wrn1979

13 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

I don't think it's THAT crazy. These aren't the first schools in history to consolidate. How did things go at McCracken County when they merged all of their schools...I'm gonna assume that with three schools consolidating, they were having to have at least some kids working out in weight rooms/campuses that were not the one at the school they attended.

I had someone tell me recently that when Muhlenberg County consolidated, they a school year where it was a "consolidated" school with freshman/sophomores at one of the old campuses and juniors/seniors at the other campus...then they all moved into the new campus once it was ready.

Hell, Cov Cath had to drive all their players to Devou Park for football practice until the mid-80s, and the soccer team was practicing in Pioneer Park. Highlands has the baseball and softball teams both drive across town to Tower Park to practice because they don't have a baseball field. Same with Trinity - their baseball team won the state championship last year without having a baseball field on campus.

This may not be ideal, sure, but it's a temporary headache, and it's manageable.

Has Muhlenberg actually built a new building? I thought they were still doing as your describe.

I’m not sure about the rest of the state, but in the 9th (Owensboro), we had the number 1 team get eliminated by the number 4 team 2-3 years in a row back around 2016-2018.

On 2/17/2022 at 5:14 PM, Mojocat said:

The other thing I'd say - and this is a genuine question - is, how many places would this really be a big factor?  If you live in Louisville, say, where there are close to 40 high schools and many of them are close together.....you can simply transfer schools without moving.  But I assume in less populated areas, that would be more difficult, and that a lot of times a player couldn't realistically transfer to School A from School B unless his family moved residences.  Is that true - or no?  If it's true, I can't believe that many kids would/could do it.....

I can tell you that among the three public school and two private schools within driving distance of each other in Owensboro, kids change schools like they change underwear. That occurs in athletes and non-athletes. A teacher, coach, or principal dishes out a punishment that the kid doesn’t like, and miraculously the next day the kid has moved in with the noncustodial parent who lives on the other side of town. My favorite was the kid I knew personally who used grandmother’s address for three years after the family moved out of Nana’s house. 

Apollo’s boys basketball team has struggled for four years. There could be some light at the end of the tunnel in a strong 8th grade class at College View middle who live in the Apollo district. I doubt half of them end up at Apollo. 

On 2/16/2022 at 3:30 PM, WestDanville said:

It would take A LOT of transfers to drastically change an athletic budget. 

Is there not a state law that prohibits tax dollars from being used to fund athletics?

On 2/18/2022 at 5:24 PM, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

Aug 19 Vs Owensboro Catholic
Aug 26 at Owensboro
Sep 2 vs. Central Hardin
Sep 9 at North Hardin
Sep 16 vs. Meade County
Sep 23 at McCracken County (District)
Sep 30 - BYE
Oct 7 vs. Henderson County (District)
Oct 14 vs. Marshall County (District)
Oct 21 at Daviess County (District)
Oct 28 at Greenwood

Who shut down Goetz? 3rd region officials let her push, shove, and man handle anyone near her so she can get  her points per game.

This is a great discussion. I feel like it crosses the boundaries of school, sports, activities, careers, workplaces, etc. For any type of venture to become consistently successful it takes someone believing in the cause, digging their heels in, saying “these are our non-negotiable,” and sticking it out for the long term.

Apollo picked up win #2 over St Mary’s.

3 hours ago, ChiefSmoke said:

Going in to the New Year.... here's an idea... can we all chill out when attending HS & MS athletics in regards to chewing out officials, coaches, and athletes from the stands? And, critiquing them on social media.... type out your post, throw in several of your favorite curse words, then DELETE IT!

 

We've got to get a grip. Good grief.

 

Please remember .....

1- this is for the kids.

2- Coaches & officials are going to make a bunch of mistakes.

3- Not everyone participating is elite, but most of them are doing the best they can. (You should have seen me on the basketball floor in 1982.... worst player in the history of Mercer County HS basketball).

4- No one participating is doing it for the money. They coach or officiate to serve others.

And, above all, if you can do better, please apply for a job officiating or coaching. And, if you get into coaching, please send me a message. We would like to get you on the schedule. Lol. Just teasing.

 

 

#HappyNewYear

 

#FouledOutInLessThanAQuarter

The saddest part for me is the way it’s reflected in the play of the kids on the court.

I watched 3 HS boys basketball games yesterday. Granted, the 3rd region has to be the weakest region in the state of KY, but every kid was trying to be an NBA star.

McLean Co vs Ludlow (I have no idea where Ludlow is from) - In what proved to be an absolute blowout, kids were blowing layups left and right, Ludlow players were attempting to trip McLean co players who didn’t have the ball. McLean Co players talking trash to a team they were beating by 20+ points. Kids need to shut their mouths and play the game. Parent from Ludlow screaming at the McLean Co coach after the game to “get your disrespectful a$$ team off the court.”

Daviess Co vs Union Co - kids attempting no-look passes who can’t make look passes. Every shot turning into some kind of gymnastics move like Simone Biles decided to take up round ball. Kids throwing elbows and trying to fight in a close game. They have zero mental toughness whatsoever. 
 

Owensboro vs Castle (IN) - OHS fans were screaming “and 1” on wide open, uncontested, runout layups. Owensboro, down late, doing what they do and turning the game into a football contest. Every possession resulted in fans screaming at officials, and they actually had 3 of the better 3rd region officials for this game. 
 

People who are basketball purists have no where to go to watch decent basketball around here. The best fundamental play I’ve seen in the last 2-3 years has been girls basketball. It’s really quite sad, and it’s driven by parents who think their 5-9 senior is “D1 talent.”

The old Racer Arena on Murray State’s campus was always my favorite place to watch a high school game. Before they built that new hideous monstrosity in the late 90’s, early 2000’s, they would cram 5,000 high school fans in Racer Arena for the last two rounds of the 1st region tournament. My last two years of school it was Marshall, Mayfield, Tilghman, and Graves. At the time, all four had great followings. Couple the size of the crowd, with the 360-degree seating, and the low ceilings and you had a noise box that could erupt at any minute. The best part with those four schools was being able to look at any corner of the gym and know where each school’s section of tickets was.

The Sportscenter in Owensboro is close, but it has too much wasted space and not enough floor seating for my taste. This is especially true after the recent management group renovated. That $6 hamburger is ridiculous as well. 

On 11/26/2021 at 11:04 PM, Tigerpride94 said:

Who has disrespected them?

You forget these teenagers today are so mentally weak that common misspellings are now disrespectful.

On 12/1/2021 at 6:52 PM, The Flea Market said:

Fulton City will be getting a new coach to restart this program I am hearing.

They could hire Coach Messiah and his 12 assistants and still not get a big enough miracle to be competitive.

6 minutes ago, gcbleedblue said:

Great post. I also think people forget that these 7 schools has no football program. Graves is just now getting to second generation players. For years dads who had never played football attempted to coach the little league programs. There was little to no pride in the football program. That has since changed with your second generation players. The booster is very strong, guys who actually played football are now coaching at the elementary level. 
 

Also not many schools are better than Mayfield at football. There’s also a big trend that when kids get cut at basketball at Graves or get zero playing time they go to Mayfield in hopes to play basketball. Your second tier ball players are usually your good football players. While there they become just football players and forget about basketball. That has since slowed down. 
 

When Mayfield won the region their key players were County kids who transferred. 

Absolutely. To add on, love him or hate him (as few people just tolerated him), Alan Hatcher is largely responsible for the pride in the basketball program and it’s tradition of excellence. I’m a bit old school, but I miss the things that Hatcher brought in: a youth program focused on fundamental development, middle school teams that taught his brand of basketball, players wearing shirts and ties to games instead of looking homeless, taking kids out of the game who earned technical fouls, players referring to referees as “Mr Official.” Whether the players wanted to admit it or not, those small things contributed to their success in big ways. These kids who show up in sweats boppin to their Beats headphones are missing out on important life lessons. 

“Years of history” is the answer to your question.

Graves County was formed from the consolidation of seven small high schools. Those schools had fairly competitive basketball teams. The most famous example are the Cuba Cubs who we’re runners up in the state tournament in 1951 and won the state title in 1952.

Those basketball games were the biggest form of entertainment in those small towns and the locals took pride in their teams’ success. When the schools consolidated they brought star players from those seven teams into the basketball program. I am too young to have seen them play, but I know Kip Ellington and Woody Woodfork were players in that first year. Woodfork averaged 25 points a game and with only a single season is statistics is still among the school’s leaders in all time points scored. 
 

Conversely, Mayfield football history started well before Graves County was ever a school. None of those seven small schools in Graves Co were able to field a football team. So Mayfield had a 50 or more year head start in football. 

30 minutes ago, Brown said:

Everyone is healthy for Owensboro tonight.

102.7 carrying this one?

I haven’t been in that area in quite some time, but from my recollection there was a broad range of demographics. I can totally see how money could be talking and influencing who gets playing time. That’s a huge team-killer. I also remember the McCracken Co Board of Education being less than supportive of coaches/teachers who tried to make tough decisions. Cultures can change, but there was a lot of money-ball going around that area 20 years ago. 

That 1993 team had some phenomenal athletes that went on to play college ball, and also crossed over and won 2 regional basketball championships in 1993 and 1994.

Coach had some tough years after graduating that class, but he’s a good man who taught a lot of life lessons off the field as well.

TD apollo

31-21 Henderson 9:16 left

Henderson playing Henderson ball now. Late hits, taunting, unsportsmanlike penalties, this one is starting to get chippy. 

1 hour ago, TheDeuce said:

And this serves what purpose exactly? Oh they’re trying not to embarrass you by scoring 70 so they run somebody out there who has never kicked in their life? 

This 70 and two point conversion thing is a bunch of adults in their feelings. The players don’t care if it’s 68 or 72.

Actually, I don’t particularly care what the score to the game was. If a team I’m coaching has a need, I’m looking to fill the need. If I don’t have a kicker, I might need a kicker someday. So, why not investigate that possibility in a game Ive got locked down? I suppose it’d be better to be down 2 with time running out, be in field goal range, and realize, “darn, I don’t know if any of these kids can kick.”

5 hours ago, BlueKernels said:

Referring to varsity. In jv if you have no kicker you have to just keep running it. Taking a knee should never be expected. 

Unless everyone on that team has some kind of neuromuscular disorder that prevents them from swinging their leg pendulum style, why would you have to keep running it? Every kid for the last 5 generations has played kickball at some level. They might kick the ball from the 10 yard line into the sideline, but they might also kick it into the housing project across the street from the end zone. How will you know if you don’t give ‘Em a shot?

4 minutes ago, Brown said:

It was Carbon and he didn’t play anymore but he was right in front of us saying he was fine.

That’s good to hear. Best of luck to our Owensboro brethren in the playoffs.

1 hour ago, Brown said:

Owensboro line dominates a very talented defensive line for Henderson.   Running clock in 4th.  Owensboro I believe scored every possession but 1.

I Glanced through the updates thread. It looks like Henderson pulling some of their trademark shenanigans. Is the OHS player ok?

I think if the rain stays away the game is certainly very different. Apollo benefits from a mixed running/passing attack that doesn’t allow their opponents to get comfortable. When forced to stay on the ground this year they have struggled. 
 

Next week’s home playoff game against Henderson will be a doozy. 

Sorry, guys the rain is what’s kept me off my phone. It’s an absolute mess here.