LIBERTY — One more game equals two more weeks of practice for Casey County.
The Rebels wrapped up their regular-season two weeks ago, and coach Sam Marple is making good use of the time between their season finale and their first-round Class AAA playoff game Friday at Central.
It’s a chance to get more reps for younger players, to get a head-start on the offseason weight program and even to begin to integrate a promising eighth-grade class into the program.
Marple said he’s approaching it very much like college coaches use the extra practices they get before bowl games.
“That’s dead on the way we’ve looked at it the last couple weeks,” Marple said. “It’s been two extra weeks for us. We’re just using this week as another week to get better.”
Of course, Casey (3-7) will be a decided underdog against Central (8-2), its first-round opponent for the second straight year.
But Marple said the Rebels have already played opponents at that level, so it’s nothing new to them.
“They’re really good, but they’re not some mythical beast that’s going to play us. This year we’ve played Corbin, Bell County, some top-tier teams. We’re used to playing good football teams. I don’t think our kids are going to be intimidated by it,” Marple said.
“We’re just taking it as it’s another opportunity to get to play football, another chance for our kids.”
It has been a challenging season for Casey, which was hit hard by graduation a year ago and has only three four-year seniors. However, Marple said those seniors — Alex Bolin, Hunter Cleary and Tyler Padgett — have been tremendous leaders.
“They’ve done an unbelieveable job of holding this football team together. It’s been a rough year, but we’ve still been able to win three football games,” he said. “We’ve got a chance to get a lot better over the next couple years, and I hope this group can look back three or four years from now when we’re pretty successful again and say they were a big part of that.”
As for the present, Casey started working in the weight room in the days following its Oct. 19 game against Corbin.
“The kids get a couple weeks off after the last game, so when we get ready to hit that we can hit it full swing,” Marple said. “And we’ve got to spend a lot more time the last couple weeks breaking down film.”
And Marple is already looking forward to next season, when he said perhaps 15 to 17 boys who were part of an eighth-grade team that was runner-up in its region will join the program.
“It’s probably as talented a class as we’ve ever brought in here,” he said.
Casey faces a Central team that has won four of the last five Class AAA championships, including the last two, and this year’s Yellowjackets are ranked No. 2 in the class behind Breathitt County.
The Yellowjackets, who have lost only to St. Xavier and Pleasure Ridge Park this season, are allowing only 11.8 points and 159 yards per game. Linebacker Donald Styles is the leading tackler with 86 stops.
On offense, Deris Cox leads a run-based attack with 1,324 yards and 14 touchdowns, and Tae Shawn Gibbs has 578 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Casey is led by Bolin, the area's top rusher with 1,696 yards and 25 touchdowns. His rushing yardage accounts for 62 percent of the Rebels' total offense.
The Rebels wrapped up their regular-season two weeks ago, and coach Sam Marple is making good use of the time between their season finale and their first-round Class AAA playoff game Friday at Central.
It’s a chance to get more reps for younger players, to get a head-start on the offseason weight program and even to begin to integrate a promising eighth-grade class into the program.
Marple said he’s approaching it very much like college coaches use the extra practices they get before bowl games.
“That’s dead on the way we’ve looked at it the last couple weeks,” Marple said. “It’s been two extra weeks for us. We’re just using this week as another week to get better.”
Of course, Casey (3-7) will be a decided underdog against Central (8-2), its first-round opponent for the second straight year.
But Marple said the Rebels have already played opponents at that level, so it’s nothing new to them.
“They’re really good, but they’re not some mythical beast that’s going to play us. This year we’ve played Corbin, Bell County, some top-tier teams. We’re used to playing good football teams. I don’t think our kids are going to be intimidated by it,” Marple said.
“We’re just taking it as it’s another opportunity to get to play football, another chance for our kids.”
It has been a challenging season for Casey, which was hit hard by graduation a year ago and has only three four-year seniors. However, Marple said those seniors — Alex Bolin, Hunter Cleary and Tyler Padgett — have been tremendous leaders.
“They’ve done an unbelieveable job of holding this football team together. It’s been a rough year, but we’ve still been able to win three football games,” he said. “We’ve got a chance to get a lot better over the next couple years, and I hope this group can look back three or four years from now when we’re pretty successful again and say they were a big part of that.”
As for the present, Casey started working in the weight room in the days following its Oct. 19 game against Corbin.
“The kids get a couple weeks off after the last game, so when we get ready to hit that we can hit it full swing,” Marple said. “And we’ve got to spend a lot more time the last couple weeks breaking down film.”
And Marple is already looking forward to next season, when he said perhaps 15 to 17 boys who were part of an eighth-grade team that was runner-up in its region will join the program.
“It’s probably as talented a class as we’ve ever brought in here,” he said.
Casey faces a Central team that has won four of the last five Class AAA championships, including the last two, and this year’s Yellowjackets are ranked No. 2 in the class behind Breathitt County.
The Yellowjackets, who have lost only to St. Xavier and Pleasure Ridge Park this season, are allowing only 11.8 points and 159 yards per game. Linebacker Donald Styles is the leading tackler with 86 stops.
On offense, Deris Cox leads a run-based attack with 1,324 yards and 14 touchdowns, and Tae Shawn Gibbs has 578 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Casey is led by Bolin, the area's top rusher with 1,696 yards and 25 touchdowns. His rushing yardage accounts for 62 percent of the Rebels' total offense.
