Why penalize legitimate 3A schools by letting a 5A school participate for a 3A championship? KHSAA set a precedent by letting Mercer get away with it.....If nothing else they should be competing at least at a 4A level. Much closer numbers in regards to enrollment vs. # of boys.

 

It's a joke. If nothing else, they should be exempt from post season competition. Russell lost a championship to a 5A school. Ask their fans how they feel about it?

 

So how do we fix it? Do you make TONS of teams in 5A adjust their schedules (because they would have to) OR let the team play the highest level of the schools which merged for 1 season?

 

If you do the first, then EVERY year there is any sort of merger or new school the schedules would have to be changed to accomodate that school.

Unfortunately....despite the distance.....that's where they should have stayed.

 

If not....then they should have been banned from postseason play...

 

So Harlan plays by the rules set down by the KHSAA and gets banned from postseason play?

So should Highlands be competing for a 5A title? They aren't really 5A.

 

For all the complaints I hear about this one year anomaly I never hear that the cry should be, "bring it on." There are numerous programs that win or have won playing up a class against higher enrolled teams. Higher enrollment guarantees nothing, it provides depth more than anything.

 

I again also ask what the KHSAA should do differently.

 

Place them immediately in the higher class? Okay. Who will be in that district and how will they schedule?

 

The reality is that there is no "fair or equitable" solution.

 

To do one thing (ban HC from post season) definitely hurts one group of kids (HC Seniors).

 

To do the other (keep it the way it is this year in the current cycle) only potentially makes it unfair and/or hurts another group of kids (Seniors of other 3A schools).

 

I would be surprised to see Harlan pull a "Mercer County" type swing through the season and playoffs.

 

 

The KHSAA didn't mandate or force Highlands to play up in class.....that was their decision. Not even applicable.

This discussion is creating a lot of billboard material for the Harlan County players. They'll believe even more they have a shot at coming together this year and winning a state title. My advice for those who do not want to see Harlan County succeed at the 3A level would be...

 

DON'T FEED THE BEARS!

So Harlan plays by the rules set down by the KHSAA and gets banned from postseason play?

 

 

That's the point....that you fail to understand. I don't have a problem with Harlan..or the coaches, fans or players.....the problem is the governing body...the KHSAA.

They should be 3A this year and then 5A next season.

 

I agree, hope they win 3A this fall.

This discussion is creating a lot of billboard material for the Harlan County players. They'll believe even more they have a shot at coming together this year and winning a state title. My advice for those who do not want to see Harlan County succeed at the 3A level would be...

 

DON'T FEED THE BEARS!

 

This is a classic. :jump:

I agree, hope they win 3A this fall.

 

:thumb:

When was the last time that a team from Harlan Co made a deep run in the playoffs? With all of this moaning and complaining you would think that are going to get five downs to get a first down all year. If they run through the 3A playoffs and get to Papa Johns nobody from this part of the state will care how or who they had to beat.

I still think if the school can't get into its proper class, then they should be banned from post-season play. You ask "Why punish the kids because of the school districts decisions?" Why punish the kids in every other 3A school? That's who is getting punished now. Kids who have no affiliation to HC, and probably have never been there are now punished. If the consolidation was so desperately needed, then sitting out one post season of football shouldn't be so much of a sacrifice. HC just wants its shot at being another Mercer Co. They know with the level of football in 5A, it will be tough for them to even sniff Papa John's stadium. So take advantage of a loophole and try and win state when your kids more than double the number of kids at the other schools in the class.

 

P.S. I thnk if the KHSAA was to put HC in the right class. Other schools would probably do more than bend over backwards to make sure they had a schedule filled out and got their district games in. Either way I don't think it will matter this year. Belfry or Russell will win by 21+ over HC.

How does playing football, equate to punishing kids? Not every team that takes the field, has a chance to be State Champion but the memories they can create, last a lifetime.

 

Anything worth achieving, takes times and hard work.

When was the last time that a team from Harlan Co made a deep run in the playoffs? With all of this moaning and complaining you would think that are going to get five downs to get a first down all year. If they run through the 3A playoffs and get to Papa Johns nobody from this part of the state will care how or who they had to beat.

 

My sentiments exactly. They still can only field 11 and they can only have 6 points for a TD. :thumb:

The KHSAA didn't mandate or force Highlands to play up in class.....that was their decision. Not even applicable.

 

 

You're right. They (and other very successful programs) just don't often make excuses against teams they play. Those programs I'm thinking of just line up and play.

You're right. They (and other very successful programs) just don't often make excuses against teams they play. Those programs I'm thinking of just line up and play.

 

 

No one's making any excuses........:confused:

Harlan County should be in 5A but I understand the problem with trying to shuffle the alignment for one season. I personally don't think a school with a larger enrollment than their class size should be ineligible for the playoffs but at the end of the day I don't think HC has any realistic shot at winning the State Title. Probably the worst that will happen is a team(s) get knocked out of making or advancing in the first few rounds of the playoffs and realistically those teams probably wouldn't have had a chance to win it either.

Unfortunately....despite the distance.....that's where they should have stayed.

 

If not....then they should have been banned from postseason play...

 

6A isn't even where their enrollment numbers fall. The KHSAA was thinking that a lot more students were going to be enrolled. I beleive the number is somewhere between 1100 and 1200 for the school, not 6A numbers. They are 5A numbers.