Published: November 27, 2008 11:35 pm            

History points to a good one

RACELAND — Raceland and Lexington Christian Academy have already staged some memorable battles in their brief 10-game series.

Why not one more?

The Rams and Eagles will be meeting in the Class A playoffs for the third consecutive season tonight in the Region 3 championship game at Rams Stadium.

Raceland, 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class A, trails LCA 7-3 since the series began in 2001.

The last two games have been shootouts with the Rams winning 37-35 on Sept. 26 and LCA winning 34-32 in last year’s second round of the playoffs.

LCA coach Paul Rains expects another dogfight with the Rams.

“They’re extremely well-coached and what they do, they do it very well,” he said. “There are no weak spots with their front people. They can put a couple of subs in and you can’t tell.”

Because of that big offensive line, Raceland has been more run-oriented with 1,000-yard rushers Bret Denton and John Scott Carver. Quarterback Tyler Boyles has also thrown for more than 1,000 yards.

LCA counters with outstanding running back Dominique Hayden, who has more than 2,200 yards and 30 touchdowns rushing and receiving. Quarterback Lucas Witt has thrown for more than 2,000 yards, too, for the balanced Eagles, who are 9-3 with losses to Raceland, Corbin and Breathitt County.

“There are certain things you’re going to emphasize but they do a lot of different things,” said Ram defensive coordinator T.J. Maynard. “We’ve got some base rules we’ve got installed. You can only do so much as coaches. It comes down to which kids step up and makes plays.”

Raceland head coach Randy Vanderhoof took the Rams to the regional finals in 2006 but lost a 46-27 decision to Newport Catholic. Raceland defeated LCA 20-13 to reach that game.

Last year, the Eagles kicked a last-minute field goal and eliminated the Rams 34-32 on the way to reaching the Class A championship game against Beechwood.

Rains said the team that “blinks” first tonight could be in trouble.

“Both offenses are just so strong,” he said. “What we do, we do really well. The defense that best controls the other one’s offense is probably going to win. We’re not going to stop Raceland from scoring. We’re wanting to control each other, and see who blinks.”

During the regular season game, the Rams were focused on stopping Hayden – and they did. He gained only 45 yards rushing. But LCA passed for more than 300 yards and led 35-34 before Tate Preston kicked a 20-yard field goal with 3:40 to play.

Tyler Boyles intercepted a pass on the goal-line that preserved the 37-35 victory. The Rams’ defense was without cornerback Brian Tolliver, who was injured the previous week against Fairview. He’s back and ready for action, Maynard said.

“Our No. 1 objective going in was we were going to stop Hayden,” Maynard said. “We did that but gave up 300 yards passing.”

The winner of tonight’s regional title advances to the state semifinals next Friday against either Hazard or Pikeville. That winner serves as the host team.

Raceland’s strong senior class will be playing their last game at home tonight regardless of what happens.

“This senior group is special,” Maynard said. “I’ve seen them grow and mature. It’s kind of a quiet bunch. Usually you can look in your players’ eyes before a game and tell if they’re ready. Not with this bunch. They’re not real emotional, so they’re hard to read. But you know they’re going to play hard.”

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.

        

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