Consider the following...

 

I have heard time and again on BGP (as well as on the Ohio football boards) that Trotwood-Madison in 2007 was a mediocre team. The guru wrote in another thread that T-M was "average at best" this past year.

 

Yet, this "average at best" team came VERY close to beating Highlands on a neutral field this past season, in a game that could have gone either way.

 

Highlands was considered by many to be a top-3 KY team (along with Trinity and Saint Xavier) this past year, as they went undefeated and won 5A.

 

So, how is it that such an "average" team like T-M gave HHS everything they could handle this past year? What does this say about T-M, Highlands, and KY prep football in general?

 

Also, in what specific way was T-M an "average" team? Take the T-M/HHS game, since several BGP'ers saw it. Could people please critique their team?

Trotwood Madison was better than just an average team. They had more talent on their team than any team Highlands faced last year but, talent alone doesn't win football games. I believe they had 7 Div. 1 players on T/M. I feel Highlands could of put the game away early if they wouldn't have had some turn overs that allowed Trotwood to get back in the game.

Consider the following...

 

I have heard time and again on BGP (as well as on the Ohio football boards) that Trotwood-Madison in 2007 was a mediocre team. The guru wrote in another thread that T-M was "average at best" this past year.

 

Yet, this "average at best" team came VERY close to beating Highlands on a neutral field this past season, in a game that could have gone either way.

 

Highlands was considered by many to be a top-3 KY team (along with Trinity and Saint Xavier) this past year, as they went undefeated and won 5A.

 

So, how is it that such an "average" team like T-M gave HHS everything they could handle this past year? What does this say about T-M, Highlands, and KY prep football in general?

 

Also, in what specific way was T-M an "average" team? Take the T-M/HHS game, since several BGP'ers saw it. Could people please critique their team?

 

Please do not ever do that again, you are quoting me out of context, here is what I said:

 

(TM had) Fantastic talent, average team at best considering the talent.

TM had a great football team because they couldn't help but have a great one.

 

The main difference between OH and KY is there is three or four hundred schools in OH that put the effort into their football program that HHS, T, and X do in KY.

The GURU,

Settle down there big fella...We know you are a better judge of talent than that. I think your assessment is accurate!!!

The GURU,

Settle down there big fella...We know you are a better judge of talent than that. I think your assessment is accurate!!!

 

I am after jb2, not you NCBIRD.

I know, just trying to calm the water!!!

I am after jb2, not you NCBIRD.

 

I'm sorry guru but I'm going to have to defend my comments... you said "average team at best"... an average team is an average team, regardless of the talent level. There can be no context for this.

 

Now, if you said they had great personnel but underachieved as a squad (which is what it sounds like you think of them), then that's one thing... but that's VERY different from what you said when you wrote that T-M had an "average team at best considering the talent."

 

Anyway, I think I now get the picture... T-M was actually a fairly good team, but they should have/could have been an outstanding team.

I guess you just know better about me than me...

I guess you just know better about me than me...

You know I love you 'ru!!!!

 

Anyway, I am glad to know that many do believe that T-M was not just some average team, since it alarmed me to hear this from several people (given how well T-M played HHS).

I did not see the Highlands/Trotwood Madison football game last year. I did predict Highlands would win that game.

 

I have discussed on many on these threads that Ohio high school football is very much superior to the high school football played by their southern neighbor.

 

I said last season after watching LaSalle rip Henry Clay that I felt LaSalle could/would contend for the 6A title. They finished their season 5-5 in the tough Greater Catholic League.

 

It is not only a numbers game in Ohio, but overall, the coaching is superior. We as Kentuckians are getting better at the game of pigskin, but have a long way to go to be on par with our northern neighbor.

In my opinion, success in sports at at the scholastic and collegiate levels depends in great measure on the degree of interest those around the "program" show, how much support there is for the team, how much it "means" to people. Not to open a can of worms, but I firmly believe this is why some privates do better than some publics (admittedly there are other reason, too). Why does, for example, a school like a Highlands or a Mayfield excel in football? It is because their fans want and will them to. It all has to do with interest and ownership. Why is UK traditionally good in basketball? Because of these very same reasons.

I think the same is true in Ohio. It means more to them than it does to their Kentucky counterparts.

In my opinion, success in sports at at the scholastic and collegiate levels depends in great measure on the degree of interest those around the "program" show, how much support there is for the team, how much it "means" to people. Not to open a can of worms, but I firmly believe this is why some privates do better than some publics (admittedly there are other reason, too). Why does, for example, a school like a Highlands or a Mayfield excel in football? It is because their fans want and will them to. It all has to do with interest and ownership. Why is UK traditionally good in basketball? Because of these very same reasons.

I think the same is true in Ohio. It means more to them than it does to their Kentucky counterparts.

 

I agree for the most part. However you left out how much the student athlete wants to be a part of that winning tradition. There are some schools around here that had winning programs... but as time passed so did their appetite for winning. Once the flame goes out... it is extremely difficult to get it rekindled.

 

As long as the other northern Kentucky teams do not step up their level of play with the Highlands, Covington Catholics and Beechwoods -then these programs will never progress to the level of play that is consistently demonstrated in Ohio.

 

I will say pound-for-pound, (male enrollment), schools in Ohio, Texas and California could not match the calibre of play exhibited by the three teams mentioned above.

I'm sorry guru but I'm going to have to defend my comments... you said "average team at best"... an average team is an average team, regardless of the talent level. There can be no context for this.

 

Now, if you said they had great personnel but underachieved as a squad (which is what it sounds like you think of them), then that's one thing... but that's VERY different from what you said when you wrote that T-M had an "average team at best considering the talent."

 

Anyway, I think I now get the picture... T-M was actually a fairly good team, but they should have/could have been an outstanding team.

 

Trotwood-Madison won only one game in the OH playoffs in Div II (2nd largest), and that was an ovetime win over Edgewood.

 

They were an above average team in their class in OH (OH has the top 8 teams in each region make the playoffs, just like KY).

 

Considering the Div I talent they had, they were significant underachievers.

I will say pound-for-pound, (male enrollment), schools in Ohio, Texas and California could not match the calibre of play exhibited by the three teams mentioned above.

 

Could you go into a little bit more detail on how you came to that conclusion? That is a bold statement to make and I wonder if you leftoff FL and PA because you think them below Oh, TX and CA or above the type of talent from PA and FL.

 

We have some solid programs here in the state but there are some very good programs out there in other states also. Programs with just as much history and talent.