OldRaider22

Usually what determines the "number 1" team is preseason play. I think I, of all people, can speak to what it takes to win those non-district games. Recent experience tells us that having a new QB makes it a little tougher to gel early on. Same thing with replacing most of the OL. I really do think that this year the talent in 4A and that in 3A is very comparable, possibly even a slight edge to 4A. I just don't see that standout guy or group of guys at Highlands or CCH. That's not to say that they won't develop during the season, but am I missing the Mitchell, Ellison, etc. type of player? I think having to replace the QB bogs down both of these schools during the "preseason". That, combined with some difficult schedules, will keep these teams from being "number 1". So here is what I have: 1. Boone County 2. Highlands 3. Dixie 4. Ryle 5. Covington Catholic Look for Highlands and CovCath to steadily improve throughout the season, and challenge for that #1 spot towards the end of the year.

I agree with your point about most strong classes having a 2 year run. And that makes my point for me really. Supposing a team, I'll just throw out Dixie Heights, has a strong class coming up through their system. They make a nice run in the playoffs their junior year, winning a few games before bowing out. Poised and ready to go for a strong senior campaign, they are bumped up a class? Doesn't make sense. Not that they wouldn't be competitive, but it doesn't seem like all that great a reward for making a solid run in the playoffs the previous year. And I guess that is my point in all this, that it isn't necessarily about seeing who is the "best" team. It's about the kids, giving them a goal to work towards, and rewarding them for their accomplishment. While getting your head stomped in for a year by schools twice your size might seem like a reward to you, I doubt many children would see it that way. I agree with westsider, if you want to gauge yourself against a quality opponent, do it with your open dates for scheduling. That way, you can at least set up when you will play tough opponents to correspond to when you might have a strong class of juniors or seniors coming up. And one more thing, population base does create parity, if everyone has the same rules. Now, if some schools are playing "talent on the field" from Indiana, and out of the county, well obviously the results might be a little skewed. Its simple math, the laws of probability suggest that the bigger population you have to draw from, the greater your odds of finding 22 good football players. Now, that doesn't mean that there can't be short run deviations from the overall odds, but in the long run, it all evens out. Notice that most state championships, especially those in the higher classes, have been won by schools from densely populated areas. There can be no equitable solution to this problem until the rules that each school plays by are addressed. Define boundaries for ALL schools (and no all of Louisville can't be your boundary :lol: ) then we'll see some real parity. Another pertinent suggestion might be to set minimums and maximums for enrollment for participation in interscholastic sports.

Sounds like an interesting idea, but it does seem to have one fallacy in its design. In H.S. football, talent comes and goes through graduation. So a team that had a fantastic year, and subsequently graduated the majority of that fantastic team, would be placed in a higher class? Simply doesn't make sense. Danville is a fantastic program, for their size, but they would hardly be able to compete at the 4A level on a consistent basis....as mentioned before by westsider. So, supposing that they do have a great team that manages to make a run up and through the 3A playoffs. Then those players graduate, and you tell the kids they have to move up? And another, darker aspect to this formula. Not that ANYONE would do this, but since its win or get fired for a coach in this day and age, suppose a coach has a talented class coming up through a feeder system. Maybe he plays the younger guys a little more, gets dropped down a few classes in the process, and because of all the experience these kids have had playing, they go on to win one of the smaller championships. Honestly, in my opinion this has all become just too much big business. Maybe one day it will go back to being about kids having fun, and less about winning, and win at all costs. But I doubt it.

Always the sandbagger......I like your rankings, just swap Dixie and Boone, Conner and Holmes and Ryle will probably end up at #4. Seriously though, what team improves the most from last year to next? In my mind its Dixie, they return everyone, and had a ton of young talent playing last year (and they still beat us). What team improves the least? I'm not sure, maybe Ryle, CC, or SK, they all lost some key players to graduation, I'll be interested to see how it goes. Will Ryle improve if Yeagle become the OC? I don't have an answer to that, but my gut tells me, too many chiefs, not enough indians. Suprise team in '06 - Campbell Co. or Holmes

Understood. Now, you can appreciate though, that if someone told us that Scottie Gray wasn't going to come back next year, we might get a little defensive, even if Scottie had gotten mad one day and said he was tired of losing. Duran will be back, or so the crystal ball says.

:confused: What resources or possibilities? The esteemed winning tradition? The numerous D1 players who have come from the school? I don't think coaching has much to do with winning at Scott.....

Many times teaching postitions are "tagged" with coaching positions to entice people to come coach at a particular school. Also, just my own opinion, but I've always understood that if a head coaching job was offered to you, it was pretty well assumed that this would also include a teaching job.

Is this really true? Obviously, we have heard this name associated with the program through numerous coaching changes, so its not all that suprising, but still. And I agree with you......either the plan is to make him the head coach in the future, or don't hire him at all. We've seen enough second guessing/shoulder looking over to last us a lifetime, pick one, stick with him, but do it now. That's my take.

If you read between the lines, and its really not that hard, you'll find the answers to your questions. I've seen schools create teaching jobs to get a coach, and certainly none of them had the credentials of Mike Yeagle. Personally, I'm apalled. This particular power struggle has been going on for some time now, and it looks like Yeagle just said enough is enough. In the end, Yeagle will probably move to another school, where he is unlikely to have as much success as he has had in the past, not to mention less of a connection with the school(he really was a father figure at Beechwood). Write this down......in less than four years the principal at Beechwood H.S. will resign or be fired. Just MO.

What is the world coming to these days? :lol:

It has been my experience that All-State nominees tend to be kids that will have the opportunity to play at the next level. While I don't disagree that the numbers certainly push for some of the kids left off the list, I think this is more a guess as to how high these kids will end up on the college football chain. Also, many of the coaches won't push for a nomination for a position they don't feel like they can win against the downstate teams. Just my observations, take them for what they are worth.

Interestingly enough, Colerain runs a similar scheme on defense. Their coach tells the kids the first day of practice that they won't have specified "positions" on defense. And I'm in agreeance with an earlier post, teams that can run the ball well and have a good QB and speedy recievers will cause problems for whatever you put out there, as long as you can attack it right. I look at this like I look at Boone Co. running the football all of the time. Most of the teams you play aren't going to be able to stop you, but eventually your going to run into a team that can, and then what?

We need to start a new thread with this subject. We could call it, "back in my day" :lol: :lol:

What about Pasquales? Is that place still around. Used to love the pizza from there when I was younger.

Of course, for the Raiders, the Boone Co. Rebels top the list as far as local teams go. The team I'd like to see them beat most though is Trinity. Gotta beat the best to be the best!