Finkle Ray

I'd say in 5A Bowling Green and Cooper/Highlands are the paper favorites to be in it next year.

Other teams may return some talent here and there. But Cooper will have a battle tested and veteran squad returning. Not to mention their district looks again to be the toughest one to make it out of as the #1. I say whomever gets the #1 out of their district will be in the convo to win it all next season.

Precisely. The staff had them a game away from a state final. They also play in the toughest district in 5A. The Bluebirds will be fine moving forward.

This topic didn't take long to fire back up. Grab the popcorn.

Congrats to the Highlands Bluebirds on a great season. Best of luck to Cooper next week with a great opportunity to bring a title home for their community and NKY. Circle this one for next season in Fort Thomas!

Highlands was given a LOT of opportunities to win and couldn't. I guess Cooper didn’t send all the plays in on HUDL. Looked like Highlands was running in plays from the sideline, did Cooper steal their signs?

Precisely. Has done well on both sides of the ball. Benke benefits from having a really good offensive line. But Alexander is doing it at a high level on both sides of the ball.

Hats off to Highlands on a really good win. Some like to dump on Dixie but they did have a good competitive team. Just no answer for Highlands this year but competitive in all the other games. Burke and Co. has them trending in a good direction. Sad to see my boy play his last game and go out like that but I do think and feel that it was to a championship team. This district in hind sight was an absolute monster. Northern Kentucky football seems to be back on the map again. Three of the six trophies have a legit shot at making their way up North this season. Best of luck to the BlueBirds the rest of the way.

Thanks. This helps me understand where y'all are coming from. I am reading it as, kid gets a tackle, another gets credit for any help but not counting towards the total. Not sure what can the KHSAA do to un-muddy the waters around it. Leaves a lot up to interpretation I can see how it sparks a debate. Speaking of debate, back to this game... May be a different game but will most likely be the same outcome. But, my red colored lens says 30-21 Dixie.

I can't tell who is serious or not on this thread now. Dixie official stats say 55 tackles. Of course there were assists on those but 55 tackles, 71 plays or so, minus the scoring plays or kids running out of bounds. I am legit asking for help understanding how anyone reads the stats different.

Saw this a couple weeks ago on the news... Really cool concept.

A lot of deserving players didn't get selected. I actually agree with Aba being chosen. He wasn't just a role player. Kid played both ways and every game and was a force. While other players were good on one side of the ball or the other.

This isn't about last year. However, if the stars align the right way these 3rd and 1st place coaches can sort it out next week.

5 point game- Dixie 4 point game- Simon Kenton 3 point game- Bishop Brossart 2 point game- Greenwood 1 point game- Ballard

I disagree. Highlands was clearly in control of that game. Highlands inexplicably kept passing late instead of running the ball/clock out. Led to a late Cooper score. But that is fools gold to think the final score is any indication that Cooper had a chance. Now, if they meet again it could be a different game, Cooper does have a good team.

Head coach at Ludlow, first district title since the 70's I read. And if memory serves, isn't this his first year at the helm?

State

I know a lot of parents are pulling for Burke to use Rice more on Offense. But I am all for making sure he and Gregg both enter the playoffs healthy. He has been used this season as a decoy and as the primary, and very seldomly did anyone fall for it. I think it would be malpractice to use either one of those two any more than is absolutely necessary in this next game. That was a physical stretch of district play. He is capable sure, but this game means nothing to either team. Dixie does have a nice sized QB2 that has shown some flash. Got hurt last season early. Still getting his feet under him but is a very nice heir apparent to Gregg after next season. Dixie’s record is right about where everyone predicted them to be this season. However, nobody expected them to be this competitive. Staff has done well. Champs this year, not likely. Still a year or two away possibly, but from last season to now is night and day I’ll take it. I’ll also take Dixie in a close one on senior night 28-24.

I feel like the 5A state champ this year will come out of the lower bracket. Bowling Green will have an easier path (on paper) to get to the final but the lower bracket has some strong teams. Whomever wins the lower bracket will have definitely earned it.

Couple observations. I am having a rough time understanding the unsportsmanlike penalties. Beach #3 scores, spins the ball nowhere near the other team, flag. Alexander #4 two point conversion, dances, no flag. No consistency there. The latter came at a key moment in the game. If you're a Dixie fan, officiating is at the forefront of why they lost. (it's not) Offensively was tough sledding and more than likely the reason they lost. Hats off to the Cooper Defense who did just enough when they needed to. Dixies defense is their heart and soul. Forced several turnovers, kept O'Hara uncomfy all night he clearly was flustered and took some shots. Defense played well enough to win.

Who beat who isn't in the consideration this is about which is a better game this week. And I agree the SK/Ryle is for more marbles... but outside of that this game is for who may play one or two more weeks. What I contest is that Cooper/Dixie has been extremely close the past two seasons, and the #2 and #3 place teams in their district and sister district will have more impact on who moves forward. Couple that with nobody outside of Ryle or SK really cares about this contest. I doubt very seriously folks in Louisville and Lexington would tune in to hear/see this game. But looking at the 5A rankings thread, a lot of folks from Owensboro and Lex have an interest in which team goes south, and which team has to travel north. I don't know how 859 makes money or if they need the ratings but IF it is a business decision, hands down the Cooper/Dixie tilt is the better draw.

While this game is for a district championship, neither one of these teams may do much in the post-season. If we are honest, having a sister district in Louisville means generally you may get one, maybe two extra weeks of football. Big game for the two fanbases sure, but not much interest outside of that. The Cooper/Dixie draw is for #2 in their district, and has 5A playoff implications for this area, and for the state. Not to mention it is historically a very close game. 859 picked a better draw for their listener/viewership IMO.

Using this logic Highlands win over Dixie is that much better. Dixie is 2 inches away from beating Beechwood and 13 seconds away from beating CovCath (Highlands only loss).

This game has not only district implications but also gives a more clearer picture of the 5A playoff set-up between the sister districts. I think Dixie has played a better schedule and will win this game in a close one.

I think 1 through 4 are pretty solid in their spots. Numbers 5,6,7 will be a bit clearer after this week. Dixie already beat Connor, and have Cooper this week.