Calico Jack

CalPreps has a method to their madness that is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. It’s uncanny how accurate they are when it comes to the score projection(s) and overall outcome. With that said, give me the Gators on Scottsville Road by the same kind of margin in what will no doubt be one heck of a game in O’boro. I guess the big question is, which BBQ joint brings in the most cash this Friday? Moonlight can’t hold them all, or can they?

🎯 What’s even more amazing with that is number of administrators and/or those in the community that think it reflects a chink in the “academia armor” for a school. When studies after studies show the benefits of it as it’s tied into the entire academic process and it goes without saying the benefits for the student athletes, especially those who are multi sport that are playing 2, 3, even 4 sports a year. But, some “people don’t know what they don’t know.” Boyle has 5 periods of it a day. From west to east (I’ll bounce around some), these are the schools that I know for a fact have at least one period of it and most of them have multiple periods of it throughout the day. McCracken County, Mayfield, Trigg County, Hopkinsville, Christian County, Bowling Green just implemented it this year and/or for the fall of 2022 for I believe most or all of the school day, South Warren (and, guessing Warren East and Greenwood have it as well since they are under the same school system). Edmonson County has 7 periods of it (even back in their glory days under Rick Wood and Kyle Pierce- it went away for a few years and just got it back last year if not mistaken). Franklin-Simpson. Hart County has implemented it during their school day under Chad Griffin and they’ve seen some of their best years in the last 2-3. Bullitt East and North Bullitt have multiple periods of it throughout the day (and, like Warren County, guessing Bullitt Central does as well). Taylor County has multiple periods a day and a male and female instructor. Nelson County just implemented the same as did Thomas Nelson. Green County has two blocks of it. Bardstown has 7 periods of it with their last period of the day I believe being incoming freshmen and those 8th graders are given a PE credit for it (makes too much sense). Central Hardin, John Hardin and North Hardin all have multiple periods of it a day. E-town has had at least one period of it the last year or two which is new for them. Washington County has a period of it. Mercer County has multiple periods of it. Boyle as mentioned earlier. Garrard County now has it, with Jeff Hester doing it multiple periods a day like he did at Boyle. Lincoln County has had a period of it and Jaggers will be doing that all day long next year at Lincoln. Danville I believe has reinstated it into their curriculum some and it used to be all day long for years, especially back in 90s and 2000’s. Pulaski County has multiple periods of it and Johnny Hines does those. Southwestern has it as well. I’m not sure about Somerset, but I’d guess they at least have one period of it. Wayne County and Corbin both have at least two periods of it as does Knox Central. Madison Central has multiple periods of it as does Scott County. Ashland has a couple periods of it as does Lawrence County and Belfry (I believe they have it all day long or at least the majority). Breathitt County has a period of it as well. Im sure I’m leaving off some who have it and might have some wrong in the aforementioned in regards to how many classes they have it. You go south of Kentucky? Especially into Georgia, Alabama and Florida? It’s rare to find a school that doesn’t just offer it, but one that doesn’t offer it all day long.

What was said that all falls under the umbrella of for show and sounding good. Immediate hires. Immediate success. Making sure you’re doing your “install” in January and February , along w other cool terms like that nowadays. Seeing how many times you can use the the phrase “the grind” in a conversation. “No days off” mentality and anything else that sounds/looks good.

From my experiences and things that I see, more people are “doing it the right way” more than not, the difference is usually in the clientele of those that are doing the work.

Exactly right. It's just February. At most schools, many of the who's who either are or at least should be playing multiple sports & if they are able to lift during the school day even better. For those that aren't playing other sports? Lift (and, sprint if you aren't already doing track). Eat, then eat some more, then eat some more. Sleep and then sleep. Then eat and eat some more, then lift. Realizing I might get crucified by this, which is fine, but there hasn't been a game won or lost yet due to 10 Spring Practices in March or April.

Neither of those.

Not only that, but I’ve always thought Saturday afternoon games towards the end of the season are as well. Nothing that’s mid afternoon, but noon kick offs or so for schools that are close in travel.

He told the players first. Now, that young man might not have been in school, but he addressed all the players first and then it was made official in the minutes afterwards.

Everybody no matter what it is has to do what’s best for them. I do know this, though, the Boley’s and Jaggers’ have a tremendous relationship. There were games this year where LaRue threw it 20-30+ times a game and then there were times where they threw only 4-8 times a game which were largely impacted by the weather and/or they were just better suited to line up and go at people, which they’ve had a lot of success doing over the years. Both E-town games come to mind. The first meeting LaRue threw it over 30 times and lost by 14, and two weeks later they only threw it 8 times and won. In both games, Boley had great games. Their relationship is great, a ton of love for coach and player, player and coach and between Jaggers and Cutter’s parents. Extremely close. With that said, I don’t think you’ll see Boley at Lincoln County.

I forgot about that instance. The reason I said that in the above post is because most coaching families these days have maybe one, and more times than not only two moves or so at the most in them. When your wife and kids get invested into their jobs/communities/schools then the harder it is to move for a profession that “isn’t about the money, but is about the money” (at least in this state. Georgia, Alabama, Texas, etc? Different situation. You see a lot more moving and shaking there because more times than not you are getting significant financial incentives to pack your family up and move). You saw it more in Kentucky back in the “old days” because, well, let’s just call it how it was: the dad was the primary bread winner, so families followed the money. Nowadays? That isn’t the case and in many cases wives have just as good of a quality + paying job, if not better. So then it becomes a battle between what your heart says and what your head says. Point being? There are jobs to be had for first time head coaches. The question is: How important is it to you and yours? I know the @theguru has said it before and I couldn’t agree more, but head football coaches should make in and around that 100K salary or more for the job requirements both in the classroom and on the field because they are both full time jobs and don’t ever let anybody tell you different, expectations, figure heads for the community, etc. If the pay actually matched the job or other requests/demands were met? You wouldn’t see those who apply then withdraw, or offered then not take or job accepted only to have second thoughts in the coming days later. It’s a total 180 as an assistant compared to a head coach. They aren’t even in the same breath of discussions. All those “friends” and boosters that are parents of players you thought you had as an assistant? Be the one who holds the key to whether or not their son starts, gets enough passes, touches or playing time and you’ll find out real quick just how much they care about you. They’ll drop and hang you out to dry like a bad habit and won’t think twice.

Jay Cobb, Bob Sphire, Dudley Hilton, Mike Holcomb, Sam Harp, Chuck Smith, Joe Jaggers, Marty Jaggers, Lance Gregory, Colt Phelps etc and countless others out there that I’ve forgotten to mention come to mind with the point I’m about to make in being first time head coaches that had to make a move maybe outside their comfort zone as young assistant coaches either newly married/young family/not married/no family that uprooted where they were from to become head coaches for the first time: Jay Cobb- From Western Kentucky in Webster County and his first head coaching job was in the mountains at Knott County Central. Bob Sphire- From just south of Louisville in Meade County and his first head coaching job was also at Knott County Central. Dudley Hilton- From the heart of Central Kentucky and his first head coaching job was in the mountains at Breathitt County which was a first year program. Sam Harp- From Frankfort who took his first head coaching job in far, far WKY at Calloway County. Mike Holcomb- From Bardstown KY who took an assistant job under aforementioned Dudley Hilton at Breathitt County and a few years later became the head coach where he stayed for 30 years. Chuck Smith- The pride of Jeffersontown HS in Louisville who got his first chance almost in Tennessee at Allen Co- Scottsville. Joe Jaggers- From Caldwell County in western KY and first head coaching job was at the once Old Kentucky Home in Bardstown. Marty Jaggers- From Trigg County in western KY and first head coaching job was at Lincoln County. Lance Gregory- from Bardstown who up until a few years ago was the head coach at Graves County High School which is almost as far west in KY as you can go. Colt Phelps- from Ashland and just finished his first year at Green County, about 4 hours from where he grew up. Point is? There are jobs to be had for all of the younger generations, some get jobs in and around their home area, but many have to go to a place that isn’t exactly “home” in order to come back around home.

The issue last year with Danville is I know Josh stated from the very beginning that with him now being certified in H/PE that he wanted to know he’d be running an in school weight program like Danville once had when he was there and like Boyle County has all day long. That guarantee couldn’t be made, so ways parted. People have to do what’s best for them and get what they want.

Jaggers has NOT officially accepted the job. I don’t know any details of if has been offered or waiting for a decision over the weekend, but there is absolutely nothing that’s official about him accepting the job. I know that for fact.

Something else I’ve noticed on here and I think it was a few pages back, but talking about for whomever the new hire is and what would constitute as a “successful” season and I think it was mentioned that all depended on who the hire is? Someone mentioned .500 next season would be considered just that and I’d agree with that and then some. If that’s considered successful next year, though, what would the 21 season that arguably had the biggest and best senior class in almost 15 years qualify as? You can’t sit on both sides of that fence, though. For the record, against that schedule they had this year? .500 was pretty dang good I thought. Lincoln might have started off slow, but people don’t remember that, they remember how you finish. If people are just patient and supportive then Lincoln will be fine with whomever the hire ends up being, but that would take some rational, mature and logical reasoning skills which we as a society seem to be lacking more and more these days, myself included.

….yeah, their 5 playoff wins and 1 Region Title the last few years just aren’t remotely good enough for a job like this. I completely expect others at schools with multiple Region titles and at least double that playoff win total in that time frame at more tradition rich programs should be knocking the door down to get the Lincoln job.

Without question and that’s the case w every hire. I truly believe that. I’m just thankful we have men and women across the board that are wanting to coach our youth. Then when you factor there are qualified people who want to do it on top of that? That’s a bonus. Lincoln is going to be fine. Every job opening has pockets of support for different people, and that’s to be expected. And in the end? The overwhelming vast majority always come together to support whomever is hired. That will be the case here as well. You’re always going to have some that you can’t please no matter what is done, but you can’t worry about them.

Without question IMO. I’d go out on a limb to say it will be done this week. It’s a dead time of year right now in a lot of ways. The days seem like weeks, weeks seem like months, so on and so forth and because of that we become more of a microwave mentality society than we’ve sadly all become (myself included). When is Lincoln’s next big home basketball game? Boyl County on Feb 4th? I’ll eat a plate full of crow if a hire isn’t made before then and a reintroduction (if on staff) or introduction made then.

It’s not. It’s reality. I don’t know of any head coaches out there that will tell you they didn’t look for other first time head coaching jobs before they had one guaranteed, signed, sealed and delivered even if the opening at their school coincided with others that were open. Like what surrounding counties? Garrard? Madison Southern? Montgomery? Clark resigned at Madison Southern at the end of October, and Payne was hired right before Christmas Break. Montgomery? Same kind of time line in terms of weeks Campbell County (not in the “area”) might have taken longer than any to date than anyone and they made one heck of a hire IMO just this week. Garrard? I’ll give that one to you, but I’d argue that most would say that firings of the former coach also wasn’t handled like most would, either. None of them had the opening right before the two week break from Christmas, either. Manual might be the best job in the state right now and theirs has been posted since the first part of December. Hopkinsville might be the next best household name job open right now didn’t even post their job until after Christmas Break even though Craig Clayton retired the last week of Christmas break and theirs will be posted until the first of February.

Then I’d go pursue other jobs regardless. Bird in the hand….

There isn’t really any need to rush this on their end. It’s just the middle of January. Winter storms and shutting schools down since Christmas break have almost been as sure as the sun rising in the East and setting in the West , and that trend doesn’t look to get any better , this week or in the extended forecast. Nothing has been lost. Plenty of schools make hires in late spring and over the summer & all falls into place. Rushing the hiring process in January for the sake of just naming a coach isn’t needed. Quite honesty, it won’t make one ounce of difference this week, next week or the week after. It’ll all work out whomever it is. Dates of a hire don’t determine success or not, like most instances, it’s who has more dudes.

I 100% agree with everything you said and think it's absolutely reasonable to think that a rough season or two aren't out of the question. But, what you said kind of goes to prove my underlying point in asking that as well. I'm all for all things "culture" and all the fun buzz words that are thrown around this day and age with coaching, and the ironic thing is, those are all things that the coach(es) themselves can say that they helped create. A reflection of them if you will, which is all fine, well and needed. However, let's not forget (and, not saying you are) you have to have some dudes. You have to have those guys that can take a busted play for a loss and turn it into a 60 yard TD run, the guy who can take a 6 yard hitch to the endzone from 70 out, the big back w decent speed who will just after a while pound (most) the other team into submission. (those things that have nothing to with things that are all "coachey", a reflection of them, but instead the God given DNA-fast twitch muscles that are firing in those athletes and not your opponents). Culture alone can't win. I love reading about it, but it's so unbelievably over played. I've seen mediocre programs at best have great culture, buy in, organization, etc just as I've seen talented teams without it. You've got to have some guys that can do things that you can't coach. They are both like Batman and Robin. Neither can just fly solo.

Completely honest question here because I totally agree that Crutchfield and his staff brought excitement back to the program and have helped restore it in many ways, so if they hire from within, Lincoln shouldn't miss a beat after graduating one of the largest senior classes in a long time that just so happened to have several good skilled kids and one that many say is the best to ever play there in Clayton Davis?

And with six classes, everybody has their big 3-4. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the same handful of people are in the mix in every class and I’m not sure that gap is ever going to get closer- if anything, wider. All anybody can ask for is support from admin, community to be the best it can be to give yourself the chance at being the best you can be. I don’t know of any head coaches ever looking for jobs that have that in place where they are. It usually isn’t a lot they are asking for, but instead basic necessities in this day and age.

No need to be in a hurry right now. Microwave society it is. I’m going back to another thread here, but coaches should ask for the moon, especially if it involves packing up and moving their families. A large part of this stuff gets drawn out and shouldn’t be, though. By that I mean that said school hiring should be totally transparent with serious candidates (either ones they are interested in and those themselves going after a job) about what they can/can’t do from the jump instead of dragging out a process which more times than not end up in candidates either withdrawing, interviewing and withdrawing or often cases as well, interviewing then getting offered and declining. Much of this could be settled in the first conversations.