fabfour

Ryan Ernst posted this on the Enquirer high school blog yesterday. There have been a number of great high school football players from this region since 2003.

Of course, this is subjective, and based on one person's opinion. What would your team look like?

Best I've seen ...

Posted by RyanErnst at 10/6/2008 5:33 PM EDT on Cincinnati.com

I got into a conversation with someone the other day about the best football players I've covered in my six seasons on the Northern Kentucky beat. What would my all-time team look like? Probably something like this:

OFFENSE

QB: Drew Ellison, CovCath

RB: Cory Farris, Boone County

RB: Dustin Menetrey, Beechwood

OL: Sean Sester, Highlands

OL: Marcus Davis, Boone County

OL: Mike Donoghue, CovCath

OL: Dominic Mainello, Beechwood

OL: Scott Wise, Highlands

TE: Peter Sutton, CovCath

WR: Josh Canafax, NewCath

WR: Kurt Bovard, CovCath

K: Shane Popham, CovCath

DEFENSE

DL: Victor Singleton, Conner

DL: Justin Smith, NewCath

DL: Zack Kiernan, NewCath

DL: Drew Davis, Beechwood

LB: Vince Murray, Ryle

LB: Sam Flynn, CovCath

LB: Ben Guidugli, Highlands

LB: Jordan Nevels, Highlands

DB: Michael Mitchell, Highlands

DB: Scott Gray, Ryle

DB: Austin Collinsworth, Highlands

P: Josh Bleser, CovCath

Thoughts?

I was thinking maybe James Thomas (Newport) at receiver. But he had a shorter career and played weaker competition than the guys I have there right now. I was also thinking maybe Sam Diehl (NewCath) or Trevor Stellman (Conner) over Ellison. Did Andy Schulte (CovCath) belong on the offensive line somewhere? Does Duran Jefferson (Holmes) deserve a nod? Scott Kuhn (Conner) anyone?

(For the record, this starts with the 2003 football season.)

One of the best high school football games I have watched in a long time. That said I am surprised no one has brought up the fatigue factor. NCC is a 2a school and each of their starting receivers also plays DB and safety. Of course, they have lineman going both ways.

You could see the legs going late in the first half when CCH scored their first TD. It was very obvious late in the game. This is a game NCC should have won. A good 5A or 6A school should beat a good 2A school given the greater depth of the larger school.

This will not be as big a factor for NCC once they move into district play and the playoffs. Good luck to both teams the rest of the season.

Didn't UC and UK have a high level of interest in this young man?? What happend?

First let me say I wish the best for Christie. She is a great coach and more importantly a quality person.

I have read enough of these "parental involvement" posts that I finally felt compelled to post a personal situation that exemplifies why parents should stay out of their children's academic and athletic pursuits.

My son was a very talented NKYFL football player. Once he graduated public grade school we decided to send him to a private school, in another county.

He went to this school with no contacts or relationships. He had no athletic "brand" to speak of with the freshman football coaches. Following summer practices and the first few games he became very disappointed with his lack of playing time. To be honest, so was I.

One day following practice, as we were driving home, my son told me he was thinking about quitting. We talked about it. I asked him if he had expressed his disappointment to the coach? I reminded him that my policy was never to advocate playing time and or talk with a coach about his role and or playing time. I didn't do it when he was in grade school and I wasn't about to start in high school.

I coached him on the best way to broach the subject with his coach so that the encounter was constructive and positive.

My son talked with the head coach the following day after practice. He shared with the coach that he believed he could contribute more to the team if only given the opportunity.

The coach thanked my son and told him how impressed he was with his respect and maturity. Over the next few games the coach began to work my son into the game as a wide-out.

The rest as they say is history. Following the end of the freshman season he was one of four freshman selected to dress varsity. He went on to a great varsity career setting the school record for receptions, yards and TD's in a season, and finished second in all-time receiving yardage.

Today he is a D1 wide-receiver.

As parents we should be teaching our children "life lessons." I only wish more parents embraced this philosophy.

one more time...7 pm

That is 7:p.m. Sorry.

I was in a meeting with the NCC principal this afternoon. The game will kick-off at 7:p.m. Apparently the Corbin players and parents will spend the night and bolster our regional tourism industry.

Safe travels to all the Corbin faithful, and enjoy the Greater Cincinnati region!!

There are some big plans underway up on the hill. Better days are ahead, and soon, relative to facilities, etc.

Stay tuned...

cshs81

What's wrong with Sean? Is he playing linebacker or fullback?

Great kid, great family. We wish him well.

I know it is early, but I am very impressed with Rob Kues. Not only is he a quality young man, but he is a developing into a very impressive QB.

I attended two scrimmages with moderate expectations, relative to his arm strength and accuracy. WOW!! Rob has a very strong arm and is very accurate.

My son, who has caught balls (in games and in workouts) from two of NCC's greatest QB's (Diehl and Smith) says Rob is the real deal!! Wait until Rob starts running the ball!!

The Breds have a lot of talent (again) this year. They are likely to have their ups and downs early in the season, but come the stretch run and the playoff drive Coach Schneider and his staff will have them right where they want them.

EKU contacted my son two weeks ago and offered him a walk-on invitation. They claimed that their recruiter, who's terriotry includes N. KY., is also the academic monitor for the football program. He had to be pulled off his terriotry and it apparently had a domino effect throughout the state.

Here is the scoop on Canafax....

Cincinnati has been in contact with him over the past few weeks (including a face to face meeting at school in January). He is awaiting confirmation of a "preferred walk-on" invitation.

Dayton is also in the mix. Josh is scheduled to visit Georgetown this Thursday (2/9). The Tigers have been interested in Josh since day one, but he wants to wait to see how the UC situation plays out.

Congratulation's Zach!!! The Canafax's wish you all the best in your academic and football career at Georgetown.

:dancingpa

Leatherneck,

I agree with your assessment. My key point was centered around the players confidence level, and the stability in the line play, etc.

I am not saying NCC would beat CCH in a second round match-up, only that the players wanted another shot to show they were not as bad as the 42-0 score might indicate.

I posted a topic in the middle of the season questioning whether Bracken County should fold up their tents and drop the football program.

While it is not a popular POV, I believe BC should call it quits.

BC should have followed the same pattern as Pendleton County. Establish your feeder program, play an independent schedule, and work your way up to district play.

IMO BC is so far behind the curve that they will never recover.

If , and, buts, candy and nuts.....

I know the boys up on the hill would have loved another opportunity to play CCH at the end of the season. That loss stayed stuck in their collective craw.

The team that the Colonels beat up on (game #4) was not the same team that dominated the playoffs.

That was then...this is now.

It was clearly a mental block for NCC players and coaches. No question.

That said...now that Yeagle is gone, and NCC got the moneky off their back by winning a Class "A" state championship...the worm has turned and I predict a strong, long NCC run over Beechwood.

NCC beats Russell in a walk.... :walk:

Russell did not impress me at all in their game against Newport.

As a long-time supporter of Coach Schneider I felt compelled to post this message to all of you in BGP land who have called for his resignation (in some cases his head) over the past few years.

Ever since I have been associated with this site, there have been numerous anti-Bob postings questioning everything from his coaching ability to his inability to relate to today's players.

When NewCath lost 4 straight to Beechwood (over the past two years), many of you were ready to throw Bob under the bus saying that he and the coaching staff didn't prepare as well as Beechwood' staff, and that they panicked in crucial game situations.

Allright...that is fair game. Afterall BGP is about debate and opinion. However, if you are going to hammer a coach and his staff for poor play calling, coaching, will he ever win another title??, etc....where are the props when this same staff run the table the way they did in the post season????

I can tell you from first hand experience how much respect these players (especially seniors) have for Coach Schneider and how much he and this coaching staff meant to them in their run for a state championship.

I was talking with Coach Lynn Ray yesterday who marveled at how dramatically this team improved from their debacle against CovCath. He said that kind of improvement comes from leadership and dedication from the coaches and the seniors (Given he has 5 titles of his own I believe he knows what he is talking about).

The intangibles are as important, if not more so than the X's and O's during a state championship run. No one can questions Coach Schneider's integrity, his character, and his commitment to the student athlete. He embodies everything that is right about coaching high school football.

So I ask those who have called for his resignation, and or believe he should step down now that he got the monkey off his back..."Where is the praise and congratulation's for a man that has spent 40 years of his life teaching young men character and life lessons that will serve them well beyond their high school football career"?

If you are going to tear a man down, it is only fair that you build him back up again....I believe Coach Schneider has earned that respect, and more importantly deserves it.

NPT Buckeye,

With all due respect please don't compare Newport to NCC. There is no comparison. If you need facts look at the scores the last 5-6 years....Blowouts :flame:

NCC would fair much better against Highlands than Newport. The Bluebirds would likely win most of the match-ups, but it would have been interesting to see these two teams hook up during the recent playoff stretch. The Breds were on fire......

I was told by Insight Communications in Lousiville that the reason they dropped televising the games this year was a simple financial matter...

They were losing money hand over fist. According to Insight they couldn't even break-even.

It became too expensive a proposition for Insight Louisville to continue. I assume the same could be said for Insight N. KY. Given they televised a few games this year, one would have thought they could sell a sponsorship package up here for the NCC game??? :confused:

WKYFootballguy,

Congrats to you and the Cards on a great season. I know that Mayfield is a better team than they showed Saturday night.

I too was shocked to learn that a couple of the Mayfield players quit early. My son told me that the guy guarding him told him several times (before the half) that he could'nt wait for the game to end, because he was cold and wet. In fact he joked with my son to stop blocking him....

I owe an apology to all CovCath fans, and in particular their student body.

Following input from a few other NCC players the "chant" came from a handful of students who appeared to be soccer players.

Shame on me for jumping the gun and calling out a student body everyone assumed would be suuportive of the Breds quest for a Class A State title.

And yes...CCH whipped out butts earlier in the season, but the Breds sure were a different team then...

I wasn't there to witness it. I was told by some of the players. It isn't that big a deal, but some of the Newcath players were disappointed with the chant.