Nathaniel Bryan

I'm sure there's a contigency plan in place. That being said, PART (not all) of the reason PJCS is no longer a site (in addition to Rawlings' support) is when U of L was still in the Big East, Louisville could NOT guarantee that PJCS would be available for the state weekend required by the KHSAA (because Big East loves Friday night ESPN games). Granted now we have a different issue (because of stadium availability and ESPN ... assuming WKU wins the right to host). Still a long ways off, sure. Won't argue that. But with the rise of WKU football, this is something that has to be accounted for.

Basketball finals are on Sunday. Softball was held on a Sunday morning once (granted late Saturday night, but game didn't finish until 2:30 in the morning). Some soccer districts (17th girls, 39th girls, 49th boys) played yesterday (Sunday). Thomas Nelson and the Jessamines held boys' soccer classics on Sunday, August 23 this season. The 2015 JCPS Volleyball tournament (featuring Atherton, Ballard, Brown, Doss, DuPont Manual, Eastern, Fern Creek, J'town, Male, PRP, Seneca, Valley, Waggener, Western) was on Sunday, August 23. And I know many softball teams who have played on Easter Sunday during Spring Break trips to Florida. The Sunday rule is going by the wayside in many instances and surely a schoolboard will wave it if Plus, the BG-Pulaski 5-A final was played on Sunday just two years ago because of weather. 2013 Kentucky High School Football

If it has already been discussed here, I apologize. Delete it, lock it, whatever. That being said: Conference USA Announces 2015 Football Schedule - Conference USA Official Athletic Site "The league's 11th annual Championship Game, pitting the champions of the East and West Divisions, is scheduled for Saturday, December 5 and will be televised by ESPN or ESPN 2." The C-USA title game is NOT played at a neutral site. If WKU continues to hold serve, it will be in line to HOST the game. Obviously, the KHSAA football finals are scheduled for the same date and same place. My first thought is the C-USA final would be moved to a Tuesday or Thursday night, but I'm not sure WKU's fans are too keen on that (as opposed to a Saturday afternoon). Anyone heard of a backup plan?

I get you. For either team, it wouldn't be very good to get up about this win and then turn around and lose in round 1, 2 or even 3 (Caldwell and Tilghman are good, but not unbeatable for E'town and Adair) of the playoffs. This weekend should NOT be the high point of either team's season.

Even if Adair beats E'town, it will be considered a "good" win, but not a "great" win or "elite" win because E'town hasn't exactly played a murderer's row as far as schedule. Neither has Adair. Caldwell is seen as the class of the region. Paducah Tilghman second. The E'town-Adair winner is third (with loser fourth). Bad thing is E'town/Adair still have to go through Caldwell or Tilghman to make it to the final (and then go through the other). Plus, Region 1 is considered fodder for whoever (Boyle or Central) comes out of Region 2. Adair beating E'town OR E'town beating Adair is a good win for the either. However, in the BIG picture, it's not that great. Boyle (beating everyone), Central (X), Caldwell (Tilghman) already have better wins. I'm not sure if you take out this week's game (beating E'town for the Indians, OR winning at Adair for the Panthers), what other win(s) the teams can hang their hats on. They just don't exist.

Eagles will win.

In order to beat E'town, you must be able to do both: Run AND Pass. Adair is heavily run-oriented (nearly 3:1, but way more than 2:1). The Indians will have to mix things up to give E'town a challenge defensively. Granted North Hardin has struggled this year (against a pretty decent schedule), NH was the one team which gave E'town fits defensively -- mainly because it had a good QB (Bankhead) and a great running back (Graves, who is a very capable pass catcher). North Hardin is bigger, deeper and far more athletic than Adair ... And E'town still bolted out to a decent lead before NH made a game of it late. Mark Brown teams tend to make HUGE strides in Year II. This team is no different. What's different from past Mark Brown teams though is this Elizabethtown team is more experienced than other Year II teams. Elizabethtown really didn't lose a lot from last year -- from a team still getting used to brand-new offensive, defensive and weight room concepts. Most of that team is back. They're also healthy as DE/TE Chase Bridges missed most of last year and LB Tyson Brown missed all of last year. Throw in three transfers (Jake Walker from Tennessee, the two Becherer brothers from Collins) and E'town has loads of depth defensively (I have a feeling Cecil would be a LB on many teams E'town plays and Cecil rarely, if ever, plays defense). It's been a while since E'town has had a challenge, and the Panthers certainly need one heading into the postseason. That being said, E'town has had this game circled on its calendar for a while (especially with some people saying this is the best Adair team ever and the Indians were a darkhorse favorite). Do I think Adair can win? Yes. An early lead, some turnovers and some injuries could easily swing the game the Indians' way. Do I think Adair WILL win? No, but Adair has still had a great season by its standards (and I'm sure many teams would like to have Adair's season and host a winnable playoff game).

Not really. No different than if a player was ruled ineligible for taking money or if a player was kicked off the team for drugs. Or if a player suddenly was hurt (tear ACL in practice) after they voted. In many cases, the voting is done WEEKS -- sometimes upward of a full month -- before the team actually comes out. I'm sure the preseason magazines (which have already gone to press) mention Skal. I'm NOT a UK fan by any means, but it won't be "embarrassing" to have Skal in it and not have him cleared. The writers/publishers can't control that. And there's NO timetable writers/publishers/voters know about when it comes to NCAA clearance.

Katina Powell is between a rock and a hard place: True: She likely goes to jail for pimping out her underaged daughters (variety of charges). The daughters will need to ADMIT to this to keep Powell from lying in her book (but implicate themselves and their mother). False: The University's legal team -- and perhaps Pitino himself -- bring the hammer down in civil court. Either way, she's up that certain creek without a paddle. All over $10,000 (which is now pocket change given the ramifications).

Campbellsville High School's football field doubles as the baseball outfield. And Hart County's football press box (a big concrete stadium) serves as the baseball press box.

I'm not sure who my top five would be, to be honest. Surely someone else would emerge in Louisville (like Central and DeSales both have in the last 5-10 years) and like Fern Creek LOOKS like it could be (we'll see if the Tigers have staying power). McCracken certainly has the facilities. And plenty of athletes (although hasn't swayed as many AWAY from Tilghman as you'd think). Central Hardin has been on the uptick the past few seasons. Maybe the Bruins stay there. Potentially South Warren? That school has been growing by leaps and bounds. It would NOT shock me to see it as a 6-A school within 20 years. Simon Kenton has been on the cusp recently. Boone has shown it has the potential. Ryle's had some glory years. Plus, Scott County (of course). As you can tell, I have a hard time thinking of a top-five 6-A list for the next 20 years (without X-Male-T).

You understand correctly. KHSAA gets tickets. Host site gets everything else (programs are not likely, T-shirts are not likely, concessions would be OK IF host doesn't have to split). No one will be too happy if you have to pay for ticket AND pay for parking. Bottom line is there's not much in it for the neutral site itself (host school/stadium) unless they're getting the complete concession stand (because host pays for officials and first responders, plus you have to have PA/spotter, chain gang, someone to do the field, etc.)

I've been a part of KHSAA seeding meetings, usually in tennis and wrestling. They are NOT easy. They are time consuming. If you ever watch a documentary on the NCAA March Madness seeding or watch the videos of the mock people invited (usually Sports Illustrated, ESPN, CBS Sports, etc.), you'll know those are difficult. And that's ALL those people do. The NCAA selection committee commits multiple long-hour days in a hotel to that thing and they still never get it right (and they have far more computer and comparative data at their disposal). And who says who is the best team? AP? BluegrassPreps? CalPreps? MaxPreps? CJ's Lit ratings? LHL's Cantrall ratings? Scan those six and you'll see some disagreement. Even the computers (CalPreps, MaxPreps, Lit, Cantrall) have multiple differences. And how's it going to work? We seeding all 32 teams from 1-32 (NCAA style)? If that's the case, scrap districts because they won't mean a darn thing (which means the regular season loses some). Are we using computer rankings only (Lit does NOT include out-of-state games, but MaxPreps and CalPreps do)? Are we taking humans into account (like the BCS in football includes human poll)? Seeding six 32-team tourneys would be madness. You could seed the 8 district champs, I guess, but since one district must go with another, you're not accounting for teams like X or Manual (who are arguably better than a district champ like McCracken or Central Hardin). If we're seeding everyone, you'll have some really long roadtrips in each round (and you think there is an attendance problem NOW?). Ohio has a nice system for those people who like to seed ... but it AIN'T perfect. Far from it.

Hoptown and Christian County share Stadium of Champions, so if either is in that semi, it's NOT neutral. Same for Rash Stadium in Owensboro or Steele Stadium (KWC) in Owensboro. High schools use that place. And Steele is NOT that big. As far as splitting concessions, not happening. KHSAA already picks ticket prices (and you CAN'T go higher). And folks get mad if you charge for parking. So if you're only getting a third of the concessions, it's NOT worth your while to host (since host has to pay for hospital/police/workers, etc.).

I don't mind SOME play-by-play by the P.A. Especially when it comes to tackles, fumble recoveries, etc. The "flock of Eagles" and "pack of Lions" I can do without, but knowing the play was an option pitch right isn't hurting anyone. And sometimes the P.A. figures out there is a new quarterback before fans/the press box does.

psychicscubadiver, I said McCracken was put out by NON-Big 3 schools (i.e. Manual and Central Hardin are non-Big 3 schools since Manual and CH are NOT X or Male or T). It's NOT like McCracken is already elite and the ONLY reason it's not doing better is because of Male-X-T. McCracken needs to consistently beat other programs (CH, Manual, Paducah Tilghman) before being considered at the level of X-Male-T (or right behind X-T-Male in this case). McCracken plays BG the final week of the regular season. We'll see how McCracken fares (since BG ran over CH). If BG runs over McCracken too, it's hard to say McCracken is the region favorite. If McCracken holds its own, then I'll put the bull's-eye for the region on McCracken. CalPreps has McCracken ahead of CH, 34.8-29.5 (CalPreps also has Manual and PRP ranked ahead of McCracken, FWIW). CJ Lit Ratings has McCracken ahead of CH, 109.9-107.3 (but also has Scott, SK, Bryan Station, Ryle, Cooper and Lafayette all ahead of McCracken or CH). Not like McCracken has a giant lead on Central Hardin. Either way, it's a TWO-team region. Shine is coming off Daviess' season. Meade is not the Meade from 13 or 14. North Hardin won't finish with a winning record. Ohio has lost 3-of-4, Muhlenberg has never been good in football and Henderson's defense is suspect (easy to look good against Muhlenberg and Ohio). Whoever wins Region 1 (McCracken or CH) is liable to get running clocked in the state semis. Male-X-T will have tougher second and third round games than they will in the state semis. How much sense does that make? Is McCracken a good program? Yes. But why does it deserve more respect than Manual? Manual has been ranked ahead of McCracken all three years. And at least Manual's playoff losses are to M-T-X. McCracken lost to Central Hardin ... and wait for it ... yup, Manual. I think Scott would have more titles in the hypothetical. But like you, to give the Cards more than half is laughable.

I've seen several senior nights that are at halftime. AND they include cheerleaders, managers, stat girls, cross country, golf, marching band, etc. Volleyball and soccer do their own nights (thank Gawd), but cross country and golf get lumped in (since they don't/can't have their own nights) and marching band/cheerleading gets thrown in with football (since they're at the games). Have one of these take place at halftime in the cold of a game that you're at and you'll come over to the dark side, young Skywalker.

Ahh. Either way, McCracken has been put out by NON-Big 3 schools. Until the Mustangs get over that hump, they're a non-factor. And Scott County got put out by Meade last year and might not get past SK this year (and Scott has several key seniors this year). They might win some, but to say 10-12 out of 20 is a huge stretch. Plus, I think we're giving Scott County too much credit (for ONE win over the Big 3) and not enough to Manual (who rarely gets put out by someone other than the Big 3). PRP (in its good years) could make a similar claim. To make a 3-team 7-A or whatever would be crazy (if this is a hypothetical). I'm pretty sure there's a minimum for teams for a state championship and it's like 20 or so (field hockey barely meets the minimum). And yes, that applies to classes as well. So a super-16 class/division for football will NEVER happen (unless KHSAA changes the threshold minimum). So if X, T and Male are gone ... Scott, Manual, McCracken, PLD, Central Hardin, Meade, etc., are gone too. Maybe in the hypothetical, X and T are gone entirely (prep school like IMG or Oak Hill) and Male is closed for whatever reason (and all the kids who would have gone there go to KCAA/KCSAA schools or are home schooled).

E'town's also got Jada Stinson (shined at State, various D-I offers) and Rachel Warden (4-year starter at PG, shined at State in 13). Junior forward/post Taylor Thomas is a D-I softball commit who actually led her class (2017) to the middle school conference title and some sort of KBA state tournament title. She would have started at every other team in the region last year had she not been behind a D-I player (Cleaver). Fifth starter is a bit iffy. No other proven player, but E'town's got a sun (Boley), two planets (Warden, Stinson) and a comet (Thomas). No one else's galaxy comes close in the 5th Region. Pfeiffer or Deaton should probably be the fifth starter, with Deaton or Pfeiffer being top option off the bench followed by Knight. There's a couple of JV girls who will see more playing time (they were better off practicing against E'town's studs last year than gettting spot varsity minutes at other region schools against weaker competition) and E'town also got the best player from North Hardin Christian (non-KHSAA school, so immediately eligible), so we'll she if she helps. Is this E'town team better than last year? No. However, other teams took huge graduation losses. Plus, Boley has been held back at times. This year, it's green light. It's her show. If she stays healthy, she'll average between 30-40 ppg. You can't stop her on the glass. E'town's best options are Boley herself and then someone else shooting (with Boley blocking out for the board). You CAN'T foul her. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Teams/coaches who foul her are absolute morons (unless you are fouling her with scrubs/bench players) because it is foolish to have your starters get in foul trouble against Boley. Boley is at her best when her defender has 4 fouls. Because Boley will eat her alive or foul her out.

There's been two Hardin County-area kids in it in the last 10 years or so. - North Hardin's Lydia Gumm (now a star golfer at Florida State) got in after shooting back-to-back 61s in the Kentucky Invitational Tournament. - LaRue County's Aaron Mayfield (walked on at WKU, IIRC) got in after throwing back-to-back seven-inning perfect games.

1) McCracken is in its third year. First year got put out by Central Hardin (at McCracken). Last year lost to Manual (at McCracken). Two home losses to NON-Big 3 schools does NOT give me hope to believe McCracken would be a power. Prior to McCracken, there was NO 6-A team from Paducah. So not sure how McCracken figures into this. 2) Scott County got put out by PLD in 98, didn't make playoffs in 99, was 5-6 in 2000 when it got put out by Trinity, got put out by Tates Creek in 01, got put out by PLD in 02, didn't make playoffs in 03, lost to X in 04 state final, got put out by PLD in 05, got out out by Henry Clay in 06, got put out by Shelby County in 07, lost to Male in 08 (but SK beat Male in next game), got put out by Trinity in 09 (would have been Scott-Greenwood final), got put out by Male in 10 (would have been Scott-Ryle final), lost to Trinity in 11 state final, lost to Trinity in 12 semis (would have been Scott-PRP final), 13 wouldn't have mattered (perfect season, won state), but 14 lost to Meade and jury is out in 15 (can Scott beat SK???). So prior to 08, SC would realistically had ONE title from 98-07 (04). Maybe Scott would have won five straight (09-10-11-12-13). But 14 wouldn't have mattered and 15 we don't know yet. Maybe Scott has 6 more titles at best (assuming it won EACH and EVERY finals appearance it could have had). But unless Scott was an absolute beast in the late 80s and early 90s, there is NO way Scott had 10-12 titles without the big 3 standing in its way. For a while, Scott couldn't get past PLD. Of course, if Cooper hadn't split from Ryle, South Warren hadn't split from Greenwood, North Oldham hadn't split from Oldham, Collins hadn't split from Shelby and Thomas Nelson hadn't split from Nelson County, those five programs (Ryle, Greenwood, Oldham County, Shelby County, Nelson County) would have been stronger. Plus, Central Hardin and North Hardin both lost kids to John Hardin in 2001. Maybe Central Hardin would have emerged as a power sooner or North Hardin would have gotten it together.

Racer89, But then you get into the actuality/reality of the matchups: - Remember all the John Hardin-Bowling Green semis? What sense it would be to play it at E'town (home game for John), WKU (home game for BG) or Campbellsville (at least a 45-minute windy-road drive for both when it is far easier to go straight down 65 to play the other)? - In 6-A, one semifinalist is GUARANTEED to be from Louisville (District 3 or 4). District 2 (Central Hardin, Meade, North Hardin) is considered Louisville metro (for geographic and population purposes by the government). So 3/4 of 6-A West is from a 45-mile radius, yet they're going to have to drive OUTSIDE that radius to make 5 or so teams happy? That's helping the minority over the majority. - Last year, having Trinity-Meade play at Campbellsville/Lindsey would have made zero sense. E'town maybe, because it's 30 minutes or so for Meade and an hour-ish for Trinity. Same thing for Louisville Central-South Warren. You could have them play at E'town, but it's out of the way for both to go to Lindsey/Campbellsville when both (Central, SW) are easily accessible off I-65. - Having Russell play Belfry (East semi last year) at EKU wouldn't make any sense. - Having both Highlands and LexCath leave the golden triangle to play at EKU wouldn't make any sense. Same thing for Dixie Heights and Ballard. Maybe they could play at Georgetown College. - Having Graves-John at Campbellsville/Lindsey would have been insane. It would have been 40 milles CLOSER for Graves to just play at John instead of going to Lindsey (extra 40 miles) or Campbellsville U (extra 25-30 miles). I know it was a movie, but you probably need to have a "Friday Night Lights" philosophy: Wait and see where to play (when they picked the Astrodome). Or wait until the quarters with a list of sites (and have a series of stadiums/locations in mind). If you do the predetermined thing, you're going to end up with two teams (playing each other) increasing their travel costs for no reason (and NOT getting any part of the concessions).

Super Saturday Semis could work, don't get me wrong. Just a lot of logistical work/planning to get there. That being said, I live in the 5th Region for the other sports (basketball, baseball-softball, volleyball, soccer, etc.). Although I'm reasonably close to Lindsey Wilson College (brought up as neutral-site host), there is NO easy way to get there from many even 5th Region schools unless you're coming from the Cumberland Parkway. Campbellsville much easier even though it doesn't have the parkway access. If the E'town Sports Park had more seating -- it's doable, although the E.S.P. is NOT likely to expand/remodel considering it just spent $40 million less than 7 years ago -- it would be a perfect neutrall-site host. E'town High School is a given (located off I-65, WK-BG Parkway, 31W), but the Panthers are on the upswing and could be in the state semis soon under Coach Mark Brown.

If you CAN'T make noise WITHOUT an artificial noisemaker (cowbell, air horn, vuvuzela, etc.), than you are NOT doing it right. And homecoming ceremonies at halftime need to go, too. The only reason they exist at football halftime is because no one would go see who won/know which girl won otherwise. Schools which do homecoming before the game get bonus points.

Forgot about Marion ("between the hedges"), Corbin (saw LaRue play Corbin there in the playoffs in the driving rain) and X :(was told when Meade played X there in the playoffs in the state semis it was X's biggest crowd to date; Meade invaded).