[HDE]

I saw HC players get stood up at the line and tackled for a loss quite a bit in this one. The reason for the 1st down thing is the fact that #11 for JC took it to the house all night at will.

One time.
Three or four for no gain.

I agree on the second point. First downs don't mean much when you're scoring touchdowns. Belcher was very impressive.

My only point is that Harlan County did move the football when they didn't turn it over.

[RunItUpTheGut]

It seems turnovers killed HC.

[Bear_Paw]

No moral victories.
Just game stats.

HCHS JCHS
First downs 11 8

Rushes-yards 40-228 25-217

Passing 0 80

Comp-Att-Int 0-2-0 1-3-0

Punts-Avg 2-52 1-33

Fumbles-Lost 5-4 0-0

Penalties-Yards 6-52 6-60

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Harlan County, Whitehead 22-93, Massey 3-81, Wilson 5-29, Huff 2-11, Lewis 2-7, Chitwood 1-4, Bailey 5-3. Johnson Central, Belcher 10-158, Young 2-24, J. Gound 1-16, Z. Gound 4-10, Dillon 6-9, Workman 2-0.

PASSING—Harlan County, Bailey 0-2-0-0. Johnson Central, Z. Gound 1-3-0-80.

RECEIVING—Johnson Central, Adkins 1-80.

4 things just out at me from these stats... I was not at the game so I'm in the dark but would love for someone to enlighten me...

0 carries for Long and Gist.
2 pass attempts down 36 at one point
5 fumbles
5 carries for Wilson, 1 for Chitwood

Very confused here...

[dns]

4 things just out at me from these stats... I was not at the game so I'm in the dark but would love for someone to enlighten me...

0 carries for Long and Gist.
2 pass attempts down 36 at one point
5 fumbles
5 carries for Wilson, 1 for Chitwood

Very confused here...

So was HC. When HC fumbled on the three yrd line first poss. Then on the second play Belcher goes 84yrds to the house 7- 0 and then on HC 2nd poss auxier runs fumble in 13-0 JC. I think game was over then! And it went doen hill for HC from there!!

[RunItUpTheGut]

This is what i was talking about last week when in the over/under pass attempt thread.

If your down 36 points, and you only throw the ball twice for an entire game, your never going to be able to compete with teams like BG.

[#1 Blackcat Fan]

Congrats JC on the win. Like most others on here, I never seen this coming.

Look out Highlands, this could be the year.

Good luck to both next week.

Oh and Granny, i hear you been cheating on me under the bleachers.

[Hoot Gibson]

This is what i was talking about last week when in the over/under pass attempt thread.

If your down 36 points, and you only throw the ball twice for an entire game, your never going to be able to compete with teams like BG.

If you are down by 36 points to BG and you start passing on every offensive play, what do you think your chances of winning that game are? When the running clock rule kicked in, HC had zero chances of coming back.

If you fall behind to a team that passes better than you do, then there is a good chance that they also defend passes better than you do. If you are going to run a predictable offense against a better team, then you better be able to execute it to perfection.

Johnson Central is not going to come back from a large deficit to beat Highlands, nor is HC going to overcome a large deficit to beat BG. Their best strategy is to stay in the lead or within striking distance by dominating the time of possession and running their bread and butter offense as close to perfection as possible. When it is working right, I have seen Matney's offense totally exhaust the inside linebackers of opposing teams - even good teams that platoon, and when that happens, long touchdown runs usually follow in short order.

[HDE]

That sums it up very well.
Harlan County has to live with what got them to this point. They are what they are.
There is no way they can pass when the other team knows they are going to pass. I think the best plan in the second half was to regain a little respect and do what they do best. They scored twice in the second half and the only thing different was they stopped fumbling. Johnson Central, obviously, was able to relax, but it looked like they still had their key guys out there.

[JCHS Alumni Eagle]

They scored 2 times in the last 6 mins of the game.

[HDE]

They scored both times they had the ball in the second half.
Games move fast with a running clock.

[JCHS Alumni Eagle]

Lol ok

[Cardinals ride]

I have got to comment. I am not a fan of either team but to say JC didn't dominate the LOS is simply ridiculous. They dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball. Cannot believe HDE is tying to put this off like HC beat themselves. They didn't, they got it took to them by a better team. Quit trying to convince yourself otherwise. The reason HC didn't look sharp is because they were getting hit in the mouth all night.

No disgrace in losing to this JC team. But put y

[HDE]

Johnson Central was the better team and they did dominate the game. Harlan County did have over 200 yards rushing though, including over 100 in the first quarter. I've seen several teams get dominated on the line of scrimmage this season, but they had negative yardage for the game.

[Cardinals ride]

HDE, I have to comment on this. I am not a fan from either school. But to say that JC did not dominate the LOS on both sides of the football is ridiculous. I understand you love your team. But quit acting like HC beat themselves, they didn't. The got beat because they were getting smacked in the mouth all night. No shame in losing to this JC team, HC just is no in their league right now. Period.

To say JC only made one tackle for a loss is crazy. HC got dominated by a better team. In every aspect. Btw, HC did not score on JC's first string I left at then end of the third quarter and they already had a lot of their backups in, so take off the rose tinted glasses. HC has a lot of work to do.

[RunItUpTheGut]

If you are down by 36 points to BG and you start passing on every offensive play, what do you think your chances of winning that game are? When the running clock rule kicked in, HC had zero chances of coming back.

If you fall behind to a team that passes better than you do, then there is a good chance that they also defend passes better than you do. If you are going to run a predictable offense against a better team, then you better be able to execute it to perfection.

Johnson Central is not going to come back from a large deficit to beat Highlands, nor is HC going to overcome a large deficit to beat BG. Their best strategy is to stay in the lead or within striking distance by dominating the time of possession and running their bread and butter offense as close to perfection as possible. When it is working right, I have seen Matney's offense totally exhaust the inside linebackers of opposing teams - even good teams that platoon, and when that happens, long touchdown runs usually follow in short order.

Thats not what i meant, and i think your clever enough to know that.
Lets face it, if you throw the ball 2 or 3 times a game, your NEVER going to beat the Highlands, and Bowling Greens of the world. They'll track you down with your speed and your drives will take to long to sustain, and when you turn it over once your done.
The fact that HC was down 36 to JC and only threw the ball twice proved one thing, and thats that they dont have a single pass play in there offense other than hail mary. So all a Bowling Green type team would have to do against HC, or any team for that matter, is stack the box and let your athletes fly around. It would be a total blow out.
Its also the reason i think Pulaski County will win that region.

As for JC, I expect Highlands to do the same.

[Hoot Gibson]

Thats not what i meant, and i think your clever enough to know that.
Lets face it, if you throw the ball 2 or 3 times a game, your NEVER going to beat the Highlands, and Bowling Greens of the world. They'll track you down with your speed and your drives will take to long to sustain, and when you turn it over once your done.
The fact that HC was down 36 to JC and only threw the ball twice proved one thing, and thats that they dont have a single pass play in there offense other than hail mary. So all a Bowling Green type team would have to do against HC, or any team for that matter, is stack the box and let your athletes fly around. It would be a total blow out.
Its also the reason i think Pulaski County will win that region.

As for JC, I expect Highlands to do the same.

What you don't understand is that Highlands has struggled with JC's running game in the past, knowing that the Golden Eagles would throw very few passes. In fact, the Golden Eagles lost by only 7 in one regional championship game when a JC drive ended with a dropped potential game winning touchdown pass with only seconds left in the game. JC has dominated Covington Catholic, despite the Colonel's balanced attack in more than one game. No NKY team has shutdown JC's ground game, even in years when Highlands and Covington Catholic have had far superior teams.

No team in Kentucky has had a consistently better running game than Johnson Central has had during the Matney era. That is what has won 6 out of the past 7 district titles and it is what gives JC the best chance of eliminating Highlands from the playoffs this season. If JC falls so far behind Highlands (or Covington Catholic) that they are forced to abandon what got them there, then they will lose. Those games will be decided by turnovers, IMO. I don't think that there will be many punts in JC's playoff games.

[HDE]

To say JC only made one tackle for a loss is crazy.

The score was still 36-14 whether there was one tackle for a loss or 20, but I'm looking at the stat sheet and I see one tackle for a loss in the first quarter. I had three others for no gain. I could have missed something.

[dns]

What you don't understand is that Highlands has struggled with JC's running game in the past, knowing that the Golden Eagles would throw very few passes. In fact, the Golden Eagles lost by only 7 in one regional championship game when a JC drive ended with a dropped potential game winning touchdown pass with only seconds left in the game. JC has dominated Covington Catholic, despite the Colonel's balanced attack in more than one game. No NKY team has shutdown JC's ground game, even in years when Highlands and Covington Catholic have had far superior teams.

No team in Kentucky has had a consistently better running game than Johnson Central has had during the Matney era. That is what has won 6 out of the past 7 district titles and it is what gives JC the best chance of eliminating Highlands from the playoffs this season. If JC falls so far behind Highlands (or Covington Catholic) that they are forced to abandon what got them there, then they will lose. Those games will be decided by turnovers, IMO. I don't think that there will be many punts in JC's playoff games.

I won't get to see Jc play again unless they get to NKY. How many kids has he had that could have went D1, big or small. Promote your kids and get their name out there! Jc has some D1 talent on both sides of the ball!!!

[GREENEVILLE]

Hopefully we can do the same against harlan

[Hoot Gibson]

I won't get to see Jc play again unless they get to NKY. How many kids has he had that could have went D1, big or small. Promote your kids and get their name out there! Jc has some D1 talent on both sides of the ball!!!

Unfortunately, my kids never got the opportunity to play for Matney and I have lived outside of eastern Kentucky since Matney took the job at Johnson Central. I still listen or watch games, mostly via internet streams, every chance I get, but I don't get to watch many games in person.

If kids have D1 talent, college coaches will find them. As far as what JC does to promote potential college football players, you should ask somebody who is close to the program.

[khsgamenight]

Johnson Central was the better team and they did dominate the game. Harlan County did have over 200 yards rushing though, including over 100 in the first quarter. I've seen several teams get dominated on the line of scrimmage this season, but they had negative yardage for the game.

Of those 100 yards in the 1st quarter, about 70 yards came on the first play of the game and was simply a result of 5 missed tackled at the LOS by JC. So, that stat is misleading. JC definitely dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball and to state otherwise is silly.

[HDE]

Yep, 69 of 111 came on one play.
Johnson Central picked up 84 of 148 in the quarter on one play.

HCHS still averaged over 5 yards per carry on the night though.

[RunItUpTheGut]

What you don't understand is that Highlands has struggled with JC's running game in the past, knowing that the Golden Eagles would throw very few passes. In fact, the Golden Eagles lost by only 7 in one regional championship game when a JC drive ended with a dropped potential game winning touchdown pass with only seconds left in the game. JC has dominated Covington Catholic, despite the Colonel's balanced attack in more than one game. No NKY team has shutdown JC's ground game, even in years when Highlands and Covington Catholic have had far superior teams.

No team in Kentucky has had a consistently better running game than Johnson Central has had during the Matney era. That is what has won 6 out of the past 7 district titles and it is what gives JC the best chance of eliminating Highlands from the playoffs this season. If JC falls so far behind Highlands (or Covington Catholic) that they are forced to abandon what got them there, then they will lose. Those games will be decided by turnovers, IMO. I don't think that there will be many punts in JC's playoff games.

I fully believe Highlands is the only team that will beat JC in the east.
Im not saying JC is a good team, im just stating the fact that I dont think they can beat Highlands only using the running game. Highlands may have had trouble stopping JC and they might this year, but lets fact it, Highlands offense is GREAT. JC will play noone who will get them ready for that offense, which means JC will need to score a lot of points to hang in there and i just dont see it with the athletes Highlands has.

That 21-14 game was a great game, but I think you and I both know that that might have been JC's best team, atleast from what i see that year. And Highlands offense may be better this year than it was that year.

Im rooting for JC 100%, but i dont know that they can stop Highlands, and if they do, i dont know they can put up enough points to win the game.

[khsgamenight]

Yep, 69 of 111 came on one play.
Johnson Central picked up 84 of 148 in the quarter on one play.

HCHS still averaged over 5 yards per carry on the night though.

And JC averaged nearly 9 yards per carry on the night.

The difference in the 1st quarter stats is the 28 points JC put on the scoreboard.

[Hoot Gibson]

I fully believe Highlands is the only team that will beat JC in the east.
Im not saying JC is a good team, im just stating the fact that I dont think they can beat Highlands only using the running game. Highlands may have had trouble stopping JC and they might this year, but lets fact it, Highlands offense is GREAT. JC will play noone who will get them ready for that offense, which means JC will need to score a lot of points to hang in there and i just dont see it with the athletes Highlands has.

That 21-14 game was a great game, but I think you and I both know that that might have been JC's best team, atleast from what i see that year. And Highlands offense may be better this year than it was that year.

Im rooting for JC 100%, but i dont know that they can stop Highlands, and if they do, i dont know they can put up enough points to win the game.

Many people believe that this year's JC could be their best and the 2006 team that lost to Covington Catholic was better than Highlands that year, IMO. I trust Matney to make the coaching decisions that will give the Golden Eagles their best opportunity to win each game on the schedule. People like yourself who second guess Matney's approach to the game cannot cite any examples of teams in Highlands' class over the past few years beating them by employing a more balanced attack because there are none.

A great Covington Catholic team won a state title in 2006 but it was Johnson Central, not Highlands, which gave the Colonels their biggest challenge that season and they did it with a punishing running attack.

Highlands is not invincible and so far, there is no evidence that this year's Highlands offense is better than it was last year or the year before last.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Many people believe that this year's JC could be their best and the 2006 team that lost to Covington Catholic was better than Highlands that year, IMO. I trust Matney to make the coaching decisions that will give the Golden Eagles their best opportunity to win each game on the schedule. People like yourself who second guess Matney's approach to the game cannot cite any examples of teams in Highlands' class over the past few years beating them by employing a more balanced attack because there are none.

A great Covington Catholic team won a state title in 2006 but it was Johnson Central, not Highlands, which gave the Colonels their biggest challenge that season and they did it with a punishing running attack.

Highlands is not invincible and so far, there is no evidence that this year's Highlands offense is better than it was last year or the year before last.

Just throwing this out there, and im not sure if you know this or not, but Coach Matney is my favorite coach in the state! I dont get on to many JC threads, but trust me when i say im not second guessing Matney. I know of his abilities. Hes a good man to.

[sstack]

What you don't understand is that Highlands has struggled with JC's running game in the past, knowing that the Golden Eagles would throw very few passes. In fact, the Golden Eagles lost by only 7 in one regional championship game when a JC drive ended with a dropped potential game winning touchdown pass with only seconds left in the game. JC has dominated Covington Catholic, despite the Colonel's balanced attack in more than one game. No NKY team has shutdown JC's ground game, even in years when Highlands and Covington Catholic have had far superior teams.

No team in Kentucky has had a consistently better running game than Johnson Central has had during the Matney era. That is what has won 6 out of the past 7 district titles and it is what gives JC the best chance of eliminating Highlands from the playoffs this season. If JC falls so far behind Highlands (or Covington Catholic) that they are forced to abandon what got them there, then they will lose. Those games will be decided by turnovers, IMO. I don't think that there
will be many punts in JC's playoff games.

Hoot I agree with some of what you say but the facts are it is not working. Highlands tends to play better against bigger teams and JC is usually bigger than HHS. Highlands D philosophy against all teams is that the will allow you to have 3-4 yards but play a D designed not to give up a big play. They now if they can stop a couple drives that they can out score them. I know you disagree with the pass but this weeks game is good example. PT passed the ball alot for short 3-6 yard gains all night and also had very good running game with fast backs. They hit HHS at their weakness of speed offenses and defending the short pass. PT was in the game until last 10 mins of game. If JC makes Highlands defend the pass it makes their good running game even better IMO. if they have troubles stopping the run now and you pull their D further away from line of scrimmage defending the pass, it will make their running game even better.

[HDE]

And JC averaged nearly 9 yards per carry on the night.

Yes, that's what I have.
Both teams had success on the ground.
I'm glad we worked that out.

[sstack]

Many people believe that this year's JC could be their best and the 2006 team that lost to Covington Catholic was better than Highlands that year, IMO. I trust Matney to make the coaching decisions that will give the Golden Eagles their best opportunity to win each game on the schedule. People like yourself who second guess Matney's approach to the game cannot cite any examples of teams in Highlands' class over the past few years beating them by employing a more balanced attack because there are none.

A great Covington Catholic team won a state title in 2006 but it was Johnson Central, not Highlands, which gave the Colonels their biggest challenge that season and they did it with a punishing running attack.

Highlands is not invincible and so far, there is no evidence that this year's
Highlands offense is better than it was last year or the year before last.

You said there is no evidence that Highlands O is better this year and I am not ready to say they are yet. But I will say this years WR's is they strongest I have ever seen and QB throws a very very good ball. The WR's go 9 deep with very little drop off from 1-9. They have height and speed and all 9 have alot of catches an TD's. they sub 4WR's each play. And I do feel JC's weakness against highlands is pass D.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Hoot I agree with some of what you say but the facts are it is not working. Highlands tends to play better against bigger teams and JC is usually bigger than HHS. Highlands D philosophy against all teams is that the will allow you to have 3-4 yards but play a D designed not to give up a big play. They now if they can stop a couple drives that they can out score them. I know you disagree with the pass but this weeks game is good example. PT passed the ball alot for short 3-6 yard gains all night and also had very good running game with fast backs. They hit HHS at their weakness of speed offenses and defending the short pass. PT was in the game until last 10 mins of game. If JC makes Highlands defend the pass it makes their good running game even better IMO. if they have troubles stopping the run now and you pull their D further away from line of scrimmage defending the pass, it will make their running game even better.

Well said