What does Holmes need to do to improve in 2009? What do they need to keep doing to be successful? Remember, please be constructive.

Well, Holmes improved in 2008 compared with 2007... they made the playoffs this past season, unlike the previous year. I'd say that the program needs to consistently get more out of the talent they have. Of course, a lot of programs in KY have this same issue.

Coach Lickert and the Bulldogs will turn some heads in '09. It was in his 3rd year at Dayton that Lickert's hardwork and dedication finally came to fruition and Holmes will be no different. I think another solid year of the weight program and spring ball, will have Holmes right in the mix of things.

Holmes needs a better feeder league. The feeder league in Covington is not on par with Boone and Ft. Thomas. I had to take my son to Boone so he could get the fundamentals of the game. I live in Colerain and the High school coaches over here are very involved with the pee-wee leagues and player development. Until a coach at Holmes does something about the feeder league I don't see things getting much better. The kids are to far behind once they reach High school [iMO].

Holmes needs a better feeder league. The feeder league in Covington is not on par with Boone and Ft. Thomas. I had to take my son to Boone so he could get the fundamentals of the game. I live in Colerain and the High school coaches over here are very involved with the pee-wee leagues and player development. Until a coach at Holmes does something about the feeder league I don't see things getting much better. The kids are to far behind once they reach High school [iMO].

 

You are correct, but a better feeder league(inner city league) would need to be a community effort. The league's mentioned above, Colerain, Boone and Ft. Thomas, are run by groups of volunteers. The people who care about football in the Covington community would need to be willing to put forth the time and effort needed to start and run a new feeder league. The elementary schools are in place to have a great feeder league, but who would run it, fund it, and coach it. Parents must be willing to pay league fees and take kids to and from practice. Building a championship varsity program from the youth league up is a community effort with parents, coaches and the community all taking ownership.

You are correct, but a better feeder league(inner city league) would need to be a community effort. The league's mentioned above, Colerain, Boone and Ft. Thomas, are run by groups of volunteers. The people who care about football in the Covington community would need to be willing to put forth the time and effort needed to start and run a new feeder league. The elementary schools are in place to have a great feeder league, but who would run it, fund it, and coach it. Parents must be willing to pay league fees and take kids to and from practice. Building a championship varsity program from the youth league up is a community effort with parents, coaches and the community all taking ownership.

 

Great point!

You are correct, but a better feeder league(inner city league) would need to be a community effort. The league's mentioned above, Colerain, Boone and Ft. Thomas, are run by groups of volunteers. The people who care about football in the Covington community would need to be willing to put forth the time and effort needed to start and run a new feeder league. The elementary schools are in place to have a great feeder league, but who would run it, fund it, and coach it. Parents must be willing to pay league fees and take kids to and from practice. Building a championship varsity program from the youth league up is a community effort with parents, coaches and the community all taking ownership.

 

I agree 100%:thumb: Great post. I'm from Covington and I live in Colerain and it's a big difference from the community and parents in the effort of bringing these kids along. Covington is dripping with talent and I hope one day the feeder system is on par with the other schools, but it hasn't changed in my lifetime and I don't think it will until the Varsity coach reaches out to the parents and community. I know it shouldn't be his responsibility but you have to start somewhere and maybe even go that extra mile to get things turned around. IMO there is to much talent in Covington for the program not to compete year in year out. Holmes has to many 6 foot plus 220 plus young men walking the halls and not on the team. Have to find away to make football more attarctive to these young men.

You are correct, but a better feeder league(inner city league) would need to be a community effort. The league's mentioned above, Colerain, Boone and Ft. Thomas, are run by groups of volunteers. The people who care about football in the Covington community would need to be willing to put forth the time and effort needed to start and run a new feeder league. The elementary schools are in place to have a great feeder league, but who would run it, fund it, and coach it. Parents must be willing to pay league fees and take kids to and from practice. Building a championship varsity program from the youth league up is a community effort with parents, coaches and the community all taking ownership.

 

Thats where it all starts in youth football. The future success of the bulldogs rests in the youth football program. If there isn't a solid youth program then nothing will come about in high school. Coach Lickert can only do so much as a coach. It is up to a group or an individual to make the youth program succeed. Coach Lickert can add his input but he is not expected to run it.

Holmes actually doesn't have a bad feeder system with the Bengal Tigers. It's more of just keeping those kids IN the system and not losing them to other schools such as Dixie, Covcath, SK, and Lloyd. I can't even begin to name all of the kids Holmes has lost over the years to those programs, which again falls back on the head coach not getting in touch with the kids at a younger age.

 

One of the biggest problems Holmes has is not getting all of the athletes out that used to play when they had the Brandent Englemon's, Austin Hill's, Justin Hill's, Jamarcus White's, Sid Rice, the list goes on. All of those players were multi sport athletes which you rarely see at Holmes now. I know for a fact Arrez Henderson could have played football last year and likely been an all state DB.

 

Lickert is a good coach though and has built a solid foundation. I'm very good friends with him and he will put a winning product on the field with whatever he has.

 

They will be loaded at the skill positions this year since they started a lot of juniors and sophomores last year, but will have to replace their entire o line and replace 3 starters on the d-line, as Regal Lowe is the only returning starter. From what I hear from Lickert though, Holmes will get two kids back this year who started varsity as sophomores but sat out all of last year with ACL injuries. One is a LB and the other will likely be their QB.

The QB should have pretty good size and athleticism. (6'1 185) Will remind a lot of people of Duran Jefferson, only bigger.

Holmes as a MS football team which runs the HS system. My understanding is Lickert has control of that staff. They play in the Northern KY league with Turkey Foot, Summit View, Campbell co to name a few. The MS team is losing players to the Bengal youth team.

Coach lickert will have the dawgs running good in 09. He has a lot of young talent that will blossom in his system.

 

As for the youth league, the Bengal Tigers have been around for 40 years and Holmes has always been very helpful to the program. Holmes offer camps, allow them to play on the high school field...etc. There might be rules that keep the head coaches from being too involved in youth leagues in KY. The Tigers pump plenty of players into Holmes. I was a Bengal tiger and a Holmes player.

The problem at the youth level has is getting those kids out to play. The parent involvement is very poor and that is a key component to a volunteer org. Transportation is a problem. Some kids have trouble getting to games and practices on time or at all. I see many young kids that should be playing and I try to get them to play but they have no reliable transportation. If they show up at the beginning then they miss a lot of practice and eventually quit. Its a heartbreaker. If there were a bus program to offer all kids in Covington to play then you would see those big kids on the field verses in the hallways. This has been a problem for decades.