ChiefSmoke

Congratulations to this wonderful young man! It is a blessing to coach him on the football field!

Thank you Guru. Franklin had a very good game plan. I am super proud of our kids and staff. We were down 25-7. Reminded me of the Royals in 2012 in Flatwoods(Russell) down 28-10 and coming back to win. Great kids and coaches have been bailing me out in big games for a long time! :thumb:

I have done it before, and it really made people mad. I did it to protect our bodies. Bear Bryant said when you get a game won, start working on winning the next one. Getting out of a game with as many healthy bodies is the priority for me and it is best for our team. Sportsmanship..... a 35 point win, versus a 36 point win, versus a 41 point win.... not that big of a difference unless a score comes late in a game by the first string.

Twitter Here is their new weightroom. I also know they have an intensive ACT prep program. Jordan Johnson is working his tail off for his kids and to build a program with a strong foundation. The wins will come.

One of the best coaches in the state saw the LCA game and said "your boy is doing a great job at Waggener." Jordan played for me at Mason. This same coach said the kids play extremely hard for Jordan. He said they are low in numbers & got tired. Waggener is on the radar right now because of Jordan Johnson, his ability as a coach, and how much he loves his kids. The issue with Waggener.... they are building and making big strides.

I would add.... scrimmage scores are meaningless. For example, we will always fake a punt in a scrimmage just to make our first opponent defend it. In 1987 in the CKC grid, we got in split backs and ran dive every play....and had never practiced it. When I was at Paris, my best guys might get 30 snaps and then I started protecting bodies. Some coaches call bad plays on purpose so they get their tails kicked as a wake up call. (The Mercer fans are saying...."Our coach does that every week!" Lol. ) I hate scrimmage scores.

When we were moved to a different class from the Tomcats, Leon Hart and I decided we would scrimmage each year. One of the highlights of the season for me became our annual preseason scrimmage with Ashland. From a football perspective, it is a great experience for our team. Ashland is sound fundamentally in all phases of the game. They have a physical and well-coached offensive line and defense. Their schemes on both sides of the ball are also outstanding. When we scrimmage the Tomcats, our manhood and our toughness are tested, and all of our weaknesses are exposed. The video of that scrimmage will tell us exactly what needs to be fixed and is an instant progress report on every player. All of those reasons are most important in why we scrimmage Ashland, but for me, the best part of the scrimmage was getting to see Coach Hart. Before a scrimmage, both coaches are going to be a lot more relaxed than before a game. Over the years, my visits with Coach Hart before our scrimmage have been a great time for stories, catching up on our families and getting advice, but primarily being thankful for a very good friend. http://www.afmservers.com/share/friends-who-make-you-better/

We went at 6 am this morning. Does that count? Still dark.

Here is a good article: Despite rising concerns over concussions, this doctor prescribes football | Star Tribune 1- The benefits of football far outweigh the risks. 2- Comparing HS football to the NFL is ridiculous.

He has a football offer from EKU.

Poor math skills, but a little better numbers.... 43 varsity and 20 frosh.

Mercer: 40 Varsity & 19 Freshmen

Yes it is. I am happy for Coach Shope. Besides being a great coach, he was super nice to my youngest son on my first day at Mercer. Trosper was having a very rough time and Jeremy really helped him in this transition. I will always appreciate that about him. Good luck to Whitley County baseball & Coach Shope!

Many people do understand, but are scared to say it. They fear being criticized for being too sports-oriented.

This one is inspired by the BGPreps faithful. I knocked this out before heading to Friday Night Camp.... we may have 100 kids tonight. I love KY HS Football! My Dad's first Boyle team in 1969 after a practice in August. These guys look tired, but they became a very good team! In the past couple days I have talked to two very successful coaches and at very strong programs who were having trouble getting their kids to attend practices/workouts. We have tried to build in some flexibility in July and this is how we do it. From the end of the dead period until we start official "practice" , we have "workouts." For our guys to earn their Pr1de shorts, they must have no unexcused absences from workouts in July. In early/mid July, we will still allow our guys to miss for church camps, family vacations, and other legitimate reasons, as long as they communicate with us ahead of schedule. Also, for the first two weeks, we only go 3 days a week. Each workout is 3 hours and they are pretty intense....county fair agilities, lifting on the whistle, and then Coach Duffy's jingle jangles. We will also hit all 3 phases of the game and do as much as we can without any pads. I also like the extra recovery time they get because of how our workouts are spaced out while are kids are getting acclimated to the heat, humidity, & work load. We have already had one young man have significant dehydration issues. He is fine and he is safe, but it is taking his body time to adapt. The extra rest and recovery time will benefit our guys. On the 3rd week, we have a 3 hour workout on Monday, conditioning test on Tuesday, and finally official PRACTICE begins on that Wednesday. Now, to miss, it generally means a death in the family or a serious illness is all that will excuse a young man. Why do I say generally? Because there can always be exceptions. I try not to put myself in a corner where I would be unfair or make a decision that I know is wrong. Why are we flexible with workouts? I have a hard time telling a kid he can't go to church camp in mid-July. Some of our parents work in factories. They have no control over when they have vacation. I have had kids that were earning college basketball scholarships in July. I am going to work with those guys because it is important to their future. A college degree is a game changer for a young man and his family. This is the format with a few tweaks here & there that we have used for 26 years. Most of the time it has worked well. I think the kids & families appreciate our attempt to be flexible and fair. Besides, my Dad always told me, "If you can't get them ready in three weeks, you aren't a very good football coach!" If any coach has a better way to navigate July, please email me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us.

I am not going to start naming schools, but I have heard of a few with alarming low numbers this time of year. I love KY HS football but it is getting tougher and tougher to get kids out. They have a bunch of choices and every one of them is easier than football, especially compared to the old days. In the last 24 hours I have talked to two very successful coaches of highly successful programs that were struggling to get all of their kids to workouts/practices. And, in all fairness to the kids, I do think we start too early. I would be for pushing back the start of the season.

That is correct.

Right now in KY we are at zero contact for the first few practices. I know in Alabama the OTAs are more physical also. Our OTA is no contact. Tough to do, but we stay after the kids to keep it that way so no one gets hurt, in trouble, possibly lose the opportunity, etc. It is a small concession for the quality and amount of work we can get done.

We had an OTA here today with Danville, Mason County, & Woodford County. We originally got the idea from some high schools in south Alabama who had copied the NFL style workout. 7 on 7 is part of the OTA, but we also incorporate inside drill, 11 on 11, punt coverage and returning punts. This is a noncontact event. It involves all areas of the game and the kids enjoy an NFL style workout. I also like the OTA because it really pushes our kids after only having two workouts. We run multiple sets. They don't like so many sets and us pushing them to play fast. But, I could show them with my watch that as the day progressed, we played faster and better. We still have a long way to go, but overall it was good progress. Working our punt protection today, our guys got to see several different looks for punt rush. We corrected a bunch of mistakes. We also had to field punts with guys running down and getting in our face. I was especially pleased with our linebackers today. They worked hard to do the fundamental things we want done. They were very coachable and did well getting to the right spot. The report I got from our linemen work was also positive. To a HS football player in 2017, July 10 until the first game on August 19th is a long time! The OTA workout breaks up the monotony of workouts and practices. If anything, we may add another one next year. If any other HS coaches have experience or ideas on OTAs, please send those to me at david.buchanan@mercer.kyschools.us. OTA = Organized Team Activities Photos @: Black Shoes and White ShoeStrings: OTA- speeding up the process, breaking up the monotony

This is a great thread. My Dad's first Boyle team was in 1969. They upset Danville who opened the season against CovCath in the Rec Bowl. Boyle did not win a game in 67 & 68. Crazy to think they beat a team that played Cov Cath in the Rec Bowl. Alot of history/tradition & pride in what the Colonels have built. Very impressive and good luck to Coach Eviston & the Colonels in 2017!

I was trying not to go there but you got me! Lol. Coach Kelly has been good to me and I think he is an outstanding coach. But, yes, I stayed up watching the Orange Bowl, hoping Dustin would play, thinking he would play, thinking he SHOULD play, etc. and he did not. I have learned that I am as bad as any parent when my guys go to the next level... and it doesn't even matter what sport they are playing. My biases and loyalty cloud my thinking. But, based on Dustin's past performances before the injury and his heroics late in the season to secure the bowl bid, yes, I thought he should have played in the Orange Bowl. But, I am coaching at Mercer County and Coach Kelly is at Notre Dame. And, I don't like anyone telling me how to run my program and I extend the same courtesy to other coaches... especially ones as successful as Coach Kelly.

Dustin was the starter for Dantonio and in Kelly's first year, Mauk started. Dustin then started his senior year but suffered a bad leg/ankle injury at Oklahoma. He came back later in the season to lead the Bearcats to some big wins and secure the Orange Bowl berth.

1st Team Courier Journal wide receiver. :thumb:

I heard from one of my Dad's old Rebels. He said they didn't have a pole, but ran to the fence & the grass was rarely mowed. His thoughts on the fence were the same as mine on the pole.

On a side note.... you know you are from Maysville/Mason County if the two Millers in your phone are Matt & Darius!