Dino

No apology needed, Flipper. I don't always say things as clearly as I could. Another factor to consider about the Royals' defense is that Mason County has played a tougher schedule than Johnson Central. That makes their defensive numbers even more impressive. However, looking at Johnson Central's stats, many of the points scored against the Golden Eagles have come with the second and third string defense in the game. My gut feeling is that the Golden Eagles have a better defense than the Royals, but it is really hard to compare them on paper. There is no doubt which team has the best offense, but Mason County's defense has kept the Royals in games when its offense has spit and sputtered. If Johnson Central can put up a lot of points on the Royals' defense, it will bode well for the team's playoff chances.

I agree with most of what you are saying. It is very possible that Danville was over rated in the polls and it is also possible that they will dominate their next game against Frankfort. All I am saying is that the BGP panel was convinced that Danville was #1, so a 7-2 team with a win last week over the #1 ranked team has a pretty good claim for the #2 spot over any team with an equal or worse record. I expect that Beechwood will be ranked #2 and Frankfort will be ranked 3rd or 4th, but I would give them the nod for the second spot myself - if I had previously ranked Danville the best 1A team in the state.

So, it's quit[sic] apparent that I haven't seen any of the games, is it? I never claimed to have seen either team play and I did not realize that was a requirement to make a prediction. Maybe you can get a moderator to delete the post for me. Thanks ever so much. I didn't realize this was a private thread. Sorry.

NCC has been "knocked off" five times this season. Last season's championship is irrelevant to this discussion. I said that Beechwood does not have a recent win over an opponent of comparable quality to Danville, which is currently the BGP top-ranked 1A team. Based on the rankings, which is what is being discussed here, the Danville win trumps Beechwood's win over NCC. I agree. I think that Frankfort should be #2 and have so stated. Being a defending state champion counts for nothing when you lose five regular season games the following season. NCC will have to prove that they are worthy of this year's title on the field, just the same as Frankfort will. So far, NCC has done nothing to show that they are serious contenders for a repeat title. I am not counting out any of the teams that you mentioned. However, aside from preseason rankings, on field performance is the only criteria that should be used when ranking teams. After all teams have played 9 or 10 games, there are enough game results that nobody should be ranking teams based on last year's results.

33 Beechwood 16 CHC

I never said that Johnson Central does not have a solid defense. They have a great defense - but Mason County may have the best defense that the Golden Eagles have faced this season. Mason County held undefeated 4A Lafayette to the fewest points that it has scored all season (21). Lafayette is averaging 31 ppg and scored 25 points in its win over previously undefeated Henry Clay last week. I hope that those who are predicting that Johnson Central will score 40 points or more against the Royals are correct, but that would be a pretty amazing accomplishment. I expect a much closer game than most people outside of Mason County expect.

My earlier post said that Frankfort should jump to #2, but my follow-up was not as clear. I would not jump them over Bardstown. However, Frankfort has the same record as Beechwood and they now have something that Beechwood lacks - a convincing win over the team that the BGP panel believed was the best 1A team in the state only a week ago. Mayfield has been struggling recently and NCC has a losing record. There should be no question that Frankfort deserves a higher rank than those two teams.

Mason lost to Ashland.

Frankfort has lost to in-county rival, 3A Franklin County (7-2), which has been ranked among the state's top 10 3A teams much of the season. Frankfort's other loss was also to a 3A team, Mason County (7-2), which has been solid defensively all year, by a 14-12 score. (Lafayette scored 21 against Mason, the most of any opponent this season.) Now Frankfort has beaten Danville in convincing fashion. Beechwood has no recent wins of similar quality. There is no way that Frankfort should not leap frog Beechwood, IMO. Frankfort may not win another game this season, but the proved that they were better than the BGP #1 team on the field Friday night, and its record is too good to think that the game was a fluke. Frankfort deserves to be ranked above Danville and Beechwood because they earned the position on the field.

Frankfort should jump to #2 - but I don't look for it to happen.

Byrnes, SC did get beat, but they were the #2 team. De La Salle was already #1. Warren Central won its first round 5A playoff game over Richmond by a 61-0 score. The Warriors are currently underrated at #7 in the USA Today rankings.

You could make the argument, but I think you would be wrong. Pitching talent is diluted today through expansion, more top athletes choose to go into other sports at all levels than in past eras, the pitching mound was lowered by 6 inches in 1969 - there are many factors that have diluted the pitching talent pool in modern times and worked to the advantage of hitters. Steroids may help pitchers recover quicker between starts, but I don't think that they do much to improve the basic quality of pitching in MLB. At least not enough to offset the other factors that have caused ERA's to soar during the steroid era. Bud Selig and the owners wanted to inject more offense into the game and they did it by looking the other way as steroid use destroyed the validity of baseball's statistical records. I agree with Jim Shue, stats have been more important in baseball than any other game. Stats have always been an integral part of baseball's appeal and steroids have made them nearly meaningless. Now, players who can afford the trainers and drugs that can allow them to escape detection are prized over hard work in the weightroom. Baseball is professional wrestling in a different package.

Good luck next week, marooncat. I think that Ashland and Johnson Central are the two best teams in the district and hope neither gets upset next week. Whoever emerges as the district champion, I will be supporting them in the regional title game. I hope that the Tomcats' fans will do the same, along with all of the other teams who are eliminated short of winning the district.

In the many years that I have followed BGP, the Ashland fans' (at least the more vocal ones) organized boycott of the pregame thread was the only one of its kind that I can recall ever seeing. I give GIAT an "A" for originality if nothing else.:thumb:

Old Hillbilly was correct. The game in question was played in 1976 and Belfry won it 14-13, as Johnson Central posted a 6-4 record that year. If Matney graduated in 1976, then he did not play in that game.