CKSportsFan

I've seen that happen. It's possible. A few years ago, Washington County girls' soccer (a smaller county, first year program) wanted to schedule Central Hardin (the reigning region champ). CH benched its starters and still beat WC like 10-0. WC coach had words with CH coach after the game and was mad, saying the only reason WC wanted to play CH was to show WC what a real team was like. So apparently CH needed to beat WC like 20-0 in one half to make the coach happy? Um, OK. I don't think FK would feel insulted if DeSales, CAL and the like benched its starters. Because FK knows those teams. Forced to play them every year. They know how good they are, no matter who is at what position. There's ways to do it without patronizing the losing team. Still blitz. Still try to score on returns (KO, punt, INT, fumble). Still throw it deep. You don't have to kneel and punt and play a Hail-Mary defense. You can still do it and be respectful. But you can also do it without having to go up 28-0 in the first 8 minutes, too.

Yup. And it IS possible to be objective while realizing teams are padding stats are running up the score. If coaches are leaving starters in long enough to get the running clock started, then the JV/freshman are NOT going to get many useful reps. I pointed this out earlier: Once E'town got the running clock going against Breck, it ran TWO offensive plays the entire second half (long run, TD run). That's because Breck's varsity offense put together a drive which lasted the entire third quarter against E'town's freshman/jv defense. It's not just DeSales. ... It's a bunch of teams (E'town left its starters against Breck longer than it really needed to. So did Meade). I know coaches say "these kids need reps", but there's getting meaningful reps and then there's the ones you get against teams like Breck, Knox. Meaning you could run ANY play with ANY back and still score even if you decide not to block at all or run the wrong way. Those are not meaningful. They're not helping you get better. So why are the starters in ... at all? To pad stats. To keep up appearances (to beat a team by XX points as expected, to score at least XX points as expected and to hold a team to XX points as expected). That's why. Want to make yourself better in a game like this (that you're forced to play)? Bench the starters. Let the backups go the whole way (as long as you're not in danger of losing). Let them face a bit of adversity without having a huge point cushion. Leaving the starters in to score 21, 28, 35 points in a matter of just seven plays does NOTHING. If anything, it shows you do NOT HAVE FAITH in your JV/freshmen to get the job done (when they easily should when two teams like this are on the far opposite sides of the success/depth spectrum).

Oh, it's a concern. It depends on how many players are back, but at the same time: 1) How many will be there for practice? 2) Most teams suspend/bench players for missing practice. In this case, FK might be suspending/benching players it needs just to be able to field a team with a couple of subs. CAL could win next week with its freshmen, let alone JV or varsity. But I'm sure the starters will be in for at least a quarter or half and get the running clock going (and pad the stats). As far as the 12 that want to play? One would have a hard time making most freshman rosters. If this kid gets hit, he might not play again. And the other 11? I'm sure they like football. But very few kids like getting pounded week after week with no hope in sight, either. I don't think, OVERALL, that the 11-12 remaining kids were as gung-ho about playing DeSales (and then unbeaten CAL) as some of you might think. As much as some of us like attending the National Church of Football, some need to get a grip. It's not the first time a football team has forfeited (Brossart, which was 3-0 at the time, forfeited a road game to E'town in 2009 and never made the trip because of health concerns; Evangel called a game at halftime against North Hardin before the days of the running clock). It wasn't the first. It won't be the last. Life will go on for DeSales and Fort Knox. While Fort Knox and DeSales are in the same district, that's about ALL they have in common. To think Fort Knox should have no trouble at all fielding a competitive team with plenty of necessary depth with no issues is beyond crazy. DeSales still gets credit for the win. Only you don't get to sit in the stands and enjoy the "laugher".

I'm not giving excuses. I'm giving reasons/background behind the decision. Fort Knox could have forfeited on Saturday or Sunday and it would NOT have changed a darn thing. - Still a forfeit. - Still no game. - DeSales still not playing (DeSales can't have 11 results in a season and Forfeit/Pick-up Game would give them 11). Short of finding an out of state team (not likely) or a team with nine games sharing same bye week (yeah, OK), DeSales was NOT playing Friday. Only way DeSales was playing a homecoming game Friday was to find new opponent AND move Fort Knox game. What do you really think the chances of that would have been? Think Knox, which was ALREADY coming off its bye week, would turn around and play two gonna-get-crushed games in a five-day span? However, if game was was played on Thursday (before FK had more players leave), DeSales would have had to STILL modify its homecoming plans. Either way, still was NOT going off without a hitch. FK would have been in a similar situation Thursday though. Still would have been low on numbers. Still would have been overmatched. And still would have had the possibility that if any players get sick or hurt, would have been hard to finish the game (unless you want kids on an overmatched team playing hurt and injured). http://khsaa.org/handbook/bylaws/20142015/bylaw22.pdf Case BL-22-12- Does a forfeit win/loss or game cancelled by mutual agreement count against the maximum number of games that can be played? (1) If the forfeit is declared and the contracted forfeit provisions applied after the first legal playing date, the game shall be counted against the win/loss record, and against the limit of games. (2) Games canceled by school administrations and forfeit fees paid before the first playing date do not count against records or limits. (3) Games canceled by school administrations by mutual consent without forfeit provisions do not count against records or limits. (4) In districts that have voted to seed in those sports that permit seeding for postseason placement, the majority decision to seed shall be interpreted and enforced as an inherent and immediately implied contract to play all contests upon implementation of the seeding plan and within the specifics of the plan. (5) Seeded district games that are forfeited shall be counted against the limit of games and shall count on the win/loss record irrespective of the teams when the contract is cancelled, no matter what terms under which the contract is cancelled and whether or not a formal contract is entered into between the competing teams.

It bothers me that some folks on here say they have ties to the military and yet blast Fort Knox for this. Fort Knox did not want to play during fall break (has to because of forced district scheduling). Fort Knox did not want to play a quality program like DeSales (let's face it, this game does nothing for either program). Fort Knox was willing to play with 15 kids on the road against a team 90 percent of the state would have trouble BEATING HEALTHY with a 40-man roster. That's commendable. Did they wait til the last second? Yes. But just because they were trying to do everything they could to play it. Playing with 12 would have been a disaster (especially since the one reserve was a freshman with no previous football experience). Any injuries and you make national news because FK wouldn't have had enough players to finish the game. Then DeSales looks bad for taking a win like that. Things are bad at Knox, folks. The coach has more going on with his two kids than any of us would ever want to deal with. And his kids are still NOT out of the woods. Healthier, sure. But no where near 100 percent (and won't be any time soon). Another blowout football game was probably on his backburner (as well it should), yet he tried his darndest to still play (knowing full well there was no "good ending"). Should the parents be held more accountable and given more notice? Sure. But how? Can't really punish the parent without punishing the kid (who is actually doing FK a favor since numbers are so low). Fort Knox could drop out of the district or play a jv only schedule, but it's hard to build excitement for a program that way. Plus, it makes it look like FK is "wussing" out (a no-no by the military standards which some of you are trying to say FK or FK parents failed to live up to that standard). Drop the program entirely? That's wussing out even more. I would love for someone to come up with a quick fix. A magic bullet. Wave the wand if you will. There's no easy solution. There's no good solution. And all the message board blame and banter won't change it. But keep teeing off on Knox if it makes you feel better.

1) Fort Knox had 33 (THIRTY-THREE) players TOTAL to start the season. That's freshman, JV and varsity combined. And that's taking some kids who had no varsity experience whatsoever, or football experience whatsoever in general (FK's middle school, Scott, does not offer football). ... FK does NOT have 33 players CURRENTLY. That's the number it had at its peak. 2) Of those 33, only THREE were even on the FK roster last year. 3) Fort Knox isn't the Fort Knox of old when Legendary coach Joe Jaggers was there or record-setting Derek Homer was there. 4) Fort Knox used to have a rule where you could live off post (i.e. Radcliff, Vine Grove, Elizabethtown) and attend the school if your parents worked there. Rule was changed after FK's glory years. That's why you'll see a lot of their good kids, assuming they still around, end up at Elizabethtown, John Hardin, North Hardin. 5) Fort Knox used to also have a rule that you could retire and live ON post. No longer. So, see above. 6) Fort Knox has far more transient than it was back then. Very few kids are there freshman-senior years. Lots of turnover. Again, this is different from the 80s-90s heyday run. 7) Fall break at Fort Knox is different than many other school districts. Because FK kids (and their parents, their families) are so far removed from their families, fall break is about the only time to see them between the start of school and Christmas (unless they can swing Thanksgiving, if you wanna pay jacked up gas and flight prices). FK's soccer and volleyball teams, which have much smaller rosters, do NOT play a ton of games during fall break, either. 8) That being said, playing in fall break in general for Fort Knox would have been a tough task. It would have been nice for Fort Knox to have scheduled its bye week during that week, but you can't always do that do to KHSAA's district scheduling requirements (meaning you can't pick and choose which weeks you play your district games. ... like you could at one point in the 90s). Check the district standings. Very few districts have opened play. However, the DeSales-CAL-Bardstown district is one of them because it is so big (and got even bigger when Thomas Nelson was thrown in at the last second). You can NOT choose to play a district game anytime you want anymore. That's how it USED to work, but not now. ... You really think Fort Knox would schedule DeSales and CAL back-to-back during fall break? OK. Sure. 9) Games get cancelled all the time in basketball, baseball, softball, soccer. Senior nights get moved. Because you can overschedule in those sports. Can't in football ... but doesn't change the fact games get cancelled at the last second in other KHSAA sports, either. 10) Brossart forfeited a road game with Elizabethtown a few years ago. Brossart still has a program (and actually played games that same season after forfeiting to Elizabethtown). So why should Brossart get to keep its program and Fort Knox should have to dismantle? It would have been nice for Fort Knox to give DeSales a bigger heads up so it could move homecoming. However, it STILL couldn't schedule anybody (can't take a district forfeit AND play someone because you are only allowed 10 games). Just would have changed the timing of when they found out and possibly avoided back-to-back "bye weeks" (assuming another district opponent had the same bye week and they were able to play the other team and then move the other team's bye week). Somne of you are NOT comprehending this: Even IF Fort Knox cancelled last Saturday, Sunday or Monday (five days before the game), DeSales would NOT be playing this week unless it was against another district team (again, can't take a district forfeit and play non-district game the same week in football). Can only have 10 results. 10 regular games plus FK forfeit would have given DeSales 11. Only way DeSales would have played this week would have been to move FK game to next week (when FK has CAL, so FK would have had to play two district games against superior opponents in less than 7 days. Not ideal. More of a punishment).

Bizarre game. Russell gets opening kickoff. Fumbles away first snap. LaRue County, which had just recovered, then fumbles away first snap. Also featured two TDs in ONE SECOND. - LC scores on TD run with 0:01 left in first half. Makes XP to go up 14-0. - Russell scores on 80-yard kickoff return (on a handoff/pitch) as clock hits 0:00. LC blocks XP, but roughs kicker (who's then hurt). Russell then goes for two and gets it. FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL UPDATE: LaRue County 14, Russell County 10 (10/04) | TheNewsEnterprise.com

In small towns, the preacher's unwed daughter being pregnant causes an uproar, too. Lots of things in small towns cause "uproars" which wouldn't see the time of day on WAVE-3, WHAS-11, WLKY-32, WDRB-41 and the Courier-Journal in Louisville. The Barbourville Mountain Advocate has fewer than 5,000 readers. Can't imagine a ton of those are from Bell County. Furthermore, the article/column in question wasn't even online. But a homer paper saying something homer-ish is par for the course. It's expected, actually.

1) After reading that piece, it read more as a column than a game story/recap. Which means you can "get away" with more as an author. 2) He never flat-out says "Coach out a bounty on player's head" or "Coach told his players to target him" as a point-blank fact. Pretty much implies it, but never directly said. 3) Pretty good chance an intern didn't write the headline, lput it on the page or edit it after page was printed (before it was sent to press), 4) Small-town weekly newspapers don't have 3 or 4 sets of eyes see each story/page. Folks in my area had ONE set of eyes see their six-page sports section (with 10-plus stories) in Monday's paper. 5) Intern might lose his job, but small-town papers struggle to keep consistent and unbiased sports writers on staff. Doubt the editor and publisher are going down in this. 6) Not the first time a homer small-town paper has sided with the local team. Won't be the last. Happens every week across the country (probably across the state). 7) Big difference in taking small-town paper/radio/tv to court over liable/slander than the New York Times. How much harm was done, really? How many people even knew Barbourville had a paper and what was in it before this broke?

Other things: The media is not going to make a big deal about D-2, D-3 and NAIA because there are a TON of them every year. If C-J was forced to cover "signings" for the other levels (here's a fun fact: you do not "SIGN" an athletic scholarship to play D-3 because D-3 is NOT ALLOWED to offer athletic scholarships). Morehead State does not offer "football scholarships" either, so even though they are technically D-I, there's a huge difference (school size, conference affiliation, fan support, media coverage, and oh yeah, paying your school bills) between Morehead and Kentucky. Not apples and oranges. Not even apples and arachnids (nouns beginning with A). It's more like apples and unicorns. If the C-J had to cover D-2, D-3 and NAIA signings, Jason Frakes would never go to a game, write a preview, write a feature or compile stats because there are a ton of them in Louisville alone. NAIA football signings are a different breed, too. Campbellsville and Lindsey routinely have signing classes over 40, when NCAA D-I makes that impossible. More often than not, an NAIA football scholarship will leave kids OWING money, while NCAA D-I scholarships (especially in football and basketball, but not as much in baseball) are the quote unquote full ride. Campbellsville signed a female/girl defensive back last year in football. Didn't make all-conference. Didn't even start for her own team. There's a reason that even though the number of D-2, D-3 and NAIA schools dwarf the total number of D-I schools, the number of NFL players from D-I schools dwarf that combined for D-2/3/NAIA (same goes for MLB and NBA). High school/college/pro baseball scouting isn't near what it is for football, but the ratio still applies. Because more likely than not, D-I is where the talent is (even though sheer numbers would point to 2/3/NAIA). Not all signings are the same. They've never been. They never will be.

Yup. Even in a "GOOD" year for KY HS football, 50 percent of ALL teams will be .500 or below. Statistically that has to happen (at least if it is Kentucky team vs. Kentucky team). Not a valid argument at all about the status of competitive balance. Throw-away line more than anything. Smoke and mirrors. Fifty percent of teams statewide being at or below .500 means NOTHING.

If John Hardin can handle PRP, I don't see the Dawgs losing to Iroquois. While Iroquois is sitting pretty, the Raiders (not Warriors) could be fourth seed in playoffs, too. Grayson's not too bad and North Hardin has a solid offense in Bankhead (just a sophomore at QB) and Graves (averaging 100+ yards from scrimmage every game).

Justafan#85, E'town and Meade did NOT have to play Breck. E'town is the only area team to play Fort Knox (granted FK beat E'town a few years ago, but that was EHS's ONLY winless season in school history, too). While Breck and Meade may have a long-running history/border rival/feud, you could say the same thing for North Hardin-Knox (don't play) and Trinity/X and 16+ teams in Louisville (while they are both Catholic schools, what would Trinity gain by playing DeSales?). Granted Indianapolis Marshall isn't the best team, but Central Hardin playing them is better than teeing off on Breck (who not self-respecting 4-A, 5-A, 6-A program should play non-district ... ever). I know scheduling is NOT easy ... but it's not as difficult as some people make it out, either. If "They were our ONLY option" ... then you need to look harder. Trinity went out of state to find good teams. McCracken got a team from Mississippi to come up and play an epic game. Central Hardin and Bullitt East have had some great games (when they had no rivalry at all before the past couple of years and rarely play each other in other sports except for maybe baseball). Paducah Tilghman and John Hardin sought out Highlands, even though it is a two-hour plus drive for both schools (like 4 or 5 in PT's case). JH might have been overmatched by Highlands this year, but JH gave FTH a scare last year). Bowling Green lost its streak to a really good East Tennessee team (McCallie) when it could have teed off on another SKY team it could pummel. When teams are WILLING to go hours and play out-of-state team, taking several losses in the process, I lose respect for team who play overmatched teams much closer to home all in the name of "difficult scheduling."

As someone else pointed, letter not very individualized. Other than kid's name at the top, nothing personal about the letter at all. The jersey is nice, but I'm guessing Purdue has a Photoshopper (making up a word here) that does this for a ton of "recruiting" letters. Huge difference between on-campus and in-home visits and coaches coming to watch games and ... getting a letter that many other players have duplicates of (other than name on the top). I hope the kid plays D-I. Not many people can say that. Even D-II and D-III and even NAIA are still good. But letters, in the big scheme of recruiting, mean as much as putting 100-plus yards and a couple TDs on an overmatched winless team.

E'town's schedule is about to get tougher: at Bullitt Central (4-0) ... BC's Carnell is among state leaders in rushing yards at Louisville Central (3-2) ... Records mean nothing to the Jackets, as they never went undefeated in any of their title runs, IIRC at LaRue County (1-3) ... LC led in fourth quarter in 2-of-3 losses Henry County (4-1) ... EHS lost at Henry last year Glasgow (4-1) ... EHS lost to Glasgow last year and some thing Trigg is among state's best RBs (he's committed to WKU, IIRC)

Follow these for more updates: https://twitter.com/Mike_Stunson https://twitter.com/EricChumbler https://twitter.com/SouthavenHigh

Interesting stat 1: E'town ran 14 plays TOTAL ... for 522 yards. Only 2-of-14 plays went for less than 21 yards (on the first, lineman ran over his own running back; other was a TD run in the red zone). Interesting stat 2: E'town did not run a single play at all in the third quarter. Breck got kickoff to open the 3Q and kept it all quarter. Had a 17-play drive lasting more than 12 minutes. E'town got the ball back after the TD, ran two plays (scored) and didn't have another play the rest of the game. FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL UPDATE: Elizabethtown 63, Breckinridge County 6 (09/20) | TheNewsEnterprise.com

FOOTBALL: Warriors down Wayne Co., 30-2 - Commonwealth Journal: Sports "FOOTBALL: Warriors down Wayne Co., 30-2 Posted: Saturday, September 20, 2014 12:45 am CJ Staff Report MONTICELLO – The Southwestern High School had no problem with putting away Wayne County High School by a score of 30-2. First half touchdowns by Kyle Nalle – on a 17-yard pass for Jordan Doan – and Jordan Doan – off a 10-yard run – gave the Warriors the 14-0 first half lead. Also, the Warriors’ defense excelled in the opening half with interceptions by Zach Coggin, Wyatt Karter and Floyd Fannin, and a fumble recovery by Austin Daulton. The Warriors put the game away in the third quarter with a 55-yard touchdown run from Patric Edwards, a 32-yard field goal by Jose Herrera, and a 80-yard fumble recovery TD run by Danny Butt. Doan led the Warriors with 82 yards on 16 carries with a rushing TD and a passing TD. Edwards rushed for 115 yards on only 3 carries with a rushing TD. Brandon Pruitt and Danny Butt both had second half fumble recoveries, as the Cardinals coughed the ball 6 times on the night. Southwestern (3-2) had 265 of total offense, while Wayne County (1-4) had a total of 201 yards of total offense on he night. Look for complete game story in Sunday’s Sports section."

1) Bylaw 6 DOES NOT and HAS NOT ever stopped ANY kids from going to ANY school they want. Never. Point Blank. Someone living in Hardin County can stay in home district of Central Hardin, ask Hardin County Schools to switch to John Hardin or North Hardin (if overcrowding is not a factor; bus will NOT provide transportation; money stays in district since sister schools) or even pay tuition to Elizabethtown (in county), Bethlehem (not in county) or X/T/Mercy/Assumption/DeSales/KCD (not in county). Several high school kids from Hardin County go to Gatton at WKU and don't play sports. 2) Bylaw 6 does NOT stop a kid from playing sports ... because they still retain eligibility at the school they were just at. If a kid attends School A and plays sports at School A and then tries to enroll at School B without moving into School B's district ... the kid is still ELIGIBLE to play sports at School A (school just left). Fun fact. 3) By joining the KHSAA, schools (public and private, rural and metro, big and small, rich and poor) agree to said bylaws (some of which the schools themselves have written and voted on). As an extension, athletes and coaches are subject to same bylaws. 4) Bylaw 6 has held up in court several times. Good luck finding court cases where bylaw 6 was the ONLY factor the judge/jury ruled that way. Many times, there are far more factors at play when these cases go to court as opposed to "just" bylaw 6. Without Bylaw 6, you're turning LOU/LEX/NKY into the Wild West. It would be hard to stop recruiting/transfers. You lose school spirit and support because businesses/alums don't recognize the teams anymore. Even the media can/will turn on you because they'll see you as winning with hired guns/mercenaries and recruiting your way to success instead of coaching/building. IMO, getting rid of Bylaw 6 is opening a HUGE can of worms that's not worth touching in the long run.

Completely agree. Top teams in 5th are Bardstown and Taylor ... and then everyone else. E'town lost its entirely backcourt and center. Bardstown has been there, done that and returns Cowherd. Taylor has the talent, but cohesiveness and coaching are question marks (in addition to the looming KHSAA investigation).

BG's defense this year is scary good. Not many teams can shut out X. And pretty sure they found their next Fant (Carrothers). Even Fant never had a game like Carrothers did last week. And it's not like Owensboro is some scrub. BG is used to winning, has a great coach, great depth and is battled tested (more than you can say for Pulaski at this point). It's BG far and away until proven otherwise. Even if McCallie ends "The Streak", BG is still the best team in 5-A.

E'town is NOT on Warren Central's level. No where near the depth, athletes or challenging schedule. Outside of SW, E'town has an easy non-district schedule. Flip E'town and Warren Central's schedule and E'town might be winless (maybe E'town beats Hoptown, but it loses to Bourbon, North Hardin and DeSales). E'town will be 4-1 after crushing Breckinridge (winless) and probably 5-1 after Bullitt Central (has a good record, but beaten nobody). E'town could finish 6-4 if it's not careful (Louisville Central, Henry, Glasgow, Bardstown). If E'town is among a team's best wins ... then that team's schedule isn't very strong.

I do NOT believe there actually are $50 fines being billed out each week. Here's what I've seen/found on KHSAA: 09/03/14 ? First Football, Soccer Statistical Leader Reports Released | Kentucky High School Athletic Association "As a reminder, member schools are solely responsible for submitting statistical information. If a school or individual is omitted, or information is not updated, that means the KHSAA did not receive a report prior to the deadline. Beginning with 2014-2015, as contained in Bylaw 27, the requirements to enter and maintain rosters, schedules and statistics will be enforced more rigorously by the KHSAA. This enforcement will subject the member schools to penalties by the Commissioner, including fines and other actions, within the constraints of Bylaw 27." 08/21/14 ? Scoreboard/Rosters/Statistics Reminder | Kentucky High School Athletic Association "STATISTICS REMINDER Finally, statistical entry is also required in the sports of football, basketball and soccer, which will be used to compile a list of statewide leaders, which can also be sent to local media outlets upon request. See the note at the end of this post regarding failure to maintain current contest-by-contest statistics." "PENALTIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE Beginning with 2014-2015, as contained in Bylaw 27, the requirements to enter and maintain rosters, schedules and statistics will be enforced more rigorously. This enforcement will subject the member schools to penalties by the Commissioner, including fines and other actions, within the constraints of Bylaw 27. In general, the information (statistics, results, etc.) will have a 48-hour grace period to comply. Due to the unique nature of football and the infrequency of play, enforcement on football will likely be more aggressive concerning score reporting." I can't find a single mention on KHSAA.org about "weekly $50 fine" for non-compliance. None.

Does anyone have PROOF of the weekly $50 fine thing? I can't find anything on khsaa.org. Plus, there are several notable teams who are NOT putting stats online consistently: Ballard, Beechwood, Boyd County, Bullitt East, Clinton County, Dixie Heights (First game only), East Jessamine, Fairview, Fern Creek, Franklin County (first game only), Green County. I stopped at G. And was only clicking on Week 4 winners. I have no doubt there's at least 50 schools who haven't put all their stats (or had them updated entering this weekend/Week 4) online. Can't imagine all those schools are getting weekly $50 fines. And is this a football ONLY thing? Because there are plenty more boys' soccer, girls' soccer and volleyball teams who haven't put stats online.

Look north. Talked to SW AD Chris Decker about something else -- he was interested in using something he was teaching in his class and he needed my help saving it from a website since he didn't have full access like I did -- and we got to talking about football scheduling. Pretty sure SW is playing two of the three Hardins (Central, John, North) and maybe even keeping Elizabethtown (Elizabethtown will be pretty darn good in 2015 with what would be a loaded senior class and a second year in Mark Brown's system).