jpa2825

There is a school in FL with the nickname of "The Hobos."

Web streaming audio for this game?

If they run a 4-4 defense this week, they better have some VERY fast LBs that can cover OR you better be prepared for the JumBIRDtron to blow a circuit putting up all the points on the HHS side.

Not sure where you're coming from, but regardless, Patti's 1880's settlement is worth the extra hour it might take added to your trip. 2" pork chop was amazing.

How many of the 32 6A teams are in NKY, Lexington & Louisville? I am guessing a fairly high %.

Only briefly. Leatherneck and others made sure that got fixed.

A few comments / questions (after 15 pages of reading and 3 hours at DCM last night) 1 - I would like to see the # of series Bardo played and the offensive results for WC on those drives. He played much of the 1st Q and I didn't see him after that. Not sure if he was in on the 1st WC TD on the busted play. 2 - JV Defense (by choice, not by injury necessity) played much of the 3rd Q. Most, if not all, of the available starters / starting rotation were back in for the 4th Q. 3 - Once Bardo left, the entire starting secondary was out (although 27 does see some starting reps in certain packages and played last night). Much of the front 7 (3 DL & 4 LBs) were the usual rotation. This is important because of how WC scored. 1st, it was all big plays and no real "drives." 2nd, all of the big plays (mostly runs, but a few huge passes as well) were OUTSIDE THE HASHES. Other than the 2 OLBs, this is the responsibility of the secondary. 4 - Personnel aside, "set an edge" for goodness sake. If you continue to take bad angles and not set the edge wide enough to force the runners back to the inside (where 8 or 9 other players can help you at least try to contain a 80 yd. TD run down to a 15 yd. 1st down), SET THE EDGE wider. Stand on the freakin' sideline and work back from there. IF they then start to gash you up the middle because of the wide edge you have set, so be it. We'll never know since it didn't happen last night. Lots of good learning opportunities in film today I am sure. 5 - No idea on the numerous chop blocks. I did see the repeated firing off low of the WC OL, but I also thought it was in the box and didn't see the defender engaged with another OL. I admit I couldn't watch it that closely from where I was. Maybe some film work to be done. 6 - HHS will be OK. Hopefully they get a chance to get healthy. Those that didn't play last night will hopefully have 2 weeks before the 2nd round game. Those that did play and came out of the game worse than they went in, get better this week and be ready when called upon. Go Birds! Beat Lions!

Game concerns me. Visions of John Hardin and Paducah Tilghman in my head. That said, coming off a loss I expect to see some fire in the eyes. I also expect the stud athletes going 2 ways for WC to wear down late 1st half and in the 2nd half. Regardless of who plays QB, I would not be shocked to see HHS put in a completely new offense this week with 2 TEs and 2 RBs and run some "wham" and "slam" plays just to throw WC off, control clock, show they can, put something on tape for the playoff opponents, etc. Don't expect to see it and I don't have any inside info, but it would not shock me. Go Birds. Beat Dragons!

Good game. Great atmosphere. Birds were not efficient enough with their possessions but stayed in the game until the end. Defense played very well. Slow starts each half put the Birds on their heels and in "catch up" mode. With respect to the "injuries" by #42 and others for Elder, weak sauce. You always want to give a kid, particularly a HS kid, the benefit of the doubt on any injury. It was VERY suspicious that #42 got "injured" at key points when HHS was getting momentum and wanting to dictate tempo. He also seemed to "recover" very quickly to jog to the sidelines and get back in the game. However, any benefit of the doubt was lost in the 4th Q when there was some confusion on personnel for Elder and #42 was trying to get off the field before HHS snapped the ball. Halfway to the sidelines he dropped to his knees as if to count his rosary beads because he knew he was not going to make it off the field in time. That showed it was obviously a strategy and something he had been coached to do. Coach Ramsey was visibly upset that he had to burn a TO. I don't blame the kid at all. I blame Ramsey. Whether a legal play OR unsportsmanlike conduct is left to the discretion of the officials (who are always going to give the kid the benefit of the doubt rather than call a penalty on someone who could end up actually being hurt). However, you are sending the wrong message to HS students, particularly at a Catholic HS, when you develop a game plan that actively calls on them to lie to a person of authority. Sort of the opposite of the commercial where the kid tells his coach the ball actually went out on him and knows he needs to tell the ref to correct the call.

I think the 2 keys will be offensive efficiency & QB rushing yardage. A - any possession that doesn't end up in 7 points (turnover, punt, FG, etc.) will be critical because there will be fewer of them. HHS needs to convert 4-5 of their 7-9 possessions to compete. B - Elder RBs will get their yards small chunks at at time and the QB will have decent passing yards mostly on slants, screens & medium patterns. However, when a pass play breaks down, does the QB get sacked to throw off down and distance OR scramble for positive / big yards? That will determine how often Elder will be stopped. Good luck to both teams. Stay injury free. Go Birds!!

Couple of quick notes: 1 - really enjoyed watching Coach Nevels coach on the Holmes sideline. Throughout, he was positive and trying to get his team to improve on each play. It was clearly not about the final score. 2 - I was intrigued by Coach Nevels' strategy to run the play clock down to 3 or 4 seconds on each play. I assume the idea was to limit the # of possessions in the game. Obviously incomplete passes cut into that strategy, but seems legitimate to me. Moreover, once the JV started the 2nd half, the game was played straight up with usual timing / pace. Not sure if Coach Nevels will have enough time or student body commitment to turn things around, but he sure seems to be trying.

To the Ryle supporters -- if the trend is positive, will we see Ryle back on the HHS schedule next year if there are open dates?

If that is the case, take Elam off the list. He didn't show me "Mr. Football talent" in the game I watched against HHS. I can certainly see college coaches looking at the frame and knowing it could be built on with weights, nutrition and coaching.

D1 college recruiting, particularly in football, is like NBA draft -- all on "measurables" and "upside." Just like Elam at John Hardin. The recruiters see a big frame that can be molded like clay over his redshirt year and beyond in a "football factory" where they control every calorie you put in and every exercise you do. The Sparks kid was a solid college basketball player at UK a few years ago. Did he even get a sniff of pro basketball? Nope. Right or wrong, that's just the way it is.

This is a little bit like what they do in IN (as I understand it). If you are successful for a long period of time, you are forced up to higher classes by that success. I think they use a point system based on # of playoff wins and championships. Once you earn enough points in your current classification, you get bumped up to the next classification. I assume if you are terrible in that next classification for a period of time, you can get "relegated" back to your original class, but I don't know that for sure. If anyone knows better, please correct me. I have always been intrigued by the concept when discussing with my brother (who lives in IN).

Incorrect. When they and CovCath were 5A prior to the most recent realignment, they were actually a 3A or 4A school allowed to play up to 5A because of the reason you cite. Now, they are a very small 4A school by numbers and playing in that class.

Other than some silly penalties, the Birds played a very good game today. Offense was clicking from the opening drive. I think the starters punted 1 time and turned it over on downs in their last drive (where some subs were starting to enter the game). Every other possession ended in the end zone. I particularly liked Houliston's block for Harris on his last TD. Logic tells you not to let him do that, but you just cannot take the competitive spirit out of a leader like that. OL did good work opening holes for the running game and given Houliston lots of time on most pass plays. Also, in most every instance (Hoge, Harris, Hergott, etc.) when contact was about to happen, the offensive player was initiating the contact. Always better to be the "hammer" than the "nail," even when you are on offense. The D played very well and flew to the ball aggressively and finished most tackles. Once it was clear that the backup QB for CCH did not have the experience to throw over the defense (mainly screens & draws), the safeties were playing downhill. Those are 3 players (Urlage, Abner and Wrobleski) that you do not want running "downhill" if you happen to have the ball OR are soon getting the ball. They will make you remember them. Great to see Braden Hicks (SR) w/ an interception. So many of the DEF line in the HHS defensive scheme get little or no attention. They simply do the hard work in the trenches occupying 5 or 6 blockers with 3 or 4 players so that the other 7 or 8 defenders can fly to the ball and make plays. Truly a team effort and they all deserve recognition.

I am fairly confident it is a 6:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM local kickoff. Can anyone else confirm?

Not sure if Highlands qualifies, but they sure force tempo, substitute liberally, snap the ball when set and are in great condition. That said, they certainly do not have a limited play set (try washing those wristbands).

Any JH fans want to share tips on getting to their football stadium (Google maps suggests taking the Joe Prather hwy off 65 and coming in the "back side" rather than going to E-town and up [which I would have expected before looking at the map]), where to sit, where to tailgate, where to eat before the game if you are not eating at the game, etc. Also, how many JH players go both ways? That is always a starting point for my analysis against HHS. I recall a bunch of good athletes from the last time I saw JH play in the state championship against HHS a few years ago.

Can anyone briefly explain why this is a rivalry? Looks like the schools are about 25 miles apart and isn't Tilghman currently much larger than Mayfield? Is it just 2 teams with a long history of good football programs within close proximity to one another? Do they not have a traditional rival that is closer and same size? Discussion reminds me a bit of the Bardstown v. Nelson Co. rivalries, but both of them are in the same city.

Good QB. Better "man-in-the-making." Been around him a long time and have never seen him "get out of line." Deserves a lot of credit for waiting his turn. Lots of kids in that same situation with the AAU mentality that is present today would have been demanding playing time and examining the transfer rules to see what opportunities were out there.

As to the BOLDED above, remember that the same reporter could probably write a story about the massive fundraising that was done for the soccer program at HHS. If you haven't seen that facility, you really should. Also, from a Title IX standpoint, I would assume all of those $ are, at least, neutral since both boys and girls soccer play there.

JOAT -- 2 things: 1 - replacing the Lion's Club with "HHS organization X" or "HHS organizations A-G" is not a complete windfall to HHS. For starters, remember that the Lion's club helped make the field turf possible by signing on to a 10 yr. commitment at over $10k per year. Additionally, they extended that commitment well beyond 10 yrs. when they came knocking again for new lights / sound system (another inaccuracy of the story -- this year is not the final payment). They also worked with the school and FTJFL to fund the required upgrades to the large concession stand a few years ago. When the turf needs to be replaced, I suspect they will be asked again. In addition to concessions, they are able to sell sponsor signage on the fence surrounding the field to make these payments. 2 - do you really think the HHS concession prices are significantly higher than other HS football concession stands? I didn't know if you were complaining about the prices at concession stands generally (Reds, Bengals, AMC, HS football, basically any place with a captive audience, etc.) OR complaining that the HHS concession prices are higher than those at most HS football concession stands. I have heard that complaint repeatedly, but I have never done a comparison of what a 12 oz. water, 12 oz. can of soda, slice of LaRosa's pizza, burger, chips, etc. costs at HHS or elsewhere.

IIRC, it was also an "investment" by the FTEF. I think they are charged with the task of finding sponsorships for the scoreboard and, of course, keep the $ they raise through those sponsorships since they helped pay for it. Seems like a "win/win" to me and a decent investment of funds by the FTEF (in addition to the Capstone communications / broadcasting tie TBirds mentions above).