divadawg

Once again, our dogs came out and played with determination and looked like a well oiled machine.:fire: I felt this would not be a close game, but had no idea it would end this way! Coach Holland cleared the bench late in the third quarter and the team continued their race to victory full speed ahead! Congratulations to Michael Campbell who was named the player of the game while coming off the bench! Gallatin County appears to be a well coached team and I think this one will be a little closer, but in spite of that, I feel the Bulldogs have a real chance to be playing for all the marbles on Sunday! Be sure to come to Richmond and give your support to this fine team!:fight: Remember...it's not the size of the dog in the fight...it's the size of the fight in the dog! Go Bulldogs!:dancingpa

I must say, it seems that the Hazard sports program is moving in the right direction...both football and basketball. It is so ironic that a small school like ours can be successfully competative with the other consolidated school in our region as well as other areas of the state. Our 8th grade team just won a big state wide tournament and will certainly be a great addition to our high school team next year! Being a Hazard fan for many years, I have come to realize you can never count PCC out in the race, as they always give it their all when they play Hazard, their cross town rival, but so far we have managed to stay ahead of the competition. I believe Big Al will continue to be the great motivator and help each of his athletes accomplish the most their abilities will allow! Remember...it's not the size of the dog in the fight...it's the size of the fight in the dog! Go Bulldogs!

I don't know much about this team, but looking at their won/loss record and schedule, it appears they have not played any "tough" teams. They also seem to play slow-down ball, as they rarely score above 60 points, the only two times coming at the hands of Fredrick Fraize 78-36 and 79-48, a team that has not won a single game this season. For this reason, I feel Hazard will beat them fairly handily and move on to the next round of the tournament.:ylsuper: Remember...it's not the size of the dog in the fight...its the size of the fight in the dog! Go dogs!:banana::banana:

He did dress but didn't play.

Thanks for your kind words, Master. I feel the great game plan our coaches developed and our team implemented to perfection speaks well of our young men playing team ball. Granted, JBS is a really good team, but today simply was not their day and the dogs prevailed. I feel we will make a good show in the All A, as we are playing well and seem to play to the level of our competiton, when needed. The All A is going to be a really good tournament this year with many examples of talented teams. Hopefully, Hazard can pull it out as they have done in the past and bring home the big trophy. Remember, it's not the size of the dog in the fight... it's the size of the fight in the dog! Go Bulldogs!!

Thanks for the correction!

I am happy to report that the Hazard Bulldogs were victoriouos over JBS with the final score 64-52 and can now be included in any discussions you wish to conduct regarding the All-A Tournament! Go Bulldogs!

1st - Murray 2nd - University Heights 3rd - Owensboro Catholic 4th - Metcalf County 5th - Bardstown 6th - Louisville Holy Cross 7th - Louisville Collegiate 8th - Gallatin 9th - Saint Henry 10th - Bishop Brossart 11th - LCA 12th - Somerset 13th - Pineville 14th - Hazard 15th - Paintsville 16th - Rose Hill

I don't know how many he had, but clearly not enough. That may be because Michael Campbell took every step that Clark made and most of his points came when Michael was forced to switch off onto another player. Take nothing away from Clark...he is a great ball player, but today Hazard and their smothering defense and fantastic rebounding was simply too much for the Crusaiders!

The score was Hazard 64 JBS 52...we won by 12, not two! What a game! The dogs came out on fire and shot 61% in the first half while shutting down JBS, having a 16 point lead at half time. Would you believe JBS only scored 4 points in the first quarter? Well it is true. Then in the second half Hazard stepped up again and shot 51% while out rebounding JBS left and right. The dogs played with heart and determination...a real team effort. Now on the the All-A with a game 9:30 on Thursday night! Go Dogs!!

You all are taking a lot for granted when you post June Buchanan as one of the participants in this tournament. Don't you think it would be better to find out who wins the Hazard-JBS game before you post who is the best team in the All A?

Hazard has to be found someplace close to the top when you look at next year's potential champions. They have all of their starters back except for three and they have a strong feeder program which always seems to come through when a position needs to be filled. We have also had a transfer...Erik Back, who will be a big benefit to our football team next year. In closing, I must say... Go Dawgs!

For years Hazard's biggest game was against PCC, but in recent years JBS has turned into quite a rivalry in basketball.

The Hazard Bulldogs traveled to the John C. Combs arena this evening and played a near perfect game defeating PCC 68 to 42. The dogs used their defense to cause turnovers that resulted in many quick baskets while Josh Whitaker put on a shooters clinic.:fire: Way to go Bulldogs!:dancingpa

I heard that the JBS varsity played up until 3 minutes in the 4th quarter with only a few exceptions. I didn't attend, so I can't verify this information, however if this is true, I wonder how all the 2nd and 3rd string JBS players feel sitting on the bench and watching the varsity run up points against a much weaker opponent. I know I wouldn't be happy if I were in their shoes.

I agree Parispride...equity among ALL PROGRAMS would be the best outcome from this situation. Unfortunately, I fear KHSAA will not use this as a means to a corrective end.

Thanks for the clarification.

I would like to express my appreciation to Coach Rains for taking the time to come on this forum and write his letter of explanation concerning the LCA issue that has been discussed for several days. Coach Rains is a class act...he used to coach here at Hazard and we all feel fortunate to have worked with him and count him as one of our friends. However, I feel that most of the anguish that has been expressed regarding this issue is not directed toward him or even LCA, specifically. Instead, it is the system that regulates high school sports that continues to cause ruffled feathers in so many bonnets. Until KHSAA decides to sit down and review the rules that govern public and private school in an attempt to find some form of equity between the two, there will cointinue to be complaints from both.

Michael is an accomplished athlete in both football and basketball and we are fortunate to have him representing our school. At one point Michael had some anger management issues, but with the help of Coaches Dixon and Holland, Michael has made a remarkable improvement on that front, as well. It seems this year he has totally changed his attitude and has displayed periods where he acts more as a peace keeper than an instigator. Michael seems to hold his own in the grade department, as well. Hazard works hard with their students by providing tutors in all subjects as needed and apparently this is a big help to our student athletes as well as the general school population. I would love to see Michael further his career by going on to college and making an impact at that level! Go Dawgs!

I think Hazard will win this one by at least 10. Go Dawgs!:dancingpa

Thank you so much for your comment Coach Hard. It certainly is difficult when you are a 1A school playing with students from within your boundaries and facing a team for a large city that can draw enrollment from a larger area with no limitations other than whatever enrollment numbers your administration chooses to enforce. We have fought this for many years and it is never easy. Hazard always remains competative in the sports in which they participate which I feel is a testament to our administration for hiring qualified coaches who are able to motivate young people and help them achieve the most of their talent. Nevertheless, I feel if the playing fields were more level, we along with sevel other 1A schools, would be better able to match up with the competition. What is the solution? I don't know, but it appears to me this is only leading to the KHSAA finally realizing there must be separation of the public and private school when it comes to tournaments or playoffs. I would hate for it to come to that, but in order to work toward equality, maybe that would be the easiest solution to the problem.

This whole mess simply proves the inequity found in Kentucky high school sports. In my opinion, there are a couple of potential solutions to this problem. 1. The system could be change so that private schools play only private schools and public schools do the same. Then, KHSAA could establish AND ENFORCE rules that are appropriate for both sub-units. 2. The state could present each school age child with a certificate of funds that would be used to allow that student to enroll in a school and receive their state educational monies. Each school would then set admission criteria that the child would have to meet in order to be eligible to attend. If the child can't meet the criteria, then they must go to another school and attempt admission. At least there would be some sort of proof that the child had been denied or accepted based on established criteria. If the parent chooses to send their child to a private school, then the certificate is void and the parents fund the enrollment, just as they SUPPOSEDLY would have done in the current system. This would make the schools more accountable for providing better quality educations for the children, as their enrollment figures would be based on how well they can "sell" their program to parents. Hopefully, the competition would encourage schools to improve from within...teachers, administrators, coaches, etc. This is just a thought, but there has to be a way to remidy what has been going on for some time now in private, and to some degree, public schools, as well.

Above all else, it just seems to me that these private school have an open door through which any student can come without any fear of reprisal from KHSAA. Public schools, on the other hand, are yoked with rules that prevent such actions. We are a small school--325 in high school--and we play the kids we have and make the best of it. Fortunatley for us, we have been able to motivate our kids and produce a successful program in most sports, but when you go up against a school that can pick and choose who they want to accept from within no particular boundary--then the field of play is skewed by outside factors. I feel the only way this situation can be corrected is to have the public school compete against their own while the private school do the same. Then, there will be no problem with equality between the two different types of programs. I believe this system is already in place in some states and working quite well.

Legend, I appreciate what you say in your post. If you want to send your child to a private school for a better education, well and good. However, when you look at the investigation into inappropriate financial aid, I believe it stated in 16 of the 18 instances the money went to students who were involved in athletics, thus the reason for KHSAA to become involved. It is no different in public school. Many people want to send their children to schools that provide a better education. Unfortunately, we have boundaries we cannot cross and our children are not allowed to attend the school of their choice. Instead, they must go where the boundary lines dictate, or they are forced to move into the school district in which the school is located that provides the better education. I don't know about you, but for most people it is extremely difficult to relocate at the drop of a hat and the children ultimately suffer. I simply feel it should be the same for everyone. If the public school are to compete with the private ones, then the KHSAA should lessen their control and open the gates so children can go to school where the education is the best, as is the athletics. You can't fence in one school and let the other one run wild. Make things fair for all and then these situations would work out on their own!

I was told by a person in the know at LCA that their board voiced a desire to limit enrollment so they will stay Class A. If you think about it, why would they want to get any larger. Now, they can defeat all their smaller and less funded competition and steam roll on into Louisville to compete on the carpet for the title every year. Other public school simply don't have the funding and are not permitted to recruit as are private schools! If you think further, these schools don't even have to recruit. All they have to do is establish a decent program, hire a good coach and set back and wait. Word travels fast when you are winning and kids from the surrouding counties or school soon decide the grass is greener at the private school. Especially if they are receiving improper financial aid to assist with their cost of attendance. You can go on their web site and in the athletic section it informs you if you plan to play football at LCA, not only do you have to pay tuition to attend, you must also pay for most of you football equipment. The tuition is also listed and I believe it is in the $7000 range for senior high. Until the KHSAA steps in and does something about "legal recruiting," how can you expect the other class A school to play on a level field with schools such as these?