Admittedly, I'm intrigued by Conner and Cooper's decisions to play up. Are they thinking they are going to have a better chance at a title against the Scott Counties, Trinities, and Xaviers in 6A? Are they thinking they are going to build their teams up with the success that is likely to come their way with more evenly matched play within their district during the regular season? Are they planning to toughen their teams up in 6A playoffs? What is the motive?

 

If I'm running the program, I'm looking at the potential for titles. Look at Dixie. They could have opted to stay in 6A, where in all likelihood they're going to be handed four playoff losses against the big 6A schools, or they could take the option to move down that they were offered, and match themselves up against the likes of Highlands and Cov Cath (who they may not have even known were going to be moving up to 5A), and hope that they can find themselves in a state championship game after managing to get by those two in the first two rounds of the playoffs. That's the decision I would take.

I've been scratching around on paper since last night....and I think that's roughly what I was trying to come up with. Nice work, DF. I'd put my money on this one.

 

Although I don't like it, I think having two 4 team districts where all teams make the playoffs and two 6 team districts where two teams don't make the playoffs is a kind of inevitability of the 6 class football program that the KHSAA has set up.

 

I hate the concept of district size inequities, but that's life in the six class system. In 5A, the program is the groupings. There are 6 Louisville teams. There are three schools just south of Louisville (Bullitt County schools), one just south of that (Nelson County), and two schools just east of Louisville (Oldham County schools). Then you have Montgomery County, Woodford County, and Anderson County in a grouping much further east, and Shelby County in between them and Louisville. Someone has to pair with the Lexington-ish area schools, and from where I sit the only schools that make sense to do that are Shelby County or Nelson County. Shelby County gets the short straw there because Nelson County is very close to the Bullitt County schools. That leaves the Oldhams to deal with, and I just can't see them shipping those teams up to the NKY district, though if there was any change I could see in my proposal, that would be it. So ultimately the Oldhams are left without a dance partner unless you split up Louisville, so there we are, two six team districts in the greater Louisville area, leaving 21 schools in the west, 18 in the east.

 

I chose Southern and Fairdale to pair with the Bullitt schools + Nelson County, but Fern Creek could be a possibility too. All three are the southernmost schools in Louisville.

My humble guess at 5A:

 

D1 - Apollo, Christian County, Graves County, Marshall County, Owensboro

D2 - Barren County, Bowling Green, Grayson County, Greenwood

D3 - Atherton, Doss, Fern Creek, Iroquois, Oldham County, South Oldham

D4 - Bullitt Central, Bullitt East, Fairdale, North Bullitt, Nelson County, Southern

D5 - Covington Catholic, Dixie Heights, Grant County, Highlands

D6 - Anderson County, Montgomery County, Shelby County, Woodford County

D7 - Lincoln County, Madison Southern, North Laurel, Pulaski County, South Laurel, Southwestern

D8 - Harlan County, Letcher County Central, Perry County Central, Whitley County

 

I believe Districts 1, 2, 7, and 8 can be written in pen. I'd be surprised if any of those are different. I think the NKY district will be that as well.

 

This is my alignment visually:

 

Why are Cooper, Connor and especially Boone playing in 6A when they could have played in 5A? Are they running from Cov Cath and HHS?

Why are Cooper, Connor and especially Boone playing in 6A when they could have played in 5A? Are they running from Cov Cath and HHS?

 

I don't think they were running from Cov Cath and Highlands, only because unless somebody "in the know" gave them a tip-off, they wouldn't have known that Cov Cath and Highlands were opting to move up to 5A. But I do think your question about Cooper, Connor and Boone is completely legitimate. I'm wondering the same thing myself.

Would you rather hope you make it to Trinity or potentially have to play Highlands and Cov Cath every year. They had an idea they were moving and decided to avoid them.

Would you rather hope you make it to Trinity or potentially have to play Highlands and Cov Cath every year. They had an idea they were moving and decided to avoid them.

 

...I'd opt for Highlands and Cov Cath over Trinity and St. X. No doubt about it. Conner has beaten Cov Cath very recently, and I can't imagine they wouldn't have better chances of beating one of them in the payoffs than they would Trinity or St. x.

Agreed. But there is no guarantee you will see Trinity. You would have to see Highlands AND Cov Cath once and maybe a second time in the playoffs. That was probably the rationale.

I hate the concept of district size inequities, but that's life in the six class system. In 5A, the program is the groupings. There are 6 Louisville teams. There are three schools just south of Louisville (Bullitt County schools), one just south of that (Nelson County), and two schools just east of Louisville (Oldham County schools). Then you have Montgomery County, Woodford County, and Anderson County in a grouping much further east, and Shelby County in between them and Louisville. Someone has to pair with the Lexington-ish area schools, and from where I sit the only schools that make sense to do that are Shelby County or Nelson County. Shelby County gets the short straw there because Nelson County is very close to the Bullitt County schools. That leaves the Oldhams to deal with, and I just can't see them shipping those teams up to the NKY district, though if there was any change I could see in my proposal, that would be it. So ultimately the Oldhams are left without a dance partner unless you split up Louisville, so there we are, two six team districts in the greater Louisville area, leaving 21 schools in the west, 18 in the east.

 

I chose Southern and Fairdale to pair with the Bullitt schools + Nelson County, but Fern Creek could be a possibility too. All three are the southernmost schools in Louisville.

 

You may be right, but I think the 2 Oldham schools "fit" much better with Shelby, Anderson, & Woodford. I think Nelson and the 3 Bullitt schools will be together. They could either add Fern Creek (or Southern) to make a 5 team district or leave that district with 4 and put all 6 Jefferson Co. schools together.

You may be right, but I think the 2 Oldham schools "fit" much better with Shelby, Anderson, & Woodford. I think Nelson and the 3 Bullitt schools will be together. They could either add Fern Creek (or Southern) to make a 5 team district or leave that district with 4 and put all 6 Jefferson Co. schools together.

 

They're not going to send Montgomery County two hours north. That's what I see as the problem with your alignment. I think it's likely Anderson, Woodford, and Montgomery County will all be together, and the two Oldhams don't fit well with that distance.

Admittedly, I'm intrigued by Conner and Cooper's decisions to play up. Are they thinking they are going to have a better chance at a title against the Scott Counties, Trinities, and Xaviers in 6A? ... What is the motive?

 

If I'm running the program, I'm looking at the potential for titles.

 

I believe the difference many don't see is that the playoff structure in 5A is set in stone every year (D1 plays D2, D3 plays D4, etc.) whereas in 6A we rotate districts around (presumably so the same district wouldn't get 'stuck' every year with T/X).

 

That would allow a team like Conner or Cooper to have only a 1 in 7 chance each year to be matched up with a team like that (assuming T/X stay in the same district again) as opposed to being matched up with or in the same district with Highlands/CovCath EVERY year.

I don't think they were running from Cov Cath and Highlands, only because unless somebody "in the know" gave them a tip-off, they wouldn't have known that Cov Cath and Highlands were opting to move up to 5A. But I do think your question about Cooper, Connor and Boone is completely legitimate. I'm wondering the same thing myself.

 

Cooper is not running from anyone. First, Cooper plays a significant 6A schedule anyway. Ryle, Boone, SK, Campbell Co. traditionally always has had at least 3 of these teams on their schedule since it's short existence. What most posters have no clue about is that the growth of Cooper is going to explode over the 2-3 years so this was going to happen anyway. The thought of "running" from any team cracks me up. While having the smallest draw of players in Boone Co. they still compete and are no longer the doormats like they experienced in the first 3 years. The schedule is the schedule and while over the next 2 years they will be one of the smaller 6A schools they will have a shot at making it down to State just like any other 6A school from NKY. The program is still growing but fact remains that they have 2 district titles (yes one was a 3-way tie) and 1 State Runner-up trophy in the case. How many other schools have accopmplished this in it's first 6 season?

 

Cooper is going to 6A because the growth is going to warrant it and that is the only reason. At some point they will play Highlands and a CovCath (whom they have scrimmaged before and more than held their own). Coach Borchers knows what he is doing but I highly doubt it has nothing to do with what other teams are doing especially when he probably had no knowledge of what they were doing anyway.

I believe the difference many don't see is that the playoff structure in 5A is set in stone every year (D1 plays D2, D3 plays D4, etc.) whereas in 6A we rotate districts around (presumably so the same district wouldn't get 'stuck' every year with T/X).

 

That would allow a team like Conner or Cooper to have only a 1 in 7 chance each year to be matched up with a team like that (assuming T/X stay in the same district again) as opposed to being matched up with or in the same district with Highlands/CovCath EVERY year.

 

Ahh, that's a piece of insight that I did not know. Thankya, sir.

Cooper is not running from anyone. First, Cooper plays a significant 6A schedule anyway. Ryle, Boone, SK, Campbell Co. traditionally always has had at least 3 of these teams on their schedule since it's short existence. What most posters have no clue about is that the growth of Cooper is going to explode over the 2-3 years so this was going to happen anyway. The thought of "running" from any team cracks me up. While having the smallest draw of players in Boone Co. they still compete and are no longer the doormats like they experienced in the first 3 years. The schedule is the schedule and while over the next 2 years they will be one of the smaller 6A schools they will have a shot at making it down to State just like any other 6A school from NKY. The program is still growing but fact remains that they have 2 district titles (yes one was a 3-way tie) and 1 State Runner-up trophy in the case. How many other schools have accopmplished this in it's first 6 season?

 

Cooper is going to 6A because the growth is going to warrant it and that is the only reason. At some point they will play Highlands and a CovCath (whom they have scrimmaged before and more than held their own). Coach Borchers knows what he is doing but I highly doubt it has nothing to do with what other teams are doing especially when he probably had no knowledge of what they were doing anyway.

I got some ocean front property in Burlington I'd like to sell you.

Why are Cooper, Connor and especially Boone playing in 6A when they could have played in 5A? Are they running from Cov Cath and HHS?

 

When they have St. X and Trinity in 6A, I don't think they are running from Highlands and CCH. I think it is actually kind of cool that all four Boone schools are now in the same class and district. And don't discount the fact that Boone County Schools is going to save some money on travel.

 

The other thing, I don't doubt that all these schools will be 6A by size by the time the next realignment comes around.