Crazy Legs

All I heard so far was the name but I might learn more later. It's Miller Reed. Don't know much else about him other than he's a great athlete who also is going to play in the secondary for Ludlow.

How about the Ludlow Panthers. Won their first district title in almost 50 years last year and was region runnerup and went 8-5 and not a whole lot was said about it. Ludlow is a hard place to win football games. The roster is always small. Life's a little bit tougher for some Ludlow kids compared to kids from bigger schools in bigger towns. But success has been there. It looks like they lost a lot of seniors well more than a dozen which is a ton for a small program but I hear they have about 40 players in camp which is a good number for Ludlow. They have six or seven starters returning on defense with almost all of their top tacklers back and four or five starters on offense are back so they are more experienced on defense this year. But I also expect them to move the ball offensively with two of their best skill guys back. They scored almost twice as many points as they gave up last year. Their best player is Dameyn Anness who was the district player of the year. He rushed for more than 1,200 yards and scored nearly 20 TDs and had about 100 tackles. He's a player. Jackson Mays is back at QB and he was decent last year and should be better but they did lose their leading receiver. Both are just juniors. They should really improve over the next year. They have an interesting freshman QB of the future in Miller Reed. Others to watch who were coaches picks last season are Spencer Brandenburg, Matt Brock, Carson Evans and Aiden Smith Baxley. They have talent. But can they win eight games again?

The schedule right now at KHSAA. Not sure what they'll be doing with the open dates in September. Aug 24 at Eminence Aug 30 vs. Trimble County Sep 6 vs. Pendleton County Sep 13 open Sep 20 open Sep 27 open Oct 4 at Ludlow Oct 11 vs. Dayton Oct 18 vs. Newport Oct 24 vs. Newport Central Catholic at Dixie Heights Nov 1 vs. Jackson County The Tigers went 4-7 last year and while nobody will say that's a great record they were 3-36 in four years after Woody McMillen left after the 2018 season. When you go 2-9 and 0-8 and 1-10 and 0-9, 4-7 looks pretty darn good. Yeah it was kind of a flukey 4-7 with the forfeit to Eminence in the opener and wins over Riverview East and Lynn Camp squads that just plain aren't good but the 42-16 win over Jackson County late in the season was more legit. The Tigers have eight returning starters on both sides of the line. That is great news at Bellevue. I hear they may be up to close to 30 players. The problem is one senior. I'm a big believer in senior leadership and sometimes 10 good seniors aren't enough so having just one around really forces guys who were just sophomores last year to grow up quick and that's not ideal although it does speed the maturation process for some of these kids. I know they have four O-linemen back with Fortner, Rodgers, Stuckey and Vogt which gives them a great base. All they have to do is replace their center and stay healthy and the offense can do some things. Yeah they're not very big overall but one kid is 300 pounds after he lost weight and another kid is 6-2 and 225 and looks pretty big in a uniform. Names to know: RB JP Pendleton, 1061 yards rushing, 472 receiving, 18 TDS. QB Tristan Woodyard. 786 yards, 7 TDS. WR Brayden Sizemore. 19 receptions, 236 yards, 1 TD. They were 1, 2 and 4 in total tackles on defense and were the interceptions leaders, so they are the big three at Bellevue.

Totally agree. Collopy's small sample size passing numbers look very good. But Miles' output in even more limited action also looks good. In fact Miles' numbers are very similar if you just simply triple his passing stats and compare them to Collopy's overall stats. 2023 NCC QB G Com-Att Pct Yards Y/Com TD Int Kolton Smith 7 51-99 51.5 749 14.6 5 3 Louie Collopy 12 33-54 61.1 588 17.8 11 1 Emmanual Miles 10 13-19 68.4 199 15.3 2 0 Triple Miles' #s 39-57 68.4 587 15.3 6 0 Rushing wise Collopy was credited with 15 carries for 11 yards. Miles ran 9 times for 88 showing some dual threat potential at QB. Collopy averaged 15.1 yards per catch. Miles didn't catch a pass. The Collopy for QB argument gains some steam when you consider he could be limited touch wise if he plays WR and doesn't up his per carry rushing total as a runner. But where do you play Miles on offense with Collopy at QB? Miles is a talent. The Miles for QB argument gains some traction when you consider how limited he could be as a WR while showing how much more capable he might be both passing and running the football at QB. In that scenario Miles gives them the QB option, Cole gives them play action, Ford, Collopy and Bivens keep the passing defense honest while the O-line holds steady. Boom. You got an offense.

It's a very good argument. Like I said Collopy can do anything on the field. Miles starting this year at QB would free up Collopy to wreak havoc in so many ways while giving them an experienced QB for next season as well with Miles. I would play Miles at QB this season and let Collopy roam and destroy along with Cole and Ford and have a Collopy backup plan in place if it doesn't work out. Let's see who starts at QB Aug. 23. What does everybody else think about NCC's QB options? Calling all Breds insiders...

Other than their two really good linemen Gabe Lyons and Mason Baas the interesting guys here and maybe the most consequential are Louie Collopy, Kaleb Cole and Emmanuel Miles. There isn't much Collopy can't do on the football field. He's so valuable do you play him somewhere other than QB and hope a guy like Miles can take the reins behind center? If Miles wins the QB job and succeeds he could be a real out of nowhere breakout guy this year in NKY. No matter what and barring injury Cole is going to be a breakout RB and Collopy is going to be all over the field making plays. We could see a nice season from Charlie Ford at WR if everything falls into place on offense with the passing game. Could be one of those sneaky good seasons on the hill.

First of all with such a small roster Newport needs all the players they can get. It's tough to see how they can be better without Lowe. But remember he's not even their most prolific receiver. That's running back Rod Thompson who had 14 catches more than Lowe and 209 more receiving yards. They had very similar yards per catch averages and TD totals though Lowe caught TDs more often on a per catch basis. There are four quality receivers still on roster. This is Newport's deepest position I think. The guys to watch out for now to take a step up with this opportunity are Sharp, Stacks and Farrell. They could do a heck of a lot worse. 2023 Newport receiving statistics (listed year in school is for this year) Sr. Rod Thompson: 51 catches, 750 yards, 14.7 YPC, 7 TD Jr. Kayveion Sharp: 27 catches, 380 yards, 14.1 YPC, 3 TD Sr. Landon Stacks: 21 catches, 348 yards, 16.5 YPC, 3 TD Jr. Keegan Farrell: 23 catches, 288 yards, 12.5 YPC, 5 TD Jr. Kendall Buck-Barber: 16 catches, 179 yards, 11.1 YPC, 0 TD Amonte Lowe: 37 catches, 541 yards, 14.6 YPC, 6 TD Correct me if I'm wrong.

I love this list. Good work.

Rickey Henderson: Played 25 years. Oldest player to play center field in major league history. He loved playing the game and no scandals. Just alot of ego but he backed it up. 10 time All-Star, 3 Silver Sluggers, 1 MVP, 1 Gold Glove, 2 time World Series champion. MLB record 1406 steals, almost 50% more than second place Lou Brock, record 130 in one season and a record 2295 runs. 3,055 hits and .401 OBP making the .279 average OK. 796 walks leading off an inning and didn't strikeout alot. Hit a record 81 leadoff home runs. George Springer is next with 57. Led the league in steals 12 times. Had 100 steals in a season three times. Led the league with 66 steals at age 39. In his first 22 years he had more steals than the entire Boston Red Sox franchise had in 101 years.

I think Nate Verax, Logan's younger brother and the new QB is a big key to Ryle's success. He's a junior but he's been playing regularly on defense. He started at cornerback as a sophomore and had three picks. Nate's arms and legs are similar to Logan. Nate is pretty fast running the 100 in 11.22 and the 40 in 4.52. With all the experienced linemen and receivers the new Verax could be a breakout player at QB this year. Logan's first year starting as a soph he had 2395 passing yards and 18 touchdowns and 8 picks and 327 yards rushing. I think you could reasonably say that's Nate's floor as a junior.

And greatest baserunner.

I've got Beechwood with 16 positions featuring a returning starter, eight on offense, seven on defense and one kicker. That's a lot of experience and continuity. Offense: QB Clay Hayden, RB Chase Flaherty, WR Luke Erdman, WR James Cusick, WR Tyler Fryman, OL Mattox Kelly, OL Chance Baugh, OL Jack Meier, PK Colson Lair. Defense: DL Mattox Kelly, DL Jordan Wagner, LB Jack Meier, LB Brody Waddell, DB James Cusick, DB Luke Erdman, DB Tyler Fryman. Beechwooders, do I have that right? Plus, lineman Cole Howard, 6-3 270. He was a starter last year at Moeller. Hayden is a year stronger and wiser and in his second year in coach Volker's system with good protection up front and his top three receivers back. Look out! Erdman can run 21 miles per hour. Cusick can run 20 mph. That's fast. Who's covering them? As for scheme adjustments, I hear Volker wants to do a better job establishing the run and stopping the run. But who doesn't. Can Beechwood beat CovCath with all that? Maybe. Mayfield? Hmmm...

Very tough month for the Giants indeed. They should probably bubble wrap Juan Marichal. He's 86. Orlando Cepeda played with both Willie Mays and Hank Aaron! There were six hall of famers on the 1964 SF Giants. Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry and Duke Snider in his last year in the majors. But they finished fourth in the NL. Fire Al Dark!

With all due respect I think Pete Rose was an underrated athlete who like you say did the most with his ability. He didn't have eye popping power numbers or a ton of steals. But you can't get more hits than anybody else who played the game without hardly missing any games and not be a good athlete. I'm not usually a big stumper for Rose because I'm not exactly enamored with aspects of his personal character but let's be fair. Before that tho. Full disclosure. I'm on a bunch of coffee again. Rose hit .300 15 times in a 17 year period when the elite starting pitchers were among the best the game had seen and relief pitching was starting to be specialized with harder throwers and a new assortment of bugs bunny pitches. He had at least 30 doubles 15 times in a 16 year span and at least six triples 11 times. He hit 93 homers in seven years when the majors was dominated by pitching in the mid and late 1960s so he was not bereft of power. He had enough speed to have double digit steals 10 times. He was athletic enough to play six positions. He won two Gold Gloves in right field. Try telling a baseball coach a guy that can play six positions with a bunch of extra base hits without missing any time isn't a great athlete. Mike Trout and Byron Buxton are two of the best athletes in baseball over the last 10 years but they flunk the ability of availability. Posting up and being there and performing at a high level for more than 20 years is an athletic ability because that doesn't happen by osmosis. And we all know how rarely Pete missed an inning let alone a game in his prime. He missed nine games in a 10 year span. He missed five games from 1973 to 1980. And he wasn't just there he was elite. He was in the top 10 in MVP voting nine times in a 12 year period. If he doesn't gamble on baseball he's in the discussion for greatest living ballplayer without reservation. He should be in the discussion despite it. The big question here. Is Pete Rose the greatest living ahead of Junior, Bench and Schmidt et al. There is no question about him being a great athlete. He was. Just a different kind of a great athlete. Really tho, too much coffee here today!

Cross Joe off the list. Not living! That's a DQ. I will now crawl out from under my rock. Too much football. Good discussion so far tho. Some thoughts since I'm on six cups of coffee. I think Pete Rose might be the greatest living ballplayer but it's a tough sell. Junior is an easier sell due to no scandals but he was not so good for 10 whole years after 2000 maybe with the exception of 2005. Bench is a darkhorse worth more consideration. So is Schmidt. Bonds without PEDs is in the discission but how much did they boost him and for how long. Koufax probably has the most mystique and was truly great in a short period of time, but he didn't pitch very long. Nolan Ryan pitched for 27 years, handled Robin Ventura pretty easily in that crazy mound rush by Ventura and had 5,714 strikeouts!! Pitchers are a tough sell for greatest living ballplayer because they can't hit like real hitters and they're not out there as much as non pitchers but Nolan Ryan was pretty dang great for a heck of a long time. Ryan threw his seventh no-hitter and struck out 16 when he was 44 years old. Oldest player ever with a no-hitter. Rose played until he was 45. He may always be the Hit King. I mean, who's going to break that record? Rose and Ryan just for sheer longevity while not ever being really terrible should definitely be in the discussion. Schmidt deserves a look as he meets Jumper's standard for current living legends recognized as the GOAT of their position: 3 MVPs, 5 Silver sluggers, 10 Gold Gloves, 18th all-time in WAR. That's pretty good. Eddie Murray definitely has to be added. Bench shouldn't get dinged too much for offense because catcher is by far the toughest position to play in baseball. Not that he was shabby with the bat. From 1968 to 1977 he was by far the best hitting catcher in baseball while being clearly the best defender and handler of pitchers. In there were two MVPs, both years with at least 40 homers and 120 RBIs. The only knock on Bench is speed. But he was a good baserunner. He stole 25 bases in 27 attempts in 1975-76. Bench's greatness lies in his ability to make pitchers better. The Reds never had truly great pitching staffs in those days like the Orioles, A's and Mets, just a bunch of occasionally great pitchers who Bench made better.

I've seen and read alot about Willie Mays since he died and while he's before my time there's no doubt he was the greatest living baseball player before he died. I try to keep up with baseball so I was struck by how many people made the case he's the greatest baseball player of all time. Even if you take issue with that it’s almost impossible to dispute that Mays was the greatest living ballplayer before he died. Alot of people tried to come up with who's now the greatest living ballplayer and there's no real agreement. It’s certainly a testament to Mays’ greatness that there isn’t really a consensus. But it did make me wonder who's now the GLB. The names I heard alot over the last few days are Ken Griffey Jr, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Rickey Henderson, Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Jackson, Cal Ripken, Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, George Brett, Robin Yount, Chipper Jones, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Sadaharu Oh and Shohei Ohtani. That's 24 candidates. Anybody left out? Who do you think is the greatest living ballplayer.

Let's take a look at the basic raw defensive numbers for coach Jeff Marksberry's last three years at Simon Kenton and Roy Lucas Jr.'s first three years back at the helm at SK, without any editorializing. Just the numbers: ABBREVIATIONS: PPG = Points allowed per game RY/G = Rushing yards allowed per game PY/G = Passing yards allowed per game YPG = Total yards allowed per game AVG = Average W-L = Wins-Losses LUCAS FIRST 3 YEARS ON DEFENSE YEAR PPG RY/G PY/G YPG W-L 2023 32.8 156.2 206.4 362.6 5-5 2022 26.4 124.4 134.5 258.9 8-4 2021 42.4 244.9 241.3 486.2 2-9 -------------------------------------------- AVG 33.8 175.1 194.0 369.1 (15-18) MARKSBERRY LAST 3 YEARS ON DEFENSE YR PPG RY/G PY/G YPG W-L 2020 32.9 200.8 196.0 396.8 3-7 2019 26.0 145.0 175.0 320.0 8-5 2018 20.6 140.2 118.7 258.9 10-3 --------------------------------------------- AVG 26.5 162.0 163.2 325.2 (23-15) Anything inside these numbers or do they speak for themselves?

Good feedback. But I also feel like this might be an oversimplification. The suggestion that Dixie might perform better with Gregg at RB particularly focusing on the correlation between the number of times he threw the ball and the team’s wins and losses is just too simple of an explanation within a very complex dynamic. The flaw in the argument lies in what some people call the correlation-causation fallacy. This occurs when an argument mistakenly assumes that just because two events occur together, one must be the cause of the other. In this case the argument assumes that Gregg throwing the ball less leads to more Dixie wins because there is a correlation between fewer throws and victories. However, this does not consider other factors that could contribute to the wins such as the effectiveness of the running game, the performance of the defense or the quality of the opposition, ect. Correlation does not imply causation. People in my field learn that fairly quickly but I realize it can be an esoteric understanding. Just because there is a correlation between the number of throws and losses, it doesn’t necessarily mean that throwing the ball more causes losses. Other factors could contribute to the outcome of the games. Plus, there is the incomplete information factor. The Gregg argument in part is based on a partial view of the statistics. It doesn’t thoroughly consider all contexts and variables like special teams play, turnovers, coaching decisions, that one blown coverage in an otherwise solid series, all of which can significantly impact the game’s result. Additionally, Dixie did not win a close game all last year. The smallest victory margin was 25 points. However, Dixie lost to Beechwood by just 1 point in overtime and to CovCath and Cooper by just 7 both on the road, making the Gregg throwing argument's margin for error quite small. What happens if one play, just one, in each of those three games against Beechwood, CovCath and Cooper goes another way and we get three different results, now all wins, an entirely plausible scenario but of course in hindsight. How is Gregg then evaluated in the new context? A little bit differently I would imagine. Either way, it's an interesting question. And so is this: What do you propose to do with Anderson and Mutongwiza with Gregg hogging carries at RB? I would not move Gregg out of the QB position, but that's me. Lots of people here have coached longer than I've ever coached but you would be surprised at how many northern Kentucky high school football games I've seen in my lifetime, which I think qualifies me just a little bit to wade in here. But I'm not an expert of any kind, I don't think. All in all, I admit this is an intriguing argument so New Colonel deserves some credit for tossing it out there. But again, in the Gregg to RB scenario, I would love to hear what you do with Anderson and Mutongwiza as a result. Nobody has addressed that yet. Also, do you think putting Gregg at RB would expose Dixie in any way at QB against their brutal schedule loaded with coaches who will know how to roast the first year starting QB? Also, would the Dixie O-line be up to the task of protecting their inexperienced QB? And what are the chances the whole thing goes off the rails early and Dixie puts Gregg back at QB to right the ship? And would that be too late?

Having Highlands AND Cooper in your district plus neighboring CovCath nearby to snag some occasional players that might otherwise play for Dixie makes life tough too. Playing a nondistrict schedule of usually high scoring teams like Simon Kenton, CovCath, Ryle and Beechwood present obvious challenges for any defense. Dixie scored against pretty much everybody except Cooper during the regular season last year and offense hasn't really been a problem. It shouldn't be this year either with Armani Gregg at QB. Moving him to running back doesn't seem ideal when you've got two experienced and productive backs and inexperience behind Gregg in the QB room. The notion that a change can be made by moving Gregg to running back just because a backup QB might occasionally flash some accuracy in one person's opinion doesn't fully grasp the complexities needed to start at QB, which requires so much more than passing accuracy although that is obviously important. On the field of play against live defense while passing the eye test, Gregg completed 59% of his 191 passes last year while averaging 15.7 yards per completion. His backup completed 50 percent of 22 passes with an average completion length of 5.6 yards. Nobody else threw a pass at Dixie. For Dixie to just suddenly hand the car keys to a backup with no backup with Gregg around after all that QB tutelage provided to Gregg seems counterintuitive at best, although anything's possible I guess. If Gregg gets 30+ carries at RB, that potentially makes him a significant injury risk and marginalizes a good RB in David Anderson in his senior season unless there's a plan to move Anderson to WR and pair him with Nolan Goetz, which seems like a risk. JJ Kriger has potential at WR so Anderson isn't necessarily needed there plus he can catch plenty of passes staying at RB. In the moving parts scenario, now you have two of your best offensive skill players starting at entirely different positions in the same year, as seniors. Again, it's possible but not likely. Anderson averaged about 6.4 yards per carry last year with a nose for the end zone and ran for 857. They also have Lamiego Mutongwiza in the backfield. Anderson allows them to effectively use play action with Gregg who can get a bunch of carries staying right where he is. Anderson makes the defense honor the run. A new QB handing the ball off to a former QB 30 times a game doesn't have as much potential to fool a defense in my opinion. Dixie is becoming a tough place to win because they choose to make it more difficult to win which is commendable. Lots of coaches like to say they play a tough schedule but this is actually a fact at Dixie. I realize the KHSAA RPI is not an ideal measurement but if we just use that, Dixie's 9 Kentucky opponents last year had an RPI average of .579 which is like playing Cooper every week. Take out Boone County and Scott and Dixie's opponent RPI average jumps to .636 which would have been like playing Scott County for all but two games last year. Realignment should help but not till 2025 when it'll be Dixie with Boone County, Conner, Cooper and Scott, which is one less bully in the district but should help at least from a statistical standpoint. The last two seasons Highlands has scored almost 15% of the points Dixie has given up: 150 in 3 games. That said, only 39 wins in nine seasons since that great 2014 with the state final game against Trinity isn't a lot of success. That's about 4 wins a year. And the defense has been a yearly issue now recently with the exception of 2021 which is looking like an outlier. Every year since 2016 with the exception of 2021 and 2019, they have given up more than 26 points per game. To be fair, they tightened the screws last year giving up about 26 points after giving up 40 per game in 2022. That's a big improvement but you would think with all the football players they usually have at Dixie that the defense could be better. After losing a tackling machine like Brach Rice and all those other top tacklers it's tough to be optimistic about the D this year but maybe they will surprise us with a bunch of inspired seniors. Another huge class of seniors for Dixie again: 24 this year after 20 last year. Good luck to the red Colonels.

You say: I don’t know why people associate the option with the wing-t. It’s not a main part or even run by most wing-t teams: I say: That was a nod to the Wing-T folks writing on another thread. It wasn't meant to associate the option with the Wing-T. I think you over thought that while making a small dig. Otherwise, good info. Thanks.

What a season for Lloyd. 10-2. What a great start. How about that opening win over NewCath. Who outside of Lloyd saw that coming. What a great team name. The Juggernauts. What a defense. 41 sacks! They may be hard pressed to repeat 2023 though I wish them the best. They had 32 players sophomore and up last year and 17 graduated. That's a lot of aisle-walking. Probably too much for a small team like Lloyd. That said, they have some nice players coming back especially on offense. Both guys who played QB should be back. Kaleb Evans and Isaiah Sebastian. Yurii Collins Comer and Sebastian were the top two rushers. Both averaged around 9 yards per carry. Sebastian, Tyler Copeland, Elijah Collins and Nishawn Golsby were the top four receivers. If they can rebuild the O-line they should score. Of their top dozen tacklers, they lost eight so a little concerned about the defense. Could be some serious shootouts with Lloyd this season. That could make for some entertaining football.

Not quite the response coach Yeagle got. Sure it's a long time ago and few are still around to talk about Homer Rice. But nothing?! I mean he is kind of noted for helping develop the triple-option veer offense, pretty innovative for its time, huh Wing-Ters.

Welp, from a coach's perspective it's more difficult getting a head coach job with it. A tough sell.

Also think about this. In addition to some players, I'm going to say some kids parents may not even be too crazy about the Wing-T in addition to possibly the student body and maybe some fans who may not be crazy about it. It's just not as exciting of an offense compared to many others though it can be in the right hands and the Wing-T was in the right hands with coach Barth, who did a fantastic job with it. But coach Barth is at Ludlow. There is a new coach in town at WV. A more exciting offense has a great chance to have a ripple effect in terms of greater revenue by virtue of more fans in the stands to see how the new offense is going to shake out. Conversely, if a football team is not exciting that can mean less revenue.

True that. But I was talking about the Wing-T only. It's good to see such strong and varied opinions on the Wing-T. But they'll be talking about it in the past tense at WV. Anybody want to talk about this: When compared to other offenses I think it's reasonable to say kids aren't as crazy about the Wing-T. When you get behind, generally it's tough to rally. While you can develop passing concepts with it like the Delaware Wing-T, try gathering enough personnel at a small school and then try teaching that and then perfecting it and get back me. I think this general feeling about the Wing-T may be true to the point that when an offense turns away from it and goes in another direction players can get pumped up about the switch. If kids are pumped up about a new wrinkle in the program like a new offense it's going to be talked about among the players and the wannabe players and established younger athletes who may retry football or want to become players. That's a critical development at a small school because newfound excitement in the school halls and in the kids social circles can translate into higher participation. WV had about 40 some players last year but had about 50 two years ago. While WV's numbers are good for a small school team I'm sure the new coach would like to see the roster closer to 50. In some situations moving away from the Wing-T can be practical not only from a scheme standpoint but it can also be a catalyst for the program. I think that is what is going to happen at WV.