The count is in. The wait is over. This year’s Helmet Sticker King is...
Well, I’ll get to that a little later.
First, the QB takes a look at one coach’s view of the final weeks of the regular season.
During an interview with Boyd County coach Lee Evans this past week, he said that he thinks district games should end the regular season, since they are the sole factor in determining who makes it to the playoffs.
Overall records don’t matter in Kentucky high school football. A team can go 4-6 overall and finish 4-0 in the district and be a No. 1 seed in the postseason.
Therefore, the QB agrees with Coach Evans, and I’m sure many other coaches have this same stance.
For instance, this past Friday, there was not one game in the area that mattered at all. Playoff matchups were already set after Week 10.
To make it more interesting for fans and make it more meaningful for teams, the last game of the season should be a district game for every team. There will be situations in which games still won’t matter but, in most cases, they will.
That being said, some of the games were important in deciding what the QB could use for “Since...” this week.
Since...
‰Ashland had not shut out Boyd County twice in a row since... 1991-92.
On Friday night Ashland clobbered Boyd County, 46-0, for the most lopsided game in the series since 1992, when the Tomcats won 48-0. Seven total yards on offense for the Lions. Are you kidding me?
QB’s take: Not quite the tuneup Ashland needed for its matchup against Dixie Heights. The overall speed, quickness off the lines, and offensive explosiveness was no match for Boyd County. As for the Lions, Coach Evans said his senior group was a happy-go-lucky bunch, which will bode well for putting this loss in the past and focus on the task at hand — a playoff game at Knox Central. Good luck to both.
‰Lawrence County had the best season-to-season turnaround for a Kentucky high school football team since... Ever.
No team in state history has ever gone winless in one season and undefeated in the next. The Bulldogs demolished Tolsia, W.Va., 42-6, on Friday to make history.
QB’s take: While the Bulldogs have pulled off an impressive feat, will that 10-0 record turn into 11-0? Should be no problem against McCreary County in the first round.
But after Friday, the subpar schedule may come back to haunt Lawrence County. Either way, the QB is still riding shotgun on the Bulldogs’ Bandwagon.
Helmet Stickers
Now the big moment ... and it could have gone to a number of players this season. Actually, a total of 63 players have received stickers throughout the season.
The tally was close, but the 2009 Helmet Sticker King is... Lawrence County senior running back Shane Pack.
Pack’s 30 stickers edged Russell’s Travis Jones, who finished second with 26. The rest of the top 12 goes as follows: 3. Josh Alber (Ashland), 20. 4. Rashard Carter (Greenup County), 18. 5. Darrell Cross (Rowan County), 17. 6. Tyler Farley (Raceland), 13. 7. Connor Swift (Ashland), 12. t8. Trey Rogers (Ashland), 11. t8. Drew Boyd (Fairview), 11. t8. Danny Cline (West Carter), 11. t8. T.J. Shelton (Fairview), 11. 12. Will Rice (Russell), 10.
The following stickers were included in the above tally. Also, the QB added some honorable stickers for a few unsung seniors this season: Raceland’s Cody Grant, Boyd County’s Ethan Fultz, Russell’s Kamron Smith and Rowan County’s T.J. Chin.
Four stickers: Connor Swift (Ashland), Drew Boyd (Fairview).
Swift had probably his best offensive performance of the season against Boyd County to go with his usual defensive effort. The senior scored two touchdowns, two two-point conversions and recovered a fumble.
Boyd shredded Paintsville’s defense for 210 yards on 11 carries. He also had two TDs.
Three stickers: Josh Alber (Ashland), Corey Lyle (Greenup County).
Two stickers: Shane Pack (Lawrence County), Danny Cline (West Carter), Ryan Whetzel (Ashland).
One sticker: Josh Cundiff (West Carter), Rashard Carter (Greenup County), T.J. Shelton (Fairview).
Noteworthy
‰Mason County’s backup quarterback can play, too. All the talk this season has surrounded Neal Pawsat but senior Colt Fearis ran all over Greenup County. The Royals take a 10-0 team and a bundle of talent into the postseason.
‰I want to correct a mistake from Thursday’s newspaper from a Kiwanis Bowl luncheon in which players from Ashland and Russell were able to speak. I called Drew Walters “Drew Wolf.” Walters is a key piece of the Ashland freshmen team that defeated Russell 36-3 on Thursday. Tomcat coach Leon Hart said, “I can’t wait to have those guys.”
AARON SNYDER can be reached at asnyder@dailyindependent.com or (606)
326-2664.
