Great programs change after disappointment. That's how they stay great. Highlands lost to Boyle in the AAA championship game in '03. They respond by ramping up conditioning to meet the physical demands of that dynasty. They win it all in '04. They wanted to compete with the Cincy's best, they took their depth and went to a platoon system. Last year they lacked discipline all over on defense. I believe that you will see a much more coherent unit. They aren't giving up 300 plus on the ground again this year.

The horse is beaten, dead, buried, stomped, and completely decomposed.

I want to give an honest thoughtful answer to why any dynasty falls. Hubris. People forget what it takes. People forget how they got there. People take for granted that it will always continue, opponents will always be intimidated, and we will win because its what we do. People get twisted and think you are defending something instead of going out and repeatedly taking it. The end goal becomes more important than the process and peoples views become superficial instead of deep, focused, and preparatory.

Scrolled past 75% of these posts. It gets tiresome and many posts are basically saying the same things.

 

Highlands has a blip on the radar and everyone loses their mind. If they come out this season and you see the same issues with lack of depth, undisciplined defense, talent being wasted at positions then I think you can start the criticism. But to say there is a downfall is a bit premature in my opinion.

 

Closing the borders to tuition students IMO has hurt not just getting kids to enter at the school level but also hurts the feeder system. Many families sent their kids to play in the FTJRFL as an audition to see if it was worth considering a move into the city or paying the tuition. Now with the school being extremely critical as to who they allow in as transfers I think many parents are saying to themselves is it really worth it and do I really want to buy a $100k house in town for $200k when I can get twice the house in Union, Independence, or Hebron where they can send their kids to improving programs. Just my 2 cents.

Scrolled past 75% of these posts. It gets tiresome and many posts are basically saying the same things.

 

Highlands has a blip on the radar and everyone loses their mind. If they come out this season and you see the same issues with lack of depth, undisciplined defense, talent being wasted at positions then I think you can start the criticism. But to say there is a downfall is a bit premature in my opinion.

 

Closing the borders to tuition students IMO has hurt not just getting kids to enter at the school level but also hurts the feeder system. Many families sent their kids to play in the FTJRFL as an audition to see if it was worth considering a move into the city or paying the tuition. Now with the school being extremely critical as to who they allow in as transfers I think many parents are saying to themselves is it really worth it and do I really want to buy a $100k house in town for $200k when I can get twice the house in Union, Independence, or Hebron where they can send their kids to improving programs. Just my 2 cents.

 

The schools are busting at the seams and kids are on waiting lists to get in. And that's with some expansion that has already occurred and continues.

 

And there were tuition kids and move in kids on these last couple teams. Just not as impactful as some have been in the past.

 

I do agree that with the improving programs, the talent is staying a little more spread out these days. But acedemics play a part in family decisions as well and people want the best for their kids. Mine don't play football and I will have 4 that I'm paying tuition for to go to HHS. People make those same sacrifices everyday to send their kids to private schools.

Scrolled past 75% of these posts. It gets tiresome and many posts are basically saying the same things.

 

Highlands has a blip on the radar and everyone loses their mind. If they come out this season and you see the same issues with lack of depth, undisciplined defense, talent being wasted at positions then I think you can start the criticism. But to say there is a downfall is a bit premature in my opinion.

 

Closing the borders to tuition students IMO has hurt not just getting kids to enter at the school level but also hurts the feeder system. Many families sent their kids to play in the FTJRFL as an audition to see if it was worth considering a move into the city or paying the tuition. Now with the school being extremely critical as to who they allow in as transfers I think many parents are saying to themselves is it really worth it and do I really want to buy a $100k house in town for $200k when I can get twice the house in Union, Independence, or Hebron where they can send their kids to improving programs. Just my 2 cents.

 

lol.

 

You just stated what we've all known for so many years but people like @RCC9 deny, and that's that so many kids go to Highlands strictly for football, and you went even as far as to say that families move to Ft Thomas to do it.

 

Some kids may go strictly for the atmosphere and academics, but I've known so many kids that have come from schools with "horrible academic programs" but come out ahead and are very successful in life. It comes down to an individual's motivation or a family's motivation to push an individual.

lol.

 

You just stated what we've all known for so many years but people like @RCC9 deny, and that's that so many kids go to Highlands strictly for football, and you went even as far as to say that families move to Ft Thomas to do it.

 

Some kids may go strictly for the atmosphere and academics, but I've known so many kids that have come from schools with "horrible academic programs" but come out ahead and are very successful in life. It comes down to an individual's motivation or a family's motivation to push an individual.

 

What are you taking about? First, what am I denying? Second, he's talking about the jr football league (which a lot of kids play in that don't ever come to HHS). Third, who said anything about comparing acedemics or kids making it or not from any other school?? And fourth, "so many kids"??? We've told you what the avg percentage of kids playing football are from out of city kids. Are you now saying that every family that moves to Ft Thomas that happens to have a kid on the football team did so because of football??? I sure hope that's not where you're going. Because I can name you three times the families that moved there and have never had a kid on the team!

lol.

 

You just stated what we've all known for so many years but people like @RCC9 deny, and that's that so many kids go to Highlands strictly for football, and you went even as far as to say that families move to Ft Thomas to do it.

 

Some kids may go strictly for the atmosphere and academics, but I've known so many kids that have come from schools with "horrible academic programs" but come out ahead and are very successful in life. It comes down to an individual's motivation or a family's motivation to push an individual.

 

That is a big stretch, only a small % of players in the league live outside the city. Also, many kids who have transferred in over past yrs played for the Red Devils.

@BFritz...dude...I'm not sure what you are trying to do here. HHS people (and possibly some non-HHS people) have answered your questions, but then you get almost offended at the answers and say they aren't answers? I'm not following you here.

 

Here is what I have deduced from the posts. Coaching change and all that goes with that. THATS HUGE! Especially when replacing a state, if not a national legend. In conjunction with that HHS seems to be in a down cycle of talent. Now that might be an unusual phenomena for them, but it happens to everyone eventually and it just so happened at the same time a new coaching staff is trying to implement their philosophy on the program. Another factor that again is coinciding with what's already been mentioned is the emergence of better high school football in NKY overall. Some of those programs aren't "whipping boys" any more for HHS...or many other teams for that matter. Those seem to be the main points mentioned.

 

So, not being a HHS guy and couldn't care less if they win the next 50 state championships in a row or don't win a game for the next 50 years, the answers to your questions have been addressed in this thread multiple times, and they are easy to see. I'm scratching my head as to what else it is you are looking for and why your replies have become somewhat "toxic" to some posters.

@BFritz...dude...I'm not sure what you are trying to do here. HHS people (and possibly some non-HHS people) have answered your questions, but then you get almost offended at the answers and say they aren't answers? I'm not following you here.

 

Here is what I have deduced from the posts. Coaching change and all that goes with that. THATS HUGE! Especially when replacing a state, if not a national legend.

That might make sense if they hadn't made the finals in the new coach's first year (or even won state), made it to the semis the next year, and then had a 3-8 record this year.

 

Those seasons might not be in the right order, but the point is that the coaches weren't the problem when Dale first left, but then it has spiraled downwards.

 

That doesn't seem like it's it or else it wouldn't have been successful any of the years since Dale left.

In conjunction with that HHS seems to be in a down cycle of talent. Now that might be an unusual phenomena for them, but it happens to everyone eventually and it just so happened at the same time a new coaching staff is trying to implement their philosophy on the program.

But it's not supposed to happen at Highlands. No other team has been as dominant as they have or had a feeder program for as long as they have with enough talented players to two-platoon and still beat everyone by 60+.

 

 

Another factor that again is coinciding with what's already been mentioned is the emergence of better high school football in NKY overall. Some of those programs aren't "whipping boys" any more for HHS...or many other teams for that matter. Those seem to be the main points mentioned.

May not be whipping boys, but Highlands has been a national powerhouse, so they should still be taking care of them, even if just by 3 or 4 TDs instead of 8 or 9.

 

That's what I mean by downfall.

So, not being a HHS guy and couldn't care less if they win the next 50 state championships in a row or don't win a game for the next 50 years, the answers to your questions have been addressed in this thread multiple times, and they are easy to see. I'm scratching my head as to what else it is you are looking for and why your replies have become somewhat "toxic" to some posters.

 

Because I just don't buy general answers and act like everything is still ok. Highlands fans always bragged about the feeder system and why Highlands is so dominant year after year, but now it's not and I'm wondering why.

 

Even all of those answers combined don't explain such a fall from the top.

@BFritz...dude...I'm not sure what you are trying to do here. HHS people (and possibly some non-HHS people) have answered your questions, but then you get almost offended at the answers and say they aren't answers? I'm not following you here.

 

 

That might make sense if they hadn't made the finals in the new coach's first year (or even won state), made it to the semis the next year, and then had a 3-8 record this year.

 

Those seasons might not be in the right order, but the point is that the coaches weren't the problem when Dale first left, but then it has spiraled downwards.

 

That doesn't seem like it's it or else it wouldn't have been successful any of the years since Dale left.

 

But it's not supposed to happen at Highlands. No other team has been as dominant as they have or had a feeder program for as long as they have with enough talented players to two-platoon and still beat everyone by 60+.

 

 

 

May not be whipping boys, but Highlands has been a national powerhouse, so they should still be taking care of them, even if just by 3 or 4 TDs instead of 8 or 9.

 

That's what I mean by downfall.

 

 

Because I just don't buy general answers and act like everything is still ok. Highlands fans always bragged about the feeder system and why Highlands is so dominant year after year, but now it's not and I'm wondering why.

 

Even all of those answers combined don't explain such a fall from the top.

 

 

I know what answer you are looking for now...however you will have a hard time getting it out of a true Highlands fan or alumni. Its just not going to happen Brad...

 

Good luck with your quest though and I will bet nobody with any real substance will confirm what you are looking for, at least not on here...:thumb:

I thought @theguru was going to close this thread down, as the questions had been answered ?

 

Now at post #237, @lawildcat, I thought you took care of this ?!

I thought @theguru was going to close this thread down, as the questions had been answered ?

 

Now at post #237, @lawildcat, I thought you took care of this ?!

 

This ain't my rodeo. Ru will be happy you tagged him properly this time though!

For some reason, this image seems appropriate.

 

I thought @theguru was going to close this thread down, as the questions had been answered ?

 

Now at post #237, @lawildcat, I thought you took care of this ?!

 

Answer why the coaching change would now be a problem when it wasn't a problem when Dale first left.

 

Answer why they're not still just beating teams by 3 or 4 touchdowns instead of 7 or 8.

 

Answer what changed in the feeder system that allowed them to have so many talented players that they could two-platoon but now can't even put together a winning record, much-less win state.