RowdyRedRam

This is one aspect of the game that interest me. How will this scat back type player do against the St X defense. In the past Manual has had some very successful straight ahead runners that, for the most part, got contained when they faced the St X defense. Manual doesn't have a "3yrd pounding back" this year. I wonder if this will be harder for the X defense to face or if we were better off with more of the sledgehammer backs.

Question to St X fans. Any special excitement about returning to Manual Stadium? Will Checks get overrun by a mob of reminiscing X fans?

I just noticed someone gave Manual a first place vote. Interesting. Hopefully the Crimsons make somebody look real smart Friday.

Why don't we go to a 12 game season with only an 8 team playoff for one single championship and in addition a series of bowls scattered across the state each with there own requirements. Requirements would primarily consist of school size and location and success on the field. Maybe one bowl would pit the best under 500 student school in EKY vs the best under 500 student school in WKY. All programs would have something to play for, there would be one legitiamite champion and it would allow all teams who want to play each other the ability to do so as well as the additional games would add more revenue.

There are people who make such commitments, however there are still some very big differences that need to be accounted for. There are no direct feeders, and there can't be with the open enrollemnt of public high schools. If your kid plays for the Middletown Eagles, he is as likely to go to Manual, Male, St X, or Trinity as he is to go to Eastern. As a Manual alumni what youth program should I put my support into to help develop Manual into a stronger football power? At X and T you have the religious connection as well as a cultural connection that has allowed a community spirit to be developed without geographical reference. Without these same connections, public schools have a much harder time creating a community out of people who share very few social characteristics. Football has always been a big part of the Catholic community, its part of the identity, and is supported by a large part of that community. In the public school system you may have 20% of the population who even cares about the program, and tries to support it. What don't like to hear, is the 20% being blamed for the 80%'s lack of concern.

St X and T have larger coaching staffs than most public schools. That is what I meant by coaching resources. I don't know what you are talking about when you say that school buses are taking football players home. That NEVER happened while I was at Manual, and many of the players took Tarc home as well.

Point taken. I would also add that there is more football experiance in the J.V. and Feshman levels than most public schools. I think at public schools you have a lot more players begin football at the high school level than you do at the private levels.

Real easy to say that with more players and coaching resources than any other program in the state. I suggest you go coach at a public school and then tell me that it is just as easy to run a J.V. and Freshman program the way X and T do.

Sure:rolleyes:

It is always hard to judge a lineman without having game tape to study. Manual's O and D line have played well in every game minus the Central game. At Central the O-line allowed a great deal of penetration from the interior DL. That hasn't been a problem in the other games this year. Specifically I can't recall a great number of big plays Ulinski has made, however again my opinion might change by watching tape and his play.

Not a good thing to say to the press, however couldn't that be a complement to Trinity's execution that night?

I was a freshman the year Nichols began his coaching career at Manual as the freshman coach, and having followed Manual football closely over the years I been witness to the career of Nichols (who is still comparatively "new" compared to Redman, Beatty, Glaser and almost every other coach of a "big" program) from the begining. Never as a player did I feel like coach Nichols threw us under the bus. As a fan I haven't seen or felt that either. Perhaps there is a specific incident in your memory where you felt he did that, but I don't recall it or at least not where it wasn't justified. As far as game specifics, first of all Nichols isn't the offensive coordinator. While the buck ultimately stops at him, most of the criticism he recieves (from the X and T fans exclusively, notice this because we will get back to this subject) really is misdirected. Secondly, he is/was still a very new coach when these most aggregious errors were made. I'm sure if you go back to Beatty's Redmon's or Glasers' second and third season's you will find mistakes that they would've changed. This is now only his FIFTH season as a head coach, nobody is perfect from the begining. Why is it that X and T fans seem to have the worst perception of coach Nichols? I'll tell you. They claim he recruits out of the Catholic Prep leagues. Well let me clue the public in on some things. Manual has ALWAYS recieved players who played in the Catholic leagues. I played in the Catholic leagues. When we were 1-9 NO ONE seemed to notice, now that the team is successful it a big deal. Fact is that Manual is the most academically prestigious school in the county. More kids from catholic middle schools probably go to Manual than any other public school for this reason. While I was at Manual probably 15% of the student body came from a private middle school, for a public school that is significant. The other thing is that Nichols is alumni of Providence High School. The Catholic High School across the river in Indiana. He is Catholic, and knows that what ever is going on at the prep level will be seen again a few years down the road at X T and Male, or for those that choose, Manual. Finally lets assume these rumors are true that recruting in the Catholic leagues exists. If it were true, how has it hurt St X? I can't figure it out, seems to me X isn't hurting for players. X is MUCH MUCH MUCH deeper than Manual in personel, it isn't even close. So if Manual has cherry picked the best of the Catholic leagues, where has it gotten us. Name me one D-1 player from Manual that came from the Catholic leagues? I don't know of any. The fact that this is even a factor in any kind "hate" from St X is laughable at best. Can Glaser look in the mirror and tell himself that every St X star came from the Catholic leagues? I personally know of players headed to Manual, making last minute decisions to go to X for one specific reason, and it ain't the girls. I suggest X get off that horse, unless they are willing to look at the situation in its entirety. There is more I can say on the matter, but I want my final thought to be that Nichols has been good for Manual any way you look at it. He has been successfull in a situation that others were not and gives the program a blue collar attitude that alumni can apprecuate and that the players need. Lets get off of slandering this guy who spends countless hours developing quality young men (Keenan Burton ring a bell) and keep it to the game. The one thing I hate about this website is how badly Nichols is portrayed by some fans of X and T fans. It personally makes me sick.

I know I don't know a great deal on this subject, and that there is a lot of assumptions made as to the status of Manual Stadium and it rental agreements. However my understanding is that JCPS collected rent from Manual stadium and not Manual itself. Therefore it really makes little difference to Manual's coffers. I'm in the minority but I didn't mind sharing the stadium with St X. I think Manual stadium is still one of the best stadiums to watch a high school football game. Nowhere have I found a better place to veiw a game than both the endzones. I do find it a little curious that Desales is using the stadium. Clearly it is a better facility than Iroquios' but quite a bit out of the way as well.

Unfortunatly for Manual, the Crimsons exploit the very weakness that St X doesn't have. What I mean by that, is that Manual forces the entire defense to play ball usually finding the holes and making them pay. St X doesn't have many/any holes in thier roster. If the Crimsons win they will need to play perfect defense and keep plugging away on offense with long drives.

Probably because of "Tape-gate" and the like. If you think Manual is "scared of Trinity" you must of missed the series the last four years

I had to try.

St X always improves over the season. Right now they have that BIG game vs Trinity in two weeks that they need to start preparing for.

I was being honest. Manual does have players, but we aren't D-1 prep factory or anything close to that like Male has been.

Manual has had many close games with St X and Trinity in the past. We've come up on the losing end on all but one of them, but Manual isn't scared of them like most teams.

I really didn't get the impression that Henderson was a bad team, they just seemed to lack playmakers on either side of the ball. They played OK, is wasn't like watching the three Stooges or anything, but they just didn't have anyone who was tough to beat.

Manual is the nerd school the jocks go to Male.

I saw Male earlier this year. They didn't look like a GREAT Male team but a quality team none the less. From what I heard out of X Ballard game was that X wasn't looking exceptional themselves. Should be interesting to see which team tries to make a statement.

Manual has three significant wins already this season, while I didn't see the Ballard game, they didn't play "great" in there first two wins. This is a good sign for Manual. With Henderson having a down year, I'd be suprised if Manual doesn't win this one. I don't know if I'm going to this one yet. I've never been to Henderson so I'd like to go for that fact alone. How long does it take to get to Henderson and what is the fastest way to go.

Three nice wins for the Crimsons.

I just now noticed that. I honestly didn't intend to vote on it. (If a mod could erase it I'd appreciate it)