Everyone was really uptight about splitting up private and public just under a year ago, and I just now found the time to look up a few numbers that make me say "Why would public schools ever want to split?"

 

Soccer

 

Boys

 

Championships

Public - 20

Private - 10

 

Teams in the finals

Public - 41

Private - 18

 

From 1985 to 1996, all but one final involved 2 public school teams.

 

Girls

 

Championships

Public - 11

Private - 3

 

Teams in the finals

Public - 14

Private - 14

 

Girls' soccer has been pretty even, public schools have simply won the big game more times

 

Basketball

 

Championships

Public - 83

Private - 5

 

Teams in the finals

Public - 165

Private - 11

 

24 straight, and 31 out of 32 finals from 1968 to 1999 involved 2 public school teams. No final has ever featured 2 private schools.

 

Golf

 

Team Championships

Public - 41

Private - 25

 

Individual Championships

Public - 52

Private - 15

 

Moving on...

 

Swimming

 

Private school dominated for boys. St. Xavier 18 straight and 42 overall. For every 2 teams in the top 3, 2 are private and 1 is public.

 

Girl's swimming is fairly even as far as titles, but for the top 3, for every 2 private there is 1 public.

 

Football

 

Championships - Since 1959

A

1 - NewCath '05

 

AA - Since 1959

1 - NewCath '84

 

AAA - Since 1959

12 - CovCath (5), Trinity (3), St. X (3), LexCath (1)

 

AAAA - Since 1975

21 - Trinity (13), St. Xavier (8)

 

Teams in the finals

A - 3

AA - 6

AAA - 13

AAAA - 26 (3 of the losses were to a private school in the finals)

 

So in 46 years of football the titles look like this:

 

Public - 133

Private - 35

 

 

So to tally these numbers up here are the final standings:

 

Public - 391

Private - 152

And that 152 is including St. Xavier's 42 swimming titles.

 

So you take away swimming and publics win about 4 times as many titles as privates in the history of Kentucky sports. Why complain?... I'll show you.

 

In the last decade or so:

 

-Swimming does not change, St. Xavier remains dominant

-Basketball is barely changed, 1 private school champion and only in the finals twice (LexCath '00 and '02 champs)

-Boys soccer since 1997 has a 6-3 advantage in titles and 11-9 teams in the finals

-Girls private soccer is at a 3-7 disadvantage, but has put a team in the finals every year, and has a 12-8 team in the finals advantage

-Baseball has seen 3 private school champions (LexCath, Lex Christian, and CovCath)

-Golf in the past 7 years has seen a private school win the team title 6 times and the individual 5 times

 

-Football has changed very little. In the past 40 state title games (classes A-4A), private schools have taken home 10 rings, 7 in class 4A, and 3 out of the 4 champions were private in '05.

 

 

So the numbers show that public schools aren't as weak and defenseless as separate state champion supporters would have us believe. It is just in the past 10 years or so that private schools have started to really come up.

St. X's 42 swimming titles and 18 straight have got to be some kind of national record. That is just unbelievable.

St. X's 42 swimming titles and 18 straight have got to be some kind of national record. That is just unbelievable.

 

42 is the record.

Great research, however, people will see what people want to see.

Does the basketball stats you have include the girls too?

You faied to mention volleyball. Private 28 Public o

You faied to mention volleyball. Private 28 Public o

But citing a sport like volleyball, and Girls soccer make the issue even more glaringly an "urban-rural" issue. Those two sports are dominated by the golden triangle Louisville-NKY-Lexington. Winners for volleyball are all from Louisville (Sacred Heart) but no other team outside the other two cities has much of a chance, public or private. Similar circumstance with girls soccer. Won't be any suprise to see a rematch between Lexington Catholic and Highlands.

You faied to mention volleyball. Private 28 Public o

You also fail to mention that the non public schools are the ones that started volleyball and the public schools didn't even play until they were almost forced to add volleyball due to Title IX. For years, there were only about 70 schools until the Title IX push of the last six years. So you give somebody a head start, they better be ahead.

But citing a sport like volleyball, and Girls soccer make the issue even more glaringly an "urban-rural" issue. Those two sports are dominated by the golden triangle Louisville-NKY-Lexington. Winners for volleyball are all from Louisville (Sacred Heart) but no other team outside the other two cities has much of a chance, public or private. Similar circumstance with girls soccer. Won't be any suprise to see a rematch between Lexington Catholic and Highlands.

Also, don't know if anyone saw this in the Herald Leader yesterday, but it said that this is the first time since 1976 that a Boys Soccer team from outside Lexington or Louisville is in the Championship.

Thank you on the urban/rural comment.

 

Crossbar on your basketball comments

 

Basketball

 

Championships

Public - 83

Private - 5

 

Teams in the finals

Public - 165

Private - 11

 

24 straight, and 31 out of 32 finals from 1968 to 1999 involved 2 public school teams. No final has ever featured 2 private schools.

 

I will assume that you, for some reason, felt the need to not include girls basketball in your comments? If you did, than these are inaccurate as Sacred Heart and Lex Cath met, I believe in back to back years in 03 and 04 (or somewhere around there). Also, I think privates have won 6 out of the last 7 girls state titles.

Also, don't know if anyone saw this in the Herald Leader yesterday, but it said that this is the first time since 1976 that a Boys Soccer team from outside Lexington or Louisville is in the Championship.

 

That should say since 1976 a team from Louisville or Lexington is not in the Championship. My bad.

How many public schools and private schools are there competing in KSHAA, does anyone know the exact numbers?

Womens Volleyball?

 

Private School dominance - Assumption, Sacred Heart, Mercy and Presentation all have one thing in common - every girl almost without exception plays year round. That explains how they win within KY. They also win consistently at a National level against girls that have year round commitments? Assumption was National Champion last year and #2 in the Nation this year. The other schools are nationally ranked year in and out. Talented and year around play. Commitment to the sport. Most matches for the above aren't against in state teams during the regular season, other than themselves, because of the lack of competition. If you want to beat the above teams commit to play year round.

2006 championships: Girl's Golf -Central Hardin, Boy's Golf-Henry Clay, Volleyball-Assumption, Girl's Soccer-Highlands, Boy's Soccer-Bowling Green. I think the field has tilted back. Funny how that works.

But citing a sport like volleyball, and Girls soccer make the issue even more glaringly an "urban-rural" issue. Those two sports are dominated by the golden triangle Louisville-NKY-Lexington. Winners for volleyball are all from Louisville (Sacred Heart) but no other team outside the other two cities has much of a chance, public or private. Similar circumstance with girls soccer. Won't be any suprise to see a rematch between Lexington Catholic and Highlands.

 

 

Actually, Assumption dominates volleyball, not Sacred Heart.