[laker20]

I'll put my two cents in this for the fun of it, not like it means much.

Boyle County over the years has been about as good as anyone at finishing off teams that have 8,9, or 10 win regular seasons that are teams who are not normal powerhouses in the playoffs. Bullit East, East Jessamine, Paducah Tilghman, Lone Oak, Pulaski County and the list goes on and on. Boyle County has always been ready for games like this and I would expect nothing different.

Russell County is normally an average football team and this years team is maybe the best team in school history. They are a VERY GOOD football team. Call them great if you want too, and I wouldn't want to argue with you. Nick Britt is a great athlete and will be the fastest kid on the field on Friday night. Its not knocking Boyle County or who they have defended this year its just stating he is a big play threat.

Boyle County will have no doubt the best defense Russell County has played all season long. This could be said for just about anyone playing Boyle County at this time of the season. They fly around, hit, and make plays. I've seen it too many times to expect anything different. Boyle will hit Nick Britt and I expect Boyle County to make plays in the passing game and running the football. As much as I read on here that Russell County's offense hasn't been tested. Their offense is great, and if you think different, then you need to watch them play. I would lean more on the side of not knowing how good their defense is. I'm not saying it isn't good, I'm saying they have not faced a powerhouse offense this year and this could cause them problems in this game.

One advantage Russell County will have is their kicker. When he kicks off, Boyle will start at the 20. Its an advantage on anyone. Russell County can throw the ball better than people give them credit for. A balanced attack can give Boyle County some issues. And Russell County runs playaction with Britt and will hit big plays down field. If Boyle County thinks they only have to stop Nick Britt, then you will see a lot of big passes from Russell County over the top all night. Its what makes their offense so good is they get big plays in the running and passing game.

Boyle County has played some great opponents this year but the question is have they been able to stop any of them? Highlands, John Hardin, Danville, Lexington Catholic, and Collins put up at least 24 points on them and Lexington Catholic lost their D1 quarterback during the game. Playing great teams is one thing, stopping them is another.

I don't think Boyle fans want to admit this but their state championship teams would not give up 50 points to anyone. So this bunch, on the defensive side of the ball is a level down from some of the great Boyle teams of the past (my opinion)

Does that mean that Boyle can not stop Russell County? No, and in fact I think Russell County will have problems moving the football but I think they will in spurts. Boyle will make Russell earn every inch that they get. Something Russell County has not had to do much this year because they score so much and so often. Russell County needs to protect the football and not give up easy turnovers. They have been known to put the football on the ground from time to time and if that happens then the game is over, Boyle wins by a few scores.

One other element I would add. Boyle County will come after your punts. It wins them close games. It hurts these good offensive teams so bad compared to more defensive oriented teams because good teams like Russell County has not had to punt much all year, then in the biggest game of the season (so far) you are facing one of the best punt blocking teams in the state. Ask Lone Oak in the state championship game a few years ago. Russell County better be ready for this or it WILL cost them the football game and their season.

After my long rant and thinking over the game, I think this game is going down to the wire.

I think Boyle County scores a late touchdown in the last few minutes of the game to beat Russell County 28-24 in a high school classic. This will be a great football game.

Great first post, and welcome to the forum.

I agree with much of what you have to say.....the winner & score, not so much....lol.

A couple of things. Regarding fumbles, I believe the Lakers have lost 2 or 3 fumbles this season. We had one game where are normal center was out and we had a number of bad snap exchanges. If I'm not mistaken, the replacement was a lefty. Other than that, we have done a pretty good job protecting the ball.

As far as the BC defense goes, I do expect it to be the best overall D that we have faced, but not significantly better than Knox Central and Whitley County. In fact, Knox Central is probably a pretty close comparison defensively.

I do think that the team that makes the least mistakes should win this game. Field position will be a premium, and both teams will likely take advantage of short field opportunities.

As far as speed goes, I don't think the Rebels will be prepared for the speed of the Lakers. Game film just doesn't cut it in this respect.....ask anyone who has watched us in person or any team we've played. Britt is deceptively quick, partly because of his vision, but we will have 2-3 players on the field that are actually faster than him. IMO this will allow the Lakers to get by with a few smaller mistakes, that I don't think BC can get by with.

The Laker Defense will be a question mark.....it always has been for me and many around the program. But this team has gotten it done this season. I believe our 1st String defense has only allowed 95 points this season, and that's pretty good when your offense is scoring so much...giving the opponent more drive opportunities.

My biggest concern in this game and any we may have after this one, is that several times this season the Lakers have gotten an early lead (14-20 points), only to relax a bit on defense and allow the opponent to close the gap a bit. We can not allow the momentum to swing if it's in our favor....not against the level of competition that we will be facing.