[Hoot Gibson]

I do not totally agree with not having to pass much to beat HHS. If JC gets down 14-17 points they are not going to get back in the game with long time consuming scoring drives. HHS offense is very very good this year and will be incredible come playoff time. Teams are not going to be able to keep points off the board. Time consuming drives to keep their O off the field is what you want, but if you are down you better be able to pass to try to get back in the game.
HHS will give up yardage to JC but will make them earn it in long drives, they will not give up 60-70 yard runs. JH played against HHS some what like JC and HHS had ball 7 times, 5 TD's and two unforced turnovers inside the ten. That is very efficient. If JC does not score on just about every possession, it will be tough for them to get back with no passing in 4th quarter.

If Johnson Central gets down by 14 to 17 points, they are not going to beat Highlands unless the Birds suddenly become turnover prone. If they meet Highlands and do not turn the ball over, JC will likely score on nearly every possession. Most of the time Highlands spends practicing pass defense will be wasted on the Golden Eagles, as will most of the time Johnson Central devotes to its passing offense.

Neither of those phases of their respective games will get much use if JC and Highlands play each other. Highlands cannot afford the practice time that would be necessary to shutdown JC's running game and still manage to dominate most of the other teams on its schedule.

JC's biggest problem is that the new running clock rule and its weak schedule are going to severely limit the number of snaps that the first team O and D get before the playoffs and they are a young team. I expect more than a few teams will sub strategically to keep the running clock from becoming a factor too soon. That would be in keeping with the law of unintended consequences.