I don't agree with the KHSAA's decision to let a team that shouldn't be in 2A play for the 2A title but the fact is, regardless of the correctness of the decision, Mercer didn't make it. Mercer shouldn't be in 2A this year but they are, it is up to Russell to beat them next week. The Titans didn't make the rules, they just played the hand that was dealt to them. Sure, they may have been dealt pocket aces but that blood is on the KHSAA's heads, not on the Titan's. I don't for a minute think that it is fair that Mercer gets to play for a 2A title this year but since the ........well I'm not even going to come up with a name for fear of getting banned.........decided that it is okay then I'll recognize them as the champions if they win. They probably are the best team in 2A this year, SHOULD they be in 2A--of course not. However, I refuse to believe that the decision to merge was made to win a football title and was instead made, in fact, for the betterment of the community. The KHSAA dropped the ball on this one, don't hold it against the kids. That said if you're going to put an asterisk in front of Roger Maris 61............

I dont think anyone in their right mind thinks the merger was done for football reasons. I think that people feel Mercer Co. took advantage of the Situation. There is no reason not to have 2 teams that I can think of. That said I still think my Alma-Matter will come home with a repeat. Russell was 5 or 6 maybe 7 touchdowns better than Mercer last yr.

Maybe a reason not to have to two teams is that the kids are all now part of the same school system. The former Harrodsbug kids now attend Mercer Co. HS.

I don't agree with the KHSAA's decision to let a team that shouldn't be in 2A play for the 2A title but the fact is, regardless of the correctness of the decision, Mercer didn't make it. Mercer shouldn't be in 2A this year but they are, it is up to Russell to beat them next week. The Titans didn't make the rules, they just played the hand that was dealt to them. Sure, they may have been dealt pocket aces but that blood is on the KHSAA's heads, not on the Titan's. I don't for a minute think that it is fair that Mercer gets to play for a 2A title this year but since the ........well I'm not even going to come up with a name for fear of getting banned.........decided that it is okay then I'll recognize them as the champions if they win. They probably are the best team in 2A this year, SHOULD they be in 2A--of course not. However, I refuse to believe that the decision to merge was made to win a football title and was instead made, in fact, for the betterment of the community. The KHSAA dropped the ball on this one, don't hold it against the kids. That said if you're going to put an asterisk in front of Roger Maris 61............

 

 

Good post. :thumb:

 

Of course that asterisk has long since been removed.

I don't agree with the KHSAA's decision to let a team that shouldn't be in 2A play for the 2A title but the fact is, regardless of the correctness of the decision, Mercer didn't make it. Mercer shouldn't be in 2A this year but they are, it is up to Russell to beat them next week. The Titans didn't make the rules, they just played the hand that was dealt to them. Sure, they may have been dealt pocket aces but that blood is on the KHSAA's heads, not on the Titan's. I don't for a minute think that it is fair that Mercer gets to play for a 2A title this year but since the ........well I'm not even going to come up with a name for fear of getting banned.........decided that it is okay then I'll recognize them as the champions if they win. They probably are the best team in 2A this year, SHOULD they be in 2A--of course not. However, I refuse to believe that the decision to merge was made to win a football title and was instead made, in fact, for the betterment of the community. The KHSAA dropped the ball on this one, don't hold it against the kids. That said if you're going to put an asterisk in front of Roger Maris 61............

 

:thumb: I agree also. The KHSAA really fouled this one up. The seniors on both teams are being slighted because of it.

:thumb: I agree also. The KHSAA really fouled this one up. The seniors on both teams are being slighted because of it.

 

I don't remember the timing exactly, but isn't it possible the merger was approved too late in the year (and I think it was) to move the consolidated Merger High into 4A this year? Wasn't the merger finally approved in the spring of 06? You have to remember that district schedules are filled out at least one year (2?) in advance, so I don't think the KHSAA could have moved them up to 4A without causing insurrmountable scheduling problems to the existing 4A teams. Its not like you just, with a wave of the wand, re-jigger everyone's schedules. There are existing contracts for games. Once you start breaking contracts, it has an almost domino effect on everyone else's schedules throughout the state.

 

No doubt the best outcome would have been for the school boards of Mercer and Harrodsburg to have approved the merger with an effective date of August of 07, instead of 06, so that the district schedules could have been reworked as part of the move to go to six classes. I have to assume because of Harrodsburg's financial problems postponing the merger date was not possible however. Thus, the problem. While the KHSAA is an easy target for the venom, I'm not sure they really could do anything about it without creating major scheduling ramifications throughout Kentucky.

of course everyone wants to win but obviously the cannot. if mercer wasn't in the title game, i bet there would be people complaining about whoever was in the game for some reason or the other. the kids at mercer didn't get to vote for the merger but they have turned what could have been an ugly situation into a awesome community wide experience. the soccer, baseball, cheerleading, band, volleyball, basketball all have kids that were challenged to overcome all the obstacles of the merger and they have done so with courage and pride. what is done is done.

let these kids have this once in a lifetime experience without all of these negative complaints.

they have worked their butts off as have their coaches, just let them play.

I am wondering if this is true,Why would they switch ? As for the Pprivileged Ccharacter he sure left a mess.Not wondering about your remark-you need to worry about next week.

 

I know it is true. THe way it is set up distict 1,2,3,4, draw and play each other while district 5,6,7,8 draw and play each other. Mercer former district # was 5 which means in the draw they would have played Middlesboro, Belfry, or Russell in week # 3 of the playoffs, and then the winner would have played in the semi's.

 

Corbin was in district #4 which means they would have played 1, 2,or 3 and the state finals would have been Mercer and Corbin or O Cath. THe person that made this change just wanted to make sure BELFRY or Russell made it to the finals. It was done at the last hour.

 

At this time I do not need to worry about anything except how many I am going to have at weightlifting this afternoon!

 

I wish I could worry about "next week".

You can say what you want about this. The fact is Mercer has two high schools today. Yes they have merged under one Administration. Was this situation handled right by KHSAA?? Absolutely not. They dropped the ball. They should have recognized what would happen by merging two football teams and leaving them in 2-A. KHSAA should have said we are good with the merger but it would create an unfair advantage in sports, thus you will remain in the class you are in for the 2006-2007 school year.

 

They dropped the ball. We need to get over it.

Yes, I feel the KHSAA made an error in handling this and there is nothing that can be done. The only thing that bothers me is that if Russell loses the seniors can thank the KHSAA for possibly, and I say possibly, taking the state title away from them and that can't be righted. But we'll never know how it might have turned out otherwise.

Whats the influence of Harrodsburg? #2 Cory Jackson, 80% of the plays the ball goes into his hands, be it HB Passes, or sweeps, the kid is fast.

You can say what you want about this. The fact is Mercer has two high schools today. Yes they have merged under one Administration. Was this situation handled right by KHSAA?? Absolutely not. They dropped the ball. They should have recognized what would happen by merging two football teams and leaving them in 2-A. KHSAA should have said we are good with the merger but it would create an unfair advantage in sports, thus you will remain in the class you are in for the 2006-2007 school year.

 

They dropped the ball. We need to get over it.

 

In response to the part of your post about what the KHSAA should have done: The school board voted to merge and create one high school with separate campuses and thus, to the best of my knowledge and info, the KHSAA did not have the power or authority to tell them that they had to field two separate teams based on the premerger schools. Had the school boards voted to bring Harrodsburg into Mercer's school district but keep it as a separate high school, then there would have been two teams: one per high school. But that's not what the two school boards voted to do. Its one member high school under the merger agreement, with separate campuses, which means one football team under the KHSAA rules. The Constitution and By laws which govern the KHSAA do not, to the best of my review of those documents, permit the KHSAA to require them to field separate teams; and no, before you ask, neither the staff nor the Board of Control of the KHSAA has the power on their own to amend the Constitution or the By laws. If the member schools of the KHSAA want to vote to amend the Constitution and By laws to state that whenever two high schools merge, the merger for the purpose of determining of athletic teams will not be effective until there is a redistricting, they can do so (although I can envision certain problems with that if the campuses become "shared"), they can do so. But that's not what the governing documents say at this time to the best of my knowledge. And thus your idea of what the KHSAA should have done is illegal currently. And quite honestly you can blame the KHSAA or the member schools for not foreseeing this situation, its so bizarre and unusual.

 

What is interesting about this situation is the concept of Boone County (and other similarly situated county school districts) merging all of its high schools into one high school with one football team, with separate campuses.Think of the power house football teams that would be created throughout the state. Heck Trinity may never win another state championship again. Unfortunately, that would result in a whole lot of kids not getting the opportunity to get on the field on Friday nights and experience high school football, all in the name of creating a powerhouse team. I like the way that Boone County currently does it personally although I MAY think differently if I was the Boone County head football coach :ylsuper:.

 

I realize fully why some logically think its unfair for Mercer to be competing in 2A, but heck if you think about it, it could have been worse. If Mercer had merged into Harrodsburg instead of the other way around (which would have also resolved Harrodsburg's financial problems), they would have been a 1A team this year. While its ugly now, that would have been real ugly I would think (do other people think that the 1A teams would have a better chance at beating Mercerburg than the 2A schools?).

 

The current situation stinks for the seniors in the other 2A schools I agree, but there was nothing the KHSAA could do about it from what I've been told.

Whats the influence of Harrodsburg? #2 Cory Jackson, 80% of the plays the ball goes into his hands, be it HB Passes, or sweeps, the kid is fast.

80%?????? You have to be kidding. maybe 30% if that, we have 4 backs that have rushed for 100yds, more than once. The Griffith kid that rushed for 140+ yards against Russell last year, very rarely carries the ball.

Fact is Russell who really is a 2a school has to play a school for a state championship who is a 4a school, because " quoting the Mercer fans" We have already merged" Plain and simple. It is sad for both teams. If Mercer comes away with the win Friday ( and I say if, I am still betting on my Red Devils) they can say Hey we won a state championship against a 2a school!!! Kind of like a junior high football team getting beat by the Freshman football team. The KHSAA did drop the ball and it is wrong, regardless. Say what you will!

 

As far as the ball game goes Russell will fight to keep their title. I believe they can! :fire:

Fact is Russell who really is a 2a school has to play a school for a state championship who is a 4a school, because " quoting the Mercer fans" We have already merged" Plain and simple. It is sad for both teams. If Mercer comes away with the win Friday ( and I say if, I am still betting on my Red Devils) they can say Hey we won a state championship against a 2a school!!! Kind of like a junior high football team getting beat by the Freshman football team. The KHSAA did drop the ball and it is wrong, regardless. Say what you will!

 

As far as the ball game goes Russell will fight to keep their title. I believe they can! :fire:

 

Once again, they would have been a medium 3A school.

 

It won't be sad for us, believe me, we all have worked too long to be sad about a trip to Louisville.