Dave Lackford pretty much told all of us right on social media. You know of whom I am speaking, RivalsDave. He tweeted out that he treats information or video forwarded to him from Appalachia Mountain athletes as “spam.” Man, he’s a complete jerk and a total joke.
Rivals thinks covering Kentucky is hanging around Aspirations Fitness Institute every Sunday from 3-6 PM in Louisville, Kentucky. If it isn’t from the Louisville-area, it just can’t be a legitimate college prospect, right Dave?
Of course this is ridiculous. If the mountains don’t have any players, why does it win 4 of the 6 football classifications in 2019? If there were any class 5 or 6A teams in the mountains, I am sure it would have been a clean Appalachian sweep.
Well, do you know who thinks we have players in the mountains? Coach André Morris and the Air Force Academy’s football program. Coach Morris, who has landed the services of 2020 LB, Grayson Cook from Belfry, thought he might take a chance to mine these mountains for gold again, this time for 2021-talent.
Now Air Force, for those who may not know, knows a thing or two about football. The Falcons from the Mountain West Conference were the Nation’s 22nd best football team at the end of 2019, were the champion of the Commander in Chief series among service academies, and were a team which finished 11-2 in 2019 playing in Division I’s FBS. They were also a major college football program which thought to send a coach 1,800 miles to visit with signee Grayson Cook of Belfry and take a gander at some other prospects the mountains have to offer.
William Long of Breathitt County was one of those boys he asked to see, eye-to-eye. William Long, a 5-10, 255-pound All-State, two-way player for the Breathitt County Bobcats who came away impressed by the Academy and the Academy came away right impressed with him. William, who provided, at Coach Morris’ request, a certified copy of his academic transcript and his ACT scoresheet, is attracted to the fact the Academy has a tremendous program, athletically and academically, and one in which his talents certainly fit.
The Air Force, pertaining to William, is recruiting a football savvy and heavily decorated player. William is also an off-the-charts explosive, strong, athletic, and powerful athlete as his present run of Kentucky High School Power-lifting State titles and his fine play on the Riverbank, witnessed by all, certainly underscores.
William started all 14 games for Breathitt in 2019 playing the offensive center position flawlessly. He captained and made calls for Breathitt’s vaunted Big-Blue Wave, an offensive front behind which the Bobcats gained 3,097-yards on the ground and scored 67-rushing TDs in only 308 carries in 2019.
Breathitt also threw for 1,560 yards and another 21-TDs through the air. All told, the team scored 88-TDs in 415-offensive plays or a TD very 4.72-snaps.
Defensively, at NG, William had 90-tackles (52S, 38A), 21-TFLs, 1 QB-sack, 3-FFs, 1-FR inspite of being double and triple teamed all season. William was selected the 7th district’s defensive MVP by the Jackson Times-Voice.
The Falcons also evaluated Isaac Dixon from Belfry, Brad Lowe from Belfry, and Seth Mounts, also from the State 3A football champion, Belfry Pirates. Below are some bios about how these players came to be evaluated last night.
Freshman All-Stater Rudy Blackwell was also informed of his being in the Falcon’s future recruiting plans. Rudy made our freshman All-State team for his play this season. Rudy had 48-tackles manning the end opposite a player in every opponent’s scouting report, All-State, Air Force Academy signee, Grayson Cook. Blackwell contributed 2 QB-sacks to go along with his nearly 50-stops and who knows what his numbers would have been had he played “starter’s snaps” in all of Belfry’s 14-games and not missed 4-games with injury.
Rudy, at 6-3 and 180-pounds, has the long, lean frame Belfry has had a penchant for starting at its hybrid OLB/DE slot through the years. In a lineage which includes Grayson Cook and Seth Mounts, this is just another reason why Belfry is always in the hunt for State Championships.
Isaac Dixon, Class of 2021, may be the best football player on the entire Belfry roster full of outstanding players. How in the world this guy didn’t merit an honorable mention, much less inclusion on one of the three-strings of the Coach’s All-State football team, is beyond our comprehension.
Dixon, in 2019, had 96-carries, 1,191-yards rushing, in 11 games (missing three with injury). Dixon had 13-rushing TDs, caught 7-passes (out of 25 Belfry receptions all year) for 184-yards, and 3-TD receptions. Dixon scored 110-points.
Most importantly, when the team needed him most; Dixon, in the State Championship game in Lexington, Kentucky, carried the football 15-times for 224-yards with 3 rushing TDs. He led this team to the Class 3A, Kentucky Football Championship, earning the Championship Game’s “MVP” in the doing.
Brad Lowe is a really impressive looking 2021-kid who has one of the lengthier and sturdy frames one will find at the OLB/DE slot. Lowe spent significant time on the IR this season which led to the emergence of Blackwell. Lowe, who only played in 9-games, of the 14 his team played in route to winning it all, still had 32-tackles in limited duty. This kid is 6-3 all day long and I would put his weight around a hard and chiseled 220. Fine prospect who, once healthy, should kill it next season.
Seth Mounts is one of our favorite players as our past decorations of him would certainly support. He made both our freshman and sophomore all-state football teams and is a former Team Kentuckian. He has had some injury issues throughout his career but played all 14-games in 2019 and made some monster hits at crucial times. In 2019, Mounts led Belfry’s defense in several key categories. Seth had 43 solos, 63 assists, for 112 total stops with 4 TFLs and 4-QB sacks.
Seth is 6-3 and weighs a slender 180-pounds. He can play QB but his primary position has been linebacker. He runs a 4.85 forty, shuttles in 4.8, benches 245 and squats 350 with a 28-inch vertical.
As can be easily seen, Air Force’s scouting out the area for football talent was a wise move on that program’s part. We suppose that is why they routinely win football games. Hey, they aren’t coming off an 11-2 record for nothing.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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