I agree with you. To many weird rules in middle school football compared to youth football.

I'm not sure on the rules. I just know the team he played for had some great coaches. Lower numbers meant more one on one coaching. as a freshman he played d-end and slot WR. At that time the HS didn't use a TE. They ran a spread. Good thing for him a coaching change was made. New HC runs all O sets with a TE!

Or a colt or cougar...

 

Well true, but until recently neither HC or DS benefited in the same way. For the longest time if you wanted to play football in high school you usually were bound for T or X in the CSAA.

A lot of merit to this idea. Bad habits are hard to break...I'd say the same for little league. Not really sure. Depends.

 

If it wasn't for soccer, I'd say no tackle football until MS ages..but, if football doesn't get them. Soccer will.

 

@gchs_uk9. You haven't heard me talk about this before have you? Lol

 

Totally agree about the rural areas. Middle School football hurts more than it helps in many places...those that are spread out among several small communities in particular.

Well true, but until recently neither HC or DS benefited in the same way. For the longest time if you wanted to play football in high school you usually were bound for T or X in the CSAA.

Really? I would have thought it would depend on the school. The school I coached for didn't have any 8th graders go to T or X. We had a couple going to Desales, a few going public, and the rest going to HC.

I have heard said that the ms school coach is the second most important person in the program. He can set you back 2 years or push you forward 2 years.

 

Are some programs lackluster? You better believe it and that happens when coaches are turned over quickly with very little help or budget given to a program.

 

Some programs are able to make the 4 team middle school work: usually urban area with other schools that can cooperate. In rural ky with a small school you're looking at having to play other counties. Want to make you kids hate football: split your talent in a fourth and play county schools.

 

I know this system works for Highlands and that's good for them, but I would highly doubt most schools could find 4 quality coaching staffs

Really? I would have thought it would depend on the school. The school I coached for didn't have any 8th graders go to T or X. We had a couple going to Desales, a few going public, and the rest going to HC.

 

 

To be fair most of my schooling life took place in Germantown or St. Matthews so my perspective may be skewed. :lol2:

I agree with you. To many weird rules in middle school football compared to youth football.

 

Here's the problem with not having some of the weird rules. Youth football, at least in the NKYFL is a free for all. No discipline is taught on the defensive side of the football. Every play is a blitz...linebackers are never taught to read and react, how to read keys or how to play pass coverage. Kids play in multiple defenses and offenses without ever being taught how to play in one system well. Fundamentally, many youth kids transitioning to middle school/high school are not fundamentally sound in playing system football and struggle.

 

That being said, blitzing on defense is the only "weird rule" that is really different. You do have to play just one base defense and offense, but there are creative ways around that. The NKYFL has adopted the two point conversion for kicking this year (and one point for running/passing) so that is no longer different. Aside from that, there are no other rule differences for the NKYFl to the NKMSAA.

 

Also, the "weird" rules you mention, only are in the NKMSAA. I don't think the rest of the middle schools play with those rules.

Belfry disagrees.

 

The two biggest turning points in Belfry's run of the past ten years was the consolidation to a single Middle School competing on a state level and subsequently the overhaul of the entire youth football system even to the Pop Warner level:

 

Wayne County also would disagree with your premise as a rural county.

 

The key is to mimic the High School program and the philosophy of the HC. Teach the basics and teach repition so by the time the kids are at the HS level the foundation is already set and the timing is pretty much down.

 

Where rural schools struggle is when the MS and feeder system does not mirror the HS... Or when coaching turnover at the HS level creates an ever changing ideology and roles that the MS coaches have to follow.

A lot of merit to this idea. Bad habits are hard to break...I'd say the same for little league. Not really sure. Depends.

 

If it wasn't for soccer, I'd say no tackle football until MS ages..but, if football doesn't get them. Soccer will.

 

@gchs_uk9. You haven't heard me talk about this before have you? Lol

 

Totally agree about the rural areas. Middle School football hurts more than it helps in many places...those that are spread out among several small communities in particular.

 

Youth football is just as safe if not safer than youth soccer.

Here's the problem with not having some of the weird rules. Youth football, at least in the NKYFL is a free for all. No discipline is taught on the defensive side of the football. Every play is a blitz...linebackers are never taught to read and react, how to read keys or how to play pass coverage. Kids play in multiple defenses and offenses without ever being taught how to play in one system well. Fundamentally, many youth kids transitioning to middle school/high school are not fundamentally sound in playing system football and struggle.

 

That being said, blitzing on defense is the only "weird rule" that is really different. You do have to play just one base defense and offense, but there are creative ways around that. The NKYFL has adopted the two point conversion for kicking this year (and one point for running/passing) so that is no longer different. Aside from that, there are no other rule differences for the NKYFl to the NKMSAA.

 

Also, the "weird" rules you mention, only are in the NKMSAA. I don't think the rest of the middle schools play with those rules.

 

I know South Kenton the kids learn how to read defenses and they don't blitz every play.

Not sure with football. I know for a fact that the HS basketball coach had 0 to do with the MS head coach. not sure if football in kenton county is the same way. my son didn't make the MS basketball team. He went to the HS bball camp that summer. He made the MS team the next year and started 3 years of varsity basketball. The HS head came to me at the camp and said he disnt have any say who makes the MS team or not. HS coach even had a story in the local paper about how he almost lost a kid that could play. If that coach won't have talked to my son he most likely would have never play basketball in HS.

I know South Kenton the kids learn how to read defenses and they don't blitz every play.

 

If you say so. And I haven't watched them play in a couple of years. But when I coached in the NKYFL and attended a lot of games, they had multiple guys blitzing every play. Just like everyone else.

If you say so. And I haven't watched them play in a couple of years. But when I coached in the NKYFL and attended a lot of games, they had multiple guys blitzing every play. Just like everyone else.

 

For sure. Little kids are not passing for 100s of yards a game. Run and run some more. Heck lots of HS don't pass for 100s of yard a game!

If you say so. And I haven't watched them play in a couple of years. But when I coached in the NKYFL and attended a lot of games, they had multiple guys blitzing every play. Just like everyone else.

 

I know their Peewee team rarely blitzed last year.

I know their Peewee team rarely blitzed last year.

 

Good for them. And don't discount Middle School football. If your kid will go to Twenhofel, Steve Funke does a great job with that team, and has for a long time.