Just going to leave this here ... anyone who thinks that it is only LCA and Beechwood ... may want to wake up from fantasy land. 

Mayfield has been, is, and will be in the upper tier as they always have been. I know that no one ... and I mean no one in Fort Mitchell is overlooking Mayfield. To not have them in the top tier is ... well ...lets just say "not based in fact" 

 

Not to mention Somerset, Murray, Danville, Green County, Metcalfe County. Way too early to pair it down to 2 teams. 

- Beechwood looks like the team everyone is chasing.

- LCA has built a program.  They will be a factor.

- In terms of Mayfield... I have subscribed to a theory on the Cardinals from observing them over the years. I think it is a theory we can all learn to agree on.

You can always expect Mayfield to be a factor... that is the baseline. With that said, WHENEVER MAYFIELD HAS A PRODUCTIVE STARTING QB RETURNING, WATCH OUT!

More times than not, if Mayfield has a veteran signal caller back, they are going to be hard to keep from being a title contender.

 

 

I think those three teams are the rabbits the rest of the class are chasing. I do think 2A on the whole should be about as deep as it has been in several years from spots #4 thru #15. Green County and Metcalfe County should have bumper crops of talent, Middlesboro has raised their water mark and Breathitt should be pushing them, West Carter has raised their program's water line but Shelby Valley will be pushing them, Walton-Verona should be a little better than normal, Somerset will be much improved after playing a team full of underclassmen and challenging Danville, and Owensboro Catholic is the rare Ace that is a Wildcard.

I think it’s a 3 horse race, with Mayfield charging the finish line with LCA and BW. 
 

People are very blinded by the loss of Hergott for BW. He meant a ton no doubt, but Defense wins titles. And Beechwood returns damn near everyone on D. It will be just as tough to score on BW this year. 
 

I have not seen this Hayden kid play against Varsity competition. But with the pre season hype, rankings, and the fact that Ca$h Harney is knocking on his back door, that should be interesting to watch play out for the young man.  If he can handle the pressure and perform, should be another run at 2A title. If he has troubles, IMO, Ca$h slots in as a better replacement for Hergott’s style of play. 
 

My BW player to watch is Austin Waddell. Kills me this kid gets zero love. He has transformed into a Beast. Remember his name. 
 

Interested to follow LCA and Mayfield this season. 

1 hour ago, gbballfan21 said:

Just going to leave this here ... anyone who thinks that it is only LCA and Beechwood ... may want to wake up from fantasy land. 

Mayfield has been, is, and will be in the upper tier as they always have been. I know that no one ... and I mean no one in Fort Mitchell is overlooking Mayfield. To not have them in the top tier is ... well ...lets just say "not based in fact" 

 

Not to mention Somerset, Murray, Danville, Green County, Metcalfe County. Way too early to pair it down to 2 teams. 

The level of respect Mayfield commands is why they have their own voting option here. I'm not usually one to get ahead of myself, but I think this is a valid and topical thread for the pre-season. It was created with the intent of revisiting periodically throughout the season.

Plus, it fans the flames as we build toward the start of the season. 

Danville is not in the realm of top of 2A currently. Somerset isn’t either unless the Smith twins were to return. 

2 hours ago, gbballfan21 said:

Just going to leave this here ... anyone who thinks that it is only LCA and Beechwood ... may want to wake up from fantasy land.

Looking back to last year I am not sure there was any 2A team within a running clock of LCA or Beechwood so unless things are dramatically different this year it is no fantasy. 

11 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

I will throw some more controversy (and fun discussion) in here. Don't be surprised if Beechwood's sophomore QB Clay Hayden has a better season than Boley.

Side note: Why isn't Boley listed on LCA's roster posted on the KHSAA scoreboard site?

I don’t think this is an outrageous take. With all due respect, if you ignore his offers Boley has little to show. Stats aren’t great and mechanics are off a little as well. 

Im in agreement that these 2 programs reload, and in a class by themselves.  Adding an elite defensive player to Beechwood's already dominant defense may make things a bit much for even LCA.  Great defense always travels. I'm sure Beechwood will mix in Antonio Robinson Jr on offense to go along with Burger.  QB Hayden won't have to be great for them to be dominant.

I'm not sold on LCA being the second best team in 2a by a wide margin. They return some really nice pieces, but lost a ton as well, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I'm also not sold on Boley being a huge answer for LCA, obviously he has gotten some big time offers and I'm sure the guys recruiting him know football better than I, but I have seen him play multiple times and I have never been blown out of my mind with his ability as of now.

I believe his size and arm strength are legitimate big time D1 potential and the coaches know they can fix release issues and accuracy at the next level, but that doesn't always translate to being great this season in high school. I think he has a ton to prove this year to be considered as solid as a pickup as Robinson is. 

Robinson on the other hand is already proven to be a massively great athlete, and is headed to a defense that was almost unstoppable last year, I can only imagine how good they will be this year. 

Boley’s offer list is insanely impressive, Bama and UM before his junior year. On top of about a dozen more power 5 offers, I too think his impact will be more than Robinson Jr but I still think outside of those studs Beechwood has a little more.

If it is a 3 horse race, which I'm not certain it is, the RPI is going to be a huge factor. 2 of these team will have to play each other in the semi-finals. 

On 8/3/2022 at 9:40 PM, Cobraxx said:

If it is a 3 horse race, which I'm not certain it is, the RPI is going to be a huge factor. 2 of these team will have to play each other in the semi-finals. 

This ^
 

and if LCA and Beechwood beat up on each other and believe they are playing for a title when in reality it’s semifinals, then Mayfield will be lurking to steal one. 

44 minutes ago, gcbleedblue said:

This ^
 

and if LCA and Beechwood beat up on each other and believe they are playing for a title when in reality it’s semifinals, then Mayfield will be lurking to steal one. 

I’m sure the Tigers would love to see Mayfield in a state championship game, after beating them last year. To be the best, you must beat the best. It would only seem fitting for this graduating class to beat mayfield in a state championship. 

On 8/3/2022 at 10:40 PM, Cobraxx said:

If it is a 3 horse race, which I'm not certain it is, the RPI is going to be a huge factor. 2 of these team will have to play each other in the semi-finals. 

 

59 minutes ago, gcbleedblue said:

This ^
 

and if LCA and Beechwood beat up on each other and believe they are playing for a title when in reality it’s semifinals, then Mayfield will be lurking to steal one. 

 

13 minutes ago, ImJustHere said:

I’m sure the Tigers would love to see Mayfield in a state championship game, after beating them last year. To be the best, you must beat the best. It would only seem fitting for this graduating class to beat mayfield in a state championship. 

I would like to see Mayfield and LCA go at it in the semi-finals.