[jbwill2]

While I generally agree with you, LexCath beat Highlands in 05 with some not exactly what you'd call, slim and trim O and D linemen. They did have an exceptional qb (Burke); I'm not willing quite yet to say that Banks is the next Burke, but he's pretty dang good. Last year when LCC lost to Highlands, Banks look really impressive and that was with a messed up hamstring. CovCath beat Highlands in 06 (twice) with O linemen that were no where near as athletic or as trim as Highlands line that year.

And I don't think your words need to be marked as they pretty much follow conventional wisdom. A good O needs a good O line. I'm just not sure that every good line is filled with only slim and trim O linemen. To run Highlands O (with all the pulling and trapping) you do. But not every good O requires such out of their O linemen. Actually a spread offense can be very successful with big hoggies taking tight splits to cut off the rushing lanes as can a power run offense.

Good points! If you recall in the LexCath game, LC's offense didn't win that game for LexCath, their defense did. Burke and the Knights only scored 17 points against HHS, so it wasn't exactly like they blew up the Bluebirds' defense. The problem was that HHS' offense (which was relatively weak that year) got shut out.

Last year, CovCath scored 25 points against the 'Birds in the postseason game, so again this wasn't an issue of the Colonels' offense tearing up HHS.

The point with all this is that HHS' defense, while often not "big," is always very quick, and a defense full of very quick and athletic linemen and linebackers will keep you in about every game in Class 5A/old Class 3A, as it has for HHS, even when playing LexCath and CCH in 05 and 06, respectively. If an opposing team doesn't possess good offensive linemen, then it's going to be a disadvantage against the speedy front 7-8 for HHS. I thought this was definitely the case against LCC last year.