kingslap

1A- I agree with the above poster about Campbellsville. Ole' Herb Wiseman and his staff fields 11-15 players about as talented as anybody, the only problem is that they all go both ways. So will fatigue bite them in the butt at crucial times on occasions. They have a very senior dominated team. I also think you have to look at Pikeville and Hazard---even though they usually arent considered sleepers 2A- Green County, again. I also think Glasgow has a great amount of experience and talent comming back. Look for them to make some noise. Both could---the only shame is that they are both in the same district. 3A- Ditto on Elizabethtown, a long with Henry County. Chris Engstrand has done a great job with that program. They got beat by Paducah in the Regional Finals last year and return a core group. 4A- I think you have to be on the look out for Bullitt East. Doug Preston took over a team there that will be heavily senior domniated and with his wishbone attack, smashmouth football---I think you will definately have to watch the Chargers. Bullitt East finished the year 5-7 last year---and three of those games were decided by 3 points or less. Also in that district, I wouldn't be surprised to see LaRue County make some kind of noise at the end of the year. They have a very talented, but young group of kids that are going to be around for the next couple/three years. I agree with Calloway County too---a very impressive offensive attack. Question is, will they be able to stop anybody? 5A- Anderson County returns all of their skill players. Mark Peach and staff will have them geared to finish what they got started with last years 2007 11-1 team. Mercer County should have some eyes on them, too. Marty Jaggers returns practically all of his starters---over 30 seniors---off a team in 2007 that lost 5 ballgames by a total combined 15 points. I don't really consider Pulaski County a sleeper. Most around the state already know about the damage Muse and Hines did last year out of the backfield to go a long with the rest of their supporting cast. I also think Ashland will gear up for a very good season. Leon Hart is too good of a coach and the Tomcats have too much tradition not to rebound from a failed '07 campaign. 6A- Who cares. How about whoever gets the closest, without going over on the attendance between St. X and Trinity in the state finals gets a free year to BGPreps? :lol:

What quarterback looked the best for Mercer?

Just my two cents-----and it's not even worth that. But, I dont really consider srimmages as "game like situations"---but, then again, they are. I've always considered them 'Full Contact Practice v.s another team'---and controlled at that---in terms of many scrimmages hold up on the QB, Special Teams aren't live, and I've seen many scrimmages where the coaches on both teams will stop to talk to their teams about particular formations----what to do here, there and so on---all for the purposes of learning. I've seen this with State Championship programs and the middle roaders. So, in terms of that, those who start practice the first day----in this case July 15th, it's a whole 7 weeks from that point until your first game is played. And, football is and always will be football---the team that blocks and tackles the best wins. That's never going to change. I guess Im just a fan of the old school way----do those two things to the extreme and well, have you 10 or so plays ran out of a couple formations and rep the crap out of them---play your base defense, mixed with a couple stunts and be disciplined on your reads, etc. etc.---then go win. I'm a Tom Duffy, Dudley Hilton, Joe Jaggers, Dan Haley, Mojo Hollowell, etc. kind of guy. Keep in mind also that a majority of schools, the top football players are also the top basketball and/or baseball players as well---especially in your more rural, smaller county schools. I'm all for kids playing everything. I played them all in high school, then obviously settled on one in college for all 5 years. I wouldn't have traded it for the world------but, like the saying goes---'To each their own'.:thumb: Good talk. Very valid points and opinions on many ends!

I like the new set up. I would actually like to see the KHSAA move the start of practice back/up, however you want to look at it at least a week. For example, Indiana doesn't allow practice to start until the 1st monday of August---this year it was August 4th(it's been like that up there for 20+ years). If the KHSAA did that, and opening night was Labor Day weekend, do away with the open week, but keep the same playoff format, etc., it would be great If all that was done, the finals could be played the first week of December and basketball could open it's seasonal play the following weekend (2nd weekend of December). In saying this, I wish the KHSAA would extend dead period from the middle of June all the way through the whole month of August. It's getting to be a joke---these kids can't be what they really are, KIDS, anymore. I know some kids this summer who played two baseball games in the morning, 7 on 7 late afternoon and wrestling or basketball after that. If you need more than a month or 30 days to get ready for your first game, and actually NEED it---then you are doing way toooooooo much in my opinion. I know some footbally coaches who started their practices July 15th this year and are wishing they hadn't-----that is almost7- 8 Weeks before your first game---no need in all that. I know theres a bunch of 'rah-rah' guys that wont like hearing that---but, lets be honest with ourselves---if your team wins the state championship, I'm going to bet that it's not because of those 2 extra weeks of practice way back in the last two weeks of July.

Here's my whole thing on this topic and not to bring up a dead horse, but those that have been talking about Mercer Co., too...but I have always found it funny how people wanted to criticize Mercer with their "slim" enrollment advantage over the next biggest schools in 2A that year, and now will sure to be doing the same with HC...especially if they win. Yet, nobody ever harped on the big public schools like Dunbar, Manual, Henderson County, Henry Clay, etc. for not ever dominating the old 4A. Each of those schools had anywhere from a 500-1,000 more kids than some of the smaller public schools in 4A?? But, you never heard people gripe like they did with Mercer and like Im sure they will do if Harlan Co. Central has the same success or anywhere near it.

As another poster said, Smith and Pulley went head to head in the state-semis. I was at that game and there wasn't any doubt who was the best player. It was Smith hands down. I agree with Larry, it should have been Turner or Smith. But with the way both of them have conducted themselves on and off the field in college, the three State Championship rings that they have, along with the season's they both are on the horizons of this year, I bet they couldn't care less about who they got "beat" by in the '04 Mr. Football Award.

I would love to get out there and see a ballgame this year. I've heard nothing but great things about the Belfry home game atmosphere. The pics of your new facilities are impressive to say the least!

I saw that article. Jaggers, having played quarterback all through high school and college I'm sure will make the right decision. From what I've seen of Short he is a pretty good athlete but sometimes your best athlete isn't necisarrily your best quarterback. I wouldn't read too much into the article that was written. Like Shane Boyd said, he apparently has been asked to work with Short and others from old Harrodsburg on previous occasions. It wasn't like Boyd was going to say that Short wasn't good enough to play quarterback . In my opinion, there was someone else behind the article trying to make a point for himself in the quarterback situation and not just for Trevor. I agree with you though Purple Pride, except I personally feel that the talent levels from the 06' and '07 Mercer teams were totally different. It'd be like comparing apples and oranges.

The ole' Bearcats of Anderson County have gone up against them and Gallatin definately has shown the likes of becomming a succesful football program in their own right in time. Keep up the great work.

I saw Mercer play a couple times last year. It was the 1st Lincoln County game and South Laurel. And, when I say the games came down to the final play of the game they literally did. Mercer lost both of those games by a couple points as they did in couple others in the same fashion. A 5-5 regular season team that very easily could have and should have been undefeated, as weird as that sounds. It's my understanding that they return practically all of their key players, a senior class of around 30 or so. It won't surprise me a bit to see Jaggers and company have the Titans for a deep run in November.

Who would be in the running for this one?

Coach Graham is a class act!!! One of the best men in the business to go along with his coaching accomplishments at Harrison. Is this one going to be kept inside the current staff? Wide Open? Shoe ins from elsewhere if they were to apply?

I saw Mercer County play a couple times in 2006 and 2007. I didn't think that there was any comparison in the two teams from a talent and experience standpoint. It wasn't even close. From my understanding I think that all of their losses except for one were not determined until the final minute and seconds. If I was losing everybody off of a 5-6 team then I would be concerned, but if they are returning practically all of their starters this year then that is definately a positive. The 2006 State Championship game was one of those games I saw Mercer. I have never seen weather conditions like that in my life. I think Mercer attempted a screen pass one time and the ball almost ended up in the first couple rows of the stadium! In conditions like that it makes the playing field b/t two teams very even and it wasn't like Russell was any slouch of a team either. I think Russell could have competed and beaten any team up there that weekend except for Trinity. I believe Pulaski County returns their best players next year and they should give everybody fits like they did this year and South Laurel returns their QB Ricky Bowling who might be one of the best in the state for '08. Still, it won't shock me a bit to see Mercer County going inot the regional finals this year with anywhere from a 12-0 to 9-3 type record.

Having a great marching band at your school is a great thing. But marching bands need to realize one important thing, that they are there because of FOOTBALL and not the other way around. Schools that don't have football teams, don't have marching bands. Anybody ever heard of Providence, University Heights, Lee County, Barbourville, Lyon County, Robertson County, Lexington Sayre, Livingston Central, Jackson City, etc. having a marching band? Nope. Want to take a guess at why?

Bill Mason would be a great one.....some others would be..IF interested? Jerry Perry- Former HC @ Garrard County, DC @ Danville Duane Hammons- Former HC @ Mercer County, DC @ Anderson Co. Jeff Hester- Former HC @ Garrard County, DC @ Boyle County

From my understanding, Marty Jaggers was interested and applied for the Lincoln job the previous two times it was open but was never granted an interview. I think part of that had to do with a certain administrator or two at LCHS whom aren't there anymore, either. My guess would be that will probably be staying put at Mercer for 2008. He can retire after next year and not to mention the fact that Mercer County has practically everyone returning next year...32 to be seniors..including 18 of 22 starters from a team that had 5 of their 6 losses come down to the final seconds/minute(s).

Marty Jaggers isn't going after the job, but it might be younger brother Crad's to lose. Crad is a great coach and if you ask any of the players at North who they have the utmost respect for (along with James Webb who has resigned), it's Crad. He is a great communicator, has great emotion/enthusiasm for the game, can run a tight ship---while also being a great "players coach" (IMO, puting those two qualities together nowadays is hard to do), as I said, the kids at North respect him a great deal (even with his departure to Central Hardin this past year), and last but, not least---his x's and o's knowledge of the game is as good as most out there. Crad was the O.C at North for a couple of his years at North as an assistant, including the 2004 season, when North beat Male and came within a TD of beating St.X in the regional finals.

Coach French is a very fine coach-but he didn't build Lincoln's football program. He came in and has revamped it. From what I've heard- a lot of people in Mercer County jumped off of the Mercer/Jaggers bandwaggon after their first loss this year-that's nuts. It's a "what have you done for me lately type of society"- in some places. Larry Phillips and Marty Jaggers built that Lincoln program-and French has came in and done a great job of redeeming it. That was the 2nd playoff meeting between Jaggers and French-they both have a 1-1 playoff record v.s the other.

I think Mercer had two?? Both were interceptions. The first interception was on Mercer's first posession, on their own 30. That was three plays after Lincoln's first score, then Lincoln took over and scored again to make it 14-0 halfway through the first. I agree with you about Jaggers having this team back in the mix of things next year. Their QB is a very good athlete-like an earlier post said, but maybe the QB spot isn't best for him?:confused: That isn't a slap in the face either-ex: Keenan Burton is UK's best athlete, in my opinion, an the QB spot isn't the best spot for him-if it was, he'd be playing there instead of WR. Mercer will be back next year, no doubt. I think they return 17/22 starters-they'll continue to improve-and then some. Jaggers will lead them back with a vengeance, I believe. Mercer will be a team to be reckoned with for sure come next fall.

IS Anderson for real? 9-0!!; Knocked off #3 in 4A Marion county.