[cat86]

I think you (and bucslover68) may be guilty of assuming "every team except YOURS remains the same" through the season (Varney did tally >80 yds in ONE quarter vs. the Eagles - not exactly a shutdown).

But JC is a good team and has earned a LOT of respect (at least from THIS member) with the way they picked themselves up. I believe a Central/P-burg game would have been a GREAT shootout at the end of the year.

Prestonsburg is 3 scores better now than at the beginning of the season. I say that because the run game is jelling for the Blackcats. The short/intermediate passing game has remained consistantly good all season. But now to play the run, defenses may become susceptible over the top (and we all know how much Coach D. likes to throw deep)...

Great point about the run game gelling. This proves a couple of points I made at the beginning of the year. Pburg's Oline had a total lack of experience coming into this season. One player, Zak Key, had any meaningful PT on the O line. Alex Griffith was a converted TE, Alex Garner was a backup last year as a freshman, and Trevor Stovall and Chris Cook didn't hardly touch the field last year. Now the talent has always been there for this group, but the experience wasn't. At the beginning of the year, we threw the ball most of the time, not only because we have players with the skill set to play that style of offense, but also because pass blocking is definitely easier for your O linemen. Pburg began the year 80 %run and 20% pass, all the while getting game experience and improvement from their young O line. Now, as the linemen have matured, gotten experience, and improved, the ratio is coming back to a more balanced number. Heck, over the last couple of games, we have RAN the ball more than passed. It is not a coincidence that this emphasis on establishing the run has coincided with the increasing experience of the Blackcat line.

Now, going into the playoffs, Prestonsburg is a much more balanced team, capable of throwing it all over the field, but also capable of establishing the run. Like oneijoe said, we are at least 3 TD's better than at the start of the year. All teams have, or should have, improved, but in Prestonsburg's case, their improvement has been in the running game, which makes them awfully difficult to defend against, considering how Burchett can air it out.