futbalfan

I made it down to finals but not prelims. I spoke to the KHA U17 coach and in fact Kenny was not present during prelims although from the results it didn't appear he was needed. Also spoke with a parent of a Rovers player. Apparently, and I may have misunderstood, that keeper was playing up and has been a pool player for the national team in his age group which I could easily see as along with height he had long arms, very quick both foot and hand speed as well as being active and strong on the crosses and corner kicks. Rovers played it smart when their center mid went out on a direct red card with the kick to Bryce Day and the CR literally standing 5 feet away. From then on it was just trying to move the ball and keep possession with an occasional long ball to see if they could get one. I have to hand it to the Rovers players they had to hold that up for the last 15 or so mins of regulation and both 15 min OT periods. The PKs went as it usually does which is a slight mistake by a kicker. In this instance the 4th Rover kicker seemed to place it and took too much off the speed of the ball. The KHA keeper who had got his hands on 2 of the 3 previous but were just too well struck to stop got a full hand on the 4th kick and pushed it aside. I think a more powerful strike would have made it in but just my opinion. Either way, both sides should be commended for a great game to watch. In terms of the CR in the game, I've seen him before. Believe it or not at one time he was a national ref doing very high level games. He does many college games and he's pretty consistent in that he lets the boys work it and rarely inserts himself into the game. Believe it or not that was one of the milder games I've seen in terms of physicality he was the CR. Not exactly my style but he is consistent and the boys usually figure out pretty early in the game. This only adds to the respect i have for those players who battled 120 mins plus added time then having to compose themselves for a 2-3 second action with the result on the line.

It appears the following teams that have local HS players are advancing to Regionals in Appleton, WI Jun 20-24. Congrats to all the young men in their accomplishment and good luck at Regionals. U14 CUP Gold U15 KHA Red U17 KHA Red U18 CUP Gold U18 LFC White Please let me know if any team with a NKY HS player was missed and is going onto regions and I will amend this post. I will be up there and always looking to watch and support local players. NOTE: The list is based solely on the results of OS and KY State Cup. If any team with a local player is going due to a wildcard birth please let me know.

Are you stating it's the club coaches or really the club system as a whole? I believe you mean the later as the club coaches, at least the good high caliber ones in soccer, both actively support involvement outside of soccer (although with caveats) and are very much looking out for the physical and mental health of their players. I also believe the reason for the noticeable increase in sports related injuries to girls is heavily influenced by the statistical increase in the numbers of participants. I've read some studies coming down from US Soccer federation that talk about this very issue and unlike what you may think do support the participation in other sports but also bring up the necessary time for youths to rest their bodies. The ones I worry about the most are those that are truly playing or training 11 months a year. I see high caliber players starting HS in mid July going through end of Oct then right into club until end of year (and i mean end of Dec/first week of Jan showcases) with the month of January (3 maybe 4 weeks) off then back at it Feb until end of May or June depending on how far their team goes in state, regionals and nationals. No words of wisdom or strong views but more observations to consider from one who's both been and have had children (girls and boys) go through it although in two entirely different ways but that's a whole different discussion.

yes to both. I was aware but was waiting until after KY state cup to post updates for both and all those going to regionals. I was one of the guys in striped shirts at OS state weekend you were probably yelling at btw. There is a push in KY to change to the same format as OS with prelims played in season and the Semis and Finals over one weekend all together in order to give those teams going to Regionals more time to rest and prepare. I prefer not to pull out individual names and get into the whole personal plugging which is why I just list team names else this turns into a private promotional plug instead of a general acknowledgement of all those from NKY playing at such a high level.

Looks like the following KY boys teams have areas HS players advancing to State Semis. Good luck to them all. U15: KHA Red and NKSA Cagle U17: KHA Red NOTE: U18 has a couple CCH seniors playing for LFC that won State Cup and going to regionals. Don't believe there are any other locals on non local clubs advancing.

i had heard a few weeks back that NDA also is loosing the Greenwell girl again due to another MCL injury this spring club season. If true, I hope it doesn't affect her offer from UC given it's her second one. Also, means NDA will now have their 2 top returning players out for season.

Good luck to all the local HS futbolers playing in KY State Cup prelims this weekend as well as those playing President's Cup finals in 2 weeks along with those fortunate enough to play in State Cup semis/finals. Best wishes to them all and before anyone reminds me about those local ballers playing in OS, congrats to all of the locals who played this past weekend in the OS Semis/Finals of which I saw several young ladies playing and bringing home gold. Of course I saw them the other side of the whistle.:sssh:

Good luck to all the local HS futbolers playing in KY State Cup prelims this weekend as well as those playing President's Cup finals in 2 weeks along with those fortunate enough to play in State Cup semis/finals. Best wishes to them all and before anyone reminds me about those local ballers playing in OS, congrats to all of the locals who played this past weekend in the OS Semis/Finals of which I saw a couple of them playing.

I ran into Coach Norris last night and we briefly chatted about his new opportunity at Boone. He had his first meeting with the boys yesterday which seemed to go well or at least as well as first introductions can go. Phone interviews for the other coaching positions have occurred which was good to hear for the boys. Too early for any details on those.

Of course they update the website about 5 mins after posting. Going back to your regularly scheduled program...

Are they webcasting the game? I can't seem to find it on the KHSAA website but I'm sure it's user error. I'm seeing opening round games but none others on khsaa.tv. If no video feed, best audio feed recommendations would be appreciated.

Additionally, there are large number of foreign students in comparison to female students. Combine that with the above and its why there is such difference between the number of male and female futballers signing. Also, this is about the only country where the universities sponsor sports. In Europe, futbal along with other sports is club only where they will associate themselves with a local school for youth only. So, many oversees players come here to get a good education and play. I've attended a recruiting camp in England a couple years back that had around 13 DI college coaches in attendance. I bring it up as just a couple of weeks ago a parent was asking me why so many girls around the area were playing in college while so few boys were. Image if European universites all had basketball teams and had scholarships. yes, it's doubtful the ESPN 300 kids would go over there but a kid who may play DIII here could go over there on a full or partial ride and play at a top university. It's basically the same situation in reverse. The top players over there play for cllubs there and the less talented (it's subjective I know) or those not intended to play pro will jump at the chance to come over here and play. Pick 5 DI, DII and DII schools each and look at the rosters.

A friend of mine who's son was one of the Louisville boys selected and attended an All-State game this past Saturday. He told me that outside of the freezing temperature he went on about he said the games were very fun to watch, especially the 1st/2nd team game. He commented it was enjoyable to watch a high school game were there was quality play across the whole pitch but most importantly a game without any fouls. Of course I reminded him, there was nothing to play for outside of the pure love of the game. He said, they really looked to be having a blast and really had spectacular moments of play. Not sure if any of the local boys made it down there but hope they did and enjoyed it as much as my friend's son did.

Missed the last 3 weeks of NKY soccer with all the Cincy games I was attending but was looking to see who from the area was coming back next year. I only saw the following three underclassmen in the area on the list of which I've seen the first two play and were very impressed. I don't know about the politics or process for how they go about voting but using the first 2 as a gauge i could see another 2-3 that could be on that list from the teams I did see play based on skill and soccer IQ which is what I would look at more than pure athleticism. Any others to watch out for next season? On a side note, I would have to agree that from a skill and soccer IQ standpoint ALONE the Treadway boy should be on there. I emphasis the criteria but understand there's more to how they vote on those things. Bryce Day (Cov. Catholic) Jr. Adam Snow (Cooper) So. Nathan Roe (Ryle) Jr.

This is just an interpretation and not a statement of fact but based on what I see on KHSAA's RIHERD site they have it down as being held "at Region 9" per 2014 Kentucky High School Boys Soccer I'm assuming this means in Region 9 and the field rules apply so I would assume that means either Tower Park or Ryle with the former being the best bet as it was the host of the Region 9 finals. Speculation on my part.

To be clear for those not following the complete thread which is WAY off topic of HS soccer, here are some basic facts. KPL= Kentucky Premier League (statewide competitive league bound to only Ky registered teams) MRL = Midwest Regional League (league based on top 1-2 teams from Ohio out to Kansas and Minn down to Ky roughly) OS = Ohio South NL= National League (highest level OPEN league) in the country All states have their own sanctioned soccer program with some larger population states being divided up into parts thus Ohio has both Ohio South (basically Columbus southward) and Ohio North. When a team registers for a state association which is required for just about any competitive league it's based on the residence of their players which is why some NKY teams for the same club vary between OS and KY. For Ky association, who runs the State CUP, they require any team who wishes to play in it to participate in the KPL. This is where it gets even more confusing. The state also has control over who is allowed to participate in the MRL. Kentucky will only approve teams to participate in MRL if they participate in the KPL. I don't believe they require them to compete in KPL if they are in NL but unsure. To add to the confusion there is one last major league made of teams that are part of a club that is a "Development Academy Club" which are the top clubs year after year in the country with the closest being either the Columbus Crew or Indiana Fire. Some club teams participate in both NL and Development Academy League like Vardar in Michigan. The goal of all truly competitive soccer clubs is to obtain a Development Academy demotion. The closest team that use to have it was Ohio Elite but that was years ago. It's also what the River City/Derby city Rovers (formed a coupe of years ago in Louisville with top players mainly in Louisville are but have players from all over Ky and parts of Indiana and I believe only have boys team at this time) is looking targeting to to get. BTW, they don't compete in the KY state cup and those teams are not based on age in soccer season (Aug-Aug) but calendar year which is how the national teams are rostered which is how FIFA (international gov body) There are of course a ton of other leagues such as TPL, CUSL, etc. but the above mentioned are the top in terms of level of competition with KPL being the lowest. As for comparing competition between KPL and OS it's a numbers game. In OS, they pull from such a much larger population and the shear number of teams and clubs (as stated by someone above) will of course produce more talented teams than whats in KY. Unlike most competitive club teams from what I've seen, the HS teams actually allow kids (yes, they are in fact kids playing) to enjoy a few month playing and competing with friends and representing their schools before they go back to spend the other 8 months with their club teammates who they rarely if ever see outside of practice/games and very long road trips. A little light reading but i guess the real reason is to shed some light on levels of competition varies in club just as they are in HS.

I've seen NDA play 3 times this year and the game looked to go as the previous two. NDA controlled the ball the majority of the first half with several good looks. Dixie didn't threaten at all int he first half. The second half saw Dixie come out with more energy and determination. Several through balls with and high pressure caused some issues for NDA's back line in handling the pressure. One of which forced a corner on the bench side of NDA's goal. Dixie plays 2 at the corner and played the ball out from the goal line where a Dixie had a very well played cross inside the 6 yd box with a very nice header for their goal. NDA was leading 2-0 at that point and really was a good game as Dixie's forward up top (heard the name Nemo; sorry don't know the players at all) was a very impressive to watch with not just her speed but her first touch was very good and looked to play it passed the defended and then would run by them. NDA had to sit 2 girls on her to tie her up. The Dixie goal was goal of the match for me although the NDA player (didn't see number or recall her name) who had their second goal had a rip from about 10 yards outside that was pretty impressive as well. The third goal an unfortunate one as there was a long through ball over Dixie's back line and landed about halfway between the back line running back toward their own goal and the keeper. Not sure what communication there was between the Dixie keeper and her center back who was sprinting back and had an NDA player running with her but it looked as the center back peeled off seeing the keeper about to kick the ball but the NDA player ran hard and either she tipped it past the keeper (about 15 yards out from the top of the box) or the keeper just missed it but the ball came through clean and the NDA player tapped it in on an open net. Overall, NDA just had too many ball control players and strong players for Dixie to deal with for 80 minutes.

First time at a game held at Ryle HS last night to watch the girls regional and find the following specification hard to believe was approved based on the announcer last night: "There shall be a public address system available and a public address announcer who shall be approved by the tournament competitors." Nothing personal against the gentlemen but i think the players and coaches would appreciate less color commentary especially when he was guessing at ref calls or when a player made a mistake. I've just never heard such constant commentary at a HS game. You don't have half that amount at a college game.

I believe the new field size requirements only get applied to Regional Semi and Finals. The only two fields in NKY that fit the new requirements are Tower Park and Ryle from what I was told from someone involved with the State soccer organization.

I've seen the Boone girls 3 times this year. Very young team. I think they may start 1 or possibly 2 seniors. You an see they are trying to play control ball but with their youth the speed of game from teams like NDA and Ryle causes them to struggle. I saw the Ryle game at districts finals and they were up 2-0 before Ryle kicked it into another gear and the speed and size of Ryle's front were too much to match with due to, in my opinion, their youth.

I saw the state brackets and you answered the question about the regional brackets not being set until the Sunday prior to them being played. Thanks much.

Sorry if this has been answered but I'm fairly new to how KHSAA works. I'm curious to know how KHSAA works in terms of the tournaments from district through State. The information seems to be pretty sporadic and it's a bit of a mystery. I'm more accustomed to how they run it in Ohio where it seems a bit more straight forward and you can follow all the brackets (although broken up on multiple websites which are linked) from the first games all the way through to state finals and see where possible match-ups are and dates. So,my questions are the following: 1) Are the location and dates of Regionals set? If not, when are they and how are the published (yes, I looked on KHSAA's website simply saw most, for some reason not local, regions have a site plan filed but nothing else)? 2) Are the brackets for regionals pre-set or determined based on who comes out of district tourney play? For example, Region 10 has 3 districts and I believe i read that 2 come out of each district. So, how do they set the brackets for Region 10 for the 6 teams or Region 9 for that matter? Sorry for the ignorant questions if these are well known by the long timers on here. I just find it ironic that the dates and brackets for State are all set and well documented yet districts and regionals are a bit of a mystery. Again, if this is straightforward and posted somewhere, apologizes for my ignorance.

I believe the below are the game date/times for first set of District games based on what I've seen. Please correct if wrong. Monday 10/13 CCH v Holmes @ CHH 5:15 HC v Cov Latin @ HC 5:15 Dixie v Villa @ Dixie 7:00 Simon Kenton v WV @ Grant Cnty 8:00 Carroll v Gallatin @ Gallatin 8:00 Tuesday 10/14 St Pats v Pendleton @ Pendleton 6:00 Cooper v Ryle @ Boone 6:00 Calvary v Bishop @ Scott 6:00 HHS v NCC @ Tower 7:00 Mason v Harrison @ Pendleton 8:00 Henry v Owen @ Gallatin 8:00 Boone v Conner @ Boone 8:00 Campbell v Scott @ Scott 8:00

Keep in mind that stated by someone on this thread the HS refs are down a considerable number of refs. I don't know the number they have but I found out those in NKY have to cover the area from as far away as Mason County and down to Carrol County. (I'm from across the river and don't know the area well but can read a map). Although someone stated they are well paid, keep in mind they are typically doing 2 games each day they work which in normally circumstances would be 3 times a week but I 've seen a couple of games in consecutive days (girls and boys) where the same ref is doing both games as CR and AR. I recall seeing some numbers a few years ago that at a high level youth game (U14-16) the CR will on average cover 5-6 and the AR 3-4 miles. I'm not implying every HS ref travels that distance but it gives folks some perspective of how much is involved. Now assuming a HS ref is doing 3 sets of matches (1 CR and 1 AR) per week that comes out to about 24-30 miles per week. Even if you cut that in half you are talking 12-15 miles a week mostly on turf which is harder on bodies than nice (not what's around here from what I've seen) grass fields. I don't know how many games they are actually averaging a week but I guessing it's slightly higher than the 3 sets of matches per week. I think you are looking at some of these refs back in the 24-30 miles a week range. My point is when it comes to one of these refs doing their third game on a Saturday at the end of the week how much can you truly expect them to be "in the right position" either as a CR or as AR 100% of the time? I don't do HS at all but do high level games and from all the above I can see where it can affect these HS refs in terms of positioning, physical and mental fatigue which all affect their performance. Not to say observations made here about positioning or inconsistent call or anything else about performance of refs seen at these HS games are wrong but keep some of this in mind when you are watching the next 80 mins HS game. As someone stated I'm sure they are always looking for refs. The lack of numbers and "quality" of refs is a whole separate discussion I won't go into but will leave you with this thought which is to think to the last time you watched a U10 Rec game and how the 13 or 14 year old refs were treated. Where do you think HS or any seasoned refs get their start?

Whoever did this should win best in class award for all soccer supporters. I thought I was seeing double when I looked down the stands and saw him/her walking around. Really nice to see someone having fun in the stands.