I think this could be one of the most classless things I have ever heard. And I thought seeing the Woodford game was before this. If I was the other coach, I may have to pull my team off the field.

I think this could be one of the most classless things I have ever heard. And I thought seeing the Woodford game was before this. If I was the other coach, I may have to pull my team off the field.

Not me. Everytime Johnson Central kicks off to me, I punt it back on first down. When they hand off to Jude, I instruct my kids to just stand there and let him run.

 

To my team, I explain to them that sometimes people look worse when they are doing well but with ill intent. I also explain to them that sometimes you have to do things different in order to prove a point of your own.

 

To the media, I just explain to them that it was obvious that Matney wanted to help Jude get as many yards as he could regardless of the circumstances and that I wanted to also contribute, without getting any of my own players hurt in the process because at that point, my main concern is next week's game and not individual accomplishment.

What if Matney had his players run the play but he told the runner to "slip?"

 

Are we upset with the way he kept the XP from scoring or are we mad that he didn't try to score on the XP?

After that point, Jude had all of three carries for 17 yards, in well over a quarter of play. All other RBs and the QB carried multiple times throughout the game and also the fourth quarter. If he were solely attempting to get yards for Jude, he could've tried much, much harder, and done much, much more against a rather defenseless Greenup County team. Don't ask me to explain the reasoning for the knee; I can't. But I can tell you, if he wanted Jude to have 500 plus that game...it would not have been any problem. At all. Same for the Boyd County game, and Heath, and St. Thomas More...

What if Matney put all his effort into developing a TEAM rather than concentrating on the stats of one player. Oh what a wonderful world it would be at Johnson Central.

After that point, Jude had all of three carries for 17 yards, in well over a quarter of play. All other RBs and the QB carried multiple times throughout the game and also the fourth quarter. If he were solely attempting to get yards for Jude, he could've tried much, much harder, and done much, much more against a rather defenseless Greenup County team. Don't ask me to explain the reasoning for the knee; I can't. But I can tell you, if he wanted Jude to have 500 plus that game...it would not have been any problem. At all. Same for the Boyd County game, and Heath, and St. Thomas More...

Are you saying that when Matney took the knee up 44-0 that Jude had only carried the ball three times?

After that point, Jude had all of three carries for 17 yards, in well over a quarter of play. All other RBs and the QB carried multiple times throughout the game and also the fourth quarter. If he were solely attempting to get yards for Jude, he could've tried much, much harder, and done much, much more against a rather defenseless Greenup County team. Don't ask me to explain the reasoning for the knee; I can't. But I can tell you, if he wanted Jude to have 500 plus that game...it would not have been any problem. At all. Same for the Boyd County game, and Heath, and St. Thomas More...

 

As a JC fan, I don't want to put you on the spot but as you pointed out so truthfully, a rather defenseless Greenup County team! I mean they haven't even yet won a game this year!

 

Honestly does he just like the publicity that he gets because of some of his actions and don't the players sometimes think what the heck?

 

And finally, why does Matney refuse to even post a roster much less stats for his team on the KHSAA Scoreboard web page?

Edited October 9, 201114 yr by Ram

What if Matney put all his effort into developing a TEAM rather than concentrating on the stats of one player. Oh what a wonderful world it would be at Johnson Central.

 

Well, the team IS 6-1...and has improved from game to game. In fact, this team passes the ball better than any of the last couple JC units. Plus, there are tons of underclassman getting experience this year. JC also has five consecutive district championships. So he's doing SOMETHING right with his team...

 

Are you saying that when Matney took the knee up 44-0 that Jude had only carried the ball three times?

 

I'm saying AFTER he took the knee, Jude only carried three more times. I believe he ended up with 22 carries for the game, which is certainly not an astronomical number.

 

As a JC fan, I don't want to put you on the spot but as you pointed out so truthfully, a rather defenseless Greenup County team! I mean they haven't even yet won a game this year!

 

Honestly does he just like the publicity that he gets because of some of his actions and don't the players sometimes think what the ....?

 

And finally, why does Matney refuse to even post a roster much less stats for his team on the KHSAA Scoreboard web page?

 

As for the not posting stats and rosters...he's detail oriented, but it's all football details, and very little on the sports information side (which I know irritates those who depend on sports information provided to do their jobs). I don't think that's intentional. It's just something that doesn't happen. I think he does enjoy the notoriety a bit; he does his best motivating when it's "us-vs-the-world, everybody hates us, nobody gives us a chance." A lot of what he does can't be explained by any football mind, and he stays pretty tight-lipped about it himself. Could he beat some of these teams 79-0? Oh yes. He certainly could. However, JC hasn't cracked 70 points in the Matney era, and probably never will. I also don't think it's ever recorded a shutout in the Matney era. He will play every kid on that bench if he can in a game. And develops a lot of talent that way. He did these things when no records were being chased, also, just nobody was paying attention then. Some of it at times looks questionable, I admit. Some of it leaves me scratching my head too, and I'm one of the staunchest supporters. But on the other hand, much of what he does is sportsmanlike to the extreme, and I think those aspects are underappreciated. Those who've already made up their minds, of course, will continue to believe as they already do, and no amount of reasoning will change their opinions. He's intense, he's competitive, he's definitely a polarizing figure. He loves his players and his staff like family. The players are respectful and disciplined, they work hard, and I think he helps them become better men; I've seen plenty of examples personally. About all I can say on the subject.

Did Jude score any of the two touchdowns after the knee was taken?

Did Jude score any of the two touchdowns after the knee was taken?

 

No. The first touchdown, which pushed the score to 51-0, was a fumble recovered in the endzone not long after the knee on the XP at 44-0. The second touchdown, which made it 58-0, was scored by freshman Daymion Belcher on a long sideline run. Greenup County then scored on a kickoff return against a mostly freshman kickoff team to make it 58-6. Jude did not carry again after the kickoff return, either.

Well, the team IS 6-1...and has improved from game to game. In fact, this team passes the ball better than any of the last couple JC units. Plus, there are tons of underclassman getting experience this year. JC also has five consecutive district championships. So he's doing SOMETHING right with his team...

 

 

 

I'm saying AFTER he took the knee, Jude only carried three more times. I believe he ended up with 22 carries for the game, which is certainly not an astronomical number.

 

 

 

As for the not posting stats and rosters...he's detail oriented, but it's all football details, and very little on the sports information side (which I know irritates those who depend on sports information provided to do their jobs). I don't think that's intentional. It's just something that doesn't happen. I think he does enjoy the notoriety a bit; he does his best motivating when it's "us-vs-the-world, everybody hates us, nobody gives us a chance." A lot of what he does can't be explained by any football mind, and he stays pretty tight-lipped about it himself. Could he beat some of these teams 79-0? Oh yes. He certainly could. However, JC hasn't cracked 70 points in the Matney era, and probably never will. I also don't think it's ever recorded a shutout in the Matney era. He will play every kid on that bench if he can in a game. And develops a lot of talent that way. He did these things when no records were being chased, also, just nobody was paying attention then. Some of it at times looks questionable, I admit. Some of it leaves me scratching my head too, and I'm one of the staunchest supporters. But on the other hand, much of what he does is sportsmanlike to the extreme, and I think those aspects are underappreciated. Those who've already made up their minds, of course, will continue to believe as they already do, and no amount of reasoning will change their opinions. He's intense, he's competitive, he's definitely a polarizing figure. He loves his players and his staff like family. The players are respectful and disciplined, they work hard, and I think he helps them become better men; I've seen plenty of examples personally. About all I can say on the subject.

 

As you know, I trust your opinion and appreciate your response to the thread. Thank you.

 

First on the stats: He doesn't have to do the work himself, I am rather sure he could find someone else to do the job for him in posting the information on the KHSAA site. I am also pretty sure that he has stats for his team for each game so it wouldn't be that tough to do the work. However, what it is, is an advantage for him in having information about the other teams, that he doesn't give out!

 

On the some of it looks questionable, I agree he tries to use the US vs. The World and maybe just maybe that was true years ago, but in visiting your wonderful County I found it all not that much different than any other small town/county in Ky and in fact a whole lot nicer than most and a whole lot nicer than a lot of inner city urban areas throughout the Commonwealth that I have visited.

 

Again thank you for your reply, but while I am a fan of the community of JC and their fans, the coach to me is still someone who I wouldn't turn my back on.

Could it be that the stats won't be released until Central turns in their final stats?

Let me get this straight. He takes a knee so he can run the stats up for one player, but only lets him have three carries for the next quarter, while his freshman running back gets the carries and scores on a long run play, and his mostly freshman special teams gives up a kickoff for a touchdown.

 

This is during the same week that Highlands hangs 70+ on a team and I haven't heard a peep about that.

 

If he did it just to let JJ run up his stats then not only is he classless, but he's an not very smart because he went through all that trouble and forgot to give him all the carries. I have never spoken to Coach Matney and honestly have never even spoken with JJ or his dad about coack Matney other than one time.

 

I have a friend that told me two stories about Matney that show both sides of the man. The first was about him gathering his team together after practice one day because he was told about a player being verbally direspectful to a girl at school. From what I was told Matney RIPPED into the players explaining that he would not tolerate disrespectful young men playing for him and that if they were disrespecful it would reflect on him, the other coaches and the community. Great example of class.

 

The second story was about him getting on the radio and saying that if Paintsville was going to insist that they continue to play the apple bowl game every year that he would run the score up on them as much as he could so the local kids would know where the better program was. Great example of no class!

 

In my opinion Matney definitely deserves his share of criticism for some things he has done (like the woodford game), but this is not one of them. Sometimes people are so eager to be critical that they miss the facts....

 

The facts are this. Noone knows why he took a knee and it really doesn't make sense but the three carries for Jude after the fact make it VERY obvious that his stats were not the reason. Mine is just one of many opinions though?

Given that Jude only had three more carries after taking a knee on the XP, could there have been another reason for taking a knee in that situation?

 

Also, how long has he been the coach at JC? What kind of program did JC have prior to his arrival?

Let me clarify that I did read the Highlands thread and I honestly believe that the Highlands coaching staff did everything short of put blindfolds on the players to stop from running up the score in the second half. I would hate to invoke the wrath of the bird faithful by insinuating that they actually did anything wrong, i was just using the point spread as an example.