[oneijoe]

What a fantastic performance by Prestonsburg. They never trailed in this game and pulled it out at the end. Their new spread offense is unbelievable and one that will give eastern KY schools fits this year because teams from this area aren't used to teams spreading the field and throwing the ball. This offense is probably the best looking offense I have seen come through Prestonsburg in quite some time.

As far as Belfry goes, a lot of option plays for big gains and plenty of runs up the gut out of the wishbone. They had one pass play for about 60 yards for a TD and never passed the ball again. Once P-burg got the 2 score lead in the 2nd half, Belfry's offense just didn't have a quick offensive scheme to get them back in the game. I do feel that Belfry didn't seem to give it their all on the final drive. They took too long in between plays and seem content on running it up the middle every play.

All in all, a great game by 2 teams that absolutely despise one another. I do hope this series is continued every year because the atmosphere is truly amazing.

Actually, Prestonsburg had a 2 TD lead going in at halftime.

I don't know why Coach D. elected not to try a FG on 4th and goal from the 5 just before half. It could have made it a 3 score margin...it even made me a little sick at my stomach when there was no FG formation after a time-out then!! As things ended up, those 3 points could have made THE difference.

But -whew- all ended WELL... :biggrin:


The King Kong size monkey has finally been thrown OFF of Prestonsburg's back.

[cuppett777]

didnt get to see the game but was txt and called,at 1st i thought belfry might give up 50,lol,they really got it together on defense, and heard they moved the ball well expect like was said silly mistakes...anyway congrads to p-burg,pirates, this is why u put good teams on your schedule to make you better

[cat86]

marttagtype namespaceuri="urnchemas-microsoft-comwww.bluegrassrivals.com="" forum="" images="" smilies="" redface.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Embarrassment" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg">marttagtype>My take on the game:
Great crowd! Biggest crowd at Pburg for a game in some time. Belfry fans are great. Very classy bunch. I sat on the 50 the first half, very close to the Belfry fans, and they were awesome.

Both teams have things to work on. Pburg looked unstoppable on offense the first quarter, but seemed to wear down as the game went on. Belfry started the game slowly, but hung in there. Great effort from both teams.

Now for the specifics: I have been trying to tell people about Pburg’s line. They played very, very well tonight. Considering they start one true lineman with experience, a converted TE, 2 sophomores and a Jr who has never played the line before, they did really, really good against a Belfry front 7 that was HUGE. Pburg’s line is smart, quick, and aggressive. If they can continue to give Burchett time to throw, this could be a really fun year. The receiving corps looked good, with several great catches and only 1 bad drop that I can remember. In the first quarter, the pass set up the run, and Pburg was rolling. Later in the game, Belfry made some adjustments and it got tougher.

Belfry’s offense looked young, but some people are fooling themselves if they think that Belfry won’t be a force by week 5 at the latest. They have a big strong line, backs who run hard, a QB who got better IN THIS GAME, so by week 5 he should be good. I foresee Belfry smashing teams by the midpoint of the season. They may have a few more losses than normal, but will still win a lot of games. One question, though. I don’t understand why Coach Haywood didn’t use the pass play more that led to the first quarter score. Pburg was putting a lot of people in the box, and it was open most of the night.

Defensively, both teams had good moments, and both had bad moments. Prestonsburg gave up a lot of yards on the ground, but most teams who play Belfry will. Overall, the Blackcat defense was solid, but with improvement, they could be even better. t="on">Griffith andt="on"> McKinney had big games for the Cats, and the D line play was solid.

Belfry’s defense looked shell-shocked in the first quarter, then settled down to play very well the rest of the game. In the second half, when Pburg got away from using the pass to set up the run and just started trying to run the ball, Belfry’s defense came alive. Their big D Linemen started throwing their weight around and playing tough, and the Cats stalled on a few possessions. Again, when Belfry’s defense has a little more time and experience, they will be tough.

All in all, a very good game. Great atmosphere, great support by the fans, and kids from BOTH teams gave it their all. On a side note, I was watching the play where the players got tossed. My opinion was that neither player committed a foul so flagrant as to be ejected. It looked to me like there was a little pushing, but not much more.

Fans from both schools have a lot to be proud of, and both schools will have successful seasons. Good luck to both teams!

[BlackcatAlum]

Prestonsburg's offense looked so impressive! I believe it shocked everyone at the game tonight as they moved the ball at will against the Pirates. 2nd half the Blackcats played way to conservative as they where in-control the entire game. But when the Belfry defense held them to 3rd down the Blackcats converted.

Each player that stepped onto the field for Prestonsburg made plays. Don't want to mention names because I'm afraid I may leave someone out and this was also a total team effort. Very proud of these young Blackcats!

Belfry's linemen looked slow and made a ton of mistakes. Their defense couldn't do anything about the pass, but shut down Prestonsburg's ground game in the 2nd half. Thomas Varney was really impressive as was #20 & #2. They each pulled off some very good plays. I know next weekend at the Pike County Bowl I'm sure the Belfry faithful will see a totally different Belfry team.

Great job Blackcats... Best of luck on the rest of the season Belfry!

[oneijoe]

... 2nd half the Blackcats played way to conservative as they where in-control the entire game.

Someone needs to have the players to PUSH more fluids Thurs and Fri before games... Stretching is helpful, but nothing replaces hydration.

Players were cramping up everywhere. Prestonsburg isn't deep enough to keep things rolling when it hits like that. Austin McKinney was so cramped up the 2nd half, I doubt he was on the field for 1/2 the snaps.

And it wasn't even hot this evening...

[BlackcatAlum]

Someone needs to have the players to PUSH more fluids Thurs and Fri before games... Stretching is helpful, but nothing replaces hydration.

Players were cramping up everywhere. Prestonsburg isn't deep enough to keep things rolling when it hits like that. Austin McKinney was so cramped up the 2nd half, I doubt he was on the field for 1/2 the snaps.

And it wasn't even hot this evening...

I hear that.

I spoke with Austin after the game and he said he was cramping in his legs and stomach. I'm sure the staff will do something to prevent all the cramps come next Friday.

I still thought we played conservative because when Prestonsburg needed yards, they got them. But called plays on first & second down that go stopped at or around the line of scrimmage. Thought we could have put atleast another TD on Belfry.

[dbcooper]

P'burg has terrific team speed and I am not really surprised at this outcome. Congrats to the Blackcats.

[Strikeout King]

sounds like a good game. Congrats P'Burg

[irishcard16]

I was not surprised by Belfry's performance against the blackcats. This looks like your typical unorganized early season Belfry football team. In my many years of watching Belfry football, even with the recent haul of talent the pirates have had they always looked sloppy early. I'm sure that come playoff time they will be just fine but I don't think we can expect this to be as good of a team as we have been spoiled with recently at Belfry. On the other side of the field though with only dressing 28 players P'burg deserves alot of credit for being prepared for this game. The cats should have a pretty good season in 2a this year.

[oneijoe]

...One question, though. I don’t understand why Coach Haywood didn’t use the pass play more that led to the first quarter score. Pburg was putting a lot of people in the box, and it was open most of the night.
...

It only LOOKED to be open all night. I guarantee the safety burned on the Belfry play-action TD pass never again anticipated "run" and instead eyed the ball in the RB's hands (or OUT of the QB's) before he broke his deep coverage. I bet he doesn't get caught cheating forward like that again all season long. :biggrin:

The play-action deep middle pass to the RB is once-in-a-game call. The play is completely dependent on the safety ignoring the back coming through the line. To Belfry's credit, they called it at the perfect time and ran it flawlessly.

[oneijoe]

I can't say I am really surprised by this. Belfry lost alot of talent and no matter how good of a program you have there will be seasons and games where young kids have to grow into it and learn the ropes. Belfry this year is not going to be the same as they have been the last 5 or so years. You just can't stay on top every single year.

Before you bag Belfry's year, remember the Pirates weren't playing an East Carter. And Prestonsburg is starting just as many first year varsity players as Belfry (maybe more).

In your place, I wouldn't offer Belfry a sympathetic pat on the back quite yet. The Pirates could easily end up in position to give it back to your Devils (with interest)...


:biggrin:

[oneijoe]

Belfry could start the season 0-5. Has this ever happened?

You're out of your mind, or you only know soccer.

:eyeroll:

[EROCK]

Hard to imagine Belfry losing 5 games.

[BlackcatAlum]

If Belfry loses their first 5 games, I'll have myself removed from the site.

[atlanta]

This is a shocker, Belfry has dominated Prestonsburg for decades with some kind of hex or supernatural power, didn't matter who had the best team. In 1967 for example a 10-1 Prestonsburg team was humbled by an inferior Belfry team & it continued!

[Benchwarmer]

Congrats P-Burg

[firechief]

marttagtype namespaceuri="urnchemas-microsoft-comwww.bluegrassrivals.com="" forum="" images="" smilies="" redface.gif="" border="0" alt="" title="Embarrassment" smilieid="2" class="inlineimg">marttagtype>My take on the game:
Great crowd! Biggest crowd at Pburg for a game in some time. Belfry fans are great. Very classy bunch. I sat on the 50 the first half, very close to the Belfry fans, and they were awesome.

Both teams have things to work on. Pburg looked unstoppable on offense the first quarter, but seemed to wear down as the game went on. Belfry started the game slowly, but hung in there. Great effort from both teams.

Now for the specifics: I have been trying to tell people about Pburg’s line. They played very, very well tonight. Considering they start one true lineman with experience, a converted TE, 2 sophomores and a Jr who has never played the line before, they did really, really good against a Belfry front 7 that was HUGE. Pburg’s line is smart, quick, and aggressive. If they can continue to give Burchett time to throw, this could be a really fun year. The receiving corps looked good, with several great catches and only 1 bad drop that I can remember. In the first quarter, the pass set up the run, and Pburg was rolling. Later in the game, Belfry made some adjustments and it got tougher.

Belfry’s offense looked young, but some people are fooling themselves if they think that Belfry won’t be a force by week 5 at the latest. They have a big strong line, backs who run hard, a QB who got better IN THIS GAME, so by week 5 he should be good. I foresee Belfry smashing teams by the midpoint of the season. They may have a few more losses than normal, but will still win a lot of games. One question, though. I don’t understand why Coach Haywood didn’t use the pass play more that led to the first quarter score. Pburg was putting a lot of people in the box, and it was open most of the night.

Defensively, both teams had good moments, and both had bad moments. Prestonsburg gave up a lot of yards on the ground, but most teams who play Belfry will. Overall, the Blackcat defense was solid, but with improvement, they could be even better. t="on">Griffith andt="on"> McKinney had big games for the Cats, and the D line play was solid.

Belfry’s defense looked shell-shocked in the first quarter, then settled down to play very well the rest of the game. In the second half, when Pburg got away from using the pass to set up the run and just started trying to run the ball, Belfry’s defense came alive. Their big D Linemen started throwing their weight around and playing tough, and the Cats stalled on a few possessions. Again, when Belfry’s defense has a little more time and experience, they will be tough.

All in all, a very good game. Great atmosphere, great support by the fans, and kids from BOTH teams gave it their all. On a side note, I was watching the play where the players got tossed. My opinion was that neither player committed a foul so flagrant as to be ejected. It looked to me like there was a little pushing, but not much more.

Fans from both schools have a lot to be proud of, and both schools will have successful seasons. Good luck to both teams!

WOW, both players were squaring off with each other, fist thrown and connected. By rule, I think, even if you throw a punch you could be ejected without even connecting. There's no place for that type of behavior in athletics, if you think it does, your wrong.

[Recznik]

Congrats to the Blackcats....good to hear some Floyd Co. boys whip some but....awsome:rockon:

[PaytoPlay]

I attended the game.

Lots of mistakes on the offensive line made it hard to sustain drives. When Belfry's o-line didn't false start, they consistently moved downfield. The QB looked young but ready. He made a couple ball handling mistakes but overall he ran the pitch pretty well and seemed to have composure.

I thought the tailbacks looked fine. Particularly impressive was #20. He is undersized but stays low and fights forward with good legs.

I was very disappointed with what I saw as a lack of aggressiveness on defense, especially early on. Belfry's secondary never tried to make a play on the ball. They were content to keep backing up and let Prestonsburg throw underneath all night. Pburg's QB is a good player and their receivers are pretty good too.

Belfry is VERY VERY SMALL. Definately the smallest Pirate team I have seen in over a decade. There is decent size on the offensive line, but there aren't many/any of those Aarron Chapman type bodies to play the DE positions. I would consider moving #20 to LB to play alongside #5.

As for the earlier comment about possibly going 0-5. I think it is very possible, although I think 1-4 is more likely with the Pirates winning next week. Ashland beat Greenup 51-7 last night. LCC beat South Laurel 34-6. Whitley Co. lead Lexington Catholic the entire game before falling 43-33. Belfry will be SEVERELY out athleted and undersized in those games. 1-4 is LIKELY IMO.

All that said, I know the boys will compete and I was pleased to see them come out of the locker room and fight hard. These kids haven't really dealt with adversity too much in their careers. If they keep working hard and play fundamentally sound football this season, they will compete in a lot of games and could even sneak out a victory over an LCC or someone like that.

Fball said it best - can't stay on top forever.

[cat86]

WOW, both players were squaring off with each other, fist thrown and connected. By rule, I think, even if you throw a punch you could be ejected without even connecting. There's no place for that type of behavior in athletics, if you think it does, your wrong.

Calm down, Chief... What I said was that to me it looked like there was just alot of shoving. I didn't see any punches thrown or connected. If there were, then yes, the players deserve to go. Maybe one of the "shoves" was a punch, or one of the "punches" was a shove. Who knows.

From my angle, though, it appeared to be a shoving match.

[SuperB70]

Wow!! Wonder how long it has been since the Pirates lost 2 in a row? I'm sure they'll be poised for another run in November.

[PaytoPlay]

Belfry will improve as the season goes on but they just don't have the personnel that they have had recently. I have no doubt the kids who play will improve but unless they magically get bigger/stronger/faster, then Belfry will struggle against this seasons bulked up schedule.

In a strange way, I think it will be more interesting to follow from a fan's perspective.

[FBALL]

Before you bag Belfry's year, remember the Pirates weren't playing an East Carter. And Prestonsburg is starting just as many first year varsity players as Belfry (maybe more).

In your place, I wouldn't offer Belfry a sympathetic pat on the back quite yet. The Pirates could easily end up in position to give it back to your Devils (with interest)...


:biggrin:

I'm not bagging Belfry's year. Facts are facts. Belfry lost alot of talent. It happens to every school. Even the best programs around. Russell has nothing to do with it but the same thing happened to them last year. Talent levels drop and after a great run the eventual drop off occurs. I'm not saying Belfry is a bad team. I don't think they are a state championship calibur team but they are a good team. Same for Prestonsburg and even Russell. None of the three will win a state title this year. And with the expectations that each of those schools have this might be a down year for all three by their own fans standards. That is the price of success. Most other schools would love to have the type of teams that the Pirates, Blackcats and Red Devils have.

[cuppett777]

most teams wont throw the ball like p-burg did, and also sounds like they moved the ball well when they didnt make mistakes,and the defense got better as the game went along,there going to be just fine..

[bucslover68]

Belfry will improve as the season goes on but they just don't have the personnel that they have had recently. I have no doubt the kids who play will improve but unless they magically get bigger/stronger/faster, then Belfry will struggle against this seasons bulked up schedule.

In a strange way, I think it will be more interesting to follow from a fan's perspective.

I think what you say is true. Sure you want to be on top of the mountain every year, but it is not going to happen. Belfry will lose their share of games, but all teams do. Belfry will continue to get better as always and it will be fun following this team and watching them get better each week. For the first time in a long time, Belfry will be an underdog, IMO, 3 out of the next four weeks. Even, or a slight favorite against Boyd County, and underdogs, to different degrees, against Ashland, Letcher Central, and Whitley County. However, it will be a learning season and Belfry has loads of young talent. Right now some of that youth is getting exposed, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Always remember, the climb back up the mountain may be tough, but when you get there, and we have been there, it is extra sweet.

[BurntTires]

I was at this game. Congrats Prestonsburg you all looked very good tonight. The passing game was great. Overall this was a hard fought game, just wish the Pirates would have passed more when Prestonsburg had 10-11 guys in the box.

[bucslover68]

Belfry will improve as the season goes on but they just don't have the personnel that they have had recently. I have no doubt the kids who play will improve but unless they magically get bigger/stronger/faster, then Belfry will struggle against this seasons bulked up schedule.

In a strange way, I think it will be more interesting to follow from a fan's perspective.

most teams wont throw the ball like p-burg did, and also sounds like they moved the ball well when they didnt make mistakes,and the defense got better as the game went along,there going to be just fine..

You are right cuppett. A 21-7 hole was a big one to dig out of and they almost did it. From the first quarter on, Prestonsburg only scored one time, and Belfry really controlled them the second half. But a game is always judged in its totality, and for this night, Prestonsburg was better for 48 minutes.

[EKUAlum05]

I think 5 losses are definately a possibility for Belfry. In fact if they were playing LCC, Whitley, Ashland, Johnson Central, or Sheldon Clark this week instead of Boyd County, I would think Belfry would be the underdog in all of those games.

I said in the predicition thread earlier this week that haywood would view this game as a glorified scrimmage. Based on the playcalling, especially on the final drive of the game, that seems to be the case. I also said that Belfry fans have to be patient with this team. This is a completely different Pirate team, in terms of personnel and strengths, then what Belfry has had in a looong time. Belfry is going to have to learn how to win games with quickness, aggressiveness, and speed, instead of power, strength, and discipline.

Once again Belfry fans, the Pirates will take some lumps this year, just wait it out and see how much different they look from last night's game in Week 5 before you throw in the towell.

Two things Belfry has clearly got to resolve in a hurry though is the illegal procedures and the missed tackles.

[EKUAlum05]

If Belfry locks up on their tackles and takes away the illegal procedures, they win last night's game. It is that simple. So improving those two areas are priority #1 this week.

[cuppett777]

You are right cuppett. A 21-7 hole was a big one to dig out of and they almost did it. From the first quarter on, Prestonsburg only scored one time, and Belfry really controlled them the second half. But a game is always judged in its totality, and for this night, Prestonsburg was better for 48 minutes.

thats what counts is the final score,i was really worried after 1st quarter,but now if they make that much improvement each week as they did tonight,they will make a good run come playoff time.