thehotsnakes

I fully get their talent level, but to say it is similar to that of any FBS team would be insane. I wasn't saying anything to slight the programs, but just to say that most coaches aren't sending kids to Alabama or even an EKU. Most coaches know that for almost all of their kids, if they're playing at a Pikeville, Cumberlands, LWC or Campbellsville, it's the best they could have done. NAIA rosters aren't filled with elite kids. Granted the top end schools could have some transfers, but that's about it. They're filled with good enough high school players who are probably a little too small for their position or were maybe just a step too slow. Some of them might be there because of grades, but those guys will usually choose the JUCO route.

The Rebs have had their number for the last 2 years. I'm always a big supporter of the programs like Adair and have been a big supporter of what they did last year and this year. However, for whatever reason, Casey seems to get up for this one more. I don't think Adair blows them out. Either Adair wins by single digits, or Casey wins by 16+. I'd love to see Adair surpass their regular season win total from last year, I'm just not entirely convinced that they will.

I would assume they would be the only ones. Louisville and Eastern teams would probably rather go to Lex. I always feel bad when Belfry has to go 6 hours across the state for it.

I've always said the best coaches are who get wins in an improbable place, either in high school or college. Everybody talks about college coaches being great recruiters at places like Alabama and Ohio State. I'll take the guy who gets good players to go to a MAC school. Same goes for high school. If you're winning games in a small town with kids who might, MIGHT, play on an NAIA or small school level, I really respect that. That's not to say that the coaches at Trinity and other powerhouses aren't good or great coaches, because they are. But, I want to see the coach who is laboring over a way to get his woefully slow WR in space, and who realizes that if he can't out scheme the next team on Friday, they'll lose. There is such a beauty, if you want to look at it that way, in seeing a coach get so much more out of his players, because he spent so much time planning, scheming and prepping.

What about a 4 sport athlete? Is there even any way to do that? Like, football, basketball, baseball and wrestling or track? I don't know when wrestling season is. Or lacrosse? I have a ton of respect for the 2 and 3 sport kids. Especially kids who are really good at all sports. Those pure, athletic specimens are such a joy to get to see when they are doing well. Kind of like Bo Jackson.

If I was the HC at a place like Trinity, I'd take my starters and a handful of key backups, compete in 1A, and never lose. The whole idea of "lesser competition" only matters if you're going to eventually face some really good teams. If everyone in your class is average, and you're filled with superstars, a challenge means nothing. Your assumptions are based on your own, personal honor code of having all the kids who want to play, and still maintaining some sort of balance because clearly no coach would try to job the system. Basing it on population is the only way to have any sort of balance. Because everybody is working with the same general numbers. Sometimes you have a good year or two, sometimes you have a bad 20 years. Every coach in high school, head or assistant, knows this is the life of every public school. Areas hit by an economic downturn or something can expect to see a drop in numbers and a drop in quality. Ask Fort. Campbell about changing situations in a school district.

I think 6 classes is great for football. People can complain about too many teams making the playoffs, or certain teams not fitting their criteria of being good enough for the post season. But I would rather include too many teams with some not being very good, than limiting the teams and having some good teams miss out because they're in a great district. As for me, I don't much care for basketball. I've been to the state tournament a few times, and everybody there was just losing their minds. I mean, I guess that's just because Kentucky is a basketball state. Would I be upset if they even did a 2 class system for basketball and had a Sweet 16 two weekends in a row. I might actually watch those games.

This. 100% this. I love making a weekend out of it. A day of games, followed by food and fun on Friday. Then another day of games. I love getting to watch 6 games full of good teams in 2 days. If it's Thursday and Sunday, I'll only be coming to one day. And that's pretty crappy. Plus on Thursday, you're short changing half the teams an extra day of prep. They have the same length, but any deviation in a normal schedule can always pose a risk of throwing 15-18 year old kids off their game. Push it back a week if you have to, but keep it on Friday and Saturday. I guess if it comes down to Thursday and Sunday, then I'll be a Marshall fan. Go Herd!

Morals and all of that stuff is fine and dandy, but until there are awards for kids being good people or having a high GPA, wins will be all that matter. I've known plenty of coaches who weren't bad people in the slightest, but were just awful at coaching. A lot of the "feel good" stuff in little league and middle school. When a kid gets to high school, if he's a jerk, chances are he's going to stay a jerk. Very few people I graduated high school with ever went from being a total butt to being a super good, fun person. A coach is given what they are given, they can't change that. But, no body has fun watching their team consistently get the clock run on them. And ultimately, if players and fans aren't having fun, a coach isn't going to last long. People talk about certain offenses being "fun" or "fun to watch," but at the end, if you win, you're fine. It's not fair to judge a high school coach by win-loss record, but it's life. It's not going to change.

Campbellsville by 21 before their injuries, now I'm going to flip it and say KCD by 3 scores.

Ultimately, I don't really have many issues with the post season in this state. I'm sure it could be done better, but I tend to think it could be done a whole lot worse. There are way too many things that would be arbitrary if you got into seeding. Frequently an 8-2 record could be better looking than a 9-1 or 10-0. The system isn't perfecr, but I think it works.

The tie breaker is non-district opponents record, right? Out of a 3 way tie, none of them have played a glorious schedule, but I'd just assume Adair probably has the edge there with Taylor and KCD, and then Casey have at least won some games. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong. I very well could be. In fact, I probably am. But, either way, I really wouldn't expect Adair to lose to Hart. At all. They just don't have the weapons or speed to compete with Adair at any spot on the field.

Isn't Adair already the 2 seed? LaRue is out. Hart is 4th and Edmonson is 3rd. Right? Hart can't improve their seeding with a win, nor can Adair. If Adair loses, wouldn't they still have the tiebreaker with Edmonson?

COY always ends up being a situation of "who surprised us the most." It's a much harder job when you don't have talent. So many coaches at the elite programs in this state do a great job at using the talent they have. But, I'm more impressed to see what someone does with a few NAIA players on their team, rather than high level athletes. I've seen plenty of really great coaches and teams work magic with minimal talent. It's how I feel about college basketball. I'm not a huge fan of giving COY to Coach Cal, because it's a much easier job with a roster full of NBA players. Is he a great coach? Without a doubt. But I'm inclined to believe it's much easier to win games with athletes than it is with mathletes.

So, Mercer is first in the district, EJ is second and Taylor is third?

Isn't that kind of the point of fans cheering and making noise on defense? I mean, I've been to plenty of games where a visiting team struggles to get the call on the field because of noise, artificial and natural. That's why most people try and not scream while their team is on offense. I don't like air horns, at least when they're close to me. Same goes for cowbells. I've known of teams whose fans kind of embrace the cowbell thing, sort of like Miss. State. And as far as it disrupting signals, that's completely relative. If a team uses hand signals or Oregon style picture boards, no amount of noise will disrupt their ability to see.

I've only been to a handful of places that have one. I think it's easier to have one, and I've seen a team as recently as a few weeks ago regularly get about a 30 second play clock without a penalty. If it's visible, the officials can't ignore it.

Before Campbellsville got hurt, I would have picked them by a lot. Now, I just don't know. Maybe Campbellsville by 6.

I like it and don't think there is anything wrong with it. I've seen it where most of the families are around the team. It really enforces a community and family atmosphere. Parents feel involved and part of the process.

So does this make Union the 3rd place team in that district?

16-7 Edmonson. I've heard plenty of stories about the treatment a team gets when they play at Edmonson. No thanks. Don't want to go there.

Maybe I missed something. I had to have. The reporter had a tweet about a bad snap. The coach and wife confronted him over it. The reporter had to have said something else. Like, called them fat or ugly or stupid. Or spit on them. But, seriously, who behaves that way? I stared at my phone for a minute or two after reading that article. Just baffled by people.

So, who is going to win this district? Can anybody give any district standings and such?

EJ just isn't good enough to stop them up front. Taylor by 3 scores.

Over/under at 35?