What's in store for LexCath football???

[jbwill2]

Putting aside the off-the-field athletics issues involving LexCath and the KHSAA, LexCath is at a very interesting point in time right now. They just finished the year 14-1 and Class AAA state champion, getting over "the hump" after some narrow letdowns in the past. Their program has a great coach, and just produced the runner-up for Mr. Football in 2005.

 

Will the LexCath program maintain their current position in football, rivaling (and maybe even surpassing) the recent 3A powers like Highlands, Boyle County, and CovCath? They certainly have a much larger potential population base to draw upon, and the school is very good academically, which has attracted a high-tier clientel thus far. Or, will 2005 be an anomaly for LexCath, in the sense that they will revert back to being a solid team which struggles in the playoffs?

 

Also, given that the school is growing, when will they move up to 4A? If in fact the school continues to grow, and is able to maintain its current level of football success, could they become a legitimate counter-weight to the Louisville "Big Three" in Class 4A, which has utterly dominated 4A for such a long time?

[Svhick0]

I saw the LCHS athletics site boasted 67 college bound athletes just from the years 2003-2005. That's not too shabby considering they have an enrollment of 846. How many other schools can boast 8% of student athletes go on to compete in college?

[stick1]

They have been in the Regional finals 7 of the last 9 years. Coach Sphires top goal is to put a competitive product on the field every game. His record speaks for itself. Lex Cath will have some of the best skill kids in the state next year and a really good/young OL. If they fill the QB spot (which is Coach Spires forte) then they will be right in the thick of things. I don't think they will be 4A anytime soon. It's tough winning back to back to back weeks against Cov Cath, Highlands and Ashland/Bell/Rock/Lawrence/Mason etc just to get to the finals but they should be able to play with any of those teams. The chemistry is great there right now!

[knightsdad]

Bob Sphires system at LexCath and the Horsemen requires an exceptional quarterback. He has been able to find/develop kids to fill this need in recent years. If he is able to continue to do this, I see the trend continuing. If he isn't, then he will need to adapt his system to the players available. Like many other Catholic schools there seems to be a lot of good talent available to form the basis for a solid team year in and year out. As long as Sphire is coach at LexCath, I don't see them falling too far from the top ten. Whether they can make a Highlands/Boyle type dominance doesn't seem likely yet but something on the order of CovCath's success seems doable.

[strongopenyon]

The last time Coach Sphire had to find a new quarterback to replace a successful three year starter, he found a pretty nice replacement (Mr. Justin Burke). Justin competed with and won the job from a junior (Tanner Doss) heir-apparent to the position. A similar situation presents itself this year. Justin Burke's backup was a junior, Tyler Hancock. Does he run the offense for one year, or does Bob continue in his tradition of starting and developing a sophomore quarterback in an effort to get three quality years of production from him?

[UNDERTHEBRIDGE]

The last time Coach Sphire had to find a new quarterback to replace a successful three year starter, he found a pretty nice replacement (Mr. Justin Burke). Justin competed with and won the job from a junior (Tanner Doss) heir-apparent to the position. A similar situation presents itself this year. Justin Burke's backup was a junior, Tyler Hancock. Does he run the offense for one year, or does Bob continue in his tradition of starting and developing a sophomore quarterback in an effort to get three quality years of production from him?

 

To be honest I think a lot of you questions may be unanswered for awhile, at least till the second or third game. A lot of people I asked didn't really know what to think of next year and who will be QB.

 

A lot of skill players will still be around though. Israel will definately be needed early.

[strongopenyon]

If I was the quarterback next year at Lexington Catholic, I would be licking my chops at the thought of directing spirals towards one, Wes Caldwell......a quarterback's dream........a defense's nightmare.

[stick1]

If I was the quarterback next year at Lexington Catholic, I would be licking my chops at the thought of directing spirals towards one, Wes Caldwell......a quarterback's dream........a defense's nightmare.

Caldwell, Revere, Guy, Israel, Locknane etc. There is going to be a great supporting cast to take some pressure off. It might take awhile to get things going but there will be a lot of talent back. Lex Cath will also have a couple of nice Soph TE's and a really nice group of linemen at the Soph level.

[ukbellco14]

I dont know if they will have a program to rival Highlands and Boyle Co. That takes a lot of time and sustained success (and by success I dont mean winning seasons, I mean state championships). However, I do think Lex Cath will continue to be a top tier team in 3A and will be much more competitive in getting to and winning the state final, especially with the parity within 3A (I think this parity could last for quite a while). However its a little early to compare them with those 2 programs, although they have all the resources to reach that level, it will just take several several years to do so.

 

Also, keep in mind that Lex Cath graduate the key ingredient to what took them to the championship this season, star QB Burke. I think alot of their success this season and in the past was in large part due to him and hinged on his playmaking ability.

The big question for me is can they replace someone of his talent and leadership abilities that can take over for the next 2 or 3 years and do what he did? Do they have someone waiting in the wings with tons of potential? If not, will someone step up out of no where and take control? If the answer to these questions is yes then they have a great chance to reach the level of Boyle Co and Highlands. If the answer is no then I say they just remain a top tier 3A team, but not a 3A dominator like Boyle and Highlands have been for so long.

The QB in that offense is the key, and Burke has done such a great job. There offense was the reason they were as good as they were and won the title this season (not taking anything from their defense, football is afterall a team game). However, no one in 3A could shut them down and thats why they won, they outscored the opponent. They reminded me of the St Louis Rams from several years ago, jk. But you get my analogy. Im just curious if they can maintain that level of play offensively and that means producing a GREAT QB every year.

[beagledog]

No, qbs dont come around like Burke every year. They dont hand out D-1 scholarships to just anybody. He was real good.

[Zanny]

The guy before him got a D1 scholarship too. Justin is exceptional but so are his coaches.

[Butkus]

Over the course of the program, offensive systems have been adjusted to fit the ability of the players. In fact, if you look back prior to spread-the-field scucess they have had, Lexington Catholic was one of the leading rushing teams in the state for 3 or 4 straight years. Will they get smacked around a little bit early by the likes of St. X and Scott Co. while the make the necesarry adjustments to their schemes, possibly, but they will have a plan.

[pancho]

There's been a lot of talk about Justin Burke (truly a remarkable quarterback and a real leader on and off the field ... what's not to like about this guy!) and some of the other so-called "skill positions" (they're great too!) ...

 

BUT ... a huge contribution this particular season was made by the O-line and the D-line. Let's face it, while this aspect of LexCath's game has been weak in the past few years, we're seeing a marked improvement in that department this year and especially towards the end of this year.

 

Throughout the playoffs, the O-line gave Burke great protection and plenty of time to throw. They also did a great job creating holes for Isreal and Osborne. LexCath's D-line was simultaneously tenacious and alert. It was the line play that really improved in the postseason.

 

It's easy for LexCath football to attract and retain aspiring WR's, QB's, and RB's but for a championship team you need the full package and the less heralded players up on the line are absolutely essential.

 

IMO, the future of the team lies in its ability to continue developing their talent in this area and coach them for superior play on the line.