"Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open."

Alexander Graham Bell

 

In the fall of 2017, Floyd Central High School will open near Eastern, Kentucky, a consolidation of Allen Central and South Floyd High Schools. The school’s athletic teams will be known as the Jaguars and its athletes will dress in teal and gold. With excitement in the air over the $49 million facility that will house somewhere near 700 students, I decided to take a trip to eastern Kentucky to check on the situation at South Floyd – a school on the verge of closing with this pending consolidation but trying to build success on the football field in the waning light of the program’s history.

 

 

The first things you notice when you drive to South Floyd are the hills. Elk crossing signs dot the roadside and the closer you get to Hi Hat (where South Floyd is located), the road narrows and river comes closer. Think about every documentary you’ve watched about Appalachia and that is what you are seeing.

 

 

When you arrive, you notice the lights up a slight incline from the parking lot to the football field. Raider Stadium holds 2,000 fans, but probably only a couple hundred were in attendance for a Thursday night meeting with Twin Valley (Virginia). It was foggy, damp, and a steady drizzle was in the air. But whether you’re at South Floyd or St. Xavier the passion and excitement from the players and fans is no different.

 

 

Coach Chad Hall, in his first year as head coach after spending close to a decade at Allen Central as an assistant, knows the area well. A graduate of Wheelwright High School (which merged with McDowell High School in 1993 to form South Floyd), Hall is well aware of the fact that his job is, at most, a two year position. So why take a job at a school that you didn’t attend to coach a team that won’t exist in two years?

 

“The people and the kids,” Hall says. “There’s passion and a love for the game. It’s a family atmosphere. It’s just unreal.”

 

 

As the game progressed it became clear that Twin Valley would be too much for South Floyd. Despite a valiant second half defensive performance, the Raiders could never generate enough offense and fell by a count of 32-12. Hall said what so many coaches have said after tough losses: “We’re a young team; we’re still trying to learn how to give that full effort for four quarters…we’ve still got to learn how to finish games.”

 

Looking forward to the rest of the season, the goal of winning a playoff game is still first and foremost. South Floyd has played in eleven postseason games and has lost all eleven. With a district that includes highly ranked Pikeville and Hazard, a playoff win this season will likely have to come on the road.

 

When asked about the prospects for this season, Hall said “We’ve got two great teams in single A in our district. I look for them [Pikeville and Hazard] to do extremely well come playoff time. I think we’re not up to that level yet. We are a team that’s young, that’s working hard, and I would put us third in the district at this time [ahead of Jenkins and Phelps]. I think as this team grows and gets a little better through the season we’re going to be a much better team come playoff time.”

 

 

Floyd Central will either be a large 2A or small 3A school when it opens. Being placed in Class 2A would mean the Jaguars would be in a district with local rivals Prestonsburg and Betsy Layne, along with Leslie County and East Ridge. Class 3A would likely find them in a district with powerhouses Belfry and Lawrence County.

 

So as the door closes on South Floyd and Allen Central, I asked Hall what impact we can expect from the merger.

 

“I really look for these two schools together to do extremely well. We seem to have what the other doesn’t have, so I think they’ll mesh and do well together.”

 

And will you be there? “I would love to [go to the new school], if I’m invited.”

 

Very nice gchs.

ttt

Nice read gchs. Hopefully the new school falls into the 2a enrollment so they can play against their local rivals.