Frederick Douglass Football Program

[gchs_uk9]

45 minutes ago, Hungover_in_Andover said:

Let things play out, season is still going. If we don't succeed in the playoffs, none of our players will have their commitments rescinded, and the college recruiters will continue to visit campus. 

I get it, in Kentucky you have to win state championships to say "hey our athletes are being recruited by colleges". Lol 

This is geared toward my post and it is completely fair. I might have been a touch out of line. However, for the last three years we've seen Douglass considered among the premier teams and their athletes listed as among the best. But it's teams like South Warren, Bowling Green, Covington Catholic, Boyle County, Johnson Central, etc. that are winning the titles. Those teams have more tradition and longer histories so it's not fair to say Douglass can't get to that level. It is fair to question why their best wins seems to annually be against a Scott County program that was cut in half at the same time Douglass opened and none of those listed above.

[LongTimeReader]

They're a Young program that has some elite talent, but just because a team has some elite pieces doesn't mean they are able to beat good teams. I only know FD from the outside and what I see is a program that will be able to out athlete the majority of teams on their schedule, but when they have to play top level teams they tend to fall short. To me, that's who they are...beat teams they're supposed to, cant beat equal or slightly better teams. 

[Hungover_in_Andover]

25 minutes ago, gchs_uk9 said:

Those teams have more tradition and longer histories

So, what are we talking about here? South Warren had a first round exit, three 3rd round exits, 4th round exit and won state in their first 5 years. Let it play out.  

22 minutes ago, LongTimeReader said:

To me, that's who they are...beat teams they're supposed to, cant beat equal or slightly better teams

And that could totally be true. And the same could be said for your team about 9 of the past 10 seasons as well! 

[DevilMayCare]

The spotlight hasn't been kind to Douglass. When the football world is watching - the infamous Trinity scrimmage, finals against CovCath, semis last year against Owensboro, last night against Boyle - the Broncos either come up short or fall flat on their face. They've conquered Scott County, yes, but as @gchs_uk9 said, that doesn't mean what it did a few years ago. And it may never again. 

The Trinity scrimmage is the only time they've taken the field against a team with equal or greater talent. The recipe is missing an ingredient.

Douglass could roll through the playoffs, win state, and bury this thread. Or they could fall short again and we'll all be back here in a few weeks.

This wouldn't have been a fair topic two years ago, but I think it is now.

[Socially Distanced]

4 hours ago, Hungover_in_Andover said:

Whats going on?  A fifth year team lost to a team that's been successful since at least the year 2000.  Our inaugural year we got blasted by an undefeated state champion in Danville, and lost to the region football bully TTUN twice. 2nd year,  beat em regular season, then we lost by 1 to them in the playoffs, haven't lost to them since.  

Lost in the state finals by a touchdown to CovCath. 

Lost by 2 to in the season opener to a North Hardin team that went 3rd round of playoffs, then lost in the 4th round by one to Owensboro.  

Where is the underachievement? Someone please explain. 

 

 

They have built a great program and the talent is unbelievable. I am judging from 200miles away but I do feel like they have lost in some meaningful prime time games. 

[gchs_uk9]

17 minutes ago, Hungover_in_Andover said:

So, what are we talking about here? South Warren had a first round exit, three 3rd round exits, 4th round exit and won state in their first 5 years. Let it play out.

Agreed. South Warren is actually a very good template for Frederick Douglass. I do think Douglass has had better initial talent than South Warren did when it opened. 

[Killowatt59]

4 minutes ago, gchs_uk9 said:

Agreed. South Warren is actually a very good template for Frederick Douglass. I do think Douglass has had better initial talent than South Warren did when it opened. 

Well let's don't forget South played in lower class for like the first 8 years or whatever it was.

[gchs_uk9]

7 minutes ago, Killowatt59 said:

Well let's don't forget South played in lower class for like the first 8 years or whatever it was.

Edit. My 5A/6A comment was incorrect. 

[DevilMayCare]

Just now, gchs_uk9 said:

Douglass has been in 5A for their entire existence while all other Fayette County public schools are 6A. 

They were 6A for the first two years.

[theguru]

1 minute ago, DevilMayCare said:

They were 6A for the first two years.

That is what I was thinking, or at least they were 6A for a period of time, all from memory of course.

[theguru]

2 minutes ago, gchs_uk9 said:

Douglass has been in 5A for their entire existence while all other Fayette County public schools are 6A. 

Do we know where Douglass figures to land when the KHSAA reclassifies again?

[gchs_uk9]

4 minutes ago, DevilMayCare said:

They were 6A for the first two years.

Oops, you’re right. I remembered them playing Scott County. Forgot they were both 6A at the time. 

[gchs_uk9]

4 minutes ago, theguru said:

Do we know where Douglass figures to land when the KHSAA reclassifies again?

Great question and no idea. Due to Covid-19 there were no official enrollment numbers for the 2020-21 school year and I’m not sure what the process will be this year. Realignment should probably be discussed in the spring but the numbers are something of a mystery right now. 

[LongTimeReader]

@Hungover_in_Andover You're right, St. X has struggled in games where they're the underdog over the last decade. But over the last 4 or 5 years has there been a team do less with more talent than FD?

 

[16thBBall Fan]

Here is the info of the enrollment at Douglass @theguru

Douglass was put into 6A when they opened just because of the other city schools were 6A and that was by far the smallest class. Their first year they played 6A they had only 847 students boys and girls in the entire school. They had I believe 982 the 2nd year. When reclassified for the 2019 season they were originally going to be in 4A but the KSHAA failed to count 92 boys from the Carter G. Woodson Academy that bumped them up to 5A in 2019 they were one of I think the 10 smallest schools in 5A but now they will be borderline of a large 5A or a smaller 6A. They are still the smallest public high school in Lexington.