ChiefSmoke

Maybe so. But one that is NOT an idiot is @gchs_uk9. In fact, his idea for alignment has a bunch of positives.

When I was a little kid, a recurring event on the calendar every winter was that my Dad would be gone a few days to THE clinic. I think the first clinics were the Kodak Coach of the Year Clinics that he attended in the early 70s. Usually, he attended that clinic and one that would be hosted by the University of Kentucky during their spring practice. When I was a young coach, I was excited to finally attend THE clinic which was held annually at the Galt House in Louisville. Many of the big names in college football would speak at that clinic. And, in my Dad's era, if you were not attending THE clinic, you were not serious about football and coaching. Coaches still attend those clinics. And, the Galt House Clinic is still a prominent & quality clinic. But, clinics have exploded across the country. You can find one every weekend. There is still value in attending those clinics. Another option has evolved because of technology..... the online clinic. Over the past few years, I have really enjoyed Gridiron Strategies, American Football Monthly, X & O Labs, and now First Down Playbook. The first two are more like a conventional clinic. X & O Labs offer an extra level of depth over a wide range of topics. First Down Playbook is, the best I can describe, a huge and manageable data bank of college and NFL plays. The amount of information they offer is overwhelming. The sites are a bargain for the content you receive. And, as my children get older and have a multitude of events, attending a clinic gets tougher every year. Add in Emma's birthday (2/10), Stephanie's birthday (2/15) & Valentine's Day..... February clinic attendance some year's, depending on how the calendar hits, might be what we called at Mason County a "rookie husband mistake. Bottom line.... if a coach wants to learn and get better, there are a multitude of options. And, I still probably get the most benefit by visiting other programs, their staffs, and watching their practices and workouts. I will miss attending the Galt House clinic this year. But, I won't miss the snoring that shook the room back in 1987. I never could figure out how a freight train got on the 10th floor of a hotel. 😃 Links to the sites mentioned at : Black Shoes and White ShoeStrings: Clinics in the 21st Century

Congratulations to a wonderful man & coach on a tremendous career. We had 3 great battles, Mason vs. ROCK and I was fortunate to serve on his staff the night the KY All Stars beat Tennessee @ Neyland in June of 2004. It was an honor & privilege to cross paths with Coach Larkey. Absolutely a legendary coach in KY HS football.

Great hire. Congratulations to the Tigers & Coach Wallace!

Coach Souder's decisions are always driven by winning championships in March. He is a wise and OLD coach!

KHSAA approves semifinal re-seeding | Sports | dailyindependent.com Here is a good article by Zack Klemme that can offer some insights on seeding for the semifinals.

I don’t think it was proposed. Looked like someone started working on it and left in a hurry due to snow in the middle of the project.

Guys- someone called me this morning & told me about the KHSAA district maps online. I have to believe that is a working document/transition document. I don’t believe Mercer is in a district without Boyle, and our new district includes Pendleton, Russell (Flatwoods) , Fleming, Mason & Lewis.... & Taylor County. Can you imagine the travel for Taylor Co. to Flatwoods???

That is one game I don't want to ever play!

Guys- someone called me this morning & told me about the KHSAA district maps online. I have to believe that is a working document/transition document. I don’t believe Mercer is in a district without Boyle, and our new district includes Pendleton, Russell (Flatwoods) , Fleming, Mason & Lewis.... & Taylor County. Can you imagine the travel for Taylor Co. to Flatwoods???

The reseeding is to take place for the semifinals using the region champions.The obvious reason is that travel is not as big of an issue on Thanksgiving weekend. Logistically, in my opinion, seeding before the semifinals is incredibly difficult in regards to travel.

In the 21st century, how do you recruit guys to your football program? We started recruit night at Mason County HS and have continued it here at Mercer County HS. One of the driving forces for me was my belief that if I could get the parents with my assistant coaches, they would want those men coaching their son. We model this after how colleges will do recruiting weekends. We invite the families for a small meal of appetizers and we include 3 tickets to the basketball game that evening, which should be one of the best games of the season. In early January, we send postcards to prospective 8th graders that will be freshmen in the upcoming season. We will also have our coaches call to follow up and invite the kids and their families. Once we get them there, here is our itinerary: Overall, this has been an effective way to get kids introduced to our program and get them going in HS football. We host it on a Friday Night and call it their first Friday Night of HS football. If you have ideas to recruit kids to play HS football, please send me your ideas to david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us. More photos at : http://http://blackshoesandwhiteshoestrings.blogspot.com/2018/01/recruit-night-recruiting-football.html

Everything I am hearing confirms what @coachhawk told us from the beginning... he is staying at Western Hills.

That is interesting and really cool. I bug Jeff Hester and Chuck Smith too much. I will email Mike Settles on this one. Lol If the 82 Boyle- Mercer video is in there, will have to destroy. Would hate to let the truth interfere with how I remember that game.

Mercer County Titans and yes, our school / community supports our kids & football program. We are appreciative and thankful for that support!

This past December we made the decision to put a high grade indoor/outdoor "turf" on the top level of the complex. The plan was to use the top level and split it into two areas. One area would be for running backs & linebackers. The other area would be for offensive and defensive linemen. The main turf, original turf on the 1st level would be for wide receivers, quarterbacks & defensive backs. This time last year, all 57 guys would have been in this space. Today was our first day back in school and we didn't waste anytime in working to get better. We had our 1st Perfection workout of the offseason and it went great! The extra space really made a difference.... to the point that I feel really stupid that we didn't figure out a way to get this done earlier. To be fair, we didn't have the money. But, thanks to our field sign and game sponsors, we were able to finally pull it off. And, I am glad we got it done quick. It was great to have it available on the first day of the 2018 offseason. We still have a long way to go and alot of room for improvement. But, we have no excuses for not being the best we can be. More pictures, additional information on Perfection workouts, and a player interview at: Black Shoes and White ShoeStrings: 2

My Dad's first game as a head football coach was leading the Boyle County Rebels at Greensburg HS versus the Dragons, August 29th, 1969. I was 4 years old and made the trip. The Rebels did not win a game in 1967 or 1968. The Rebels defeated the Dragons that night 14-6. I was so excited I couldn't sleep. Only 4 years old, my mom let me stay up until my Dad got home. I will always remember that game and that night. The 1969 team went on to finish the season 9-1-1, a huge turn around from going winless two seasons in a row. It was one of the happiest times for my Dad and our family. Tonight, Lee Glasscock, a senior on that 1969 team, gave me a dvd copy of that game. I never dreamed I could have a video of my Dad's first game as a head coach. Now I have it thanks to Lee. 2018 is off to a great start.

The Browns were my Dad’s favorite team growing up in the 50’s and they were very good. Blanton Collier from Paris, Ky was the head coach when Jim Brown played and Cleveland won the NFL Championship in 1964. I would hate to see the Browns go under.

key word.... eventually. Lol.

Coach Gruneisen use to say that things are never as bad as they seem or as good as they seem. If they keep getting early round draft picks, they will get better....eventually.

I am a big fan of Coach Wolford. Best wishes to him & St. X down the road.

Congratulations to the Rebels!

Where is Nick Partin? I know he got into coaching. He was a tough son of a gun and very good player. We got a kick out of him trash talking our sideline when he played corner at Newport. Those were fun games between Mason County & Newport! I will always be a fan of Newport HS football. I hope they can find them a guy that can make it work.

Congratulations to St. X on the win. I was fortunate to talk football one afternoon with Coach Wolford & Coach Bruner. I was impressed with them as coaches and people. Congratulations also to my very good friend and outstanding football coach, Jim McKee on ANOTHER outstanding season. His comment was not an excuse. Just stating a fact. His comment combined with my conversations with him..... Trinity, St. X, Moeller, & Elder have great football programs. I get it... we are all entitled to our opinion. Just sharing mine.

You know I love the Greyhounds and would not trade my time there for anything. But, when Mercer won the district title in 1986, I was really glad we did not have to face the Greyhounds a 2nd time! Like you said... we won 1 playoff game.... the region championship and were in the semifinals. Very different set up.