100% of Male's football players came from Johnson Traditional, Barrett Traditional and Jefferson County Traditional Middle Schools. It is a pure lottery system for kids who get in. There are also NO transfers unlike other schools. I know of teachers at Male who can not get there own kids into Male.

 

Welcome to BGP, @winningtradition!

I think that would be a non competitive championship game most years. It would get more outside of Louisville teams in championship, but would kinda be like everybody gets a trophy mentality, since most years the two best teams won’t be in championship.

That was the case for several years in the beginning of 4A football in the state. The state at-large champ played the Jefferson Co. champ.

That was the case for several years in the beginning of 4A football in the state. The state at-large champ played the Jefferson Co. champ.

 

I remember when the above changed. There was complaining that the format "guaranteed" Jefferson County a spot in the finals and thus was unfair and biased toward Jefferson County. That is when they split 4A through Jefferson. I think it was 1987 when that was done.

 

In 1987 you did have Shelby vs Boone County in the finals. And in 1996 you had Nelson County and PL Dunbar. But otherwise you had at least one Jefferson County school in the finals through 2000. Then in 2000 you start to see where both teams in the finals were from Jefferson County.

I remember when the above changed. There was complaining that the format "guaranteed" Jefferson County a spot in the finals and thus was unfair and biased toward Jefferson County. That is when they split 4A through Jefferson. I think it was 1987 when that was done.

 

In 1987 you did have Shelby vs Boone County in the finals. And in 1996 you had Nelson County and PL Dunbar. But otherwise you had at least one Jefferson County school in the finals through 2000. Then in 2000 you start to see where both teams in the finals were from Jefferson County.

Bottom line is that there will be complaining no matter the format. The thing I like most about the imperfect ranking system we have now is that it gives the best teams, no matter their geography, the best chance at making the finals. And that ranking is earned in the regular season.

The basic answer to the question at hand is that the Louisville has much more overall population and also has the football tradition fueled largely by the large Catholic community. Also Louisville Male and Louisville DuPont Manual were traditional football programs.

 

Before Trinity there was Flaget. When Flaget closed its doors many of the Flaget alumni adopted Trinity since St. X was a rival to Flaget back to the 40s and 50s. And when Male became the traditional high school it took over as the public school flag ship.

 

If you look at history in the first 16 years of KHSAA championships - from 1959 to 1975 the winner was Dupont Manual, Male, Flaget, St. X or Trinity in all but 2 years. And in those two years Flaget and Trinity were the runner-ups to Seneca and Butler.

 

Louisville has always had the elementary level Catholic leagues and also the Toy Bowl. Lexington has nothing to compare in those areas. Soccer also carries more weight in Fayette and central Kentucky.