Goal15

$450 per team is not expensive? That is quite expensive man, especially for high school (and with shortened games and a running clock). That is approaching low level college showcase entrance fees. Say you put in 3 teams (which a lot of schools do), that is $1350 for the weekend. A ton of money for most high school programs. 7-8 years ago it was like $250 per team. Costs have risen quickly!

BGSG used to be a great event, but now it is price gouging high schools (who don't have much money), using the exception to their advantage. I wish KHSAA would allow schools to do something else as an exception that doesn't cost so much. It is insane how much the BGSG costs per team, and in 2015 it was probably the worst run that I can ever remember. I am guessing the only reason this continues is because of the relationship between BGSG and KHSAA in regards to referee evals.

Just because they are always the top 2, Dunbar and Henry Clay are up there until they get knocked off. But I think HC may end up in the middle of the group by the end of the year. Lexington Catholic can be very good. Return much of their team from last year. Definitely a rebuilding year for Creek but they probably have the best incoming freshman class, so bright future ahead. I think it is wide open though. The gap from best to worst is not big.

Soccer does it right. With the one state champion at least. The format for the state tournament is debatable.

Gotcha. Well I know in Lex and Louisville, this has been the norm for a long, long time. Also, when you get to state, it is all by scoreboard, so better get used to it.

How is this different than what they do now? For as long as I can remember time has always been on the scoreboard for high school soccer.

Also might be neat to see all-time accumulative rankings which would basically rank the programs since 2005. Not sure how easy or difficult that may be.

East selections are extremely senior heavy. It seems the landscape of high school soccer on this side will look very different next year.

Congrats to CovCath! They were definitely the better team on Saturday! I thought Henry Clay was the more technical team but CovCath was the more dynamic. The difference in the game to me was that the attacking players for CovCath were more effective against the HC backline than vice versa. Not too terribly surprising as HC has a great midfield and back line, but their attack is not overwhelming. I was disappointed that Henry Clay never tried something different offensively as what they did all game long was not working. It is kind of nice that the championship has rotated the past 4 years - Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, and NKY. Parity is good for the state and the sport. Better than when St. X was winning every single year. Still I'm kind of surprised there are no CovCath people on here saying how the win wasn't pretty enough or something! haha So who is the early favorite for 2016?

This goes with my belief that the KHSAA soccer tournament doesn't always necessarily crown the best overall team, similar to the NCAA basketball tournament. A lot of times it is about match ups, who is hot, and the path to the final four. I do believe that both CovCath and Henry Clay are two of the best teams in the state this year, but I am not convinced either is the definitive "best team" no matter what happens tomorrow. Too much parity. If we started the postseason again on Monday it would probably turn out differently. I will say it is interesting that we have gone two years in a row without a powerhouse Louisville team making the final four. Fern Creek, as noted, had a fortunate path to be there and may not even be in the top 10 of Louisville schools.

My personal opinion: 2014 Dunbar > 2015 Henry Clay 2014 Henry Clay > 2015 Henry Clay 2014 Tates Creek > 2015 Henry Clay 2014 Bowling Green > 2015 Bowling Green 2014 South Oldham > 2015 South Oldham 2014 Trinity > 2015 Trinity There are always exceptions. Madison Central this year was much better than in 2014. Mercer County was better this year than in 2014. Both teams gave Henry Clay tough games but I would argue neither were at the level of the top teams in 2014. I do think many of the "non-powers" were much better in 2015 than in 2014 so depth may have increased but the level just decreased at the top. And I do think CovCath this year is better than Scott last year, so maybe NKY is different. Looking forward most of the teams I mentioned above will take another hit next year. There is just not equal top talent coming up through these teams right now to replace what leaves, or it is just more spread out.

Maybe. But I don't think that is what's happening in the Lexington or Louisville areas.

Haha true. I meant man more in a general sense. But you got a point!

Sheesh man. They are in the FINALS! And if they win on Saturday in an ugly fashion, I'm sure it won't be good enough. Good grief.

I'm not sure if talent is down. There is still a lot of good talent in the state. But the level of play from teams is definitely down. And it will take another hit next year. I think this may be has to do with more talent spread out across schools as opposed to many of the top players in certain areas going to one or two schools. Henry Clay for example will be the last school in central KY for awhile to have the top talent in one class at one school. In the past it has been Dunbar, but looking forward it is really spread out. Makes things more even and more exciting, but it does mean the level of play is not quite what it has been.

Goal scored from a corner. I believe someone said it might be a one goal win for Henry Clay with a goal off a free kick.

Henry Clay is not ranked in the top 15 because they have not submitted stats this year. But they have given up 18 goals in 25 games while CovCath is 18 in 26, and as you mentioned HC has played a tougher schedule. I go by the eye test, not stats. 3 of the back 4 play on the 98 LFC White team, and the one that doesn't is a high level athlete. For me though, Aime puts them over the top. He's the best defender I've seen in the state this year.

But I thought CovCath was no good because they couldn't finish? As I said earlier in the postseason, it is all about surviving and advancing. Nitpicking is unnecessary.

Henry Clay is better defensively. They have the best back line in the state. Goalkeeper could be an issue though. BG is better offensively, but not by a ton. HC does not have much depth though. I give that edge to BG. Will be a tight one. I'll go with HC by one goal from a set piece.

It's kind of sad this is an Elite 8 score. One girls game was a mercy rule 10-0 score and another 7-0. Henry Clay won their game 6-0. Yikes.

It should be in the postseason. Some people can never be pleased.

I've never seen a team criticized so much for winning. It's the postseason. Survive and advance. That is all that matters, whether it is ugly or not. There are so many factors that influence a performance in the postseason. Lighten up.

Too bad this isn't the championship. In my opinion these are the 2 best teams in the region. Definitely the 2 most talented.

This district is so tough. I felt like both Tates Creek and Lafayette were the two best teams in this district (not by much) and now both are going home. Margin of error is so small.

I like football a little less every year. It is entertaining to watch but much of the culture around the sport is quite silly. Or I just don't get it. There is a reason why the rest of the world hasn't really caught on. Probably says more about this country than anything.