[ryanparker]

I think Jones was well over 100 yards with three TDs

The penalties and fumbles are killers. There is really no excuse for it. I know the coaches are not on the field and I believe they are one of the best coaching staffs around but the blame has to fall back to them. There has got to be a way to get this group of kids to stop making silly mental mistakes and the unforced fumbles.

Also Sparks needs to be the QB. He doesn't run particularly well and doesn't have a strong arm but what he does have is a good head on his shoulders and an apparent grasp of what to do and more importantly what not to do when running this offense. He guides Russell back into the game and is pulled in the fourth quarter. IF it were up to me I would stick with the steady senior even though others may have more physical ability. To me Sparks has earned the job.

Mason County is a very good team and will be a force to be reckoned with. Russell if they can cut down on the errors could be just as dangerous. This team has yet to put together a full game. There are times they just seem to get in their own way.

The most impressive things I take from this game are that Pawsat,Harris and Jones are players plain and simple. That and that this Russell team has more grit than last year. It shows me alot that they did not give up against a very, very good team after a disasterous start.

Congratulations to Mason County and way to fight Russell. I hope we get to see a rematch in the playoffs.

Well said.

The Good: TRAVIS JONES
Travis Jones is the best running back we've seen at Russell in a while. I never thought I'd say that prior to the season or even earlier this year, but it's pretty clear he's good...extremely good! Also, the team didn't quit. They've got a chance to (1) get revenge against Raceland in a big way and (2) make some noise in the playoffs if they come out of the locker room angry and embarrassed like they were tonight.

The Bad: THE ROTATING QB's
The QB situation has reached the point of the ridiculous. I was all for giving Dehoff the first chance earlier in the season because he clearly looks the part more than the others. However, he had his chance and simply didn't win the job. Neither Cooper or Roark have stood out, either. In fact, the fumbled snaps in the 1st half tonight were unacceptable. If the coaches give the job to Sparks now, though, it is pretty much an admission that they were flat out wrong in the way they handled the situation all year because most everyone expected Sparks to be the QB from the beginning of the year. The chemistry of the offense could be miles ahead of where they are had the settled on him earlier this year and been done with it. Maybe we would even have a passing game? If not Sparks, then I vote we just go Wildcat and snap it directly to Jones from here on out. :biggrin:

The Ugly: MISTAKES
The fumbles. The penalites. The blocked punt. The roughing the kicker. The explosive plays given up on defense. Ridiculous. Absurd. It's the eight game of the season for the district title. Please.