I won't speak for the entire state but my guess is that it applies to much of it.

 

The last couple of weeks in NKY have been lackluster from a scheduling standpoint.

 

1A: BW won before it started.

2A: One game mattered.

4A: First district game ended any suspense.

5A: Not bad

6A: Solid

 

If you're like me and do not currently have anyone playing on a high school team it's just hard to get much enthusiasm going to watch the matchups we've seen the last 3 weeks. Dreadful with the exception of 6A in NKY.

 

Now we're debating about teams playing starters or not tonight (ie Ryle vs Highlands).

 

I'm not sure there's an easy solution .

Before any parent gets upset I fully acknowledge that if my son was playing I could care less. I get that. I've been there.

As far as NKY football is concerned, sounds like it is summed up the way I would look at it going in to the final week of regular season play.

As far as NKY football is concerned, sounds like it is summed up the way I would look at it going in to the final week of regular season play.

 

I am not sure what you're saying.

I think overall 2011 is the worst year I can remember from a competitive standpoint for the entire state.

I am not sure what you're saying.

 

1) I figured Beechwood wouldn't have any challenges in district play, as well as many others, which was proven.

 

2) Even though New Cath has won all of their games against multiple classes, the only game of real significance in their district was against Holy Cross. Even though they are separated from Beechwood in classes, this game is still considered big by people in NKY, which proves even more about the NKY district alignments.

 

3) It was evident going in that Highlands/Cov Cath would not have problems against the rest of the district and that the game between them was clearly going to win the district. If Highlands/Cov Cath has a rematch in the playoffs, the winner has a very good chance of winning state too.

 

4) The NKY 5A district has not been too bad, while not being very good.

 

5) The NKY 6A district was by far the most competitive, even with some of the teams having down years. In most seasons, districts are fairly predicatable as to who wins them between one or two teams. Campbell County won it with an 0-5 record going in to district play; I don't think many expected that, including myself.

I won't speak for the entire state but my guess is that it applies to much of it.

 

The last couple of weeks in NKY have been lackluster from a scheduling standpoint.

 

1A: BW won before it started.

2A: One game mattered.

4A: First district game ended any suspense.

5A: Not bad

6A: Solid

 

If you're like me and do not currently have anyone playing on a high school team it's just hard to get much enthusiasm going to watch the matchups we've seen the last 3 weeks. Dreadful with the exception of 6A in NKY.

 

Now we're debating about teams playing starters or not tonight (ie Ryle vs Highlands).

 

I'm not sure there's an easy solution .

 

So what exactly is your point about the downside of the current regular season format? Teams have to play the games in their district, their is no way around that. So there really is not much you can do schedule wise about it. Moving the district games earlier in the season would be wrong too. Since district game are what matter the most, if a team plays their district games early and lose them all. Then a coach would have a hard time really convincing the kids they do have something to play for. As it is now a team could start off say like Campbell, but the coaches still would have something to use to get them to keep working hard and that is the district. So there is no downside to the current regular season format, that is the only way it can be done. The only way to make really every week exciting would be to take the top programs and put them their own division. This week you have good matchups against top teams every week, and good even matchup for teams who are not top programs.

So what exactly is your point about the downside of the current regular season format? Teams have to play the games in their district, their is no way around that. So there really is not much you can do schedule wise about it. Moving the district games earlier in the season would be wrong too. Since district game are what matter the most, if a team plays their district games early and lose them all. Then a coach would have a hard time really convincing the kids they do have something to play for. As it is now a team could start off say like Campbell, but the coaches still would have something to use to get them to keep working hard and that is the district. So there is no downside to the current regular season format, that is the only way it can be done. The only way to make really every week exciting would be to take the top programs and put them their own division. This week you have good matchups against top teams every week, and good even matchup for teams who are not top programs.

 

I'm certainly not advocating moving the district games up. If anything, I'd go back to having them end the season.

 

My rant is probably more of a commentary on 6 classes which creates way too many blowouts in NKY.

I don't have a son playing. I love high school football. I am not from Campbell County. I've missed two Camels games in the past 10 years or so. Seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. More of a couple of these than the other. I however am a Camels fan, that being said. I've seen some exuberance this year that has been missing in most of the past years. That is with a 3-6 record at the present. I see hope from the players and the crowd every game. Natural attrition will give you ups and downs throughout the years. It's easy to get up for the teams who consistently win, it is as well easy to lose the excitement for those same teams when they are not challenged on a regular basis, and the outcome to most of their games being known before they are even played. I have the up most respect for the programs, I do however seem to get a sense of, lack of enthusiasm. Not for their teams, but for the games in which they know are going to be an easy lopsided win. The state may be down as a whole, level of play may be as well. Excluding a few teams. If this year wasn't good enough, no matter who you cheer for. Hope for next year, hope for a better team next year, hope for better competition next year. Find something to look forward to, I always do. Me, I love high school football, and I'm a Camels fan.

Clyde, you are right about the 6 class system. It has spread out the talent too far for most districts to be competitive. Its not just a "last week of the season" thing. It has been that way all year. In very few districts have there been more than one game which mattered and which was really in doubt. I like the district system because a team knows what they have to do. It is right in front of them. But if you want the last couple of weeks of the season to really matter, you need to go to a format like Ohio or Michigan. Then every game counts and you don't know where you stand in the playoffs (or even if you are in, in some cases), until the last game is played. One possibility is to eliminate a week of the playoffs, take the only top two from each district and seed them based on strength of schedule. That would eliminate the blowout first round games and give each team an incentive to schedule tough non-district opponents.

I don't have a son playing. I love high school football. I am not from Campbell County. I've missed two Camels games in the past 10 years or so. Seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. More of a couple of these than the other. I however am a Camels fan, that being said. I've seen some exuberance this year that has been missing in most of the past years. That is with a 3-6 record at the present. I see hope from the players and the crowd every game. Natural attrition will give you ups and downs throughout the years. It's easy to get up for the teams who consistently win, it is as well easy to lose the excitement for those same teams when they are not challenged on a regular basis, and the outcome to most of their games being known before they are even played. I have the up most respect for the programs, I do however seem to get a sense of, lack of enthusiasm. Not for their teams, but for the games in which they know are going to be an easy lopsided win. The state may be down as a whole, level of play may be as well. Excluding a few teams. If this year wasn't good enough, no matter who you cheer for. Hope for next year, hope for a better team next year, hope for better competition next year. Find something to look forward to, I always do. Me, I love high school football, and I'm a Camels fan.

 

very nice post sir!! Its always the case of the uber rich to get bored with success. Me i am a very humble person that likes to find a challenge in everything i am involved with. so i concur on your assesment of things!!!