gchs_uk9

As someone who has spent a good bit of time at the state finals with @Watusi, there's no greater fan of western and central Kentucky 1A teams than this man! 😂

This made me laugh!

Hopefully Arbiter can fix it!

I'm anxious to see Bethlehem this weekend. I saw Middlesboro a couple weeks ago and wasn't blown away. I honestly was more impressed with Louisville Holy Cross when I saw them in Week 1. Obviously things can change as the season goes along.

Late third quarter, 165 yards of total offense. Same as it ever was.

Made the trip up tonight. First off, Newport Catholic's new facility is wonderful. Really happy for those folks after so many years having to go down the hill. Second, the weather was wonderful. Nice breeze, perfect fall football weather. About the game, Conner dominated from the get-go. Not a ton of team speed for the Cougars but their quarterback is solid, running back runs hard, and they've got a potential weapon in the wide receiver #1. (Sorry I don't know any names). As for Newport Catholic, they had moments of good but had some penalties that hurt. They seemed to be slower than Conner, who wasn't super fast themselves. ASJ mentioned the quarterback, but he was injured last in the third quarter and came away holding him knee. Hopefully it isn't serious. The fourth quarter was all JV and I was impressed with the Breds' young running back who had several nice runs and has the makings of being a really good player in the future.

What are their enrollment/size plans? Right now they are 2A and dropping to 1A next year. They may pull some talent, but is the school designed to have a larger population?

Calpreps predicts Trinity would beat CAL 38-31. Too bad we won't be able to see it this year!

I saw them in Week 1 against Louisville Holy Cross. You could tell the talent was there but they shot themselves in the foot all night long. It was their first game in the new stadium and playing a good opponent, so it was understandable, but my crew all left that night thinking that if they get things straightened out they can be really solid. Looks like that is happening.

I think Bardstown and Central can be in that group by the end of the season.

A quick rundown: Frank Riherd announced two years ago he planned to step away from running the scoreboard for the KHSAA. After discussion, Riherd decided to continue for another year but announced on January 10, 2026 that he would be stepping away for good on June 30, 2026. (https://bluegrasspreps.com/forums/topic/256698-frank-riherd-steps-away-from-khsaa-scoreboard-to-due-to-health/#comments) The Kentucky High School Athletic Association announced they would not be buying the software to continue the existing platform, leaving things up in the air for a new scoreboard headed into the 2026-27 school year. At the January 15 Board of Control meeting, Julian Tackett is quoted as saying " "From the time Mr. Riherd told us nearly two years ago that he wanted to start to adjust his time commitment and focus primarily on the scoreboard after the transition of our data system to ArbiterSports, we have been very public in both our appreciation of his work and the need for that product to continue...While the future scoreboard may not be identical and could take on a different look or feel, we would not be acting responsibly if we didn't work to continue this great project. We are committed to the scoreboard continuing in 2026-27 and beyond after Frank steps aside on June 30 this year...” (https://khsaa.org/01-15-26-board-of-control-discusses-football-realignment-considerations-places-cornerstone-christian-recognizes-frank-riherd/) From that point forward it was radio silence. There was no mention of a scoreboard per the minutes of the May or July Board of Control meetings. KHSAA communications director Brian Milan said "We will have a scoreboard' with later reports seeming to compare the new scoreboard to that of the Washington Intercollegiate Activities Association scoreboard, although no images or trials had been seen. (https://linknky.com/sports/2026/07/21/khsaa-arbiter-new-scoreboard/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUNbUBwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMWllQlRUNDZtVENMTHI4M0tzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe8hBR2xz6VWG9niaKI0IlXwF9Kc7nVs-TAR5bPXBSHMy0aKzeyJNoU2lZbXA_aem_2a8M7RSCeDOYHTULp4I7xQ) According to Tackett, the "entire KHSAA staff had been working" since Riherd stepped down to get a finished product, even blaming the late release of required training for coaches and officials because the entire staff was working on the new scoreboard. That said, there still had been no updates, frame of reference, or anything else posted on the KHSAA website. The new scoreboard made its debut on August 7, three days before regularly scheduled athletic events were to kickoff. Tackett told the Herald-Leader, "As the old man in the office, I'm still the guy that sits up on Friday nights to see how the scoreboard's working, because I know how big it is." Read more at: https://www.kentucky.com/sports/high-school/article316944064.html#storylink=cpy (https://www.kentucky.com/sports/high-school/article316944064.html) The new scoreboard was sharply criticized for its inability to move from team to team within a sport, lack of easy availability to access stats, and a general lack of user-friendliness. In an effort to hopefully fix some issues, the new scoreboard included an "Instructions" tab at the top with new features listed that had been added and/or corrected. To my knowledge it has been updated twice. It includes a bullet point that is straight from the commissioner's mouth: "A large part of the next steps lies with the membership." But how does the membership fix this? (https://khsaa.arbiterwebsites.com/whats-new-at-kentucky-high-school/) After seemingly tying the KHSAA and Arbiter at the hip, Tackett (along with Butch Cope) announced on August 24 they were retiring (https://khsaa.org/tackett-cope-announce-retirement-from-khsaa/). Two weeks later, in a move I've never seen from the KHSAA in 40 years, they announced the next job for the retiring commissioner, coincidentally enough as a consultant moving to a full-time position with the NFHS. What field you might ask? Operations and Technology. Speaking of Tackett, NFHS executive director Davis Whitfield said, "His work in developing and overseeing an in-house technology platform - and guidance in transitioning that platform to a more modern system to help their member schools - demonstrates his ability to turn innovation into practical solutions." (https://khsaa.org/09-04-26-khsaa-commissioner-julian-tackett-to-join-nfhs/) Interestingly, that modern system has been repeatedly and widely panned by the membership, administrators, coaches, and fans. As an aside that might be important, in June 2025, Arbiter was named "Official and Exclusive Event, Game and Team Scheduling Partner of the NFHS. (https://nfhs.org/stories/arbiter-named-official-and-exclusive-event-game-and-team-scheduling-partner-of-the-nfhs) While the KHSAA was stumbling toward a D-minus product with their new Arbiter-aligned scoreboard, a new scoreboard was created at www.kyhssports.com. Far from perfect, it did include easier access both online and through mobile, plus secure connections for administrators and/or coaches to submit scores. The unknown (to me) owner of the new site tweeted on September 8 that he had a 40-minute phone conversation with Frank Riherd. "Buckle up, it's only going to get better," said @Kyhssports_ through his Twitter account. (https://x.com/Kyhssports_) Questions from Me: Why did the KHSAA not buy the software from Frank Riherd and continue the existing platform? Why was Arbiter seemingly the "solo bid" for scoreboard development? Why did it take eight months (and really closer to two years) to release a shabby Arbiter-tethered product just days before the season started? Why was some unknown person (not unlike Frank Riherd 30 years ago) able to release a much better product in a short period of time? Why is Frank Riherd communicating and giving advice to the producer of the new non-KHSAA aligned scoreboard? Why was Julian Tackett seemingly 100% committed only to Arbiter, which just so happens to be tied to the NFHS, who just so happens to have hired Tackett for a consulting-to-full time job, only days after his abrupt retirement from the KHSAA, which came just weeks after the release of a terrible Arbiter-only product disliked by the entire state? Who got paid?!

I'm on record as saying the gap between #3 and about #13 in this class is about a centimeter thick. Teams like Larue, Bourbon and Hart are on the outside right now but I think they could compete pretty far up the rankings here.

But how long until Gannaway returns? If Owensboro played Scott County today, with their lineups as they are today, who would be the favorite? That's how I tend to view these rankings.