Then we should declassify football, track, and cross country also. Make those sports have a single champion also.

 

I know your tongue is firmly in cheek, but I've never understood the need for track and cross country classification anyway. But back to the subject.

Last season, Dawson Springs had a special group come through their basketball program, much like Caldwell County this year. Dawson Springs made the regional tourney for the 1st time in years and played Henderson County in the region 2 first round. Henderson had over 10x the number of kids to choose from to fill 15 spots. Dawson's enrollment was under 200...Henderson County's enrollment 2000+. Talk about a miss match. End result, Henderson won by 45 points and crushed a small public school after the small school slipped by Hopkins County Central (1000+) and lost by 15 to Madisonville-North Hopkins over (1000+).

That was hardly a "special group" at Dawson Springs and anything remotely comparable to Caldwell County's bunch ... they were 11-17 and got to the regionall only because they drew a poor Hopkins Central team in the first round.

If we ever have KHSAA-sanctioned class basketball, two classes is all we need.

 

And since we already have the All A Classic in place, I see no need to make a change. My only wish is that the All A Classic would up its enrollment limit just a bit to include the Caldwell Countys, Corbins and Shelby Valleys of the state.

Maybe the state's 2A schools could all get together and have an All AA Classic.

 

My only complaint against the All A is that it is not a KHSAA sanctioned event. As far as the KHSAA is concerned, it's no different than the Paducah Tilghman Christmas Tournament.

 

As it stands now, the All A Classic merely placates the small schools and keeps the KHSAA from actually having to do something.

If the one class system is fine, it makes one wonder why the All-A Classic was created in the first place and why so many teams choose to compete in it year after year.

I am not from Dawson but I have heard these things about them. I am just using them as an example.

Dawson Springs used to be a large school but when schools consolidated into "County" schools the "City" schools and those who have remained independent and public have fallen behind because of districting arrangements. Back in the day Dawson made 6 trips to the state tourney finishing runner up once. Providence and Harrodsburg fought the good fight for the little guys for as long as they could. Sadly, I feel that the Wal-Mart mentality of bigger is better leaves a lot of kids behind. True small schools have kids getting the right to an education and having the ability to participate in high school athletics when they couldn't make the 1st cut at a huge school.

 

Providence and Dawson Springs have dressed 8th graders for varsity play routinely in past to the present, but not because the middle schoolers are especially gifted but because these two example schools don't have enough high school players to fill out the 15 student athlete spots on a varsity roster. Providence did not have a junior varsity last year at all and from what I am hearing Dawson Springs will have one filled with middle schoolers this year, if they do have one. 7 or so high school kids are supposed to return from last year's 5-21 squad at Dawson and Providence will be absorbed into Webster County.

 

Where does this leave us in the classing discussion? Is it fair for these types schools to play schools with 500, 1000 or 2000+ enrollments? I don't have your answer on fairness but I do know they get the opportunity to knock off a Goliath almost every night even in the BIBLE there was only one Goliath. This is where the small schools are at right now. Just imagine picking a 15 person team from Wyoming to play a 15 person team from Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky, I am not sure of the exact populations but surely you get the picture. Now take that same team and play the best from New York, Texas and California. Is that fair? Random thoughts from a wandering mind.:confused:

That was hardly a "special group" at Dawson Springs and anything remotely comparable to Caldwell County's bunch ... they were 11-17 and got to the regionall only because they drew a poor Hopkins Central team in the first round.

 

By the way they beat last year's Caldwell County's bunch during the regular season. That was one of their 11 wins. For Dawson it was special. First time double digit wins since 1999. First Regional appearance since 1997. Special is all relative my friend but to that small school system...that was a talented group.

My only complaint against the All A is that it is not a KHSAA sanctioned event. As far as the KHSAA is concerned, it's no different than the Paducah Tilghman Christmas Tournament.

So what? It gets a heck of a lot more attention than Tilghman's tournament, as it should.

As it stands now, the All A Classic merely placates the small schools and keeps the KHSAA from actually having to do something.

And it gives them two shots at making it to a state tournament.

If the one class system is fine, it makes one wonder why the All-A Classic was created in the first place and why so many teams choose to compete in it year after year.

If the All A Classic didn't exist, I wouldn't have a big problem with two classes for basketball.

 

But since it already exists ...

By the way they beat last year's Caldwell County's bunch during the regular season. That was one of their 11 wins. For Dawson it was special. First time double digit wins since 1999. First Regional appearance since 1997. Special is all relative my friend but to that small school system...that was a talented group.

One or two decent wins doesn't make a team "special" ...

Then we should declassify football, track, and cross country also. Make those sports have a single champion also.

I felt that four classes was enough for football. I think just about everything else should have two classes.

I'm actually encouraged that there are actually a few people who agree with me that Kentucky should go to classes in basketball (and baseball, softball, soccer, etc.).

 

For the longest time, I thought I was the only one.

What other state program has been about 80 years in existence and still an effective program without having been changed?

 

 

It is not going to change, period. IMO: People from small schools always start talking about classification at this time of year. The state tournament is/was not designed to please everybody, nor should it. What makes it great is that everyone is trying to win ONE state championship trophy. Not everything in life is fair just because we want it to be and we shouldn't change the rules because we feel every kid should get a chance at the state championship.

One or two decent wins doesn't make a team "special" ...

 

Has anyone ever told that you are "special"? As I understand it the term "special" can carry multiple meanings and it is usually a subjective thing not needing to be supported nor debated. I hope all your days are "special" days.

 

I can agree to disagree with you on this one. I really don't know why it seems to be such a strong point for you to make about a team that did something good for their small school system.:confused:

It is not going to change, period. IMO: People from small schools always start talking about classification at this time of year. The state tournament is/was not designed to please everybody, nor should it. What makes it great is that everyone is trying to win ONE state championship trophy. Not everything in life is fair just because we want it to be and we shouldn't change the rules because we feel every kid should get a chance at the state championship.

 

If the rules are bad, why shouldn't they be changed? Life isn't fair, but the KHSAA could easily change the state tourney so it could be a lot closer to fair than it is now.

 

And no, not everyone is trying to win one state championship trophy. The best many schools can hope to do is get a favorable draw in the district, make the region and then get beat down by a much larger school.

 

If that's such a great tradition, why don't more states besides, what is it now, TWO?, have such a tournament.