Bulldozed

Knowing the future doesn't necessarily mean you can change it.

Every time Johnson Central (5-0) lined up last night, everybody in the stadium knew they were going to run the ball. Still, Woodford County (3-2) seemed powerless to stop them. The Golden Eagles rolled up 650 yards rushing as they beat the Yellow Jackets 54-33.

Johnson Central threw three passes, and one of those was on a two-point conversion.

I really underestimated Johnson Centrals’ running game. I knew they could score on the ground, but I really thought Woodford could stop, or at least slow down such a one-dimensional offense.

Not so much. Bad tackling hurt the Jackets, but the bottom line was the Golden Eagles’ running game is just that good.

I have to say this though, watching Johnson Central play offense was akin to watching dust settle on my dining room table. I guess one can’t argue with results. Johnson Central plays to its strength and it’s winning them ballgames.

Woodfords’ offense played pretty well. I think mid-way through the third quarter they got a little discouraged. Steven Duckworth made one bad throw that Johnson Central picked off, but other than that, they were able to move the football.

Jordan Carter had a good game on the offensive side of the ball. He made some big runs and scored Woodfords' first TD on a one-yard plunge. He also had one long kickoff return.

Woodford junior tight end Bobby Neal also impressed me. He made some big catches late in the game. He's a big kid at 6'3" 212 pounds and has really good hands. He's also pretty fast for a big guy and gets a lot of yards after making a catch.

I have to say this for the Yellow Jackets; they don’t quit. Their defense went out and kept plugging away and the offense made the game interesting in the fourth quarter. It would have been easy to just throw in the towel at halftime, but Woodford came out fired up in the second half, and although they didn’t stop the Johnson Central juggernaut, they made some good stops. I have to respect that kind of character.

Woodford v. Johnson Central

The Yellow Jackets will play a huge district game tonight against Johnson Central. This is a big rivalry, the teams don't like each other very much and I’m looking for an intense game. Woodford coach Chris Tracy makes no secret of the fact that he doesn't care much for the Golden Eagle coach, adding to the drama.

Woodford embarrassed Johnson Central 43-22 in Paintsville last season and the Golden Eagles will seek revenge at Woodford County.

I’m expecting a lot of scoring tonight. Both teams have prolific offenses, but there the similarities end.

The two teams are polar opposites. Woodford runs a passing oriented spread offense. They are currently ranked 15 in the state in passing offense, averaging 214 yards per game. Johnson Central keeps the ball on the ground. They run an old school two back wishbone offense and they hold a number five ranking in rushing offense, averaging 348 yards a game.

When the Golden Eagles come to town, everybody knows what they will do. Last week against Shelby County, they threw for a grand total of zero yards. They threw only one pass all night in their 35-31 win over Bryan Station.

So theoretically, a team should be able to simply stack nine players in the box, and that’s probably what Woodford will do. Problem is that things that look good in theory don’t always work in reality. Everybody knows Johnson Central will try to run the ball down their throat, but nobody’s been able to stop them.

I’m looking for a high scoring game tonight.

I don’t think the Golden Eagles can slow down Steven Duckworth and the Jacket offense. Shelby County threw for over 200 yards on Johnson Central last weekend.

The Woodford D has really stepped up over the last two games, but I can’t get the image of Bardstown running the ball right down their throat three weeks ago, and Bryan Station had late game success last week running the ball, so the jury is still out on the Woodford run defense.

But Woodford has a lot of momentum and a lot of heart, and I expect their defense will bring it tonight. I don’t see them shutting down Johnson Central, but I think they can slow them down enough to win. Woodford fans will be geared up too, giving them that intangible home field edge.

My pick:
Woodford 45 Johnson Central 28

Oregon State 27 USC 21

Just goes to show, you have to play the games.

Cry baby

I've often wondered how the de-emphasis of competition in athletics would affect the world of sports. A recent tirade by Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador may give us a hint.

Contador won the Tour de France in 2007, and races for the Astana cycling team. Since Lance Armstrong announced his plans to compete in next year’s tour, many speculate he may join Astana because of his ties with team leader Johan Bruyneel.

Contador threw a little fit, apparently believing his past performance earned him the team’s top spot for life.

“I think I’ve earned the right to be a leader of the team without having to fight for my place,” he said. (Insert whiney voice for better effect.) “And with Armstrong, some difficult situations could arise in which the team would put him first, and that would hurt me.”

Wahh, wahh, wahh!

I don’t even know where to start with this.

What kind of world does Contador live. He gets to be the team leader for life…with no fight?? I’m picturing NFL veterans all over the league wishing for that kind of deal.

In every sport, athletes compete for positions. They compete for playing time. The work and push and sacrifice to earn their spot, and then they fight some more to keep it. That’s how it works.

But after two decades of youth sporting leagues that don’t keep score and concern themselves with elevating participants’ self-esteem instead of actually fostering healthy competition, we are starting to see athletes with a sense of entitlement.

Praising kids just for the sake of offering praise does not develop real self-esteem. Heck, kids know the score…they’re not that dumb. What we are creating is a bunch of spoiled brats who think they are entitled to whatever they want, simply because they graced the field with their presence.

About Face

People across the country are starting to hear about the Tampa Bay Rays. Last night, they clinched a playoff spot for the first time in franchise history.

I've known about the Rays for a long time. I lived about 6 blocks from their stadium. I could almost smell the futility from my apartment.

Last season, new ownership took over the in St. Petersburg. Gone was stingy old Vince Namoli. He treated the fans with contempt and milked the franchise to line his own pockets, refusing to spend any money to put a competitive team on the field. Gone was the Devil from their name, and this season, gone are their losing ways.

If you haven't followed baseball in St. Petersburg, it's hard to comprehend what a turnaround this season represents. It's not just a one-season about face…a two year worst to first story. It's an entire franchise history turned on its head.

This is a team that never before had a winning season. A team that people said would NEVER compete in the AL East with the Yankees and Red Sox. A team that for several years looked more like an AAA farm club than a real MLB organization.

But today is a new day in Tampa Bay. The Rays will play baseball in October! They even have a legit shot to win the AL East outright.

So congrats to Tampa Bay. I can't wait to watch my Rays in the playoffs!

Woodford County 24 Bryan Station 17

I was really impressed with the Yellow Jackets in their win Friday. The defense carried the team and the offense did just enough to pull off the win.

What impressed me most was Woodfords' never quit attitude. After the Defenders' small, fast and elusive back broke loose for a 67 yard TD run on the second play, it would have been easy to fold up, but the Jacket D picked themselves up and played a wail of a game. That never say die attitude paid off in the end. With less than two minutes left, the Defenders got their running game going and basically rammed it down Woodford Countys' throat. With 1st and goal on the 1-yard line, it looked like the Bryan Station had a sure score. But a forced fumble gave the ball and the win back to the Jackets. The Yellow Jackets didn't quit on that play. They kept battling and earned the W.

I have the sense that this could turn out a very special year for Woodford County. They have that intangible something that makes a good team great. They certainly weren't the most athletic team on the field. Woodford coach Chris Tracy said that if you line up his team position to position with Bryan Station, they have the better squad.

But Tracy's boys play as a team, and in sports that can take a team a lot further than talent alone.

Granted, there is a lot of football left to play, and the Yellow Jackets have to bring that same intensity each week, but if they do, we may well see some big things out of this team.

Woodford Co. @ Bryan Station pre-game notes

The Yellow Jackets (2-1) will face a stiff challenge tonight as the go on the road to face a resurgent Bryan Station team (2-1).

The Defenders are coming off a tough 35-31 loss to Johnson Central last week, while the Yellow Jackets played their best game of the year, beating Montgomery County 49-0.

Bryan Station features a big, fast squad. I heard a radio commentator last week say that the Defenders look like a small college team. Woodford County is a relatively small team and Bryan Stations' bulk could prove problematic.

The Jacket offense has proved it can move the football and put points on the board, so the game will hinge on which Woodford defensive unit shows up.

The Yellow Jacket defensive squad gave up 76 points in its first two games, but completely shut down Montgomery County last week.

Bryan Station has a huge offensive weapon in running back Patrick Cornett. He's rushed for 500 yards in just three games and averages 219.7 all-purpose yards. The Jackets looked vulnerable to the run in their first two games, but turned that around last week. If the defense can take up where it left off against the Indians, they should be able to win their fifth in a row over the Defenders.

The Woodford offense will also need to put together some sustained drives and keep the defense off the field. If the defensive unit is forced to play a lot of minutes, that big Defender offensive line may wear them down

Woodford Volleyball

The Dunbar Bulldogs beat an over matched Woodford County volleyball team 2-0 (25-12, 25-11) in Lexington tonight.

Yellow Jacket coach Genny Ledbetter said it was the first time her team has faced an opponent as fast as Dunbar and the Bulldogs also boasted a much taller lineup.

But despite the loss, Ledbetter said her team adjusted pretty well and she was happy with how her team responded.

I have to admit, I've already grown fond of this Yellow Jacket team. They are a very young squad, with only two seniors on the varsity team and just one player with prior varsity experience.

I really appreciate the attitude the Volley-Jackets display. They always seem to enjoy themselves, even when down by double digits, and I have yet to see them quit. It's pretty inspiring to see a team getting beat, yet still smiling and encouraging one another.

They will likely continue to struggle through the remainder of the season, but I have a feeling they will probably upset someone along the way, and may even surprise some teams when the district tourney rolls around.

Welcome to gooberville

I was driving home the other day listening to the sports radio call-in show on WVLK. Since I've moved back to Kentucky, I've been trying really hard to keep an open mind about things UK.

Some fans make it very hard.

There's a certain myopia that exists around here, as if UK and the SEC are all there is in the universe. Maybe this stems from the fact that Wildcat sports are basically the only game in town in Lexington.

At any rate, this caller started out talking about how much better UK is than UofL. Granted, he has a point and the Cats proved that on the field. He proceeded into some Big East bashing. Again, he has a point. It's pretty hard to defend the Big East in football, at least judging by early season results. Then the caller went on the say that if UK had Louisville's schedule, they would certainly, easily go undefeated.

At that point the entered into the land of UK gooberville.

He's crazy if he thinks a Wildcat team with little offense, no running game and an untested defense could beat South Florida. As far as that goes, I don't think UK could hang with West Virginia, despite the Mountaineers loss to East Carolina (which is a pretty darn good football team).

I've sort of defended UK's close call against MTSU, but come on now, if UK had a hard time with the Blue Raiders, you can't coherently make the argument that the Wildcats would walk all over even a middle of the pack Big East team.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out. I think UK has a decent team, but I could also see them having a losing season if they don't iron out some wrinkles. As far as my Bulls go, they made a good showing against Kansas last week, but they have a history of beating ranked opponents and then tanking against the teams they should beat.

That said, a lot will have to change before I will accept the argument that UK is better than USF.

Sports quote of the week

"Here's what's discouraging to me. You see guys in pre-game singing Kanye West songs. How can they freaking understand every word that he sings and they can't understand the freaking signals? That's what's frustrating."

-University of Kentucky offensive coordinator Joker Phillips after the Middle Tennessee State game.

Couch time for UK fans

Sports fans by nature seem to swing between emotional extremes, and sometimes I think UK fans are worse than most.

Early wins over UofL and Norfolk State had some fans predicting an SEC championship, and the airwaves were full of talk about the Wildcats' dominating defense.

Nothing like a close call to damper spirits.

After the Cats narrowly escaped Commonwealth Stadium with a 20-14 win over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, suddenly the Big Blue Bandwagon is rolling a little lighter and I've already heard some fans declare that the sky is falling.

As a public service to my fellow Kentuckians, I would like to offer a little mental health counseling.

First off, keep in mind that a win is a win, and at the end of the year, most people won't remember that an MTSU fell about two feet short of stealing one from the Cats. UK may have stumbled and bumbled their way to win number three, but the bottom line is that it's win number three.

Secondly, make no mistake about it, Middle Tennessee is a darn good football team. I predicted they would give the Cats problems. I think a lot of fans looked at MTSU as one of those "directional schools" that the Cats would easily run right over. But the Blue Raiders whipped a pretty good Maryland team last week, so the fact that Middle Tennessee hung tough doesn't necessarily bode ill for the Cats.

Granted UK didn't play particularly well.

I think the team overlooked MTSU a bit. Coach Brooks complained that UK did not practice well all week, and that clearly flowed over into the game.

And UK definitely has plenty to work on. The offensive line did not get the job done and they are going to have to start opening some holes for the running game to take some pressure off Hartline. UK also needs to figure out a way to make some field-goals and to get their receivers to run the right routes.

That said, the sky isn't falling.

Last week, UK wasn't going to win the SEC and this week, they are not going to finish dead last. I think they will bounce back and easily handle Western Kentucky and then play a good Alabama team tough. UK still looks to me like a solid seven or eight win team.

So don't despair all ye bleeders of blue. There's a long season ahead. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the 3-0 record.

Thanks for coming by, now go do something productive. That will be $75 payable to Dr. Maharrey.

Woodford girls soccer wins at home

The Woodford County girls soccer team beat the visiting Male Bulldogs 4-0 this afternoon at Community Stadium, improving their record to 6-5.

The Jackets led by 1 at halftime on a goal by Cara Sheehan, and turned it on to pull away in the second. Brandi Levi hit the post twice before burying two goals and Sheehan blasted her second goal into the top of the net with less than a minute remaining.

MY UK prediction

If I were a betting man, I'd go put some money on Middle Tennessee.

The line has Kentucky as a 17 point favorite and I just don't see it. Middle Tennessee beat Maryland last week, a team that easily handled a top 25 ranked Cal team today. Middle Tennessee runs a spread offense, not unlike what Urban Meyer runs at Florida, and the Cats have had trouble stopping teams running the spread in the past. I'm also not convinced UK can consistently move the ball against a good defense. With the temperature in the low 90's, if the offense can't keep the ball and give the Kentucky D some rest, they will have big problems late in the game.

If the game were in Tennessee, I would pick them for the upset, but I am going to give the Cats the slight edge at home.

My pick:
UK 17 MTSU 14

Woodford Co. 49 Montgomery Co. 0

"That was awesome tonight, and I don't use that word very often," Woodford County Yellow Jacket head coach Chris Tracy told his team after they whipped the Indians 49-0.

It was a pretty impressive performance, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I kind of expected the Jackets to hang a lot of points on Montgomery Co., but I was really surprised the way the defense completely shut them down through the entire game.

The Yellow Jacket D allowed Montgomery Co. only 96 yards in offense, and a chunk of that came in the final Indian drive against Woodfords' second and third string. Last week the Jackets looked vulnerable to the run, but last night they swarmed to the ball and stuffed any semblance of an Indian running game.

Tracey made a great coaching move by shifting senior Colin Smith from nose-tackle to defensive end, allowing Smith to utilize his speed. He wrecked havoc in the Indian backfield and stymied the Montgomery quarterback's roll-out passing style.

The Yellow Jackets rolled up 477 yards and senior quarterback Steven Duckworth threw five touchdown passes. The running game looked solid as well. I'll be interested to see the complete stats breakdown on Monday.

Woodford cross country runner honored

Tom Leach, the "voice of the Wildcats" named Woodford County sophomore Anna Bostrom his cross country Prime Time Prep Performer for this week.

Bostrom won the Henry Clay Invitational with a time of 19:42 and currently holds a second place in state 3A rankings.

Leach chooses Prime Time Prep Performers in various Kentucky high school sports each week, as a means of bringing positive recognition to the young men and women for their athletic achievements

You can view the announcement here.

The first shot

Woodford County

I just completed my first week at the Woodford Sun. It's been a whirlwind and I don't really feel like I have my feet on the ground, but as I reflect on the last week, a few observations come to mind.

I'm impressed with Woodford County High.

I've attended a football, soccer and volleyball game. I've also received notes from several of the winter sport coaches. The athletic department exudes a commitment to excellence and it seems to filter down to every program. I look forward to watching the teams compete.

The football team looked pretty good last Saturday against Bardstown. The offense can certainly put some points on the board. I like the way head coach Chris Taylor spreads out the field. If Carter can continue to churn out rushing yards like he did Saturday, the field will really open up for Duckworth's passing game. The future also looks bright. I was really impressed with Garrahan last week. The sophomore backup signal caller was poised in the pocket and made good decisions with the ball. It will be interesting watching him develop over the next 3 seasons. The defense will likely hold the key to Woodfords' success. From what I understand, they graduated a lot of key player and the inexperience showed at times. They seemed vulnerable to the power running game. Bardstowns' big fullback wrecked havoc on the Jacket's D-line early in the game. It's fortunate that Woodford jumped out to the big early lead and took the Tigers out of their running game. Still, the D played well in spurts against Bardstown, especially in the second quarter.

I have to admit that I'm not an expert on soccer. Having played hockey half my life, I view the game through that lens. That said, I thought Woodford looked solid against Tates Creek. In the second half, they controlled the field. I would like to see them generate more scoring chances though. It seemed they were often stymied once they got in close.

UK

I often find myself amused at sports talk radio in this town. I've heard people talking 10 wins for the Cats.

Puleeeze.

UK looked pretty good in their first two games and I think they have a pretty decent defense, but I have yet to swig the blue cool-aid. I am going to reserve judgement until they actually play a strong opponent, which won't happen until Oct. 4 when Cats face Alabama. Let's face it. Norfolk State was a cream filled pastry and Louisville has unproven receivers and a bunch of ju-co transfers on defense.

We'll see what happens when they get into the SEC schedule. I'm thinking more of a seven or eight win season, unless one of the quarterbacks really steps up, but I'll reserve the right to reevaluate in October.

OSU vs. Southern Cal.

Honestly, I couldn't care less.

Yes, an early season matchup between one and five gives the folks at ESPN something to yammer about all week, but it comes so early in the season that the game won't likely have a big impact on the BCS championship.

Besides, I'm so over OSU. I really wish the NCAA would pass a rule banning them from the championship game until they prove themselves worthy. Two years watching them get blown up by an SEC team is about enough for me.

But if they make it past the Trojans, I'll probably be subjected to the scenario once again.

The Buckeyes have a relatively easy road to the BCS championship because they don't have to worry about a Big Ten championship game, and the Big Ten hasn't exactly lived up to its "BIG" label over the last few years.

Baseball

I have to give props to my Rays.

They finally beat the Boston at Fenway to stay 1 1/2 up on the Sox. They even did it by coming back in the ninth.

It's good to see Kazmir pitching well. He provided a stop in the Yankee series last week and pitched well last night.

I have to admit that I'm only a casual baseball fan, but after watching year after year of Tampa Bay futility, it's fun to see them enjoy some success.