I think Boyle will play players both ways. How many I'm not sure but I also expect Robbins, Hoskins, and others to get plenty series breaks to keep from getting gassed. If Boyle gets beat it will not because they played players both ways. "I trust in Chuck" and believe he will do what gives Boyle the best chance to win the game.

I think Boyle will play players both ways. How many I'm not sure but I also expect Robbins, Hoskins, and others to get plenty series breaks to keep from getting gassed. If Boyle gets beat it will not because they played players both ways. "I trust in Chuck" and believe he will do what gives Boyle the best chance to win the game.

 

For me it depends on who beats them and how much they play on both sides of the ball. After the 2012 Highlands game I'll never believe that fatigue isn't a factor when playing a team that platoons. Happens all of the time when you watch a team that platoons play against a team that doesn't.

How many 4A teams platoon? I can only think of about 1 team that has in the past. Are they that deep this year to keep platooning? I have no clue. If your not deep enough to platoon, you hurt your chances more by playing players that can't get it done. I'd want my best on the field with breaks when needed.

How many 4A teams platoon? I can only think of about 1 team that has in the past. Are they that deep this year to keep platooning? I have no clue. If your not deep enough to platoon, you hurt your chances more by playing players that can't get it done. I'd want my best on the field with breaks when needed.

 

Not many at all. I'm thinking Highlands, CovCath and LexCath will platoon as much as the numbers and talent allow them and I'm thinking Collins didn't play many players on both sides of the ball last year either. And that's my whole point. We haven't gotten to a game against Highlands in the playoffs since Highlands joined 4A. When we played them in the regular season we got our butts handed to us both times. The game at Highlands I was reluctant to admit that fatigue was a factor in that loss but the whole team played both ways except for the quarterback that game. You can't get beat up on both sides of the ball against a team like Highlands and the horses that they have. Now add in players going both ways all season long and into round 3 and 4 of the playoffs. That's a whole lot of wear and tear on the body against a team that doesn't have that wear and tear. When both teams have a ton of players going both ways like Bell County and others did back when Boyle was winning state everybody is equal. The team that has platooned all season long is at the advantage once you get to round 3 of the playoffs.

 

If you have a team that has 50-60+ kids on it and you can't platoon then you may as well start cutting kids if they aren't going to do anything but stand around holding a helmet. Platooning can be done and IMO platooning takes programs to the next level. I don't see how Boyle County wouldn't benefit from platooning.

 

I'm merely looking for an advantage. I'd love to see the team platooning but if they don't I hope it isn't an issue down the road like it has been in the past few seasons.

It looks to me from watching practice things are going to be different in this way.example they moved robbins to safety instead of corner keeping him out of the run game for the most part, showing me that Smith may be more strategic on how he uses guys. Also they have packages where the backs will be off the field and brown will be split out. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Also i dont think it is a secret how much running robbins might do because of his speed and strength he has increased. If i remember correctly he returned an interception against mercer as a frshman over 100 yds. So if you cant catch a kid in a 100 yds, you cant catch him. He is much stronger and faster now from the look of him in practice.

It looks to me from watching practice things are going to be different in this way.example they moved robbins to safety instead of corner keeping him out of the run game for the most part, showing me that Smith may be more strategic on how he uses guys. Also they have packages where the backs will be off the field and brown will be split out. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Also i dont think it is a secret how much running robbins might do because of his speed and strength he has increased. If i remember correctly he returned an interception against mercer as a frshman over 100 yds. So if you cant catch a kid in a 100 yds, you cant catch him. He is much stronger and faster now from the look of him in practice.

 

He's going to be a lot of fun to watch over these next two years.

 

If you have a team that has 50-60+ kids on it and you can't platoon then you may as well start cutting kids if they aren't going to do anything but stand around holding a helmet.

 

I understand where you are coming from, but you just can't cut an underclassman that just might help the team in the future. Boyle has had some pretty good players come through their system that waited their time and held their helmets. Special teams are where these guys can help the team now.

I understand where you are coming from, but you just can't cut an underclassman that just might help the team in the future. Boyle has had some pretty good players come through their system that waited their time and held their helmets. Special teams are where these guys can help the team now.

 

Why not develop them at a position that suits their skill set at an earlier age? For example, my kid gave up football before middle school because he was a running back and cornerback and he got tired of getting murdered by the linebackers in practice when he was learning the running back position. He said if he could have just played cornerback he'd still have played but he knew early on everybody plays both ways and he didn't want any part of offense. Some kids are wired that way. He doesn't like to get hit. I doubt he'll ever play while he is at Boyle and I don't think he'd ever admit it but I think it's partly because he wouldn't want to play any offense at all. That and once basketball starts on October 15th he'd be done with football mentally but I digress.

 

I look at what other schools that platoon are doing and they are developing kids at positions at an early age so by the time they enter high school they are specialized in that position. Keeps kids engaged in the game. Gets more kids on the field. Improves the quality of the team in the long run. I look at the coaching staff at Boyle and I am totally convinced that if they began platooning then Chuck would win 5 more in a row regardless of the class that Boyle is in.

Conditioning,Conditioning, Conditioning. when Chuck had Boyle on top before it didn't matter who they played Boyle got stronger as the game went on because of conditioning. this won't happen over night but it will happen. the only team that I know of in 4A that platoons is Highlands, and if Boyle has a typical Chuck smith defense there won't be many points scored by the opposing team I don't care how much they platoon, and the offense should be much better under Chuck I don't think it will be so one dimensional like it has been under French.my point is if your offense can put points on the board like Chuck's teams did on a regular basis in his first tenure, and your defense is dominant like it was every year in his first tenure, then IMO you can throw the platooning theory out the window. again this won't happen over night, but it will happen. Boyle's level of play will be elevated in every aspect of the game under Smith.

Conditioning,Conditioning, Conditioning. when Chuck had Boyle on top before it didn't matter who they played Boyle got stronger as the game went on because of conditioning. this won't happen over night but it will happen. the only team that I know of in 4A that platoons is Highlands, and if Boyle has a typical Chuck smith defense there won't be many points scored by the opposing team I don't care how much they platoon, and the offense should be much better under Chuck I don't think it will be so one dimensional like it has been under French.my point is if your offense can put points on the board like Chuck's teams did on a regular basis in his first tenure, and your defense is dominant like it was every year in his first tenure, then IMO you can throw the platooning theory out the window. again this won't happen over night, but it will happen. Boyle's level of play will be elevated in every aspect of the game under Smith.

 

 

While I agree with most of your post we can't dismiss some of the talent that was at Boyle when Chuck was there. Jeff Duggins, Matt Quinn, Jacob Tamme, Leffew Brothers, Brandon Smith, Seth Tamme. Those are high quality pieces to build a team around. It will take some time for sure and there is definitely some young talent coming up that will have a chance to be high quality players in that mold I mentioned earlier. I just don't think there is anything wrong with imitating a team like Highlands that has dominated 4A football since they became a 4A school. It's not like Boyle doesn't have the numbers. The numbers have increased since Chuck's return haven't they?

 

Imagine that Chuck Smith defense with players who have focused solely on being that defense since the 6th grade. Wouldn't that defense go to a whole other level? Imagine that Chuck Smith quarterback who focuses only on playing quarterback since the 6th grade and gets more practice snaps because he doesn't have to go learn the defensive scheme? Isn't that a win win for everyone?

Covington Catholic is totally a platoon team. Everyone plays one way only.

 

IMO - The rise of Highlands to the higher level they have been at over the past 7-8 years is all because of going to being a strict platoon team.

Covington Catholic is totally a platoon team. Everyone plays one way only.

 

IMO - The rise of Highlands to the higher level they have been at over the past 7-8 years is all because of going to being a strict platoon team.

Yes. The number of the kids in the school don't matter. What matters is: do you platoon, or do you not platoon. Been my argument for years.

 

Now back to the Chuck Smith show.

Covington Catholic is totally a platoon team. Everyone plays one way only.

 

IMO - The rise of Highlands to the higher level they have been at over the past 7-8 years is all because of going to being a strict platoon team.

 

Agreed.

If you remember in Chuck's first couple of years we had a lot of kids going both ways. But has kids seen how good team was then more and more kids came out. Then we started going pretty much one way. There was still a couple of player that went both but not a lot. That is when the Rebs started to win State Championships. It may take a year or so, but I believe we will be back to platooning farely quick. Boyle just has not had the player to platoon the last few years.

If you remember in Chuck's first couple of years we had a lot of kids going both ways. But has kids seen how good team was then more and more kids came out. Then we started going pretty much one way. There was still a couple of player that went both but not a lot. That is when the Rebs started to win State Championships. It may take a year or so, but I believe we will be back to platooning farely quick. Boyle just has not had the player to platoon the last few years.

 

Thanks for the info. I was thinking the same thing as you.