leatherneck

And make a fool and a troll out of yourself in the process.

In my opinion, the camp performances are weighed more heavily than game performances. Do game performances mean something? Sure. Although I think college recruiters more often attend high school games to 'show the love" to someone they've already decided to offer than to see if the kid can play the game.

For those not going to Mio's before the game, fans of both teams are welcome, as is the case before every Highlands home game, at the Sideline Club pregame event in the parking lot across the street from the main entrance to the high school (not the main entrance to the football field). Can't park in the lot as those spots are all reserved for Sideline Club members and administration, but park near by and drop on it. Grills will be fired up and there is always plenty of food.

That they are. But as Henry mentioned, for the last 10 plus years, the Newport Gold Star has donated food for the FTJFL fundraiser. If I recall properly, Dixie was asked first and said "no thanks". The firm I was with at the time represented Gold Star ownership. I asked and they said "sure". Put us in contact with Ike of the Newport location. They've been great supporters of the junior football league since and still are to the best of my knowledge. Know full well the FT connection with Dixie, but we support Gold Star because Gold Star supports the junior football league.

You really need to get over this national powerhouse; national rankings stuff. You haven't heard Dale talk about national rankings in a couple; maybe several years. When he talked about it last that I can recall, they ended up ranked third in the country. Perhaps I'm a realist; others aren't. It's a very rare year that Highlands deserves being talked about as high in the national rankings. Most years we don't. I'm fine with being one of the top teams in the state. Only school in Ky and associated fans that has the credibility to call out Highlands for not playing more of a national schedule is Trinity in my opinion and I don't see it coming from those folks. As for Cardinal Fan, the way he goes on an on about Highlands, I'm beginning to think he is Gamble's son. I see a certain similarity.

Pretty good one Ru. I haven't asked Dale so I don't know his reasoning. As for me, I still hold a grudge against Gamble from his Two Angry Guys days and that would be enough of a reason if I was the head coach to not participate in the fundraiser.

I think the temperature at game time will have a huge effect on the outcome of this game. If it's cool like it was Friday, it will really help Boyle. If it's hot, the Birds should be able to overcome all of the youth and inexperience they'll put on the field due to two platooning.

If he didn't play varsity last year in any sport last year, regardless of his grade last year, it doesn't matter if the transfer was motivated by athletic intent. Athletic intent only comes into play as to whether one of the exceptions to the one year of ineligibility have been satisfied. If he didn't play varsity ball last year, there is no need to satisfy one of the exceptions and hence, athletic intent is irrelevant.

Those are some very fair points and help explain why some programs don't do as well as Trinity. It doesn't justify why other programs do not.

Having not seen Conner play since 06, I can't say whether it currently runs the same O that T does but I'll definitely take your word on it. But I've seen a whole lot of Ky high school teams and none of them that I've seen run an offense as sophisticated as T does (including Highlands but we are moving in that direction). Running the spread is one thing; running the routes, having the route combinations and having the reads is quite another. I know Collinsworth was quite impressed with what he saw on tape of Trinity from an Xs and Os perspective. Beatty gets and deserves a lot of credit, but Coverdale is the genius behind T's O from what I understand.

Part of what keeps the "clean jerseys" coming back is the tradition and desire to be part of it (actually the kids that don't get to play much at all but show up at all off season sessions and deal with the intense conditioning drills and practices are the kids that impress me the most); part of it is knowing that more playing time is only an injury away; and part of it (for the younger players) is getting their time in the sun in the JV games (and Dale has certainly ramped up the JV schedule this year. Really looking forward to watching the JV play those games). Don't know about the number of cheerleaders. As we all know, there are space limitation on the DCM sideline. They do a great job. As does the Dance Team and the Band. Add together the football players, band members, cheerleaders and dance team members, and you have a large percentage of the students at DCM. You are certainly correct about the number of high school kids involved on a Friday night home game and most definitely correct about the parking situation. Pretty darn cool situation in my opinion.

First of all, want to say to Mex: great thread. To Jim: great post. Over night sensations don't happen in football. Most schools do not have the support nor have they made the long term commitment to football that you find in the powerhouse programs. Basketball, as you mention, was King for a long time and football was just an activity to be done in the fall before basketball practice could begin. When such schools and their fans expect to be on the same level as the powerhouse programs, they are kidding themselves. Rome wasn't built in a day, as they like to say. That's not to imply or mean they shouldn't keep trying; quite the contrary. They have to double down and keep working hard. They can narrow the gap; perhaps gradually, but they can narrow the gap and catch up. I see programs and communities out there doing the right things, such as creating youth football programs emphasizing involvement and participation; hiring and keeping good coaching staffs; investing in their high school football programs, etc. Those programs will catch up to the powerhouses in time. Hopefully the communities and administrations at those schools will not give up when success doesn't happen overnight. For me, the most influential change (technically changes) over the last 10 years affecting Kentucky high school football (and sports in general) has been at and within the KHSAA. The average fan may not see the effects of those changes, but trust me, they have been influential on the game. A new Commissioner, changes in the eligibility determination and appeal process, an in house attorney, more superintendents on the Board of Control, better leadership on the Board, and a better understanding of its role vis a vis the General Assembly (making for a better relationship), to name just a few of the positive changes.

Will is doing very well. Played a decent amount as a frosh and started I think every game last year. Put a fair amount of muscle on him. Looks the part. Smart kid and a heck of a nice young man also.

In the upper three classes, I believe it's around 300. Roughly 1 out of 3 boys are on the football team. Nothing builds success like success. Two platooning means more kids get on the field. More kids getting on the field means more kids will come out for the team. More kids coming out for the team means it's easier to successfully two platoon. It is rather circular.

Lenient? I don't think so. Have more kids been granted eligibility after transfer? Yes. However, I don't attribute that to leniency, but rather to the KHSAA actually wanting to gather all the facts and actually applying the facts to the by laws before they make judgment on eligibility cases. Frankly, the removal of the Board of Control from the process greatly improved the fairness of the decisions being rendered by the KHSAA. Maybe I'm just playing semantics to some, but I feel it's really important to make sure the wrong perception isn't out there. More kids are being granted eligibility not because the KHSAA is going soft on transfers; more kids are being granted eligibility because the KHSAA is actually digging into the facts before they make a decision. I'm disappointed to have to state that wasn't the case a few years back. I strongly commend Tackett for the direction he's lead the KHSAA on the eligibility process. Apologize for getting off thread.

And an Obama For President hat?

Never mind. I found that info in the Scrimmage List thread.

I assume CovCath is also scrimmaging Ryle on the varsity level and it will also be at Ryle. What time is the varsity scrimmage?

Not sure if I'd agree with the "it's still not much" part. The Field Turf was paid for totally by private donations. Same goes with the artificial turf being put down for the soccer field. Dale has been approached several times about upgrading the weight lifting facilities. Has said "no thanks; put the money into the building renovation campaign". The folks and businesses have put a lot of money (over a million $) into renovating the class rooms and school buildings. That is priority no. 1 as it should be. Certainly agree with you that facilities do not determine success; rather that it is attitude and preparation. Doing the most with the least!

You do have to have 5 days of practice in pads before being able to compete in a scrimmage or game against an opponent. I'm assuming that Mayfield starts school early in August and thus was able to start practicing in pads prior to August 1st. However, the rule that allows schools to start in pads 7 week days prior to the start of school also states that you can't go into pad prior to the last Monday of July, if I recall properly. The last Monday in July was this past Monday (July 30th). Which means Mayfield could have been in pads this Mon, Tues, Wed, yesterday and the 5th day would be today. I again assume that Mayfield will practice in pads this morning (for it's 5th day of practice in pads) and then wii scrimmage Milan tonight. I have to assume Coach Morris checked with the KHSAA and verified such would be okay.

This may come across poorly of me, but what's left to be said? We had a Highlands Football Offseason thread started in December that carried on through June, in which the upcoming season was heavily discussed. We had numerous other Highlands related threads started (most of which involved some discussion one way or the other about the upcoming season). Not really much left for anyone to say until the Trinity scrimmage. I'm sure they will be some observations posted about what goes on in practice this and next week, but other than that, I think just about everything that could be said, has been said (many times over).

Interesting. I just got off the phone with a high school Defensive Coordinator (not Highlands DC by the way) and he told me that he felt 7s don't help LBs and DBs much and may actually hurt. No need to read run or pass as they know it is a pass and at the snap are immediately moving into pass coverage. He felt it created bad habits. He felt 7s help the O more than the D, as the O knows coming up to the LOS in a game that it's a pass. As long as protection is given, the timing developed during 7s is "applicable" to a game situation for the O. With the D however, the timing is different in 7s than during real games.

You are just being silly with such a statement. Instead of acknowledging that you've made several false statements, you adding new ones to try and support past ones. Half of the population in Granty County is not addicted to meth. I know Grant County very, very well. You might want to consider what Mueller accomplished at Withrow before you continue to spout your claim that the coaches at schools like T, Highlands, etc. could not be successful if they coached at inner city public programs. As successful as at T or Highlands, etc.? Probably not. It takes decades to build up the winning tradition and program found at those schools. But a great coaching staff can cause a big improvement in a short period of time.

Really? So the quality of coaching plays zero role in determining the success of a team. Heck then, as a taxpayer, I think we should pay coaches even less since it doesn't matter if we hire a good coach or a lousy one. Any coach can do no better or no worse than the talent on the team allows. Sorry, but I think you are way undervaluing the importance of quality coaching when you state anyone one can with with talent. Some lawyers are better than others. Some CPAs are better than others. Some teachers are better than others. Some machine operators are better than others. And some coaches are better than others. A better coach with less talent will often beat a team with a poor coach with better talent. As a 54 year old that has followed high school football very closely for a long time, I've seen it happen over and over again. Furthermore, really good coaching staffs develop talent. They turn below average players into average players; average players into good players; and good players into very good players. I've seen way too many programs get turned around in a short period of time right after a coaching change. That wasn't caused by the natural talent in the players just changing on its own. The talent was improved by the new and better coaches. I have too much respect for the coaching profession to think that natural talent in and of itself determines what teams win and what teams lose. I believe that Beatty and his coaching staff could be wildly successful at a public school.

Hate to hear that. Best of luck on a speedy recovery.