The only people who appear to be against six classes are from schools that traditionally win titles every year or who at least advance to the final four every year. It's almost as if they want the titles all to themselves and don't want any other team to hold the distinction of being a state champion, as if it somehow diminishes state titles they've won in the past. Teams are still going to have to beat Beechwood and Mayfield in 1a, Newport Catholic and Owensboro Catholic in 2a, Russell and Belfry in 3a, Lexington Catholic and Boyle County in 4a, Bowling Green, Covington Catholic, and Highlands in 5a, and Trinity and St. x in 6a. All of those teams have appeared in the state finals in the past few years. If teams had to beat them in their current classes to be state champion, how come it isn't considered "watered down"? Every class has 3-5 teams that are considered traditional powers in the current alignment. If a team beats any of those to win a state title, I don't consider the accomplishment diminished in any way. Heaven forbid a school from outside a metropolitan area be called a state champion.

 

Or... maybe the only people who are for 6 classes are from schools that NEVER win it. You can look at it both ways... by the way, are you forgetting who the team to beat in 2A really is? I mean, let's get real here. It' basically going to boil down to Danville and NCC every year with Bardstown and Owensboro Catholic being in the mix on occassion. The same teams will continue to win, it just won't be quite as exciting to them. I mean, people will miss the Danville Mayfield post-season rivalry that has been going on since 1987. Danville and Beechwood was starting to get interesting with an even 1-1 split thus far. Just won't be the same. How about the Boyle Highlands rivalry that was building as well?

 

This isn't country club swimming where every kid deserves a ribbon just for jumping in the water. This game teaches you competition. How to win well, and how to lose with pride. This is big boy stuff. If you aren't on the best team, play your best and move on. Danville hasn't made a sweet sixteen in Basketball since 1989-90, but you don't hear us cry about a class system being implemented there. Tradition in Kentucky high school sports is nice. I guess some people won't ever understand that.

It is going to allow a lot of mediocre and poor teams to make the playoffs. I don't want to see an 0-10, 1-9, or 2-8 team in a playoff game, but that is inevitable now.

 

 

True. With a lot of four team districts around the state the 6A playoff system will resemble the baseball/basketball system with every team in district (four team district) making it in. The upside is it gives lesser teams than normally have no shot to play a playoff game a chance, but the downfall is it takes away from the traditional style of playoff football. However, this is about the only flaw in the system, I cannot wait to see how this all folds out next season.

Or... maybe the only people who are for 6 classes are from schools that NEVER win it. You can look at it both ways... by the way, are you forgetting who the team to beat in 2A really is? I mean, let's get real here. It' basically going to boil down to Danville and NCC every year with Bardstown and Owensboro Catholic being in the mix on occassion. The same teams will continue to win, it just won't be quite as exciting to them. I mean, people will miss the Danville Mayfield post-season rivalry that has been going on since 1987. Danville and Beechwood was starting to get interesting with an even 1-1 split thus far. Just won't be the same. How about the Boyle Highlands rivalry that was building as well?

 

This isn't country club swimming where every kid deserves a ribbon just for jumping in the water. This game teaches you competition. How to win well, and how to lose with pride. This is big boy stuff. If you aren't on the best team, play your best and move on. Danville hasn't made a sweet sixteen in Basketball since 1989-90, but you don't hear us cry about a class system being implemented there. Tradition in Kentucky high school sports is nice. I guess some people won't ever understand that.

 

Great post! :thumb:

Great post! :thumb:

 

 

Thanks paht-nuh...

Maybe the reason Danville has had such astounding success is that they play 'down' in class.

 

Danville High pulls its student body from a population of 17,000. Bardstown 10,324; Washington County 11,400; Carroll County 10,454; Owen County 11,374; Caldwell County 13,000; Murray 15,000; Reidland 4300; Trigg County 13,400; Hancock County 8600; Todd County 12,000.

 

If an analysis were done since the playoffs were started I think you will find that school size is much less important than the population base that the students are from. Of course there is anecdotal evidence to dispute the facts but statistically this is a true statement.

 

If you want more facts regarding this I can supply them. My point can be proven within every football classification.

Maybe the reason Danville has had such astounding success is that they play 'down' in class.

 

Danville High pulls its student body from a population of 17,000. Bardstown 10,324; Washington County 11,400; Carroll County 10,454; Owen County 11,374; Caldwell County 13,000; Murray 15,000; Reidland 4300; Trigg County 13,400; Hancock County 8600; Todd County 12,000.

 

If an analysis were done since the playoffs were started I think you will find that school size is much less important than the population base that the students are from. Of course there is anecdotal evidence to dispute the facts but statistically this is a true statement.

 

If you want more facts regarding this I can supply them. My point can be proven within every football classification.

 

 

Hmmm... so when Danville won 3A in 1984 as a AA school that helps your argument how??? And when we won all of those championships in the late 80s and early 90s as a 1A sized school that would explain what??? It wasn't until the KHSAA started making schools play in their proper class without playing up that Danville started playing in 1A (circa 1999). We play 3A and 4A contenders in our non-district schedule year in and year out, and I think our numbers show that we do pretty well. Don't forget we are sharing enrollments with another school two miles down the road that is building quite a football tradition themselves. As far as I know the KHSAA counts your class size by school size, not town size. As good as 80 year old Farmer Fran might be, we can't go out and suit him up for the Ads this year. They just won't allow us to do it, but our lawyers are looking for a loophole.

Prior to Chuck Smith at Boyle County Danville was THE football school. Any kid in the county that was serious about football went to Danville. That boosted your population base to around 28,000.

 

If you are going to try and tell me that Danville's teams are as good as they were before Boyle County's rising I am not buying.

Yeah, I'll agree with you there. I don't think these teams are quite as good. The school size is shrinking. Which is why they did the freeze on allowing kids within the city school districts to go to the county school. Ask teams how good Danville was in 2003 though. In recent years we've beaten Boyle (3A champ that year), Highlands (3A runner up that year), Rockastle handily (3A semifinalist last year), Manual (who beat Trinity the next week-4A champ), etc... I'm just saying you are barking up the wrong tree when it comes to calling someone out for playing down a class. Maybe we aren't quite as strong as we used to be, but we are still strong, and we don't back down from playing the big boys. We always played up when we were allowed to do so. And if you ask me, the top 4 in 1A has been better than the top four in 2A over the past 5 years.

Not in the eyes of who it matters most with and that is the kids on those championship teams.

 

This is HIGH SCHOOL athletics and it should be about what the kids think and not the adult fans.

 

The kids will think NO LESS of themselves for winning a state title in 6 classes. The front page stories in their local newspaper will be the same. The pep rallies will be the same. The parades afterwards will be the same. The patches for the jackets will be the same. ETC, ETC, ETC.

 

The only difference will be in some adult's mind that wants to believe that. But HS athletics is NOT about what goes on in that adult's mind.

I firmly believe that most HS athletes want to prove thet they can beat the best in order to call themselves the best. Months ago the Courier Journal interviewed students about the public/private split and most PUBLIC school student athletes did NOT want the split. They want their chance to beat the powerhouses. Most (not all) issues being considered by the KHSAA are not about the kids as they claim, but more about the principals and ADs. Look to a team like Highlands or Bowling Green - they don't want something to be made easier for them. They want to get better and prove that they can beat ANYBODY.

I agree 100%, so I wonder who the kids were that brought this proposal to their AD's. My guess is none of them.

 

If we did what the kids want, I'm guessing we would still have 4 classes and that the possibility of a public/private split would go away. It's the AD's/coaches that have bruised egos that brought us 6 classes and the possibility of a split.

This is one of the best posts I've seen on these subjects.

Are the only going to take the top 2 teams from each district for the playoffs??? I hope so!!!!

I firmly believe that most HS athletes want to prove thet they can beat the best in order to call themselves the best. Months ago the Courier Journal interviewed students about the public/private split and most PUBLIC school student athletes did NOT want the split. They want their chance to beat the powerhouses. Most (not all) issues being considered by the KHSAA are not about the kids as they claim, but more about the principals and ADs. Look to a team like Highlands or Bowling Green - they don't want something to be made easier for them. They want to get better and prove that they can beat ANYBODY.

And as I have maintained for awhile I think this is more a urban/rural thing. Because I believe if you ask rural public school athletes, they would give you a different answer.

Are the only going to take the top 2 teams from each fistrict for the playoffs??? I hope so!!!!

Four from each district.

With an approximate 220 schools playing football and let's say an average of 50 players per squad, that is an approximate 11,000 kids playing football. With the addition of 2 more championships, we are talking an approximate another 100 kids that will hoist a championship trophy.

 

So the watering down and the every kid getting a trophy/participation ribbon argument boils down to LESS THAN 1% of the kids playing football actually receiving one of the new football state trophies. I would not call that watering down.

 

But what about having more kids involved. Another 58 schools will see postseason action that will not this year. Most will be one additional game. Some lucky ones will get two and maybe 1-2 teams will see a third game. So now we see an approximate 2900 kids getting to experience the thrill of postseason.

 

So to summarize at this point, LESS than 1% of the football players in the state will see a state trophy that they would not have seen beforehand while over 2900 kids get to experience postseason play. And those are bad things??????

 

And to add to my point, beyond the kids. What about all the enthusiasm and spirit generated by playing in postseason and deeper into the postseason for the schools and communities?

 

So, LESS THAN 1% of HS athletes will hoist a state title while approximately 2900 HS football players and untold number of fans will get to experience postseason play.

 

And that's a bad thing??????????????

With an approximate 220 schools playing football and let's say an average of 50 players per squad, that is an approximate 11,000 kids playing football. With the addition of 2 more championships, we are talking an approximate another 100 kids that will hoist a championship trophy.

 

So the watering down and the every kid getting a trophy/participation ribbon argument boils down to LESS THAN 1% of the kids playing football actually receiving one of the new football state trophies. I would not call that watering down.

 

But what about having more kids involved. Another 58 schools will see postseason action that will not this year. Most will be one additional game. Some lucky ones will get two and maybe 1-2 teams will see a third game. So now we see an approximate 2900 kids getting to experience the thrill of postseason.

 

So to summarize at this point, LESS than 1% of the football players in the state will see a state trophy that they would not have seen beforehand while over 2900 kids get to experience postseason play. And those are bad things??????

 

And to add to my point, beyond the kids. What about all the enthusiasm and spirit generated by playing in postseason and deeper into the postseason for the schools and communities?

 

So, LESS THAN 1% of HS athletes will hoist a state title while approximately 2900 HS football players and untold number of fans will get to experience postseason play.

 

And that's a bad thing??????????????

 

 

Great post! :thumb: