Wow... No Franklin co.

Wow... No Franklin co.

Best qb in the state but not much else....He can't do it all by himself. Although Beaumont did it almost all by himself against Highlands the other night.

Good list... A team that I thought I would see and didnt... Johnson Central.

Who in the current top 10 would you put them above?

 

I think the same question applies to Johnson Central as did last year ... who are they going to beat on their schedule that shows they definitively deserve a ranking?

 

Last year, they lost to a district rival that was barely, if at all, a top-10 team, then lost at home in the first round of the playoffs to a team that, the next week, was beaten 38-7 by a top-10 team ... and not a top-5 club, either.

 

The player that was, by all accounts, the centerpiece of their offense has graduated. I know hopes and expectations are high there, but there are some legitimate questions about their fitness as a top-10 team.

Who in the current top 10 would you put them above?

 

I think the same question applies to Johnson Central as did last year ... who are they going to beat on their schedule that shows they definitively deserve a ranking?

 

Last year, they lost to a district rival that was barely, if at all, a top-10 team, then lost at home in the first round of the playoffs to a team that, the next week, was beaten 38-7 by a top-10 team ... and not a top-5 club, either.

 

The player that was, by all accounts, the centerpiece of their offense has graduated. I know hopes and expectations are high there, but there are some legitimate questions about their fitness as a top-10 team.

 

Im sorry I wasnt implying that I thought they should be there in another teams stead. When I read the title of the thread I honestly just thought that Johnson Central would be one of the teams from my area on this list. A top ten list can change very fast, teams must prove themselves.

 

Hoping Ashland proves themselves,

Yoter

Who in the current top 10 would you put them above?

 

I think the same question applies to Johnson Central as did last year ... who are they going to beat on their schedule that shows they definitively deserve a ranking?

 

Last year, they lost to a district rival that was barely, if at all, a top-10 team, then lost at home in the first round of the playoffs to a team that, the next week, was beaten 38-7 by a top-10 team ... and not a top-5 club, either.

 

The player that was, by all accounts, the centerpiece of their offense has graduated. I know hopes and expectations are high there, but there are some legitimate questions about their fitness as a top-10 team.

Johnson Central has the same number of playoff wins this season as every other team in Kentucky.

 

You are correct that JC was upset in the first round last season, but the district's third place team, which both Ashland and JC handled fairly easily, came very close to sending Rockcastle Country home in the same round.

 

I think that Johnson Central is going to surprise a lot of people this season, but I expect to hear the naysayers point out last season's first round loss ad nauseum. Johnson Central has not reached the point of reloading each season yet, but the rebuilding that began when Jim Matney stepped on campus is coming along quite well. Don't be shocked if you see the Golden Eagles lined up to play Rockcastle in the regional finals this season.

 

As for the offense, I expect that it will be better this season than last and the defense will be very solid from the get-go.

You are correct that JC was upset in the first round last season, but the district's third place team, which both Ashland and JC handled fairly easily, came very close to sending Rockcastle Country home in the same round.

Which doesn't prove all that much, considering that Rockcastle throttled Ashland, at Ashland, the next week ... the same Tomcats that beat Johnson Central on the same field.

I think that Johnson Central is going to surprise a lot of people this season, but I expect to hear the naysayers point out last season's first round loss ad nauseum.

They may very well surprise a lot of people, but given Johnson Central's schedule last season, the playoff loss to Madison Southern does tend to resonate. For some of the talk on here that Johnson Central deserved a top-10 ranking last season, they didn't post a win that would legitimize that claim.

Which doesn't prove all that much, considering that Rockcastle throttled Ashland, at Ashland, the next week ... the same Tomcats that beat Johnson Central on the same field.

You can't have it both ways. You made the point that after upsetting JC in the first round, Madison Southern got it handed to them the following week. In pointing out Mason County's strong first round performance, I was merely following your lead.

 

 

They may very well surprise a lot of people, but given Johnson Central's schedule last season, the playoff loss to Madison Southern does tend to resonate. For some of the talk on here that Johnson Central deserved a top-10 ranking last season, they didn't post a win that would legitimize that claim.

I am not complaining that JC is not ranked in the top 10. It doesn't really matter. However, dismissing them as an also-ran on the basis of a first round loss last season, in which I believe they fumbled five times, is a little premature on your part, IMO.

 

I have seen teams come from nowhere to win regional and state championships. I have also seen defending champions ranked #1 preseason and slowly fall out of the top 10 and bow out of the playoffs early. Stuff happens.

You can't have it both ways. You made the point that after upsetting JC in the first round, Madison Southern got it handed to them the following week. In pointing out Mason County's strong first round performance, I was merely following your lead.

Hardly. No one is touting Mason County as a top-10 team, and the evidence (playoff results) favors my view. The Royals were the only team in the district that performed solidly in the postseason.

 

Besides, which is more relevant when discussing Johnson Central's fitness as a contender? Mason County's playoff performance, or Johnson Central's?

I am not complaining that JC is not ranked in the top 10. It doesn't really matter. However, dismissing them as an also-ran on the basis of a first round loss last season, in which I believe they fumbled five times, is a little premature on your part, IMO.

Who said I'm dismissing them? I'm only pointing out that there are legitimate questions whether Johnson Central deserves a top-10 ranking.

Hardly. No one is touting Mason County as a top-10 team, and the evidence (playoff results) favors my view. The Royals were the only team in the district that performed solidly in the postseason.

 

Besides, which is more relevant when discussing Johnson Central's fitness as a contender? Mason County's playoff performance, or Johnson Central's?

Who said I'm dismissing them? I'm only pointing out that there are legitimate questions whether Johnson Central deserves a top-10 ranking.

Bardstown '01 wins 2A state title with 47-16 win over Prestonsburg - won each playoff game by at least 21 points

 

Bardstown '02 Preseason BGP #1 - stumbles out of the gates by getting outscored 148-16 in opening 0-3. Ends season with a second round playoff loss.

 

Fairview '03 - Eagles finally make BGP top 10 debut in their final regular season game. Plays Beechwood very tough before the Tigers' depth takes over in the 3rd quarter. Widely acknowledged to have been a top 5 or 6 team after a gutsy playoff showing as they finish the season with an 11-1 record.

 

My opinion of who belongs in the top 10 is no more or less valid than anybody else's. I know that what a team did last season only means something if they are returning a lot of players who played well.

 

Johnson Central returns some very talented players and will field a much better balanced offense than last season. Whether they belong in the top 10 will depend on their own play and upon how well teams like North Laurel, Bryan Station, and Ashland play.

And how is all of that relevant to a discussion of Johnson Central?

Bardstown '01 wins 2A state title with 47-16 win over Prestonsburg - won each playoff game by at least 21 points

 

Bardstown '02 Preseason BGP #1 - stumbles out of the gates by getting outscored 148-16 in opening 0-3. Ends season with a second round playoff loss.

Don't see the relevance to any of this, but ...

 

Bardstown started 14 seniors in the championship game, including a tremendous quarterback and their two leading tacklers, so they probably shouldn't have been ranked #1 in the preseason.

 

Again, the relevance escapes me.

Fairview '03 - Eagles finally make BGP top 10 debut in their final regular season game. Plays Beechwood very tough before the Tigers' depth takes over in the 3rd quarter. Widely acknowledged to have been a top 5 or 6 team after a gutsy playoff showing as they finish the season with an 11-1 record.

Refighting old battles, are we?

 

A top 5 or 6 team? Widely acknowledged as such by whom? Heck, Beechwood got absolutely trashed in the championship game, so it wasn't as if Fairview was up against one of the Tigers' vintage clubs.

My opinion of who belongs in the top 10 is no more or less valid than anybody else's. I know that what a team did last season only means something if they are returning a lot of players who played well.

So why the Bardstown comparison?

Johnson Central returns some very talented players and will field a much better balanced offense than last season. Whether they belong in the top 10 will depend on their own play and upon how well teams like North Laurel, Bryan Station, and Ashland play.

No argument there.

Don't see the relevance to any of this, but ...

 

Bardstown started 14 seniors in the championship game, including a tremendous quarterback and their two leading tacklers, so they probably shouldn't have been ranked #1 in the preseason.

 

Again, the relevance escapes me.

Refighting old battles, are we?

The relevance is pretty clear. Past playoff performance in itself has nothing to do with future performance....and to what old battles would you be referring? It sounds like maybe you are refighting an old battle to me.

 

A top 5 or 6 team? Widely acknowledged as such by whom? Heck, Beechwood got absolutely trashed in the championship game, so it wasn't as if Fairview was up against one of the Tigers' vintage clubs.

So why the Bardstown comparison?

No argument there.

Newspaper articles, like BGP posts get archived, so if your recollection is that Fairview's playoff performance validated its exclusion from the top 10 most of the season, then that's fine with me. What I remember is that many NKY people were predicting a Ludlow victory in the first round and Fairview's performance greatly exceeded their low expectations of the team.

 

To spell it out for you, the Bardstown reference is intended to point out the pitfalls of placing too much emphasis on a team's previous season's (or seasons') playoff performance when throwing together preseason rankings. Preseason rankings are next to meaningless.

 

Johnson Central has been rebuilding its program since it hired Jim Matney to pull its pigskin out of the fire. Last season was a step in that rebuilding, which you seem to perceive as a plateau. This year's team will by a young but experienced squad and I don't believe that the loss of Ron Blume will have the impact on its performance that people unfamiliar with the program under Matney expect. Rankings tend to be more accurate as the season wears on.

 

I am anxious to see how the rankings look at mid-season, and if history is any indication, they will look much different than they do now. Johnson Central is among the 15 to 20 teams that have the potential to be one of the state's ten best this season. IMO, it is silly to debate whether they should be placed above or below the #10 team before a single game has been played this season. You have no idea and neither do I.

Newspaper articles, like BGP posts get archived, so if your recollection is that Fairview's playoff performance validated its exclusion from the top 10 most of the season, then that's fine with me. What I remember is that many NKY people were predicting a Ludlow victory in the first round and Fairview's performance greatly exceeded their low expectatios

I guess I fail to understand how beating Ludlow and a 24-point loss to Beechwood automatically made Fairview one of the top five or six teams in Class A.

To spell it out for you, the Bardstown reference is intended to point out the pitfalls of placing too much emphasis on a team's previous season's (or seasons') playoff performance when throwing together preseason rankings. Preseason rankings are next to meaningless.

I understand the point ... it's your examples that were badly flawed.

 

In the preseason, last year's results are fairly relevant ... it's not necessarily the main point of emphasis, but it is something to consider.

Johnson Central has been rebuilding its program since it hired Jim Matney to pull its pigskin out of the fire. Last season was a step in that rebuilding, which you seem to perceive as a plateau.

How do you have any idea how I perceive it? Matney is a proven coach and Johnson Central seems to be a program on the rise. My only point is that the program needs a signature win, of sorts, to signal its arrival. You seem to take it more personally than that.

Didnt we all have this argument last year? I think that JC is a Top 10 talent this year but they need to prove themselves this year and that starts with North Laurel. JC will miss Ron Blume but not to the extent that some of the westsiders believe. You will see a much more balanced running attack along with a very solid passing game.:eek: As we all no polls are merely opinions. I say let the play on the field decide this argument. As for JC's first round playoff loss, that was easily JC worst game of the season turning the ball over 3 times through the air and 3 times on the ground, but still yet had a chance to win the ball game at the end before throwing the interception in the endzone. JC just didnt show up that game, lets all hope that doesnt happen again this year. Good luck eagles and its up to you where you want to go this year.

IMO the only thing I would change is in the top three.

1. Highlands - Return a ton of talent off a team that wasn't to bad to begin with.

2. Lexcath - State champs, but this a new year.

3. Bowling Green - They will be in the hunt all year.