Friday will spark round two of a playoff match-up between Bell County and Breathitt County that got heated just under a year ago. The Bobcats find themselves with the third seed for a second year in a row after finishing with a 2-2 record in the district. Breathitt locked up the No. 2 seed after winning four of their district games.

Everyone remembers what happened a year ago when these two teams met. Tempers flared in a 58-30 victory for the visiting Bobcats. A brawl midway through the game left both teams limited with numerous starters being ejected. That left Bell without some key players in their second round game against Corbin.

This year, Bell County will look to continue Breathitt County’s three years of misery in the playoffs with the host Bobcats last playoff victory coming in 2013. The last time Bell lost in the first round of the playoffs was in 2003.

Know the Bobcats

Breathitt County had a rough start to the season losing their first five games by an average of 34.4 points. The worst loss came in a 51-6 thumping against Perry County Central. The Bobcats also lost to Montgomery County, Floyd Central, Prestonsburg and Leslie County.

Things took a turn for the better when Breathitt entered district play as they won four of their five remaining games. Their lone loss in district play was to Powell County, while the Bobcats easily handled their other four district opponents.

Cameron Stacy will once again lineup behind center when Breathitt welcomes Bell County. Last year, he finished with an impressive 339 yards and four touchdowns on 20 completions against the visiting Bobcats.

This season, Stacy has put up impressive stats throwing for over 1,784 yards and 20 touchdowns. He has completed just over 53 percent of his passes. The junior quarterback has also shown the ability to run if needed averaging 46 yards a game.

Brandyn Slaughter and Trey Noble have been main targets in the passing game all season. Slaughter has hauled in 32 catches for 777 yards and six touchdowns. Noble averages four receptions a game for an average of 64.2 yards. He leads the team in touchdown receptions with nine.

While the offense was able to put points on the board against Bell County a year ago, it was the defense that struggled stopping the visiting Bobcats. Breathitt allowed 402 yards rushing against Bell last season with Tanner Asher leading the way with 188 yards and three touchdowns. They also threw for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN