Not quite a grand, I think.

 

2005 Enrollment, all students, Gr 9-12

Hburg 239

Mercer 717

Total 956

 

2005 Enrollment, Boys only, Gr 9-12

Hburg 136

Mercer 394

Total 530

2005 Enrollment, all students, Gr 9-12

Hburg 239

Mercer 717

Total 956

 

2005 Enrollment, Boys only, Gr 9-12

Hburg 136

Mercer 394

Total 530

 

Did you have that right at your fingertips or what?

Hey, I'm not mad, I could care less.

 

But I call it like it is, and the administration at Merger Co. did what they did because it gave them a great opportunity at a State Chamionship, period. You said that one of the schools was in a bad financial situation, correct? Well, there is no better way to bring money into a school than by having a championship caliber football team. I understand & I'm OK with that. As long as it is within KHSAA rules, no one really has a gripe. But to say it's fair to the schools in 2A with actual 2A enrollement isn't exactly right.

 

With that being said, I am of the opinion that the KHSAA should not have allowed them to merge. But they did allow it, and I understand that you can't just go changing rules as soon as somebody figures out how to bend them.

 

However, I'd be willing to bet we never see a situation like this in KY again.

 

I am sorry but they would not merge a school just to have a state championship the financial situation was solved by the merger not by the better football team. However with that said I can see people's animosity towards mercer there are a few mercer fans that like to toot mercers horn just a little bit over zealously and that does not sit well with other fans from other schools people don't want to hear stuff like mercer has 6 running backs that could start anywhere in 2a that is just asking for people to get annoyed I just take a little exception to the statement that the merger was done for athletics if that were the fact they would have done it many years ago when harrodsburg was much, much stronger, like when they had Dennis Johnson and Craig Yeast so that kinda kills that statement

I disagree. check the numbers mercer would not have been close to 4a

 

I have no dog in this hunt, but if Watusi's numbers are correct:

 

2005 Enrollment, all students, Gr 9-12

Hburg 239

Mercer 717

Total 956

 

2005 Enrollment, Boys only, Gr 9-12

Hburg 136

Mercer 394

Total 530

 

then Mercer is really close to 4a. According to KHSAA for this 2003-2006, 3A numbers run from 752.6 - 1040.5

Did you have that right at your fingertips or what?

I have it mapped on a hot button. This topic comes around about once a day.

Here is something I posted in another thread.

 

For the school year of 2005/2006, the final audited enrollment for Harrodsburg was 239 and for Mercer was 717, a total of 956.

 

Football alignments are based on 2 year averages. So if there was any drop in enrollment with the merger (which I have heard there was) then 915 total enrollment is not hard to imagine and Mercer may drop a bit with the next re-alignment in 2009.

 

The new football alignment (2007-2008) is based on the 04/05 and 05/06 enrollments taken on an average. But it uses boys only enrollment, not the total population. Mercer has an unusually high boy/girl ratio, which accounts for their high placement in the new alignment.

 

To put it into perspective, if you combine Mercer and Harrodsburg's male enrollment for the 05/06 school year (the most current figures available on KHSAA) and compare that to other football schools in KY, here is what you get.

 

Boys Only Enrollment

 

Mercer 530 (M 394, H 136)

 

Bowling Green 536

Hopkinsville 535

Owensboro 530

Ashland 516

Johnson Central 495

Rockcastle 489

Lexington Catholic 447

Highlands 395

Paducah Tilghman 383

Belfry 353

Russell 356

Looks like wildcat2020's argument about being a "small" 3A school has been shot out of the water, looks to me that Mercer is a lot closer to 4A by the numbers.

Looks like wildcat2020's argument about being a "small" 3A school has been shot out of the water, looks to me that Mercer is a lot closer to 4A by the numbers.

 

If this is the case then I admit I am wrong, but you play the hand that is dealt

Yes you do play the hand dealt and when Mercer makes it to the 3rd round of the playoffs.. that will be when thier real schedule begins, there is a ton of pressure on this team, if they wan't to make it the pizza box then they better be mentally tough, because pressure does funny things to teams.

For some reason Mercer has nearly a 60% boy population.

 

Makes for a competitive pre-prom season. :devil:

Yes you do play the hand dealt and when Mercer makes it to the 3rd round of the playoffs.. that will be when thier real schedule begins, there is a ton of pressure on this team, if they wan't to make it the pizza box then they better be mentally tough, because pressure does funny things to teams.

 

I agree whole heartedly, I guess we will see how good of a coach marty jaggers is.

Just keep in mind, I am not trying to make a case either way. I posted the numbers above that are available and I'm not trying to prove or disprove anything anyone has said.

 

This is the 05/06 school year totals and some have reported that the actual numbers after the merger were somewhat less than that. I think 915 was the total enrollment figure I heard, which is about 40 less than the figures used above.

 

If you assume 60% or so of that 40 were boys, you could probably expect that about 25 less boys enrolled this year than last, which would put their 4 year male enrollment at a speculated 505.

I just take a little exception to the statement that the merger was done for athletics if that were the fact they would have done it many years ago when harrodsburg was much, much stronger, like when they had Dennis Johnson and Craig Yeast so that kinda kills that statement

Not necessarily true. For the merger to happen, Harrodsburg had to dissolve their school system ... Mercer County had no choice in the matter.

Not necessarily true. For the merger to happen, Harrodsburg had to dissolve their school system ... Mercer County had no choice in the matter.

 

I don't dispute either point, but I still don't exactly see yours, whether it had happened then or now the outcome would have still been the same...harrodsburg disolves to be incoporated with mercer however, it was harrodsburg's decision to merge not mercer's

Your comment made it sound like Mercer County could have chosen to consolidate when Harrodsburg had the Johnson-Yeast clubs ... they couldn't. The choice was strictly Harrodsburg's to make. Mercer had no say in the matter, then or now.