GIRDIRON BATTLES

Ready or not, high school football is here. Originally set for a week of scrimmages, the KHSAA has allowed Kentucky High Schools to open play this week. It may be early I the season but several big games on the table Friday night. One will definitely be #7 Whitley County going to #3 Lexington Catholic.

Williamsburg, ranked number eight in the preseason coaches poll will host Jellico while Lynn Camp opens against Clay County in the Pioneer Bowl.

Whitley at Lex. Catholic

The Colonels have one of the toughest schedules in the area and will kick off the season in Lexington against the Knights of Lexington Catholic, a team that won state titles in 2005 and 2007. Coach Bill Letton and his staff feels the odd years have been exceptionally good to the Knights and this might just be another one of those big years.

Led by senior quarterback Nic Ward and senior running back Greg Raglin, the Knights are said to be as much as a 21-point favorite.

However, Whitley County Coach Jim Black hopes to have his team ready for the first of many big challenges throughout the season. “We prepare as usual and continue to try and do the things that we want to do offensively and defensively.”

“We’ve got to try and stop the things that they like to do,” said Black.

“We expect them to run Raglin,” said Black. “He is one of the better backs we’ve seen in about three or four years.”

Raglin rushed for 853 yards and 16 touchdowns last year when the Knights finished with an 8-4 record, losing to Boyle County 23-16 in the third round of the playoffs.

The Knights used a pair of quarterbacks last season and both are back. Ward, a two-year starter, has thrown for 4,225 yards and 47 touchdowns while John Sam Steele is more of a true pocket passer. He hit on 31 of 59 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns last year. Ward hit on 133 of 244 passes for 1,578 and 22 touchdowns.

The two, however, were intercepted 14 times.

Raglin will definitely be the person to stop on the ground after scoring 16 touchdowns. No other running back had more than three TD’s on the entire season. One of those, Lee Ramsey, is back. He had 155 yards on 32 carries. Patrick Hager added 214 yards.

“I’m sure they will try to throw the ball, so we will have to make some great plays,” said Black. “They will try to pressure us offensively. I’m sure they will want to take the inside running game away from us, so we will have to be able to handle their pressure.”

Black feels the Colonels should match the intensity of the Knights offensively. “If we execute, we will be hard to defend. If we don’t make mistakes we will be hard to defend. I feel like we are close to hitting on all cylinders on offense right now,” he said.

The Colonels on the other hand are untested after losing running back Cody Jones and Jason Powers, who totaled just over 3,000 yards and scored 54 touchowns last season.

Whitley County rushed for 62 scores last year and 55 of those are gone.

Black will rely on senior quarterback Jamie Lebanion, senior running back Josh Wynn and senior running back Alex Patrick and junior fullback Cody Bramlett. Look for the Colonels to force Lexington Catholic to stop the run.

Jellico at Williamsburg

Injuries are piling up at Williamsburg while Jellico is trying to rebound from a winless 2008 season that saw the Blue Devils give up 34.2 points per game.

“We are headed back into the right direction,” said Jellico Coach Danny Oakes. “We have 36 kids out this year compared to the 23 we had last year.”

“We are much improved in our scrimmages and making strides in the right direction,” Oakes said.

“We’ve had a chance to scout them,” said Williamsburg Coach Jerry Herron. “They have got quite a bit more team speed this year and have a lot of athletes out. They are well coached, they are running the spread and look like a pretty solid football team this year.”

“I have been very impressed with them on film from what I’ve seen,” said Herron.

“They have a solid quarterback and receiver,” added Herron. “The receiver is real fast and a good looking athlete.”

The Blue Devils return quite a few skill players including senior running back Ryan Morris, wide receivers Jeremiah Thompson and Michael Douglas. Junior quarterback Tyler Brummett will also be a big key to the Devils’ success this season.

This will be the first time since 2006 that the two have met on the football field. Williamsburg won handily in the last meeting, 57-0. The Yellow Jackets have actually won five of the last seven meetings and the last five in a row.

Expectations are high for the Yellow Jackets as the season gets underway. Senior quarterback Ryan Moses, senior wide receiver Dusty Brown, senior Daniel Pettit, sophomore running back Jarred Barton and senior lineman Jeremy Collins hope to send the Yellow Jackets deep into the playoffs.

However, Herron was relying on junior Chris Lowrie, who scored seven touchdowns and ran for 367 yards last year for plenty of help. But, an accident that left Lowrie with a broken leg has sidelined the running back for at least six weeks.

“That’s not the way we wanted to start the season,” said Herron.

However, the Yellow Jackets will have plenty of weapons until Lowrie makes his return. Moses threw for 2,693 yards last year and 34 touchdowns. Although his main receiver, Aaron Brock, has graduated, Brown and Barton caught six TD passes while Pettit had 32 catches for 517 yards and two touchdowns.

The Yellow Jackets plan to go more to the option game to utilize Moses strength as a running back.

“Obviously we have to shut down their passing game,” said Oakes. “And, we can’t turn the ball over.”

Lynn Camp vs. Clay County

The Lynn Camp Wildcats will open the season in the 4^th Annual Pioneer Bowl at Knox Central. The Wildcats will take on the Clay County Tigers. “They have a lot of speed,” said Lynn Camp Coach David Mitchell, who will begin his 33^rd year with the Wildcats.

“It comes down to execution,” said Mitchell. “We have to be able to contain their big plays. We know they are going to make some, we just can’t give them too many.”

The Tigers will be led by 6-3, 175-pound junior J.V. Hooker, who has moved to quarterback. He replaces Zack Lewis, who moved on to Morehead State.

The cupboard is far from bare at Clay County. Also returning is leading rusher, junior Charles Miller and junior Noah Miller. The two combined for 1,112 yards and 15 touchdowns from the backfield.

Hooker will have plenty of targets from the air as well with the return of Chris Gilbert who caught 54 passes for 770 yards and four touchdowns. Reid was the leading receiver with 1020 yards and 11 TD’s. They will also have sleepers Shane Gibson, Zach Kemp, Jacob Cheek and Corey Nicholson to deal with.

“They will have a lot of weapons, we just have to contain them,” said Mitchell.