Now that the holiday tournaments are over let's look at the state of the 16th

 

1. How about the surprising Elliott County Lions? Leading the region with 9 wins, they went 2-1 in both tournaments they played in. They beat Greenup in the Our Lady of Bellefonte Classic at Greenup and host South Point (OH) as they come home and look to be the first to double digit wins. They've posted no stats on the KHSAA site.

2. Morgan County has gotten off to a solid start, also going 2-1 in their holiday tourney in Pikeville. They return to action Friday at home as they host Greenup. And no stats for Morgan on the KHSAA site either.

3. Ashland has had some nice competition. Kudos to Buddy for scheduling tough to get his squad prepared. Why does it feel like Dixson hitting the door has been a blessing? They finished 2-1 in their own tournament and had a nice win over Taft from Cincy. Nick Miller has been the model of consistency, and the Tomcats have several contributors. Nice to see them something other than a one man show.

4. Fleming County has also played some solid competition from outside the region. Mixed results have been the norm but the outstanding play of Troy Steward is anything but mixed. Maybe when Burns comes back he can be Robin, because Batman is already at work. Big showdown (again) with Rowan on the 10th.

5. The Vikings of Rowan County have always played a solid out of region schedule to prepare them for the post season, and this year isn't any different. They sit with Fleming at 7-5 and also look ahead to the showdown on the 10th with the Panthers in Flemingsburg. Rowan posts no stats on the KHSAA site either.

6. If we had a vote for the team of the 2013 part of the 13/14 season, how could you not vote for East Carter? Coach Brandon Baker has gotten the most out of this group which includes winning the Derby Classic in Raceland with a huge win over 15th region frontrunner Lawrence County. No stats for East on the KHSAA site as well.

7. Now for the teams that have fallen short of their preseason marks: The Lions of Lewis County have disappointed. Foul trouble, lack of another scorer than Ruckel, and other issues have plagued the Lions and their record shows it. After getting waxed by 42 at the hands of Simon Kenton in the AIT, the Lions need to get this ship righted because they host Raceland in what looks like a huge district battle at this juncture. Boyd County has had a tough stretch of close calls but still has much work to do. After a lopsided home win against Russell, the Lions have a likely "layup" against Bath County before they get a really good test against Rowan at home. What in the world has happened to Fairview? 1 win? Not what we expected considering the experience the Eagles returned.

8. How about those Rose Hill Royals? Just take a peek at the regional standings and the bottom spot is no longer occupied by the Royals. With 2 wins they sit atop Fairview who has only one. The schedule looks favorable for the Royals to stack a few more before season's end.

 

Top 5

1. Ashland - Still think at this point they are atop the heap. Consistent scoring from Miller, help from Friley and the rest, and a battle tested stretch have the Cats prepared for the meat of their schedule

2. Fleming - The return of Burns still looms out there as the rest of the Panthers have scrapped to eek out the 7 wins on their slate.

3. Rowan - The Vikings are starting to gel. The Fleming showdown will likely be another epic battle. These two could easily flip flop in this rank.

4. Elliott - Hard to argue the results. Coach Adkins has his kids playing well. Lots of credit out there in Sandy Hook to go around.

5. Morgan - sort of come in here by default. This spot may be occupied by East Carter, Greenup, Lewis, Boyd, Raceland or some other as the season progresses. But for now, their record speaks for themselves.

 

 

 

Perhaps a sidenote for another thread, but is there no one in the schools that can report stats?

Come on man!

Fleming County and Rowan County are still the class of the 16th region. Ashland has been a mild surprise but they got absolutely demolished by MoCo. Elliott County might have one of the weakest schedules in the state. If Burns comes back the only way they will not take the region is if the Panthers get outcoached by Thacker.

Fleming got trounced by Fairdale and they're not even ranked. Maybe trounced isn't strong enough a description. No doubt the region is weak but if Burns doesn't return, it's a 3 horse race.