InTheLoop

BTW...

SC 50

LC 6

I think the Dawgs will play inspired football, but the question is will it be enough. I hope so.

 

LC - 22

SC - 20

 

Sidenote: How long do LC fans think it will be before the Sheppard kid is at QB?

Boone will be QB until he graduates or daddy leaves the program.

Maybe the passing game shown Saturday night will not allow teams to put 9 men in the box. Look for Grimm's stats to go up as the offensive line begins to gel. There were a lot of missed blocks and assignments against South Point.

It's the station that carries Lawrence County Football Games. WZAQ

Did anyone else hear the Bulldogs season preview today at 6 pm today on 92.3 in Louisa?

I guess that answers the question as to where the money used to fund the project came from. Thanks for posting the article.

Who has been Shawn Grimm's toughest opponent? Belfry? Rockcastle?

As a player, Tommy led Johnson Central to it's first win in the state tournament in 2000. He played four years at Alice Lloyd College. He coached in the elementary system for one season in 2005 and has been an assistant coach under Mark Starns for the past two seasons.

The Johnson Central marquee said there would be a press conference today at 4:00 p.m. I assume they were going to name Tommy McKenzie the new head basketball coach. Anyone have any news from that?

This sounds awesome!!! I bet it catches on like crazy. Can't wait for the first show. Good Luck Guys!!

:ylsuper: 34 More Days!!! :ylsuper:

How many millions of dollars have the taxpayers been spared by doing stringent up-keep and maintenence on the current facilities that we have by trying to make them last well beyond the normal lifespan?

Exactly! And when money is available, no matter where the money came from, it is used as you said. It is used for up-keep, maintenance and improvements. These new facilities will reap great financial rewards for the district in the near future. Therefore, Johnson Central will not have to place added burden on the taxpayers.

If indeed there are no restrictions, and I would assume there is not, placed on how the money is spent, so long as the educational needs of the students are met, how is the money being spent wrecklessly when it is being used to improve the school?

The upgraded facilities are for the students. Thousands of students benefit from these improvements. Who knows how these facilities will afect the lives of these kids. If the availability of these facilities keeps one child away from things that otherwise would have been an influence in their lives and perhaps keeps them out of trouble, then it was well worth the investment.

That was a lot of work.

The only change I would make is that I believe we will see a rematch of last season's semi-final matchup between Cov Cath and Johnson Central.

The perception of many who travel around the state of Kentucky for business purposes or for the pleasure of watching highschool sports is that the county schools are nothing short of country clubs. The feeling by many is that the county schools have more $ than they know what to do with. And if they do not spend it, their funding from the state is slashed. I have'nt seen any pictures of Johnson Central - but I have a feeling that it is a brand new ultra modern state of the art facility. I will admit that I am clueless about the coal severance tax and its role towards school funding in the state school system. But some of the massive new schools that I see in my travels are not necessarily in the coal belt.

 

The city schools in Northern Kentucky as well as in other parts of the state are in very poor shape. The state school system rates the structures on a scale of 1 - 5 with a 5 being recommended for demolishing. The hamlet where I reside has at least one 5 rated elementary school and another that is rated a 4. In addition to raising taxes for our city schools, we had a public fund raising event to be able to make repairs and updates to our highschool.

 

If JC is not funded by KERA and KERA $$ is not being pumped into JC's sports complex, than I will eat crow. But my sources inform me that JC is moderately funded by the state educational funding formula. Please prove me wrong. By the way, if there is left over money, by all means send it to Northern Kenucky or you can write me a check...:thumb:

 

We all are in this thing together... I am just screaming for an equitable funding system for all schools so that all students get an opportunity to attend state of the art schools and the opportunity to enjoy sports on playing fields like JC.

Johnson Central is a very nice High School. However, it was built in the 1960s. The same facility has been in use since 1969. And, while improvements are made nearly every year, it is far from being ultra modern.

I believe that each school has a responsibility to the children of their own districts. They should not be held responsible for children in other districts. I believe it would be an injustice and grounds for dismissal if any school board member turned down money from the state.

If the facts are correct regarding the KERA funding then they are most certainly robbing all other districts in the state. There are too many other schools not getting the funding they need for their crumbling infrastructures. Sports complexes should never be funded with these dollars. If they have no use for the dollars for educational purposes they should be returned to the state.

Do you really think that Johnson County should return the money to the state simply because they have been a fiscally responsible school district?

Let me get this straight. If Johnson County had been irresponsible with the money they had before receiving KERA money, building the complex with that money while leaving the educational needs of the students unmet, and had used the KERA money for educational purposes...that would have been acceptable. But since the KERA money was available and not needed to fund education, it should be returned?

That sounds like something straight out of the Communist Manifesto. "From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs."

Johnson County is in no way "robbing" other school districts but using the money given to them by the state. That is an ascenine and uninformed statement.

Don't think you will have to sell a single brat! My understanding is KERA is playing a major role in the funding of this sports complex. Maybe not entirely, but perhaps in the 75 - 80% range.

 

Look- the field looks great. It's state of the art in my opinion. Our Kentucky neighbors deserve a quality sporting complex. However, and I realize I may be lighting the powder keg and that is not my intentions here, but I just do not think that building a college quality sports complex with KERA funding is what the politicians had in mind when KERA was formulated years ago. IMO, KERA was intended to bring up the quality of instructional education in Kentucky to the level of the more affluent communities. And by the way, I am all for that concept. I just have to question the funding of sports complexes for high school, middle school and now junior league football with tax money from other communities that are truely struggling to house students in decent school structures.

 

Just one man's my opinion. Congrats to the kids and coaches of Johnson Central. A state of the art complex that will be enjoyed for many years to come...:thumb:

First, let me say that I have no idea if KERA money played any role in the funding of the new complex. However, if KERA money was used, I would commend the administration for being fiscally responsible enough that the money was available for that use. Johnson County is one of the TOP 10 districts academically in the state and is home to the Number One Elementary School in the State, according to the standards set forth by the Kentucky General Assembly. The district has been given numerous awards to many different schools for outstanding academic achievements. Other school districts travel from the opposite end of the Commonwealth to see what Central Elementary is doing so they can take that information back to their schools and impliment some of the techniques used by the outstanding staff at Central Elementary. The High School and Middle School Academic teams are mainstays in the Governor's Cup Competition with the Middle School being the only Middle School in the state with five State Titles. Therefore, I would say that Johnson County has earned the right, through good decision making and fiscal responsibility to use the money as they see fit. The complex is not only a testament to the administrations ability to run a quality school district but also the teachers who ensure that the children of Johnson County receive one of the best public educations in the state. As for the students, the complex could be seen as a reward for their hard work and something of which they can be extremely proud.

I have been hearing some talk about the bleacher situation. I really dont want my pm box filling up with hate messages, so all I will say about that is JC could be "road warriors" next season.

As quickly as the administration has managed to get the turf down and get the field ready to go for this season, I highly doubt that it would take more than an offseason to get the field ready for the following year.

I drove by the field today...Looks Awesome!!!. Endzones have been painted and the Eagle Head is on the 50-yard line. All that's left seems to be the numbers and hash marks.

That is who I expect to get the job also. By the way, shouldn't you be working....lol......

Yes...I should be working

Good question!!!

My gut tells me that it will be an internal hire. Look for Tommy McKenzie to be the next head coach.

I hear there could be interest in Ratliff from UK.

I had not heard that...but it would be an outstanding opportunity for him to say the least. For UK to offer him a scholarship he needs to show more poise in the pocket and develop better field vision and accuracy. He definitely has the body and arm for a D-1 QB.

Look for another strong season from Johnson Central this year. It will be tough to replace Blake Johnson and Michael Tackett, but I believe some of the young guys will step in nicely. Shawn Grimm is back as is JK Ratliff. I look for it to come down to Johnson Central and Cov Cath/Highlands as to who will represent the East.

Czar,

When is that Bell County Scrimmage?

I just noticed that Johnson Central added Central to the schedule on October 12. They were 11-3 last season, losing to Bowling Green in the semi-finals. I am not sure what they lost to graduation last year but it looks like a quality addition to the schedule.