 defense was a different animal. They had speed and power and were very aggressive. Wills was like a coach on the field. He and Clark were two of the best defensive players to ever play at Russell IMO. They also were a close knit group that played hard for each other and had a nasty streak to them. But even that team had their moments when things did not go there way. Hence the loss to Boyd County that year.

This years team needs to attack. Part of it on the players though. If you have a chance to make a play make it.

I think Russell has the ability to beat any team in 3A. Only time will tell though. Belfry is a tough match up for them. The defense would have to improve. To me right now it is more mental than anything. You can play your assignments and still make plays.