Here is the quote by carlieraiderfan:

 

If you are a 6A football team in the state of Kentucky (Not T or X) you better learn how to beat teams that are historically stronger than you if your goal is to win a state championship. This season I think SK very well could be state champs if they prepared themselves better. No matter what anybody says (unless you are just playing for record) 6A football teams will not get better by playing middle of the road 2A and 3A Schools.

 

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Do you agree or disagree with carlieraiderfan?

 

I am going to go on record and say I think Coach Marksberry is doing a fantastic job at Simon and he is on the right course with the program.

 

Everyone?

I will offer this...

 

In order for a 6A program to make a serious run at competing with T and X for state titles (and not just for one year, but on a consistent basis), that program must find ways to play teams comparable to T and X during the regular season. Frankly, there are not many KY teams who are comparable to T and X, so that makes it difficult to schedule such teams. However, NKY teams have an advantage over other 6A teams in that they have the opportunity to play higher-quality Cincy/Ohio teams on a fairly consistent basis, without having to incur a heavy travel expense. If programs like SK and Ryle want to be in the same league with T and X on a regular basis, they need to make use of this geographical advantage. I know that people are debating whether Ryle has bitten off more than it can chew in taking on Colerain, and this may or may not be the case, but Ryle and SK do need to work to get high-quality Cincy/Ohio teams on their schedules on a consistent basis. Beechwood and NCC are outstanding KY small-school football programs, but I can't see how playing teams like BW and NCC prepares a 6A team for competing against T and X.

 

As long as teams like SK and Ryle don't face competition similar to T and X on a consistent basis, I don't see them having a reasonable shot at competing with T and X in the 6A playoffs.

SK maxed out and did everything they could. Had nothing to do with coaching or prep.

SK maxed out and did everything they could. Had nothing to do with coaching or prep.

 

Dude, harsh. It had something to do with coaching. Maybe wasn't the most important factor, but it surely wasn't a non-factor.

 

You're getting mean in your old age.

Dude, harsh. It had something to do with coaching. Maybe wasn't the most important factor, but it surely wasn't a non-factor.

 

You're getting mean in your old age.

 

Allow me to clarify.

 

Coach did everything he could and maxed out this team's performance. The loss to X was NOT because of coaching or prep.

Coach Marksberry is doing an outstanding job with their program. He has turned a perennial non-competitor into district champions and contenders for state championships in the toughest district in the state. He has surrounded himself with excellent people to coach their players and they had a legitimate shot at the state championship this past season. He has worked his tail off to get great facilities and improve every aspect of his program. However, noone knows what could have been accomplished in 2009 with a better non-district schedule. Simon Kenton got down early vs. St. X. When they realized that they could physically dominate them upfront and they were the better team, it was late in the second quarter. Could they have been better prepared to start that game if they had played Highlands in the regular season? Not many people have stepped up to play Highlands because that is a very tough win and Highlands has destroyed teams in the past. I have trouble believing that game couldn't have been scheduled simply because Highlands doesn't have many people knocking on the door to play. Regardless, Simon Kenton is an outstanding program and Coach Marksberry is an outstanding coach. It may or not have made a difference but I bet you see Highlands on their schedule in the near future. In closing, Simon Kenton had two great back to back seasons and they will be a big contender for years to come! IMO, someone in NKY 6A football will compete for a State Championship in the near future. The 6A teams are just getting closer every year but preparation in the off-season and a great non-district schedule is the key component (IMO!)

Allow me to clarify.

 

Coach did everything he could and maxed out this team's performance. The loss to X was NOT because of coaching or prep.

 

Gotcha. That makes sense.

 

No sense in retracting my insult though. I'll just let it stand for now.

SK did play Henry Clay, at home...and got beat pretty easily. Granted, most SK fans will say that they played as poorly as they could possibly play. They also played quality district opponents, Ryle and Conner. So, IMO, i think they played good competition to prepare them to compete for the state title. However, did they feel confident in competing with the likes of St. X from the kickoff?? Who knows. I agree that they were as good as St. X and it was the best chance they have ever had at winning a state championship. And I also agree that you cannot get better by playing 1A and 2A teams regularly...but that was not the reason why SK fell to St. X.

Here is the quote by carlieraiderfan:

 

If you are a 6A football team in the state of Kentucky (Not T or X) you better learn how to beat teams that are historically stronger than you if your goal is to win a state championship. This season I think SK very well could be state champs if they prepared themselves better. No matter what anybody says (unless you are just playing for record) 6A football teams will not get better by playing middle of the road 2A and 3A Schools.

 

======================

 

Do you agree or disagree with carlieraiderfan?

 

I am going to go on record and say I think Coach Marksberry is doing a fantastic job at Simon and he is on the right course with the program.

 

Everyone?

 

I think his statement is reasonable except for the line regarding SK. They played a very good schedule this year and it's hard to say they weren't prepared to play for the state championship when you take the eventual state champions down to the final 2 minutes of the game.

 

I can think of another 6A school that regularly puts together a fairly weak non-district schedule that may give them a pretty overall record and help them in a district three-way tiebreaker, but will do little overall to enable them to them make a serious run at a state title.

 

Coach Warner at Ryle has a goal to win the state championship, not "make the playoffs.". Thus the multiple games against Highlands and now the series with Colerain. Rome wasn't built in a day and Ryle may take a few lumps along the way of this process of building a state championship-caliber program year in and year out. But this is the way to do it and I applaud his efforts.

 

No sense in retracting my insult though. I'll just let it stand for now.

 

As I would be disappointed if you did retract it.

I think for any team to get better they have to play good competition. I don't subscribe to the "They must play a particular size school" thought, but a team has to play competition that is as good as they are, and they have to play competition that is better then they are. In other words, you can't always play teams that you know, or reasonably think, you are going to beat. That practice will not mentally prepare a team to play the good teams that they will face in the playoffs. Another point: if a team is going to win the big games in the playoffs, they need to win some games that they are not expected to win, that boosts moral and provides the mental edge needed.

 

Not speaking of Simon Kenton specifically, just a general comment about football.

I think Jeff is doing a fine job as the HC in Independence. I would have loved to see them and HHS battle this season but it didn't happen. I also don't think the schedule had anything to do with X building a big lead.

Simple answer yes.

 

 

I am of the mindset that unless you get physically dominated the reason a team loses is because of preparedness. Being prepared is the responsibility of the coach. So if they lose it is the coach's fault!

 

Players win games coaches lose games. To me if a coach does not look at it that way they are not accepting the responsibility of being a coach!!

Marksberry has been the HC at Simon Kenton since 2000, I believe. During that time, he never won more than 6 games in a season until 2008. The only difference in 2008 and 2009 was Miles Simpson.

SK will be missing Miles and the whole line in 2010,other schools have the same problem Dixie has 22 seniors that graduate,Conner has a lot to replace with Nick West graduating and Boone they are young so to see what they have is something else,Ryle has a lot of returners most of the OL and the backfield