Special Scrimmage Edition, season openers around the corner…

Well, I keep trying to tell anyone who questions the accuracy of my next statement that the reason we represent unparalleled, high school, football coverage is we have eyes and ears all over the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Just to demonstrate the prowess that is the KPGFootball network we are going to detail for you several scrimmages for you subscribers which occurred, last night, in distant parts of the Bluegrass.

Let’s start in one of the furthermost eastern parts of Kentucky, in Belfry…

Belfry hosted a three team affair in the Mountains between the Pirates, Richlands HS, and Abington HS. Richlands and Abington are both HS from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dobbins High School was slated, initially, to attend but no-showed last night. Much of what I am about to write are matters about which the sophisticated football fan would be able to venture a guess, but the Pirates looked pretty good running the football. Kentucky’s best center, Ethan Wolford, star lineman, Austin Lawson, and star LB and highly regarded 2020 prospect, Grayson Cook, were held out of the scrimmage to give some of the younger guys opportunities to show they needed to be on the field some. Coach Haywood reasoned that he knew what Wolford, Lawson, and Cook could do so he didn’t need to see them like he needed to see dress rehearsals and live, game like, reps from some of the up and comers.

Against Richlands HS, under the you get 10 plays, we get 10 plays, scrimmage format, Issac Dixon took the second play from scrimmage to the house from 30 yards out and then took play number 4 to the same destination from 40 away. Also, Justin Barker at TE was able to take a pass to pay dirt. When the Pirates were on defense against Richlands, the Virginians were able to score, threw the air, twice, picking on the Belfry, smallish corners in their ten plays. When Belfry went back on offense, Ben Bentley took one 40 for a score and Peyton Hensley scored on a 30 yard scamper.

Belfry next scrimmaged Abington HS and Ben Bentley scored from 25 yards out with Isiah Birchfield catching a 35 yard TD reception. Overall, in the 60 plays, the Belfry D didn’t surrender a single rushing TD in spite of an All-State LB (Grayson Cook) being saved for the opener. Belfry gave up 4 passing TDs. Cook, while not playing LB, did trot out and nail all 6 of the PATs attempted on the night.

There were some young guys who showed they need some playing time this Fall. KPGFootball thought Brad Lowe looked good both subbing for Cook at LB and on offense backing up Barker. Lowe is a 6-3 and 195 pound, sophomore, who played well enough that he punched his ticket to Friday night, in 2018, and he won’t just be standing on the sideline. I do want to mention the last offense series of the night for the Pirates because it was vintage Belfry-football. The Pirates fed the fullback on six straight carries who took the ball in for a score. I know Haywood liked the look of that. Overall,  Belfry fairly demonstrated why they are being consistently ranked in the top two teams, preseason, in the 3A classification.

Meanwhile, 415 miles to the west of Belfry, at McCracken County High School…

HHS, still without Ellis Dunn in the lineup, who is not only the team’s most lethal deep threat but its best back-four cover too, had a game-like scrimmage with the Class 6A, District 1, McCracken County Mustangs. The scrimmage was a real back and forth affair as the varsities tied after the first period, 7-7, were tied after two periods, at 21-21, and were tied after each got one possession in the third period, 28-28. Being honest, neither defense look very stout as the Tigers ran all over the Mustangs when they wanted to and threw it against them effectively while the Mustangs also ran it well, against the Tiger front seven, and threw it all over the ball park.

In the remainder of the third period and all of the fourth the teams got some live, game reps for its JVs. The Tiger JV was able to score once while keeping the Mustangs out of the end zone. On the night, the Tigers won (I guess) 35-28. Either the Tigers are not as good as I thought heading into its opener or the Mustangs are way better than I thought they would be. Which one of these two is the truth is speculation at this point. It is hard to figure teams, preseason, as you really don’t have any information about kids who were JVs last season and how they will replace the stars from 2017 who have departed to play on Saturdays. We assume, too often, teams whom have suffer considerable losses to graduation are going to struggle and, with as little as we know about JV play across Kentucky, that assumption is often proven erroneous, as CAL showed all of us in 2017, for instance.

Across the State Line, in Clarksville, Tennessee…

Traditional 5A power Christian County attended the Jamboree in Clarksville, Tennessee at Fortera Stadium. The Colonels weren’t very hospitably treated as they first lost to Clarksville High 14-6, with the Wildcats getting both scores from its ballyhooed Joshua Watch. In the second scrimmage against NE, my eyes in Clarksville told me the Colonels couldn’t cross the 50 yard line. That scrimmage finished 7-0 favor of Northeast, but Northeast played its varsity, only 2 series, before turning it over to back-ups and JV players. My scout told me, had it been a regular season affair, it would have been a rout. I was told the Colonels looks slow and sluggish so maybe it was just an off night as everyone knows there are plenty of athletes in the hallways at Christian County High School. At least, there have always been in previous years…

Two young guys show out for Meade County…

Meade County scrimmaged Saint Francis DeSales High School and to unsophisticated football fans, it might appear the Class 6A Meade County was picking on the 2A Catholic School from Louisville. Well, many times we have tried to demonstrate that the top of any classification, no matter how small, can ball and DeSales showed it again, last night, winning the game-like, dress rehearsal, 19-14. It should be noted that Meade County’s super sophomores, JT Godsey (22) and JJ Richardson (20), both evinced why so many, around the program, are heralding the arrival of these two to the varsity roster. Last night these two players, who only played limited JV and freshman ball last year, had an interception (Godsey) and played a solid corner on defense while corralling two diving catches on offense (Richardson). Yeah, Meade County has been through some lean years of late (3-9 in 2015, 2-9 in 2016, and 5-6 last year), but, in 2014 Meade lost in the Semis to Trinity and, in 2013, Meade almost won the Class 6A football championship, losing to Scott County 21-14. With players coming up like JT Godsey and JJ Richardson, are they on the way back? Could be…

Thanks to all the people who got out and watched scrimmages to me last night and throughout the week and thanks for reporting back to KPGFootball and for providing the excellent pictures. Reporting for KPGFootball, this is Fletcher Long reminding all of you ballers out there that #WeGotUCovered and to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE.