Underrated Programs in the State of Kentucky

[TheLegends64]

I think Harrison County is underated. They usually have a good team and pretty good regular season records. They don't show up on the radar because they have not had a lot of success in the playoffs.

[DougyP4Ever]

Yeah. Simon Kenton hasn't even won one playoff game. Don't really think they should be mentioned in the best programs unless you want to put Scott ahead of them on your list, with their one playoff win.

[Ram]

Yeah. Simon Kenton hasn't even won one playoff game. Don't really think they should be mentioned in the best programs unless you want to put Scott ahead of them on your list, with their one playoff win.

 

My list is not about successful team, per sa, it is about programs that I think of when I think of Kentucky football. Some of them are very successful, some are not so successful. Just teams that I think of. I had not ever heard of Scott until I joined this site.

[leatherneck]

Yeah. Simon Kenton hasn't even won one playoff game. Don't really think they should be mentioned in the best programs unless you want to put Scott ahead of them on your list, with their one playoff win.

 

No offense Ram, but I agree with Dougy, although I do think, based on what I've seen of their freshman teams the last couple of years, that SK does have the talent coming up through the ranks to become very successful on the varsity. I'm not sure it will happen and I'm not sure it will be prolonged success, but I think for the next couple of years, SK will really surprise some folks with their success. And with the growth being experienced near Independence, I wouldn't be surprised if the success is prolonged. They certainly are getting the fan and community support. While I'm not an Eric Deters fan (as an attorney) I have to admit I love seeing/reading about his enthusiasm for SK football. I assume he has a son in the program. Every successful program has to have people like Eric getting involved. And equally important, they have to continue to stay involved when their sons graduate.

 

The interesting thing to ponder when I think about teams like SK developing programs, is the effect it has on nearby programs. With Kenton County having open enrollment in the county, I wonder if the possible success of SK program will hurt Dixie, will it hurt Highlands (which just a couple years back got some very good players from SK, but to the best of my knowledge had none of the team last year and as of now doesn't have any), will it hurt CovCath? Admittedly I don't know if Dixie or CovCath has any Independence area kids on their teams, but I'd have to assume over the past 10 years they did. Likewise, will Brossart's program hurt NewCath which historically has gotten many good football players from out in the County? Or will those teams continue to be successful anyway? I wondered if NewCath's recent success would hurt Highlands due to Ft. Thomas Catholic kids now wanting to go to NewCath. So far it hasn't, but who knows what will happen in the future if NewCath continues its success.

 

I do think that as more schools in N. Ky develop stronger football programs, it will work to prevent some schools (like Highlands and CovCath for example) from getting some of the better out of district players and will create more parity in N. Ky. And that's a good thing in my opinion.

 

I've always felt that best way to handle the public private issue is for the publics to develop strong football programs of their own so players will voluntarily stay in their community as opposed to being forced by arbitrary and parental right depriving KHSAA rules to stay there. I know that building a strong football program when you have the likes of Highlands, CovCath, X and T in your back yard isn't the easiest thing to do and takes a very strong level of commitment and support from the administrators, but I believe it can be done. And I do think that going to 6 classes, while temporarily watering down the competition, will make it easier for schools to build strong football programs. That advantage, at least to me, outweighs the disadvantage of watered down competition.

 

Unfortunately I've also long felt that a lot of public schools still want to place a strong amount of their commitment and support behind their basketball programs, which causes them to neglect their football programs because they only have so much money to provide in support of athletics. And I understand that too, as basketball may be more important than football in their community. I just ask that those basketball oriented public school administrators likewise understand and accept that fact when they start criticizing the private schools and other schools that do provide a strong level of commitment to football and win state more often.

 

Sorry for getting off on a public private tangent, but I truly believe there is a connection.

 

And born2reign, I totally agree with your initial post that there are a lot more very strong and successful football programs than those that win state each year.

[FB15G8]

You are absolutely correct, my mistake. A forgot that they were in 3A at the time. Mason still has had some good teams, as of late, though.

 

Belfry should have been on my list. I knew that I would forget someone. I wholeheartedly did mean to put them on my list. Belfry does have a great program and is one of the first "Far East Teams" that I think of. I would put them in a category with Russell, Danville, and NCC, as far as tradition and quality of program.

 

Montgomery Co., Harrison Co. and Mason Co. are all well coached and getting it done right now.

[Ram]

Leatherneck, I understand what you are saying and I am not going to argue with you about Northern-Kentucky football, because I know that you, as well as many others, know more about NK football then I do. But, again I was only naming programs that come to my mind when I think about Kentucky football. Not, necessarily, winning programs, or programs that win Championships, just programs that I think of.

 

I like to know what people think of, when they think of programs from my area, and I was only giving that same information about Kentucky football to other people. I know, what I concider to be, a fair amount about Kentucky football, but to the casual fan some programs are unheard of. For example: most casual fans in North-Eastern Kentucky who think they know quite a bit about HS football, have never heard of Ryle. I have had many conversations about HS football and mentioned Ryle and people do not know who I am talking about.

 

Highlands is another example. I have had people argue with me that Fort Thomas and Highlands are two different schools. In North-Eastern Kentucky you all are known as Fort Thomas, if I say something about Highlands, I have to correct myself and say Fort Thomas. I once said something about Jared Lorenzen playing for Highlands, and someone said, "No he did not, he played for Fort Thomas". I just said, "Oh, your right", and went on.

 

Lawrence Co is on my list, they have had a lot of trouble in recent years, but I think they are a great football school/community, and I think they are just on the brink of being successful. They are just outside of what is needed to be a winning program. But, Lawrence Co loves their football through thick and thin, they will straighten things out. They are on my list because they are a great football community, not because of the number of State Championships they have.

 

As for Simon Kenton, I know they are not the best team, I can not name a player that playes for them, but on a state level, by the casual fan, they are well though of. This is not an all inclusive statement, but if you asked someone to name the football teams is Northern Kentucky Simon Kenton would be on the list and Ryle and Scott would not. Not because SK is better, but because SK is better known. Honestly, I would say most people from North-Eastern Kentucky have never heard of Ryle or Scott, and if you said Scott, they would think that you were talking about Scott Co.

 

On the grander scheme of things, SK, in my opinion, did not do to bad last year. I know many people from Northern Kentucky will argue with me, but they beat Ryle in the regular season, and lost to them in the playoffs. They finished the regular season with 4 losses, three of them were to NCC, Boone, and Dixie; all of which had good seasons. I am not trying to argue on behalf of SK, apparently North-Kentucky fans do not see SK as a good program, but they would be a team that I would think of when talking football.

 

The same situation occurs when talking about North-Eastern programs. Programs from NE may be well thought of in the area, but people on the state level do not think of them as quality programs. Such as: Raceland. I would venture to say that every team in the NE would respect the Raceland program, because most teams in the area have been beaten by Raceland, but if Raceland is mentioned as a state contender, people say, "what have they done to deserve that". The same way with Russell, until three years ago Russell had not won a State Championship since the '70's, but everyone in NE Kentucky new they had a quality program.

 

Again, my list was not about championships, it was merely a list of programs that I think of when thinking of HS football in the state - the first teams that come to mind.

[westsider]

This is not an all inclusive statement, but if you asked someone to name the football teams is Northern Kentucky Simon Kenton would be on the list and Ryle and Scott would not. Not because SK is better, but because SK is better known. Honestly, I would say most people from North-Eastern Kentucky have never heard of Ryle or Scott, and if you said Scott, they would think that you were talking about Scott Co.

Simon Kenton may be better-known than Ryle, but it certainly isn't because of their football program.

 

And they didn't become a football power just because they beat Russell this year, either.

[Ram]

Simon Kenton may be better-known than Ryle, but it certainly isn't because of their football program.

 

And they didn't become a football power just because they beat Russell this year, either.

 

What part of "not necessarily a football power" do people not understand? I have said it several times. Lawrence Co is not a football power, right now, either, but apparently SK is hated. I am sorry that I even put them on the list. I did not know people thought so badly of SK.

 

I would have put them on this list if they had lost to Russell, or if they had not played Russell. It is just a list of programs that I think of. That is it. Not a list of teams to watch, or teams that are going to go undefeated, or teams that are going to win a State Championship.

[westsider]

What part of "not necessarily a football power" do people not understand? I have said it several times. Lawrence Co is not a football power, right now, either, but apparently SK is hated. I am sorry that I even put them on the list. I did not know people thought so badly of SK.

 

I would have put them on this list if they had lost to Russell, or if they had not played Russell. It is just a list of programs that I think of. That is it. Not a list of teams to watch, or teams that are going to go undefeated, or teams that are going to win a State Championship.

Lawrence County at least has a history of success with some state semifinal appearances. Simon Kenton has nothing like that.

 

You're being questioned has nothing to do with Simon Kenton being "hated." It has everything to do with the idea that Simon Kenton has no business being listed in the same category as Trinity, St. Xavier, Male, Ballard and Henry Clay.

[Ram]

Lawrence County at least has a history of success with some state semifinal appearances. Simon Kenton has nothing like that.

 

You're being questioned has nothing to do with Simon Kenton being "hated." It has everything to do with the idea that Simon Kenton has no business being listed in the same category as Trinity, St. Xavier, Male, Ballard and Henry Clay.

 

Make a list, correct my errors. I am sure that you would have some different teams in mind. What teams do you think of as quality programs in the state? I'm not just talking about teams that win State Championships year after year. But, just programs that you think do a good job.

[leatherneck]

What part of "not necessarily a football power" do people not understand? I have said it several times. Lawrence Co is not a football power, right now, either, but apparently SK is hated. I am sorry that I even put them on the list. I did not know people thought so badly of SK.

 

I would have put them on this list if they had lost to Russell, or if they had not played Russell. It is just a list of programs that I think of. That is it. Not a list of teams to watch, or teams that are going to go undefeated, or teams that are going to win a State Championship.

 

I think you are overreacting to my comment if it was one that made you sorry that you put SK on the list. And I have absolutely no hatred for SK or any other football program for that matter. As my original post noted, I'm glad that SK's program is improving.

 

That having been said, if you go back to the original post that started this thread, it asked for people to list schools that while they haven't won state championships, they have solid programs. He pointed out Russell, noting that all they have done is win. I really don't think that SK has overall had a solid program over the years and they have certainly not always won. They've had limited, sporadic success, but that's not what I think born2reign was looking for. If it was, then by all means SK belongs on your list. If not, then I personally don't feel that SK's program has been as solid overall as say Boone County, Dixie and Ryle's over the years. But again, I do think SK is on the cusp of having some very good success over the next couple of years and wish them the best. Not trying to get you upset though.

[Ram]

I think you are overreacting to my comment if it was one that made you sorry that you put SK on the list. And I have absolutely no hatred for SK or any other football program for that matter. As my original post noted, I'm glad that SK's program is improving.

 

That having been said, if you go back to the original post that started this thread, it asked for people to list schools that while they haven't won state championships, they have solid programs. He pointed out Russell, noting that all they have done is win. I really don't think that SK has overall had a solid program over the years and they have certainly not always won. They've had limited, sporadic success, but that's not what I think born2reign was looking for. If it was, then by all means SK belongs on your list. If not, then I personally don't feel that SK's program has been as solid overall as say Boone County, Dixie and Ryle's over the years. But again, I do think SK is on the cusp of having some very good success over the next couple of years and wish them the best. Not trying to get you upset though.

 

I'm not upset with you at all, and I value your input in this situation, I am sorry if my previous post came across as me being upset with you. I was under the impression that the original post was wanting programs that were, in our opinion, good programs, and not necessarily State Championship caliber programs, year after year.

 

But, I am the only one that has posted a list of programs, and it seems that some are comparing my list with what teams they think are going to go deep in the playoffs, and that was not my intention when naming these teams.

 

Perhaps, I am wrong about SK, I just thought they were a good program that had to compete with great opponents, and just came up short. Maybe, they are not and I misjudged the situation.

 

Not upset, just don't know how to type with/without emotion.

[leatherneck]

I'm not upset with you at all, and I value your input in this situation, I am sorry if my previous post came across as me being upset with you. I was under the impression that the original post was wanting programs that were, in our opinion, good programs, and not necessarily State Championship caliber programs, year after year.

 

But, I am the only one that has posted a list of programs, and it seems that some are comparing my list with what teams they think are going to go deep in the playoffs, and that was not my intention when naming these teams.

 

Perhaps, I am wrong about SK, I just thought they were a good program that had to compete with great opponents, and just came up short. Maybe, they are not and I misjudged the situation.

 

Not upset, just don't know how to type with/without emotion.

 

Glad you're not upset with me as I value your opinion and your posts on here.

[Ram]

Glad you're not upset with me as I value your opinion and your posts on here.

 

:thumb:As I do yours as well.

[CHSalum07]

In 6A Boone has to be mentioned.