[Spud6]

Belfry will be fine, they're Belfry. Lol They return a lot of experience that will help the new boys to step in. And they return a lot of skill players that are very skilled! Like someone said above, it's not to hard for Belfry's coaching staff to find a couple linemen than will rip some ones head off. They're bread to play football in Pond Creek.

[Granny Bear]

Spud6!!! You are a Belfry fan!!! Does that mean we get to trash talk next August???
:Thumbs:

[ballboy]

I would schedule Central if I was Haywood

[piratepride90]

The best thing about Belfry and Coach Haywood and staff is they take what they get and then move on. If you've seen them adjust in a football game, then just watch them adjust players next year. And yes Coach Mickey is the best thing to happen to the youth football, but dont count out all the very good coaching staff these young boy have to look up to. Each and everyone of the coaches from the youth to the high school take nothing but pride in what they do. We have parents and kids in the surrounding area moving into our district just so they can play on the team and for Haywood and staff. Couldnt be any more proud to be a red and white mega fan

[piratepride90]

I would schedule Central if I was Haywood

I hope so, Belfry has unfinished bussiness

[AtlPirateFan]

I would love to see some good special teams next year. It seems year in and year out we are always discussing the special teams and it's poor or sporadic play.

Would be nice if the kicker got on the field a few times a week over the next few months and kicked 10 - 15 balls from several different locations a day. I know they are high school kids and other things come first but a strong kicking game would be icing on the cake.

[free ride]

hope to see alot of boys wrestling this year.

[EKUAlum05]

Special Teams...Special Teams...Special Teams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You get your punter back who actually did a pretty good job.

You get your Place Kicker back as well as the Woolum kid who should improve the kicking game.

Belfry has a huge crop of Freshman talent coming up who will be waiting their turn for their shot at varsity. You also have very talented Sophomores like X Willis, Gibbs, K. Carr, and the Sanger kid who will be in similar roles waiting in the wings. Throw in some upperclassmen talent like Dari, Bostic, and C. Maynard..all guys who can play the game but stuck in a logjam at their respective positions.... you put these ingredients together and you have 11 guys who can focus solely on the task of being a unit who can actually make plays and force the issue.

It seems for the longest time Belfry Special Teams has equaled..."Don't mess up, just play it safe". This typically translates to kickoffs returned to the 35 or 40 yard line, short punts that are not returnable, but maybe only travel 30-35 yards. When the opposing team punts unless it is a line drive the plan is to let it bounce and roll. On those punts, Belfry sends one guy to pressure.

The one constant from the 4 losses to Central has been Field Position. Belfry consistently has had an uphill battle to overcome starting positions for their drives, and subsequent short fields for Central.

The elite teams in KY (Highlands, Trinity, X, Bowling Green, etc) that dominate every year share a common trait with Central. They do not do anything to beat themselves. They don't put the ball on the ground, they limit their penalties, and their special teams are always a positive.

I would love nothing more than to see this group of young talent and upper classmen who are dying to make an impact embrace the role and actually be considered a legitimate threat to swing the game every time they are on the field.

[EKUAlum05]

I want Belfry to embrace Special Teams. I would love to see the ST Unit come up with their own nickname/theme for their group ala Nebraska Blackshirts. Maybe every time the Special Teams Unit makes a key play the week before (return for TD, block, forced fumble, pin the ball inside the 5) the booster club rewards the player/or the entire unit in some way with a t-shiirt, a special meal, or an award of some type.

EX: X Willis lays out a Breathitt player and Belfry recovers a fumble at the 30 yard line that leads to a TD.... Willis gets a special printed black shirt and is officially initiated into the club.

EX: Wellman punts a 55 yard punt that is downed at the 2. Two plays later Belfry forces a Safety. The entire Punt Unit gets a steak grilled up for only them.

You could also get them fired up. Every time the kickoff team comes on you could play the intro to "Hell's Bells" or "Thunderstruck" before booting the ball away.

[AtlPirateFan]

I want Belfry to embrace Special Teams. I would love to see the ST Unit come up with their own nickname/theme for their group ala Nebraska Blackshirts. Maybe every time the Special Teams Unit makes a key play the week before (return for TD, block, forced fumble, pin the ball inside the 5) the booster club rewards the player/or the entire unit in some way with a t-shiirt, a special meal, or an award of some type.

EX: X Willis lays out a Breathitt player and Belfry recovers a fumble at the 30 yard line that leads to a TD.... Willis gets a special printed black shirt and is officially initiated into the club.

EX: Wellman punts a 55 yard punt that is downed at the 2. Two plays later Belfry forces a Safety. The entire Punt Unit gets a steak grilled up for only them.

You could also get them fired up. Every time the kickoff team comes on you could play the intro to "Hell's Bells" or "Thunderstruck" before booting the ball away.

Not sure about the pride sticker rules in the state. Heck even fuzzy on how they are awarded now, but along the lines of what you mentioned above. Maybe a second set of Pride stickers that are reserved for Special Teams only. Something slightly different than the normal pride stickers. Maybe even black so they stand out some.

[PaytoPlay]

Be nice to Barnes really work on his body and game this offseason. I thought he played well this season but has the potential to be truly dominant.

Hopefully Trenity Carr is leading the offseason training program. He showed what a great offseason can net a player this past year.

[Pirate1991#8]

I see a couple of the younger lineman ready to step up into the varsity role....but they gotta workout everyday till august.....as a parent of one of them he ain't gonna have a choice but to get faster and stronger.....

[Belfry Freak]

As the father of one of the seniors from this years team, I would like to take this time and say THANK YOU, to the coaches, his fellow teammates,and the fans who cheered him and his brothers on for the past 4 seasons. His mother and I are gonna miss those friday nights. The football family at BELFRY is so special. We hope that next years team and the following teams, get to take everyone that is a "PIRATE" on a ride that has been so special to us. #44

[Pirate1991#8]

As the father of one of the seniors from this years team, I would like to take this time and say THANK YOU, to the coaches, his fellow teammates,and the fans who cheered him and his brothers on for the past 4 seasons. His mother and I are gonna miss those friday nights. The football family at BELFRY is so special. We hope that next years team and the following teams, get to take everyone that is a "PIRATE" on a ride that has been so special to us. #44

Love me some #44......still wanna see my buddies in the stands next year

[FIRST]

Belfry will be Belfry again next year.

[cuppett777]

still waitng on who they will play,besides district,and Harlan County,Pikeville and JC

[Spud6]

Spud6!!! You are a Belfry fan!!! Does that mean we get to trash talk next August???
:Thumbs:

Most definitely!

[pirateforlife]

From what I'm hearing it's gonna be Somerset in the PCB. If so, it should be a competitive game unlike the last 2 PCB's. Would be a good game for both teams and a rematch from the 2010 3a state semi-finals and if the game ends up anything like that one then it'll be a great game for sure.

[cuppett777]

somerset will be a good,then I think they need few more..

[PaytoPlay]

There has been some contradictory commentary in this thread about next season's schedule. Is it?

Somerset (Pike Co. Bowl)
Johnson Central (assume still last game of season)
Harlan Co. (early in year)
Pikeville (?????)
Ashland (someone said this game was on for this year but no contract signed)


Which leaves one?:please:

[cuppett777]

There has been some contradictory commentary in this thread about next season's schedule. Is it?

Somerset (Pike Co. Bowl)
Johnson Central (assume still last game of season)
Harlan Co. (early in year)
Pikeville (?????)
Ashland (someone said this game was on for this year but no contract signed)


Which leaves one?:please:

then PC,LC,ER,SC,thats 4, and if all those at top stay that's only 9,so they need atleast 1 more if all those at top stay..

[Buc-a-roo]

No East Ridge, they dropped out of the district.

When that happened, it freed up a game for everyone in our district. That is when Ashland dropped Belfry and picked up Sheldon Clark.

Johnson Central, Harlan Co, Pikeville and Somerset are on schedule

Also look for a game against a good southern Ohio team (not Ironton). Talks are ongoing with a good western NC team also. That's all I can say right now for sure but something should be final pretty soon.

That leaves 1 open game still that we need to fill.

[Belfry0304]

No East Ridge, they dropped out of the district.

When that happened, it freed up a game for everyone in our district. That is when Ashland dropped Belfry and picked up Sheldon Clark.

Johnson Central, Harlan Co, Pikeville and Somerset are on schedule

Also look for a game against a good southern Ohio team (not Ironton). Talks are ongoing with a good western NC team also. That's all I can say right now for sure but something should be final pretty soon.

That leaves 1 open game still that we need to fill.

Don't believe Pikeville is on it.

[EKUAlum05]

No East Ridge, they dropped out of the district.

When that happened, it freed up a game for everyone in our district. That is when Ashland dropped Belfry and picked up Sheldon Clark.

Johnson Central, Harlan Co, Pikeville and Somerset are on schedule

Also look for a game against a good southern Ohio team (not Ironton). Talks are ongoing with a good western NC team also. That's all I can say right now for sure but something should be final pretty soon.

That leaves 1 open game still that we need to fill.

Nice...

I wonder if the NC team could be Swain County?

Either way I like the news because that is a road game I could probably attend

[pirateforlife]

You say to look for a good team from Southern Ohio to be on the schedule. How about Moeller, St. Ignatius, or St. Edward? Lol Those are all 3 pretty goods teams.

[Panther Thunder]

Nice...

I wonder if the NC team could be Swain County?

Either way I like the news because that is a road game I could probably attend

Belfry/Swain the past two years would have been battles.

Not sure how much Swain brings back, but I cannot see them being as good. They were absolutely loaded this year, and their two best players did not play against PHS. The only thing that would be weird is a day game at Belfry on a Saturday lol. That just would look weird to me. But Swain, while in the middle no where also, pretty much, has nice facilities and they traveled incredibly well to Pikeville. Brought cheerleaders, band, and probably 150+ fans.

As for Pikeville not being on the Belfry schedule, that would be news to me. Already have drawn up our schedule for next year and the PCB is the only thing up in the air.

[EKUAlum05]

You say to look for a good team from Southern Ohio to be on the schedule. How about Moeller, St. Ignatius, or St. Edward? Lol Those are all 3 pretty goods teams.

Aiming a little high there.Belfry is a fine program, but lets be real and admit that the Pirates would be considered playing down to these fine Nationally competitive programs...and none of the three have their shortage of potential opponents who would want to play them already.



The thought of some of the Cincy Public Schools like a Withrow for example intrigues me. Belfry desperately needs to find a team who can challenge them with speed and athleticism. I feel Henry Clay has been a very beneficial game for the Pirates the past couple years in that regard. Henry Clay is not on the level of Central, but it forces the younger guys stepping into roles to see what it takes to lay against skill players with more athletic talent then they have. Being isolated in EKY makes this difficult to find because there aren't many programs within reasonable driving distance that affords this luxury.

A few names in State that come to mind where Belfry would be on par with their level of play and worthy of playing:
Covington Holmes
Bryan Station
Lou. Western
Franklin County (doubt that will happen for a while after the PCB debacle)
Lou. Male (Bulldogs are no longer the program they used to be)

Otherwise, you would almost have to go to Pittsburgh, Columbus, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Richmond, or the DC area.

I am not totally against the thought of a mid-season road trip where the staff could essentially emulate the build up to the week before Bowling Green. If any small team could raise the money to support it, Belfry certainly could. With that said... options are limited.

[EKUAlum05]

From what I am hearing from a pretty good source, here is one of your new Pirate foes for 2013:

http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/gal...l/home.htm

Good, traditionally strong program on par with Ironton.

[Crossbones]

That seems to be a good fit. I would in near future like to see Belfry/Mingo Central rivalry started. I think it would be good for both areas.

[McCameraMan]

Yep that would be a good game for them probably. They just need a team like Central on their schedule.