Woodford County vs. Ashland Paul Blazer preview

The Woodford County Yellow Jackets will face Ashland Paul Blazer on Saturday at Putnam stadium in Ashland. The game will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Woodford holds the number 11 spot in the 5A football poll. Paul Blazer sits at 13.

I see this as a key game for the Jackets. The winner will sit in the drivers’ seat, controlling its own destiny in terms of snagging the second seed in the district.

The big question is can Woodford stop the run.

The Yellow Jackets have not fared well against teams that run the football, and make no mistake about it, the Tomcats run the ball. I imagine they are chomping at the bit knowing Woodford County gave up over 650 yards on the ground to Johnson Central two weeks ago.

Paul Blazer averages 289 yards per game on the ground. They rarely put the ball in the air, putting up only 35 yards per game. So it’s pretty simple…stop the Tomcat ground attack and win the game. But as we say two weeks ago, knowing what a team is going to do doesn’t always mean it can be stopped.

Running back Rashard Carter holds the key to the Tomcat offense. He averages 130 yards per game. The two game Paul Blazer lost were the only two that Carter was held under 100 yards.

The Jackets are rolling on the offensive side of the ball. Nobody has really stopped them this season and they boast the sixth ranked passing offense in the state. But Ashland’s defense has played well against the pass. They sit at number 15 in the state in passing defense, allowing only 63 yards per game.

That number could be a little misleading though. The Tomcats have not faced a passing offense like Woodford’s.

I see this as a close game that could go either way. Ever the optimist, I’m going to give a slight edge to Woodford. I do think Blazer will move the ball against the Jackets, but they are not as physical as Johnson Central, and I don’t see them running over the Jackets like the Golden Eagles did. I look for the defense to make just enough stops to keep the offense in the game. The Yellow Jackets should continue to roll and I have a feeling the fact that Woodford can score quickly will pay off at the end of the game.

My pick:

Woodford 31 Paul Blazer 28