Kentucky Football

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Preview: Boone County at Lafayette

By Dan Clasgens | Managing Editor

Cody Rodriguez is part of a three-prong rushing attack for Boone County.

The Boone County Rebels have a storied tradition built around a power running attack and stifling defense. In recent weeks, the team has displayed that as well as we’ve seen in recent memory. They are hoping that formula continues to carry towards a spot in the state championship game in two weeks.

Last week Boone County held Ryle to three first downs and just 88 total yards of offense. The inspired effort has everybody around the program believing they can go all the way.

Standing in their way this week is a Generals’ team that has taken out two of their district foes, Dixie Heights and Campbell County.

Let’s take a closer look at Friday’s 6A playoff tilt:

BOONE COUNTY (8-4) AT LAFAYETTE (9-3)
Site: Lafayette High School
Kickoff: Friday, November 18th at 7:30 P.M.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: William Johnson is the best playmaker on either team. The Generals’ running back is coming off a 262-yard, 4-TD effort in last week’s win at Campbell County. He has 1,525 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. Linebacker Justin Carr is seemingly in on every play on defense for Lafayette and leads the team with 139 total tackles. The best part about Boone County is that someone else seems to step up every week. Last week it was Cody Rodriguez that carried the load, finishing with 153 yards. Bryson Thompson leads the team with 11 touchdowns. Jeremiah Williams is a spark plug in the Rebels’ secondary.

TEAM TRENDS: This is the deepest playoff run by Boone County since 2008. The Rebels did not make the postseason in 2010. Boone County has won four of their last five contests. Their average margin of victory in those contests is 15.5 points, but each of their playoff wins has only been decided by seven points. Boone County churns out 179 yards per game on the ground while their opponent averages 167 rushing yards per contest. Lafayette got beat 26-7 by Madison Central, a team Boone County beat in the opening round 28-7. However, that was the Generals only loss over their last nine games.

BOONE COUNTY’S KEYS TO VICTORY: Converting on third downs helped them win the time of the possession battle last week. With their three-headed attack out of the backfield with Rodriguez, Thompson and Mikel Reynolds the Rebels are able to wear down opponents by keeping their backs fresh and moving the chains. Continuing to get good play up front on both sides of the ball is a must if the Rebels want to keep the ball rolling and make a return trip to the state semifinals for the first time since 2007. Kameron Schwartz needs to be efficient in the passing game to keep the Generals honest.

LAFAYETTE’S KEYS TO VICTORY: The Generals can ill afford to get down early in the game. If they can get some help from their passing game it would be a big boost. The defense needs to do a better job of stopping the run. They gave up a big game last week to Tyler Durham in their win over Campbell County and allow 147 yards per game on the ground. Special teams has played factor in both of the last two games and could be the difference in this contest. Taking care of the football is also a must.

BOONE COUNTY 23, LAFAYETTE 17

Dan Clasgens is a co-founder of TSF and serves as the President/Director of Media & Content for our parent company, GetSports Enterprises LLC. In addition to nearly a decade of experience in covering local high school football, Dan is a widely recognized as a fantasy football guru. He is both a local and national radio personality, including hosting a weekly show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. If you are interested in covering your team, please CONTACT US.