sportsfan08,

 

The 8-district/4-team setup was tried when 6-A first launched. In the INITIAL alignment, Lexington Tates Creek was put with the Hardins because there were four WKY teams and 16 Louisville teams. Someone had to join the Hardins, so Tates Creek was forced out of LEX. Tates Creek didn't want it and the Hardins didn't want it. Thus, they stayed and the Hardins were left with three teams.

 

Just because Ohio CHOSE to play 6-A doesn't mean CH-MC-NH should be forced to travel over there or OC should be forced to travel to Hardin-Meade County twice a season (and once the following year).

 

Ohio has nothing in common with CH-MC-NH. Let them stay in the west.

From Elizabethtown (heart of Hardin Co.) to Hartford (Ohio Co) you are looking at 71 miles...thats not an unrealistic travel distance for anyone. With that said, and I stated this earlier, the issue is the time zone change. If you are on central time and its a 1 hour drive, you now are 2 hours behind going to EST. Its doable...but that is my rationale for why Ohio wasn't lumped in with the hardins/meade.

From Elizabethtown (heart of Hardin Co.) to Hartford (Ohio Co) you are looking at 71 miles...thats not an unrealistic travel distance for anyone. With that said, and I stated this earlier, the issue is the time zone change. If you are on central time and its a 1 hour drive, you now are 2 hours behind going to EST. Its doable...but that is my rationale for why Ohio wasn't lumped in with the hardins/meade.

 

You could sub Muhlenberg for Ohio and you get the same deal. Central time zone teams. More than hour away. More than likely will get thumped by MC and CH (and NH in most years).

 

Ohio-Meade, Ohio-Central Hardin, Ohio-North Hardin (or Muhlenberg vs. MC-CH-NH) won't draw flies for any of the programs.

 

Doable drives? Sure. But when it is 15 miles from CH-NH, 30 from NH-MC, and 45 from CH-MC (acually faster with Joe Prather extension and soon to shorten even more with Etown-To-Radcliff connector opening completely this year), the travel times between the CH-MC-NH triangle (formerly a quad with John Hardin before it shrunk and formerly with nearby Nelson before it split) are already great.

 

Let's not throw in an outlier just for the sake of it.

2 questions:

 

- does the KHSAA ever try to provide an explanation of the flipping back and forth of the playoffs brackets in 6A?

 

- why is football classification/alignment/playoffs always a work in progress with the KHSAA?

You could sub Muhlenberg for Ohio and you get the same deal. Central time zone teams. More than hour away. More than likely will get thumped by MC and CH (and NH in most years).

 

Ohio-Meade, Ohio-Central Hardin, Ohio-North Hardin (or Muhlenberg vs. MC-CH-NH) won't draw flies for any of the programs.

 

 

Doable drives? Sure. But when it is 15 miles from CH-NH, 30 from NH-MC, and 45 from CH-MC (acually faster with Joe Prather extension and soon to shorten even more with Etown-To-Radcliff connector opening completely this year), the travel times between the CH-MC-NH triangle (formerly a quad with John Hardin before it shrunk and formerly with nearby Nelson before it split) are already great.

 

Let's not throw in an outlier just for the sake of it.

 

By no stretch am I "throwing in an outlier". I agreed that the ONLY reason they aren't in the district was due to time zone...not travel. MANY teams are traveling for a district game 1 hour...and that is MAX for those teams. I hate the idea that we are going to take a 5 over to make a 4th seed, it just doesn't set well. I was only pointing out that IF we were looking to try and make equitable districts in terms of only numbers, that Ohio is the logical choice for that district...nothing more. I think it makes it tough for Meade and Central (who are both doing very well) to find the extra game at times due to their success. Not that Ohio would give them any trouble most years. However, Ohio did request the move up so they must think they can be more competitive in 6A?

It was NEVER an easy trip from Meade to Nelson!! LOL, been on that bus ride and it's awful!

Dark Horse78,

 

I like keeping teams close for district play instead of forcing teams to travel (and their opponents to host teams they and their fans have no ties to whatsoever) instead of having the 8x4 just so the numbers work out nicely.

 

Of course, I'm in favor of going back to four classes, when:

- Qualifying for the playoffs meant something (instead of being a given most years)

- District rivals were fairly close to home

 

As far as Ohio County, unsure of their motive. Travel won't be great -- it's not like McCracken is right down the street -- and now you're opposite a district (Meade and Central Hardin) who are both coming off their best seasons ever. Meade's always strong. Central Hardin has been trending upward for the past few seasons. And it's hard to think North Hardin will stay down for long.

 

As far as that Meade-to-Nelson trek? It's a lot easier now. That Joe Prather connection helped a bunch. As will the Radcliff-To-Etown connector. IIRC, some travel people said Brandenburg-Bardstown will be cut down from a little over an hour to just 45 minutes once all construction is complete.

Dark Horse78,

 

I like keeping teams close for district play instead of forcing teams to travel (and their opponents to host teams they and their fans have no ties to whatsoever) instead of having the 8x4 just so the numbers work out nicely.

 

Of course, I'm in favor of going back to four classes, when:

- Qualifying for the playoffs meant something (instead of being a given most years)

- District rivals were fairly close to home

 

As far as Ohio County, unsure of their motive. Travel won't be great -- it's not like McCracken is right down the street -- and now you're opposite a district (Meade and Central Hardin) who are both coming off their best seasons ever. Meade's always strong. Central Hardin has been trending upward for the past few seasons. And it's hard to think North Hardin will stay down for long.

 

As far as that Meade-to-Nelson trek? It's a lot easier now. That Joe Prather connection helped a bunch. As will the Radcliff-To-Etown connector. IIRC, some travel people said Brandenburg-Bardstown will be cut down from a little over an hour to just 45 minutes once all construction is complete.

 

We can agree to disagree on the 6 class debate. I can remember when there were 8 team districts in the 4 class system whose 5 seeds were MUCH better than the cross districts 4 seed, but because they only had 4 teams in their district they automatically got it (goes back to the district number disparage). With that said, I would like to see the top 2 from each district make it...now you got competition and "earning" a spot in the playoffs...but that debate is probably better left for another thread

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association recently released the draft football alignments for the 2015 through 2018 seasons.

The Highlands and Covington Catholic football teams received their wish to move up. Based on other teams that applied to move up or down classes last month, there was no surprise that the Bluebirds and Colonels were tentatively placed in the same District 5 with Dixie Heights and Grant County.

The Bluebirds were in the same district with CovCath and Dixie Heights from 2007 to 2010 in Class 5A. Highlands has gone 23-0 in district action since 2007.

Highlands hoped to be placed in a five-team district to alleviate scheduling issues of recent years. The Bluebirds ventured to Paducah Tilghman and John Hardin last year because the only team in the northern three counties of Kentucky outside the district that would play them was Campbell County. Highlands has to travel to Lexington Bryan Station and Warren Central and again plays host to a Florida team in Miami Christopher Columbus.

The initial thought was Highlands and CovCath would be in a district with Scott, Cooper and Conner. But Cooper and Conner moved up to 6A and are tentatively in a three-team district with Ryle. Campbell County, Simon Kenton and Boone County made up another tentative Northern Kentucky 6A district. Scott moved down to 4A while Dixie Heights moved down to 5A.

Highlands is 45-17 all-time against Covington Catholic. But the placement with Dixie Heights would renew the series against the team the Bluebirds have faced the second-most times in school history. Highlands is 62-8 all-time against Dixie Heights.

The defending 4A runner-up Bluebirds have not faced Grant County since 2006 when they were in the same district in the old four-class alignment. Highlands is 6-0 all-time against the Braves.

Highlands and CovCath complete their final season in 4A this fall. They’ve been in the same district with Covington Holmes and Harrison County. Pendleton County was also in the same district in 2011 and 2012 but elected to withdraw from district play last season and this season.

Highlands had to travel south for state semifinal games while in 5A before venturing to Lexington Catholic twice in 2011 and last year while in 4A. The Bluebirds won 34-6 at Harlan County in 2010 after winning 42-16 at Whitley County in 2008.

In 2A, Newport Central Catholic expected to be placed in the same district with current rivals Newport, Lloyd Memorial and Covington Holy Cross. The numbers saw Bishop Brossart drop to 1A.

That turned out to be the case in the new tentative district. But the Thoroughbreds may have to travel some in the new district because the KHSAA placed Bath County and West Carter in the tentative District 6.

NewCath had not had to travel outside Northern Kentucky for district play since the split to six classes in 2007. The Thoroughbreds are 24-0 in district play since then.

The defending 2A runner-up Thoroughbreds own an overall record of 90-26-1 all-time against Newport, Holy Cross and Lloyd Memorial. They are 2-0 in school history against West Carter and 1-0 against Bath County. NewCath beat Bath County, 21-6 in the first round of the Class A playoffs in 1995 and defeated West Carter regular-season meetings, 23-3 and 53-3 in 1987 and 1988 respectively.

The KHSAA is giving schools the opportunity to voice opinions of the alignment through May 5. The final draft will come at the KHSAA Board of Control Meeting on May 12 to give schools the opportunity to work on schedules.

 

FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Tentative district alignment has Highlands in four-team 5A district; NC in six-team 2A district

I was surprised to see that in 5A District 7, North Laurel was moved to District 8, while South Laurel stayed in D7. That will pit father vs son when Halan County with Tom Larkey takes on North Laurel and Chris Larkey. Family gatherings will be fun! Both are great coaches and individuals, by the way!

A: Looks really good for the schools in EKY like Hazard and Pikeville, but at the end of the day, Beechwood has been the cream of the crop in that class and will continue to be until proven otherwise.

 

2A: NCC at the top, up and comers Cal & DeSales in the same district, then add the tradition of Danville, Lexington Christian, Somerset, Prestonsburg, Owensboro Catholic, Glasgow, and others such as Middlesboro providing quality depth from a variety of districts, which should make the playoffs quite interesting.

 

3A: Boyle County's tradition still rules, but is waning, and Lexington Catholic is closing in fast. You can usually count on some to many years of contending from Belfry and Bell County. Throw in some good Corbin, Elizabethtown, Paducah Tilghman, and Breathitt County teams and you've got yourself the deepest class in the state, and that's even before you consider schools like Russell, Bardstown, Lawrence County,

 

4A: I think Warren Central, John Hardin, and Collins are probably liking their pairings. Johnson Central and Blazer in the same district could be interesting according to how things progress.

 

5A: Two of the top 3 teams in the region will be in the same district (Highlands and Covington Catholic)... Bowling Green awaits later.

 

6A: Like Trinity and X being in separate districts. Like the Lexington area metros (i.e., including GRC, Mad Cen, Scott Co) being split over two districts. All of the groups/districts aren't even, but they have logical ordering when it comes to travel, etc.

 

Beechwood will be the cream of the crop now but they weren't when Mayfield was in.

 

Mayfield is one of the top schools and you left them out of 2A.

 

No Louisville Central in a 3A discussion?

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association recently released the draft football alignments for the 2015 through 2018 seasons.

The Highlands and Covington Catholic football teams received their wish to move up. Based on other teams that applied to move up or down classes last month, there was no surprise that the Bluebirds and Colonels were tentatively placed in the same District 5 with Dixie Heights and Grant County.

The Bluebirds were in the same district with CovCath and Dixie Heights from 2007 to 2010 in Class 5A. Highlands has gone 23-0 in district action since 2007.

Highlands hoped to be placed in a five-team district to alleviate scheduling issues of recent years. The Bluebirds ventured to Paducah Tilghman and John Hardin last year because the only team in the northern three counties of Kentucky outside the district that would play them was Campbell County. Highlands has to travel to Lexington Bryan Station and Warren Central and again plays host to a Florida team in Miami Christopher Columbus.

The initial thought was Highlands and CovCath would be in a district with Scott, Cooper and Conner. But Cooper and Conner moved up to 6A and are tentatively in a three-team district with Ryle. Campbell County, Simon Kenton and Boone County made up another tentative Northern Kentucky 6A district. Scott moved down to 4A while Dixie Heights moved down to 5A.

Highlands is 45-17 all-time against Covington Catholic. But the placement with Dixie Heights would renew the series against the team the Bluebirds have faced the second-most times in school history. Highlands is 62-8 all-time against Dixie Heights.

The defending 4A runner-up Bluebirds have not faced Grant County since 2006 when they were in the same district in the old four-class alignment. Highlands is 6-0 all-time against the Braves.

Highlands and CovCath complete their final season in 4A this fall. They’ve been in the same district with Covington Holmes and Harrison County. Pendleton County was also in the same district in 2011 and 2012 but elected to withdraw from district play last season and this season.

Highlands had to travel south for state semifinal games while in 5A before venturing to Lexington Catholic twice in 2011 and last year while in 4A. The Bluebirds won 34-6 at Harlan County in 2010 after winning 42-16 at Whitley County in 2008.

In 2A, Newport Central Catholic expected to be placed in the same district with current rivals Newport, Lloyd Memorial and Covington Holy Cross. The numbers saw Bishop Brossart drop to 1A.

That turned out to be the case in the new tentative district. But the Thoroughbreds may have to travel some in the new district because the KHSAA placed Bath County and West Carter in the tentative District 6.

NewCath had not had to travel outside Northern Kentucky for district play since the split to six classes in 2007. The Thoroughbreds are 24-0 in district play since then.

The defending 2A runner-up Thoroughbreds own an overall record of 90-26-1 all-time against Newport, Holy Cross and Lloyd Memorial. They are 2-0 in school history against West Carter and 1-0 against Bath County. NewCath beat Bath County, 21-6 in the first round of the Class A playoffs in 1995 and defeated West Carter regular-season meetings, 23-3 and 53-3 in 1987 and 1988 respectively.

The KHSAA is giving schools the opportunity to voice opinions of the alignment through May 5. The final draft will come at the KHSAA Board of Control Meeting on May 12 to give schools the opportunity to work on schedules.

 

FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Tentative district alignment has Highlands in four-team 5A district; NC in six-team 2A district

 

There's a ton of schools in NKY and no one will play Highlands?

If your 5A dist. 5 Grant Co., you're wishing you had requested to move up or begged to move down. Dixie, Cov Cath and Highlands. Ouch.

 

So how long will Siple stay at Grant now. Just when things were baby stepping in the right direction.

There's a ton of schools in NKY and no one will play Highlands?

 

Whats the benefit of those NKY schools to play Highlands?

Whats the benefit of those NKY schools to play Highlands?

 

Having weaknesses exploited and knowing what to work on for playoffs and district play. That is the case when playing any good team.