Highlands, Dixie and CovCath

[Grantfootballalum]

Ok so you would agree Grant Co isnt winning a state title right? Then what does it matter?

 

Chances are their not but being in a district actually gives you a shot, it gives the players something more to play for. One thing can be said about every Grant County team I have watched or played for, their tough and don't back down from anyone but I can no longer say that now and it's not the players fault. So say they rejoin the district after 2 years, what happens then if blown out? Unless some major changes happen and schools move classes, Grant will be right back in the same district. So why does it matter? It's about pride! Former player or current player, you should always have it.

[Bwtigerpaw]

Yea I think Beechwood would roll SK next yr to lol.. Duh you are such a kid bro..

 

We will find out. BW and SK play the next two years. Starting at SK next year.

[Jack of all Trades]

We will find out. BW and SK play the next two years. Starting at SK next year.

 

So CAL is off SK's schedule and replaced by BW?

[goford]

Coach Dalzell is a great guy and a quality football coach. He is doing what he believes is best for his kids and Program. I don't know what the right answer is on this issue. I chose to stay in the district while I was the coach there for one main reason. I didn't want to stand in front of those kids and say that since we didn't like the district we were put in, we were going to "take our ball and go home." But, maybe that decision hurt the Program. To be real honest, I don't think this decision will hurt, or help the Program anyway. The challenge for any of the sports programs at Grant is not with players, coaches, parents, or community. The biggest challenge is that athletics are just not a priority for the GC School leadership. Schools generally pick and choose where they want "hang their hat". Grant has a great Marching Band and an amazing ROTC Program. And they have also built a state of the art vocational school. I'm not saying that's wrong. They have every right to support whatever programs they want to support. They are the leaders of that district. As far as the athletic department, the kids are at such a disadvantage before they even start. For a 5A school to have a part time athletic director should tell you all you need to know. The AD is great, but I just think it should be a full time position. The athletic facilities haven't been touched for 15 years. Baseball and softball fields don't have lights. The soccer stadium is the middle school fb field. And the soccer practice field is really a half of a field. Tennis has to play on 2 courts at the park. Assistant Coaching pay is one third to one half of what coaches make in Kenton, Campbell and Boone County. Coaches have to raise every bit of the money for their budget. Coaches have to line their fields to play or practice on. The community is unbelievably supportive. Businesses just keep giving and giving so the kids can play their sport. The kids and parents are "all in". The unfortunate part is that the school system isn't doing their part. The kids are at such a disadvantage before the first game is ever played. Until the school board decides they want to have a real athletic program, Nothing else really matters. And again, I'm not trying to be negative. It's the school's right to emphasize what they want to emphasize. I loved my 4 years there. I had a great experience. We had great kids and families that gave everything they had. The kids played their tails off and absolutely never quit.

Just my opinion.

Not that anyone asked.

Go Braves

Siple

[plantmanky]

Coach Dalzell is a great guy and a quality football coach. He is doing what he believes is best for his kids and Program. I don't know what the right answer is on this issue. I chose to stay in the district while I was the coach there for one main reason. I didn't want to stand in front of those kids and say that since we didn't like the district we were put in, we were going to "take our ball and go home." But, maybe that decision hurt the Program. To be real honest, I don't think this decision will hurt, or help the Program anyway. The challenge for any of the sports programs at Grant is not with players, coaches, parents, or community. The biggest challenge is that athletics are just not a priority for the GC School leadership. Schools generally pick and choose where they want "hang their hat". Grant has a great Marching Band and an amazing ROTC Program. And they have also built a state of the art vocational school. I'm not saying that's wrong. They have every right to support whatever programs they want to support. They are the leaders of that district. As far as the athletic department, the kids are at such a disadvantage before they even start. For a 5A school to have a part time athletic director should tell you all you need to know. The AD is great, but I just think it should be a full time position. The athletic facilities haven't been touched for 15 years. Baseball and softball fields don't have lights. The soccer stadium is the middle school fb field. And the soccer practice field is really a half of a field. Tennis has to play on 2 courts at the park. Assistant Coaching pay is one third to one half of what coaches make in Kenton, Campbell and Boone County. Coaches have to raise every bit of the money for their budget. Coaches have to line their fields to play or practice on. The community is unbelievably supportive. Businesses just keep giving and giving so the kids can play their sport. The kids and parents are "all in". The unfortunate part is that the school system isn't doing their part. The kids are at such a disadvantage before the first game is ever played. Until the school board decides they want to have a real athletic program, Nothing else really matters. And again, I'm not trying to be negative. It's the school's right to emphasize what they want to emphasize. I loved my 4 years there. I had a great experience. We had great kids and families that gave everything they had. The kids played their tails off and absolutely never quit.

Just my opinion.

Not that anyone asked.

Go Braves

Siple

 

Couldn't agree more coach. Maybe that will change with the change in Superintendent, considering one of the candidates is a former GC football coach.

[barrel]

Greenwood in BG I think has an opening and needs a game for the date in question.

[barrel]

Harlan County has a week 7 opening and we're offering to pay. Kentucky Country Day had an opening too.

[lawildcat]

Greenwood in BG I think has an opening and needs a game for the date in question.

 

FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Filling a Football Schedule Opening

 

Highlands Director of Athletics Matt Haskamp said the football team's search for a 10th game had its stressful moments.

 

The search began in the Tri-State area then expanded into the rest of Kentucky, Ohio even into Detroit and West Virginia. But the closest any team had openings in Weeks 6 (Sept. 29) or 9 (Oct. 20) next year in Ohio was Sandusky located in Northern Ohio by Lake Erie.

 

The Bluebirds found themselves in this boat along with Class 5A, District 5 rivals Dixie Heights and Covington Catholic when Kentucky High School Athletic Association granted Grant County's request to drop out of district play for the next two years. But luckily, the Highlands found that 10th opponent when the Greenwood Gators found themselves in the same situation. The Bluebirds head down to Bowling Green for Week 9. They will travel down and return that day.

 

"I like road trips because it gives you a chance to get away, gives you a chance to focus and gives you a chance to be together," said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. "You have nothing to do but think about the game, think about what you're doing as a group, to talk to each other. In home games at down time, it's almost like you're trying to find things to fill time. But on road games, it's a good chance to relax and think about what you need to get better at and just have a lot of conversations with guys. A lot of good things happen on road trips."

 

Greenwood finished 9-3 last year losing 28-17 at Owensboro in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. Greenwood is in Class 5A, District 2 with Barren County, Grayson County and state power Bowling Green. Located just outside Bowling Green on Scottsville Road going east off Interstate 65 Exit 22, Greenwood is one of four high schools in the Warren County School System with Warren Central, Warren East and South Warren.

 

"Finding a game in Week 9 is virtually impossible because everybody's in district play in Week 9 or Week 6 that was the other week available," Haskamp said. "You get a little nervous as time goes on. It's a school a similar size and a school that's had some success. It may be a school we face down the line if they get far enough in the playoffs and we get lucky enough to get far enough in the playoffs. We did the best we could with a tough situation."

 

Aside from finding that 10th game against an in-state opponent, Haskamp and Weinrich like the fact the game is in Bowling Green. The KHSAA state football championships have been played in Bowling Green at Western Kentucky University since 2009. In addition, the Region 2 winner travels to the Region 1 winner this year in the state semifinals making it possible for three separate trips to that part of the Commonwealth should Highlands make it back to the state title game for the first time since 2014.

 

Since the Bluebirds won their last state championship in Class 5A in 2010, the Bowling Green Purples have won Region 1 five of the past six years. The lone exception came in 2014 when Graves County beat Bowling Green, 7-0 in the region championship on its way to the state championship where it finished runner-up to to Pulaski County.

 

"Being able to go there toward the end of the season and experience what that drive is like and the preparation for that trip I think is something that's going to be extremely valuable to our guys," Haskamp said. "It won't be the first time they got on a charter bus for three and a half hours. It's not ideal to go that far (for the regular season), but I think there are some positives out of it."

 

Teams try to balance the schedule with five home games and five road games during the regular season. But Highlands will play four games at David Cecil Memorial Stadium and six on the road next year and vise versa in 2018 when Greenwood comes to Fort Thomas.

 

"You prepare for it just like any other game," said Harrison Traylor, Highlands defensive back. "You just have to go down there and do the same things we've worked on in practice. You can't let it get into your head or it'll affect your game plan."

 

Highlands did a home-and-home series against Warren Central in 2013 and 2014 winning the 2013 game, 71-69 in Fort Thomas before handling the Dragons, 43-0 to end the 2014 campaign in Bowling Green. The Bluebirds ventured several hours to John Hardin before going six hours to Paducah Tilghman in 2013.

 

 

Posted by G. Michael Graham at 12:00 AM

[gchs_uk9]

I'm glad Highlands was able to pick up a game. That matchup with Greenwood should be competitive, right?

[gchs_uk9]

Also, I didn't read the entire thread. Did CovCath and Dixie pick up 10th games?

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Also, I didn't read the entire thread. Did CovCath and Dixie pick up 10th games?

 

Not sure about Dixie, but Cov Cath has a full schedule. There's a thread to discuss it: 2017 Covington Catholic Football Schedule

[Purple88]

I'm glad Highlands was able to pick up a game. That matchup with Greenwood should be competitive, right?

 

Wow! Great Game and pickup for Highlands and Greenwood! Great Job to work to get that together at the last minute.

 

This is a very interesting game I think. GW will start SR QB Jackson Adams, maybe the best player ever at GW. The run the veer and he runs it very well. It could give H fits but H's offense will likely give GW fits as well. Playing in BG will be an advantage for GW.