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.

 

That is a good post, Eagle. While Coach Matney may do some things that are wrong, he does a whole lot of things that are right. He will take any opportunity to beat you on the football field, and some of it rubs opponents the wrong way. If you only know Jim Matney, the football coach, you probably don't like him especially if you are an opponent. If you know Jim Matney, the man, however, you would have a different view. In the game of life he is the type of guy you want on your team. I wouldn't be afraid to turn my back on him as someone stated, just the opposite is true, I'd trust him to have my back.

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.

I am not a fan of Matney's antics having followed his coaching for years now at both Sheldon Clark and now Johnson Central, but this post (and the subsequent others who agree) are wayyyyyyyyyy off base. Let's face it, Matney doesn't do it "the way it should be done". Matney will never be confused for Phillip Haywood, Bob Schneider, or Ivan McGlone,,, but frankly I don't think he cares.

 

To suggest Matney is not developing a team is beyond short sighted, especially coming from a Highlands fan. Put his motives aside and take a look at the big picture of what he has accomplished as a coach taking two perennial doormat programs and developing them. Matney turned Johnson Central around in an amount of time I am not sure can be matched by 99% of coaches in the state, he didn't do that by focusing on one player (has JCHS even had a BCS level recruit in his tenure?), he didn't do it because his antics give them "bonus points" they did not have before, and he did not do this by downgrading his schedule (they may not play world beaters, but since taking over at JC the schedule has improved from where it was). He took a program who wasn't even in the top Half of EKY schools and had them in the State Semi's in just a couple years.

 

For a Highlands fan to make a statement such as this makes it even worse. If anyone could attest to the growth of Matney's program it would be the Bird fans who saw JCHS go from a school who didn't deserve to be on the same field as HHS, to a school who was giving them a tougher go moreso than their State Final's opponent the next week.Let us also not forget that Dale Mueller is not ever going to be the key notes speaker at the KHSAA Sportsmanship Summit. Highlands fans have been defending claims of "running up the score" and his blood lust for revenge for prior actions for years now. Mueller may very well be the greatest/most dominant HC to ever walk the Bluegrass, but the patron Saint of football he is not. His comments in the media over the years have been pointed to encourage notoriety for his program and his players. In fact, if anyone should sympathize with Matney's antics, it would be Highland's fans who know the feeling of "I don't think it is necessarily right, but he gets results."

 

Jim Matney is going to be the same Jim Matney regardless of what people write or say about him. If people take jabs he will spin it to use as motivation (US vs. Them, they don't want to see you all succeed). If people ignore him, he will spin it to use as motivation (They don't even care about Paintsville, KY.. they don't think we are relevant enough to even bring up). If people praise him, he will spin it to use as motivation (It feels good for them to buy into what we're doing, but we are just getting started). The fact remains the kids in his program respect what he has done to build them from the ground up and trust his judgement that he will develop them. They also know he will fall on the sword to protect their best interest, thus they move on despite his borderline absurd antics.

 

You can say a lot of bad things about Matney, and he probabbly deserves them, but to remotely suggest he does not develop a team is is ill warranted.

My original post had nothing to do with Jude, or how many carries he got after the fact. I still think it is a classless act to take a knee on the XP to keep the running clock going into play.

My original post had nothing to do with Jude, or how many carries he got after the fact. I still think it is a classless act to take a knee on the XP to keep the running clock going into play.

I think we all agree on that. :thumb:

While I have enjoyed my visits to Johnson County and Johnson Central HS, where I have found their fans truly understand what the word Hospitality means, I hope they understand that I am not a fan of their coach and or what he brings to the game of HS football in Kentucky. What he brings certainly isn't sportsmanship, or even class.

 

It has always puzzled me how such wonderful, caring, and kind people allow a person like Matney to coach their young men!

 

Please, tell me what I and others are missing about the man, that you all see in him?

I have been reading your kind posts to the JC fan base for years and I would like to say the feeling is mutual for me about Cov Cath and all of northern Kentucky for that matter. What you are missingis Matney's love for his players. He does some questionable things when it comes to dictating final scores of ball games but he is a very good football coach. He will not stand for cheap shots, profanity, back talk,or disrespectfulness. He professes to be God fearing and humble in that aspect to his players,and that is very important to me. You would have to be from this area to truly understand what I'm talking about when I say what he has done just to be able to compete with the teams we are now is remarkable. JC has come from a doormat team that the other teams didn't have to scout and used the game as a stat game to a team you had better prepare for or you will get beat.Matney is a tirelss worker and expects the same from his players and coaches.

It doesn't matter why he took a knee. Maybe his kicker was hurt, then you line up and go for 2. I don't care if Jude didn't play another down, it is still classless. I will give you Matney is a good coach and has built a very good team but what does this teach the kids. It's ok to kick a team when they are down. The running clock was put in for one reason, to not embarrass another opponent. To take a knee so you have more time, how do you justify that.

Taking a knee to avoid the running clock alittle longer is sad and pathetic. They was playing Greenup county who mind you hasn't won a game all year. Clearly he has no class.

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?

 

You need to get a clue brother..:ohbrother:

In all honesty, if I were a coach, I would do everything I could to not reach the running clock so I could get more "real game" practice with my backups and younger players. I see it as an opportunity for the future. I think some coaches don't take full advantage of this.

 

Is this why it was done in this instance? I don't know. Just what I would do.

In all honesty, if I were a coach, I would do everything I could to not reach the running clock so I could get more "real game" practice with my backups and younger players. I see it as an opportunity for the future. I think some coaches don't take full advantage of this.

 

Is this why it was done in this instance? I don't know. Just what I would do.

 

 

Then put them in when it's 35-0, or even 28-0. Weak excuse.

Plain and Simple.....

 

Put your kicker in and kick the top of the football. After that it's a mute point and we aren't talking about it. It's almost as if he likes the attention. You want respect, you have to give it in order to receive it.

 

Not a Matney fan and haven't been one ever since HHS showed up in Inez in 1998. And I'm sure he could care less what people think outside his "We" world...

Plain and Simple.....

 

Put your kicker in and kick the top of the football. After that it's a mute point and we aren't talking about it. It's almost as if he likes the attention. You want respect, you have to give it in order to receive it.

 

Not a Matney fan and haven't been one ever since HHS showed up in Inez in 1998. And I'm sure he could care less what people think outside his "We" world...

Agreed. Once upon a time Highlands had a coach slither into town that fits this description and I for one prayed to the good Lord that he broke the mold on this type and style of coach but unfortunately we have a "Mini Me" here.:lol: And it appears the only difference is Matney has never won a State Championship.

 

Oh yeah, that other coach, well lets just say he slithered out of Ft Thomas rather quickly.

In all honesty, if I were a coach, I would do everything I could to not reach the running clock so I could get more "real game" practice with my backups and younger players. I see it as an opportunity for the future. I think some coaches don't take full advantage of this.

 

Is this why it was done in this instance? I don't know. Just what I would do.

 

JV?

Then put them in when it's 35-0, or even 28-0. Weak excuse.

Not that weak, some coaches subscribe to that way of thinking. And, of course, there are better ways of doing it then the way described in this thread.

JV?

Apples and oranges as far as I'm concerned. JV is a great way to develop players, but it is better done on Friday nights if possible.

Don't care how successful Matney is, he's taken away the legitimacy of a teenagers run at a rushing record. No matter what the wins or success, he's tarnished the image of JC football to the point where his antics overshadow the kids and their hard work. Sad.