CoachJ

Great job, Coach McNamee, Coach Huff, and the Panthers!

What a great ambassador for football and, more importantly, a great dad and a great MAN. The players he coached will be better men for having had him as an influence in their lives. Rest in peace, Lyndon.

Wow.. sorry our assistants are 'loud-mouthed' -- not sure if that means they talk loudly while communicating with us via headsets, but I'm on the other end with them and if they yelled I would be upset cause my ears would hurt. The two coaches we have up there are about the most 'mild-mannered' guys on our staff. Glad we didn't choose a couple of our more 'vocal/intense' coaches up there! As to what REALLY matters, Byrnes is REALLY freakin good. I don't think I'll make a prediction on here other than we'll need to play a VERY sound football game to have a chance (of course, it's like that with every other game on our schedule).

Scrimmages are for ONE thing: expose weaknesses you must fix before they start counting. Given this, there is nobody better for Highlands to scrimmage year-in, year-out than Trinity. Given this, there is nobody better for Trinity to scrimmage IN-STATE than Highlands (given they already play X in a regular-season game). A bad beat in a scrimmage isn't 'demoralizing' unless your program has 'insecurity issues.' 15 rings tend to keep you from being insecure as a program I would imagine.

I'm not saying that either--our administration is VERY supportive of the things I think are needed to run a great program...just that this year we had some VERY strange scheduling circumstances with the bowl classic against Byrnes and some non-district game commitments we'd previously made. I'll be real honest, I think T needed a game one of the weeks we needed one too -- but I remember thinking I did not want to play them the week before our first district game. Sorry if that seems cowardly, but the district games are the 'real season' for us, and playing one of the most physical teams in the state that I KNOW our kids would be over-hyped for prior to a district game against a traditional rival (Eastern...who is returning EVERYBODY this year and will be the favorite in our district) just didn't seem to be in our best interest.

REALLY appreciate the obvious love and affection you have for your school...very admirable, and I wish more public schools felt as passionate about their experience. And I'd say you are 100% correct...about kids already there. My point was that we're seeing more in terms of private school middle school kids than in the past. Now, that MIGHT be the economy talking, but have heard from more than one person "on the inside" that it's not necessarily that. BTW, I didn't say I was "hoping for" a breakdown in chemistry; if you'll read what I wrote about all the teams I mentioned, I was just pointing out OBJECTIVE positives/negatives. Since there is quite a bit previous to my post about 'they are unbeatable,' I just thought it made sense to throw out what might be the ONLY possible refutation to the obvious (meaning, that if T does NOT take state this year with what they have returning, that there must be something seriously wrong in the universe). Never said--or even implied I think--I 'hoped' it would happen. Also, totally agree with you (and AllTell) on playing the best teams make you better. That's why, after this two-year scheduling cycle is over, Ballard should have T right back on their regular season schedule (had some unforseen issues this year with commitments to other schools for non-district games and a BIG wrench thrown in when we were chosen for the big bowl game classic against Byrnes, SC). I think any current or former Trinity supporter can assure you that I have NEVER had any qualms about playing any other team--private, public, good, bad, whatever. Whether that was at 3A Oldham County playing X and T in same season or at 1A Pikeville playing 6A Lex. Henry Clay or Ashland HS. Further, I don't personally buy into the same myths about why the privates are better than the publics every single year--it's not so much about what THEY are doing...it's more about what WE SHOULD be doing. At Ballard football, we're getting closer I think, but we still have a ways to go.

Scott County -- this may be the year they get over the hump. Returning almost everybody. Eastern will surprise people--they also return a BUNCH of skilled players (pretty much all of a good secondary). And the quarterback will eventually be a 1AA if not D1 player. Losing. Jon Davis may actually help them because they'll 'spread the wealth' more now and use more weapons. Henry Clay is too low, I believe. Male having Ronjae Morris back is HUGE for them. Lost a lot up front to be sure, but Defense will always be good due to good coaching by Wolfe. Manual had some of the best lookin athletes I saw at college camps I attended. And they ALWAYS have good, big, smart linemen. X is still St. X. They will be sound as any other team, make VERY few mistakes, and FLY to the ball on defense. I think most of the reports of them being 'down' is about their lower levels the last 2 seasons. At a place like X, that doesn't matter as much. Now the players on those teams will be coached in a TOTALLY different way--much more film work, much different prep each week, etc. T will be a force again. I hate that they are getting to play a schedule like they are--it will get them WAY better than they would've been just playing KY schools in blowouts. Returning as much as a team like that, about the only thing that can get them is a breakdown in team chemistry (and there might be a little of that with all the CSAA kids/parents from what I'm hearing--I know WE are benefitting a good deal from getting an inordinate number of private middle school kids coming to Ballard this year--who, by the way, have been VERY impressed with).

I see one team on there that is REALLY overrated (I won't say which one).

Jared Lorenzen and several others I can remember only played one way at HHS and starred in other sports while there. As long as the football coaches aren't subtly or overtly demanding their players not play other sports (something I'm SURE isn't in Dale Mueller's make-up), I don't see any issue. Basketball is VERY big here at Ballard (rightfully so; that's where the title-tradition is). Those kids playing football as well is critical to our success (and their willingness to play football as well has opened up SCHOLARSHIP opportunities for many of them). So, because it's what's best for our kids, Chris Renner (head basketball coach) and I work VERY close together to make sure those kids have the opportunity to participate in all activities for BOTH sports with no penalties and even a little 'lee-way' given for some things since they're representing another BALLARD sport. It wasn't 'bad' the other places I've coached, but it's GREAT here the way multi-sport coaches work together. Highlands has a similar tradition of kids crossing over to other sports. And with the expectations for excellence in EVERYTHING at Highlands, I wouldn't worry about ANYTHING there being 'down' for too long.

Since you're a BHS-alum, I'd be glad to help you with some instructional camp info -- come on by; I'm at the school (weight room or small gym) training our guys pretty much every weekday after school til 5:00 or 5:30.

Today on the last day of school for seniors, we honored five outstanding student-athletes who are choosing to extend their football careers into college. Denzel Young signed a letter-of-intent with Morehead State University. James Gill has signed with Division III power Thomas More College. Zach Graves inked with Division II Lane College out of Tennessee. In addition, the 'two-headed qb' tandem that helped lead us to being the top passing team in the state have decided to take the challenge of accepting walk-on invitations to Division 1 programs. Moez Crawford will attend UofL while Christian Wallace will go to Western Kentucky. These five join their Bruin teammates DeVante Parker (UofL) and Flo Hardin (IU) who signed letters-of-intent with BCS-schools back in February. ** Also impressive during the ceremony was the fact that two other graduating players--Rashid Hunter and Dominique Webster--have been awarded the prestigious "William C. Parker Scholarship" at the University of Kentucky. Congrats to these and all the other graduating Ballard football seniors moving on to the part of life where attaining success matters more than any game.

Oops-this one is on me. To understand what went into the list I sent out to our HS coaches in the state, you've got to understand the motive and realize the list was assembled to assist kids wanting to get EVALUATED for RECRUITING...not looking for 'INSTRUCTION' (nothing against those camps; and for kids EARLY in their development--like HS kids who haven't played before, middle schoolers, or youth leaguers--I think these camps are valuable). However, for a kid who's a junior or senior to be and wants to play college football, the key to getting recruited is to GET SEEN by the actual college coaches. Here's why: HS coaches can promote their best players all they want; unless they're in Florida or Texas, the college coach he's talking to ASSUMES the kid's coach is exaggerating how fast, big, good, etc. the kid is. Further, the kid that wants to get recruited CAN'T count on a college coach coming to see him play (too many good players to see; not enough coaches on the road able to travel long distances on a night before a game of their own). So, the kid has to go to THEM. Unfortunately, just like fishing, it's not usually best to cast your line out ONCE and in the same spot and just hope the fish come to you. 99% of HS kids' families can't blow $250-$350 on even ONE 'instructional, padded, 3-day' camp (add in gas at nearly $4.00 a gallon and it gets REALLY prohibitive to go to these). The key is to GET SEEN...and add to that, they need to get seen by AS MANY AS POSSIBLE (EKU might need a Def. End this year or they might not; if not, that good DE from Berea had BETTER get to more than just the EKU multi-day camp!)...and add to that FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT OF $$ POSSIBLE. To make it even tougher on families and kids, there is pretty much only ONE MONTH (June) when all these camps occur. Therefore, going to MANY one-day "combine-type" camps -- or, best yet, picking and choosing the one-day camps that have MULTIPLE colleges there at the same time -- for only $25-$50 each is much preferable to putting all your eggs in one basket at "BCS-U's" $350 Linemen camp. The reason there were only two 'multi-day camps' listed is that those are the two I knew of that are KNOWN for having multiple college coaches coaching daily at the camp (Bishop-Dullaghan Skills Camp and Down-and-Dirty). As has been mentioned, the Hawg Heaven camp is also a great multi-day camp (and is run by maybe the best out there in Joe Prince) as are the Darrin Slack QB Academies, but they seem to be more of what you are looking for -- INSTRUCTION instead of EVALUATION. IF YOU WANT INFO ON GOOD "INSTRUCTIONAL CAMPS" -- We coaches get pounds and pounds of mailings from every college around promoting their various camps (let's be honest, considering the number of kids they want to come to the camp and how much they charge, they are primarily MONEY-MAKERS for them, so they market them VERY well). My suggestion: do NOT use the camp/combine list you've got; go to the HS head coach in your area and ask him to let you see his file of camp brochures he's been sent. OR, pick out a college with a coaching staff you think is doing a good job and google the name of the school and 'football camp.' You'll get LOTS of info on multi-day instructional camps either way.

So think, "Highlands" on both sides of the ball. Right?

Curious as to what people think the new coach's style at CAMPBELL COUNTY will be. I remember them being 'smashmouth' (or at least, 'run-oriented') in the mid-90s, but heard they had a record-setting QB the last couple of years (Kremer?).

I would say "actual coaching" makes up a much lower PERCENTAGE of things you do when you're a head coach, but trust me -- especially at a small school -- there's still a LOT of 'actual coaching' a head coach does. In the NFL this may not be true, but I'm pretty sure Dale Mueller, Bob Beatty, Mike Glaser, etc. do a LOT of 'actual coaching' every single day in practice...and they are blessed with GREAT assistants who know their football, many of whom would probably be good head coaches themselves. Good luck to Coach LeFors. CAL has a lot of potential, and Stefan certainly proved at UofL he had what it took to overcome expectations. Great players do not always great coaches make (I would almost argue the opposite is true), but let's hope this is an exception to the rule.

I don't disagree with the premise that we should not favor increased technology at the expense of less safety/technique teaching. However, I would have to say that MOST of the concussions I've witnessed in football have been due to a 'whiplash effect' when a player is tackled and the head snaps back or forward into the GROUND. In other words, nothing 'technique teaching' could've assisted in (save, perhaps, more neck strength training). In these cases, a better helmet COULD have made a difference. My child will have the best we can get him even if it means I have to mow some neighbor's lawns.

Yes. Yes. 72 on day 1. 68 on last day. As effective as spring football is now, it will be even better next year when we can set our own window. Better for the basketball kids who also want to play football--lets them get some time to relax before having to turn right around and practice again.

That's good to know. I know lots of people (me included) think Bryan Station is a gold mine in the right hands. Good luck to Coach Yeast and his new staff.

This district may have some of the best coaching in any one district save maybe the Male/X/Trinity/Manual one.

HELLO? (...HELLO?......Hello?...........hello?.................hello?). Anybody out there?

Anybody know how things have gone at Bryan Station in Coach Yeast's first week on the job? Weights and all, I mean. Just like teaching, that first week they're really 'yours' is the most important week of all.

Word is that Holmes called early this afternoon to cancel the game because they were down to only 2 of their top 6 players. Two players were gonna miss because of legit reasons and two players did not show up for the trip because of a senior dinner / dance. This game had been scheduled since the beginning of the season. No excuse for a last minute cancellation. Ballard had planned tonight as Senior Night and players were not informed until 4:00. This game is rescheduled for Thursday (jv at 6 and varsity at 7:30).

I would guess that their team next year would be better. Losing a few important contributors, but like I said, their key components (WR, DE, OL, LB, QB, and especially RB--Dawkins) are all returning. Only way a team like that can go backwards is complacency (don't see that happening with a program like Trinity) or a lack of chemistry. WILL be interesting to see how to QB situation pans out -- the Soph did a nice job this year, but the Frosh kid they had last year looks to be a real weapon throwing AND running. If T and Ballard play next year, the site would be Feix Field in Bowling Green.

I figured this line of thinking would be forthcoming on this thread. For anybody who thinks Trinity's run to the title this year was fueled only by the "pride and tradition" of a bunch of nose-to-the-grindstone, hard-working, lunch-pail type kids who somehow rose above their 'poor talent level' to become something greater than the 'sum of their individual parts,' I would only say that this Trinity team had more "individual talent" than just about any high school team I've seen in 15 years of coaching. (Similar, in fact, to those teams that had those 'bring-your-lunch-pail-guys' named Brohm, Phillips, McBroom, Whiting, Robey, etc, etc.) The misleading thing about this year is that the great individual talent just happened NOT to be seniors. MANY from Trinity will be signing D-1 scholarships in the coming couple of years.

If there are any better Freshmen than EITHER of these two, I'd pay to watch them play. I think if anyone was watching or listening to the Republic Bank classic in Lexington last week, they'd have to agree.