Quake

I have watched some contact practices and I am as undecided and uncertain as I was prior to the start of summer camp. After some looks, you hope to get a feel about a team one way or the other. Not here. What I see: withering team speed; an unnerving number of incomplete passes; an untested DL; and a whole lot of hard work and attention being given to special teams. I think the Aug. 21 Hoptown game will be a bellwether for several reasons, most notably signaling if there is a need to start updating coaching resumes.

The players who passed were from all outward appearances fit and capable of playing. I was just looking at the very obese players, the ones who cannot keep up, not the stocky or naturally big boned kids. I agree it is good for most any teen to get exercise. And true, some develop into hawgs. But a lot don't and then the extra heft becomes a serious health issue. As history has shown, even fit kids can have undiagnosed conditions. And these kids are not fit and have visible health conditions.

Hoptown v Tilghman. Lone Oak v Ballard Memorial Mayfield v Marshall Co. Christian Co. v Bowling Green

I played high school and college football and I have watched a lot of high school football in four decades. This week, I made it a point to watch five different JV & HS football teams practice for varying periods of time to make some observations. And I came away thinking that perhaps it is time to consider an exclusionary BMI cap on morbidly obese players. During the years I played (before video games, fast food and obligatory rides) I cannot recall ever having kids on the team so fat they just could not move and keep up. That was never an issue in college, either. But it sure is today. Each team that I watched practice had 4-5 really fat players who were walking by the second round of gassers. Maybe a BMI cap is not the way to go, perhaps it is a mandatory KHSAA physical fitness test and not just a physical exam. We have been rocked by the recent untimely deaths of players in seemingly good physical condition. In my opinion, is just inviting tragedy to keep running morbidly obese kids up and down the field in sweltering heat. The question becomes how do you balance their desire to participate with an obligation to protect their health. I do not know the answer but I know there are people here who could offer a wealth of insight.

As memory serves me, I think Boyle played Clark Co in the 2001 Bowl game.

More from Paducah Tilghman Neal Clark - Kentucky Kurt Johnson - Kentucky Chad Sirk - Kentucky Raheem Ellis - Indiana Rob Manchester - Kentucky Kiyo Wilson - Kentucky Michael Woodfork - Kentucky Marcus Cross - Kentucky Norman Mason - Kentucky/Murray Saydee Mends-Cole - Illinois

Partial Paducah Tilghman list: some DNF's, some walk-ons who got scholarships. Hunter Cantwell - UL Brian Hall - Arkansas State Randy Wyatt - UL/UK Richard Abraham - UK George Wilson - Arkansas Billy Jack Haskins - UK/Rhode Island Kurt Barber - USC Bob Blackmon - Memphis Lamar Alston - UL Joshua Ellis - Indiana Ahoma Maxwell - Ohio U Kenny Hawkins - UK William (B.J.) Darnell - Syracuse Curtis Hamilton - WKU

I drove by last night, Tilghman was still in helmets only, starting @ about 5:30-6 and ending about 8:30. Just one practice a day.

I heard some Tennessee schools were invited, not sure about the rest, maybe 8 teams in all.

Looks like highly touted junior hoops prospect Josh Forrest will be a PT receiver this fall.

There are probably some other contributing reasons why Ky is not represented: Inconsistent instate media coverage; lack of local resources to send blocks of kids to out of state, high profile combines and camps; spotty youth leagues to identify and develop talent; southern locations get several more days of outdoor practice time and Florida has 400 high schools that play football including 220 schools in class 6A, 5A, and 4A. The population range for Florida 6A is 2363-4147. Just some thoughts.

High point - Winning a state championship, finishing state runner up and three district titles in three heady years. Low point - One year under a brutal, sadistic coach at a college I will not name.

Each kid is different. What motivates one might cause another to shut down. The wisdom is not just in knowing what to say, it's having the depth of experience to know who to say it to. In 40 years of being associated with football in some form or another, I have seen brutal coaches in both HS and college who broke chairs and every other word was an expletive I have seen coaches who were more like cheerleaders. And I have met men I would walk through fire for to this day. The great ones know how to motivate without crossing the line.

I remember at Paducah Tilghman a few years ago, UK went after Joe Casey and not Hunter Cantwell. Casey flamed out and Cantwell did not. These days, I see red t-shirts with that bird on the front around the PT athletic complex where 6-7 years ago, it was 4x4 blue. Not showing interest in a kid can lead to unintended consequences.

What has helped there more than anything, aside from Dan Gooch, was the revival of the youth program. That town used to be a statewide football powerhouse. Let's hope they are on the road back.

I see the value in camps from getting exposure to different techniques and coaching styles and you also get to size up your competition a bit. If I saw someone 30 lbs heavier and a half second faster than me, then I would ask myself how do I get to that level and then work like heck to achieve it. You always learn something from a new teacher. I think combines are overvalued a bit; it's possible to have all the tools and still not be able to frame a house. How do you design a drill to measure heart, desire and character?