SOC II Predictions

[local superstar]

My guess is the SOC will be full of surprises this year.

[Runner00]

I think it was a good season. Until you beat someone with substance, it can not be called a great season. Our last quality wins were at Nelsonville, and beating the Burg at Northwest. Third place in the S.O.C. II is not something in which you should get on this forum and beat your chest. Let's not forget the things that Jeff Berry, Fred Brisker, and Bob Ashley accomplished. I hope we can go 10-0, but it's not going to be easy.

Bob Ashley

[fbnut]

I would think that Minford's victory over Piketon was a quality win. Also, the Coal Grove victory at Coal Grove in their new stadium. Both undefeated teams going at it. That game did kind of put Minford on the radar. Minford should be 5-0 going into SOC play. Their non-conf schedule is on the weak side.

I don't want to be to critical of those 2 victory's but take a look at the records of the teams that piketon and coalgrove beat last yr. Each one only beat 1 team that had a winning record. An awful lot a W's over teams with 0,1,or 2 wins on the season.

[falcon1]

Are you saying that Minford shouldn`t have been where they were?

[oldcoachb]

I don't think anybody said that. Would the Burg get on this forum and say it was a great season if they lost to Minford, Waverly and their first playoff game?

[Derf_W]

Yes, Minford deserved to be where they were last year, and would have been ranked higher if East didn't back out on Coal Grove at the last minute. They just missed having a home playoff game if I remember correctly.

Minford should have been 9-1, and they beat the burg everywhere except on the scoreboard and won the second half. The samething fbnut is saying can be said for burg as they only won two games against teams with winning records.

Only one month until Ironton unloads on the burg, can't wait!

[The Riepo Man]

Only one month until Ironton unloads on the burg, can't wait!

What?!!! Its gonna be closer than people think...people underestimate how good a coach Rob Woodward really is...he will have his team in peak condition before that game.

[fbnut]

burg's opponents overall records last yr 65-42, minford's 48-55. I would consider the burgs win over a 5-5 ironton team as more of a quality win over a more quality opponent than minfords win over the 7-2 coalgrove team. I am not saying minford didn't deserve to make the playoffs because they did but the burg played a much more demanding schedule. This yr the burgs schedule looks to much less demanding than the few previous yrs,

[falcon1]

Pointless !

[Derf_W]

^ Yeah, that is pointless Redman as he's comparing apples to oranges. He wants to beat his chest about the schedule well that's why they lost to PHS, St.C, and JC. Then they turn around and pickup Greenup Co., and Rock Hill. Not saying those aren't good teams but they're not St.C and JC.

I for one am glad Ironton didn't have to play Minford or Coal Grove in the first few weeks as it took us until the 5th week to start playing football. Ironton was in Jackson the 4th week and I went and watched Minford and Coal Grove and Minford was a pretty darn good ball team, and Coal Grove is never a push over.

We know burg's plan and that is to get us early and this year we're ready. Only 25 days away until the Tigers invade the burg.

[fbnut]

I agree its pointless, just making an observation. I also agree that greenup and rockhill are not at the same level of play as JC and Stcl. Derf what do you think minfords record would have been if they would've played the burgs schedule last yr? I am not beating my chest, the burg played a tough schedule and they got beat by better football teams but I think their schedule made them a better football team.

[Derf_W]

6-4 or 5-5, never know as every week you have to strap it up and play football and that's the point. JC and St.C would have handled anyone in the area.

[marshallman]

It doesn't matter who you play on your schedule unless you beat the teams on your schedule. You win and you pick up points, improve your teams confidence level and get ready for the playoffs. You thump a weak team, you accomplish nothing, you lose to a stronger team, you still accomplish nothing? I know Minford played a good enough schedule at the beginning to rank first in their region and really had enough points at one time in the whole state for their division. I've seen 5-5 teams make the playoffs and 8-2 teams not.

[fbnut]

It doesn't matter who you play on your schedule unless you beat the teams on your schedule. You win and you pick up points, improve your teams confidence level and get ready for the playoffs. You thump a weak team, you accomplish nothing, you lose to a stronger team, you still accomplish nothing? I know Minford played a good enough schedule at the beginning to rank first in their region and really had enough points at one time in the whole state for their division. I've seen 5-5 teams make the playoffs and 8-2 teams not.

Win or lose you improve your team by playing a more difficult schedule, as long as you are still making the playoffs. I think your team is more prepared come playoff time going 5-5 against great competition than going 10-0 playing a shedule full of teams that are no where near your caliber. Win or lose putting Ironton on the burgs schedule every year has improved their program. I agree that thumping week teams week in and week out does little to improve your team but losing to a better team lets you find out what your teams weaknesses are and allows you to make adjustments before you meet better teams in the playoffs, also it lets your kids learn how to react to a different type of atmosphere that a big game has much like playoff games have. Valley is a good example of a team that back in the 90's where there schedule did not prepare them for the playoffs or in some cases wasn't even good enough to get them in even going 10-0. Valleys first rd opponent in the playoffs was by far valley's toughest opponent for the yr and they were not prepared.

[falconflyer]

I like what Minford did last year. Burg's schedule last year was clearly more difficult although I am not so sure Ironton was a typical Ironton team last year.

[Derf_W]

Ironton wasn't the typical team as usual last year and wasn't in game one as we had a our starting RB suspended due to a team rules violation. With the coaching change that occured it took a bit until things settled back down. This year will be different in Ironton.

Regardless, a team's goal should be to win it's league and make the playoffs. Scheduling teams in your non conference that are playoff caliber teams will only help you. If you are trying to build a program and get the number of students interested in playing there is no better way than to win ball games, so going with a weaker schedule as Minford did has boosted the number of students coming out to play for them. So a team that has won 7-10 games for 3 years they should look at their schedule and adjust it make them a playoff ready team when the time comes. Winning 7-10 games, and 1 and done in the playoffs should make a program adjust their non-conference to make them better prepared for playoff competition.

[falconflyer]

To digress a little, Minford's non conference schedule was not designed to be weak. In the last 10 years Wellston has been good, under Lucas Coal Grove is good. Piketon is a team on the rise, and Huntington Ross has typically won 4 to 5 games.

[marshallman]

fbnut, Keep in mind the difference in "tougher schedules" to make your team ready for the playoffs. Minford playing a team that would "put one on them" 40-0 or playing out of your league does nothing to get you ready. Minford has to play the Wellstons, Vinton counties and Piketons and beat them in their good years before they would want to play Ironton, Portsmouth or Jackson every year. Minford does play the burg and waverly every year. Baby steps. Ironton and the burg would not do well playing Col Desales or schools of that caliper. You have to play bigger schools, higher divisions but also be able to compete. I would love for Minford to someday pick up Ports and Ironton every year. Add that to burg, waverly and say coal grove they would have a killer sch.

[falcon1]

We Will only be as good as what we play. We do need to start by playing some OVC teams, more than CG, and we may loose them after next year, and teams that will prepair us for stronger oponets. I don`t believe in reality, we are ready for Ironton, or Portsmouth every year at this time. Give our Coach some time, I believe He will have this School back hitting on all 8 !! I did hurt us to loose Piketon and VC.
We have to be ready this year, with a lot of community support for our Falcons, most of all week 7 !
One more thing, Ironton did play Col. DeSales on a regular basis.
Go Big Red !!

[fbnut]

I beleive Ironton gave Desales all they wanted few times. I agree with most of what has been posted about scheduling. My point went back to condsidering CG and piketon quality wins. I can understand where minford would consider them quality wins but I don't think Ironton, phs or the burg would consider them quality wins. Now they are perfect as far as scheduling for playoff points especially if CG and Piketon can win 6-7 games a yr. The burg had Paintvalley on their schedule a few yrs back, the burg would put the game away early but Paintvalley would end 9-1 for the yr, big playoff points. The problem comes for your AD when you you spank all the teams like that in your area then you have trouble getting anyone to schedule you. I am sure, although Ironton played with Desales they were playing them because they were having problems filling out their schedule.