Buffalo Gap

Dude, You need to move to town 'cause you got it down!:thumb:

haha...Well, I appreciate the invite! Fortunately, I've grown up in a family of successful coaches and I've seen what they do. I also had the chance to play in high school for Lincoln County and Danville HS....one being a great program and the other being an absolute super power, like you all in Ft. Thomas. I've had the opportunity to play for other great coaches, ex: Sam Harp, Mark Peach (Campbellsville Univ.), etc., and I'm fortunately now at a place, Mercer County, that is hoping to one day, get to the levels of a Highlands, Danville, Trinity, Beechwood, Mayfield, etc.....but, as I mentioned, and you attest to, all of those things have to be in place...and that goes for every school across the state that not only wants to, but is committed to having a top knotch program.

.....that's one of the reasons why I am going to watch Metcalfe County play this week. Six to Eight years ago, they were the doormat of KY HS Football...we beat them 69-0 (A friend of mines cow pasture was literally better than their field at the time), and that was the score at the end of the 3rd..it was the same thing for the next couple years. IMHO, they are the best story of the past 10 years in KY football, so I'm anxious to see them now. They are a prime example, IMO, that any school across this state can establish themselves if everything that was mentioned and more, is in place.

Best of luck to you all this week!

Maybe 1 or 2. Thats what makes Highlands so good, no egos or college recuitors to get in the way.

....and the fact that football is an absolute culture, way of life in Ft. Thomas. The mindset that anything short of a state championship is viewed as somewhat of a dissapointing year; embedded into young mens lives as soon as they start little league. To become the best that you can be. A belief that the hard work you put in year around, won't just make you a better player....but, will make your team better. A team of great attitudes. Coaches that work their tales off and expect nothing less from those that they are coaching. A community and fan support that is probably as good as it gets, any class, any state...they are with you when you WIN, and there for the team even more when they are having a "down year" (last years 7-5 record)...no finger pointing. Parents of the players are involved/supportive, but keep their distance and try not to interfere with what and how the coaches do their jobs....realizing that the coaches might just be coaching their sons real hard/ intense and to the naked eye, might seem unfair, but at the sametime know that those COACHES would go to battle over each and every one of them. An administration that is committed to not only academics, but athletics, in particular football (going off of their state CATS scores, other assessment, etc. )

..

These are some other factors, wouldn't you say Sweeper?!?....and, some good factors to have, at that.

I thought that the Letcher Cty coach hit the nail on the head when he said something to the effect that Highlands has "no fat guys". That right there tells the story that skilled atheletes get the job done not only in the high profile positions but in the trenches. Great job Dale and company in having by far this year the best looking offensive line in the State. I guess my point is you dont and you better not be over 250 to play in Dales offense. And for the record this post is coming from a sore arm raggy looking old and out of shape QB.

I agree with that, and no, Highlands doesn't have any "fat guys". If a kid can be 250+ and be in shape, that's great....icing on the cake, but if he is 250, out of shape, fat, weak and can't move...then, typically those types of kids don't get much action, unless they are at a smaller school or just on a team that doesn't have much depth.

"If you can't move, you can't play." That's how I was brought up/coached....I was made a believer, if I hadn't, I woudn't have had any kind of success in HS and College as a player. I firmly believe believe that now as a young coach....it may not be the politically correct thing to necissarily tell kids, but it's pretty darn truthful.

From the looks of things, that same saying or about that, seems to be a motto at Highlands.......I'd say it works pretty well for them?!:lol: :thumb:

You heading up to the game Buffalo?

I thought about it, but I think I'm going to head for something new friday nite....planning on going to the Metcalfe County/Ft. Campbell game. Keep your phone on you, b/c I'm sure I'll be calling for some updates.

This is going to be a good match up. Great blocking against great tackling. I love watching fundamentally sound teams.

What was said in that article hits the nail on the head. When we were watching film on Hopkinsville, it was hard not to just watch Highlands. I mean, the way they block and the EFFORT that their kids put forth on every single play was nothing short of amazing....I honestly have never seen a high school offensive line want to line up and physically try to drive you in the dirt on every play, and I'm not talking about just one or two guys, I'm talking about the entire front 5 or 6.

A lot of that is a compliment to their coaching staff, but even more of it is a compliment to the KIDS on the Bluebird team...you can tell that their "Want To" and "Self Drive" is all there and then some.

LC, you all are coached very well, and the aggressiveness/physical play that you all have brought with you to the field is a HUGE reason why you all are where you're at right now. Despite how good and physical you have played, you're just going to have to turn it up another knotch or two...and you can...and if you do that, it might just be a very special night.

Best of luck from a Mercer County coach, that still to this day and will always call Lincoln County his home. :thumb:

It was 32-7 vs Warren Central in 1993.

 

You are so right about making adjustments by coaches. I had this conversation Friday night with someone and we talked about how Marty would make a seemingly simple halftime adjustment and the game would be over after that.

 

I put French and Jaggers right there together as far as in-game adjustments go. Phillips was a great coach and program builder but if the game didn't go as scripted, then it was a bad night.

Another one, I remember was the win over Bowling Green at WKU in 1992. I don't remember the exact score at halftime but it was close and the Pats blew the Purples out in the 2nd half.I remember BG scored on the last play of the game to make it respectable.

When I came to Fort Campbell in the early 90's I thought the setup in KY was a little wierd. and now it seems even crazier. When I grew up in Oregon, we has 4 classes and each class had 8 conferences. Each conference sent 2 teams to state for a 16-team field. Each conference champion was seeded 1-8, and the conference runner-up was placed in the opposite side of the bracket (seeded with 3 other runners-up against a conference champion). The only time you saw a team from your conference was in the state chapmionship. This was the basic format they used for all sports back then, but I understand it has changed since then.

 

This sounds better then what we have now. I do not see any reason why so many teams feel that they should be competing for a state title. If they want a chance they might need to play a little better during the regular season to make sure they get a spot. KY is worse than some of the pro sports (NBA) that sends nearly everyteam tot he playoffs. Just doesn't make ense to me.

Ours used to be like that. I think the change came before the '91 season. Before then, though, we had 4 classes and 8 conferences/districts within each class.....and only the top two teams from each went to the playoffs. Then the 4 teams to the playoffs came about in '91. Actually, back in the 70's and 80's, the district champs were the only ones going to the playoffs.

Whichever scenario there is, there are going to those that aren't happy, but I believe we can all attest that the current format isn't the way to go...then again, it might work itself out.

The address is 2400 Memorial Parkway, FT Thomas, KY 41075. You can google it for a map.

Blue....

I just downloaded "Google Earth".....your alls place shows up real good from the satelite pic, along with every stadium in the NKY region...pretty slick to look at.

It is going to take a HUGE effort on the Patriots side to win this game--and I do believe that the team and coaches will give it all they have. The only team that may be able to beat Highlands is..........Highlands. They seem to have it all this year. No one even picked Lincoln to win 4-5 games, so it is an honor and priviledge to watch what these boys have done to prove the nay-sayers wrong. It has been done with heart, determination and a genuine love for teammates that hass gotten them this far. I am sure Highlands can say the same. Good Luck to both teams!

The Danville Sports writers didn't pick them to win, but 4 or 5 games....you could find several others, though, that when they saw those predictions dropped their jaws in disbelief. I was one of them, and I wasn't alone.

When you look at the whole scheme of things, yes, they lost two great players in Miller and Calhoun....but, on the flip side, they had their QB back, their line, a linebacking core that could be argued as one of the best in the state and an athlete, an absolute game changer and play-maker in Ryan Young. Taking that in consideration, I knew those predictions of 4 or 5 wins wasn't going to hold up.

Good luck Pats!

None of the four teams got to the semi-finals without being physical. Highlands is Highlands, Lincoln is Lincoln. Let's get it on.

Yep. You don't get this far without being. I watched Frankfort the other nite and they just won the physicality part of the game, hands down....every team that makes it this far is physical.

I was at the UK game today and some were asking me about Lincoln, and I told them the exact same thing that you just said, "Lincoln is Lincoln". They have a team full of "football players" mixed with a couple/few of the "athlete" type kids, "playmakers" that you HAVE to HAVE to win this far in the playoffs. That's been LC's theme for as long as I have known it. Anytime you mix those things, with great coaching, you get where Lincoln and 24 other teams across the state are right now...bottom line.

I can remember others talking about these group of kids (Denson, Brummett, Rogers, Young and Co.)...(last years bunch of Miller, Calhoun, etc., too) when they were in elementary school and what a good, all around group of kids, students, athletes, etc., that they were....they've definately backed it up. I saw all of them at Applebee's the thursday nite before the Pulaski game, went and talked to all 10 or so of them and they said they come their every thursday after practice to eat....little things like that are a great sign of unity and togetherness....little things that usually help pay off in big ways.

At the time of Larry French's hiring in 2004, Don Story was the Athletic Director at Lincoln County and he was very, very high on Larry French. Maybe I didn't get it at the time, but I do now. That was a major hire for Lincoln County.

 

I played for Snooky Wooldridge and Steve Sullivan; I was college roomates with Tim Estes and I am very fond of both Larry Phillips and Marty Jaggers but I don't think I can put any of them above Larry French on the list of best head coaches at Lincoln County.

 

His adjustments Friday night were genius. With him, Lincoln County would have won the Regional Championship in 1999. Without him, they would have lost Friday night. I don't doubt that at all.

 

So, I guess I am saying that the current Girls' Varsity Basketball Coach (Don Story) has A LOT to do with the current football success.

I wasn't able to make it to Stanford the other nite, but from what it sounds like on your end, which is very creditable, that the game/win v.s Johnson Central was a lot like the '93 Jaggers led team that was playing Warren Central, @ WC and the game was all tied up at the half, 7-7. Then, LC came out the 2nd half, after adjustments made and it was GAME OVER.

What was the final of that game Network? 34-13? Can't remember....I was too busy with my ball boy obligations. :lol:

Here's food for thought, and I could be a little biased on the best coach to roam the LC sidelines, but instead of doing that...how about just imagining if Phillips, Jaggers and French were all on the same staff. You think any adjustments and game planning would be going on in those conversations at halftime??!! :eek: It'd probably just be safe to tell the opposing team, "Look, if you aren't up at least 2 TD's at half, just forfeit the rest of it!"

Pointing out the obvious here, 6 classes are too many...that's the first problem. There's not enough private schools to have their own class, well, there is, but even though the Holy Cross', O'Caths, DeSales, etc. have GREAT programs, I still think it would come down to a final four of CovCath, LexCath, St.X and Trinity every year, so that scenario is out the question.

We could go to 5 classes, which I think everybody could tolerate more, and might just work at the best.

.......or, just be done with it, go back to the 4, like it has been?!?

That's just my two cents worth....if it's even worth that?! haha

I'm not going to predict a score, but my heart tells me one thing and my mind tells me another....regardless, best of luck LC! I believe I can speak for all of us at Mercer County, Southwestern, Pulaski County and South Laurel when I say that you all are representing our district proudly......a district made up of teams that were questioned throughout the year as to if they were really much count throughout the season. Keep it up! Best of luck!

Okay. I don't have any control over the PA guy. I would have been shocked had you been referring to anyone on our broadcast. I don't like cheerleader public address announcers. I find it bush-league.

he PA guy is the same guy that had his son play b-ball at Boyle County while he's always lived in Stanford and worked in Stanford.Go figure that one out

First of all....I'm a big Goldsmith fan. As Chiefsmoke said, he is a great man and great coach, IMO, things just for whatever reasons didn't seem to get rolling like he and others had wanted, unfortunately.

To add to what a couple others mentioned earlier, Lawrence County alum and former Campbellsville University star QB, Alan Short would be a great choice!! He has been at Adair County the past couple years, and some might think that the "lack of experience factor" would maybe not make Short a good choice, but I will firmly beg the differ on that. In some cases, Experience is over-rated, I will take it to the bank that Alan Short knows as much, if not more football than a good deal of coaches across the state that have had a lot more experience in the coaching game. He's very knowledgeable, great work ethic, enthusiastic, high energy, disciplined and a leader. Everything that a program could want.

Good luck Lincoln County!! You have a fan in the rest of the season here......should be a great game.

Pulaski County certainly fought till the end and gave it their all but this game was not as close as the score would indicate. Pulaski scored a TD and 2 pt PAT with two seconds left.

 

A fake punt set up the frist touchdown for the Maroons. Lincoln County seemed to defend it well but missed a few tackles.

 

I really like the Sophomore quarterback Muse. He is as good a runner as he is a passer. In fact, I think he is the proto-type modern day quarterback. He is fast, elusive and able to break big plays from anywhere on the field.

 

Lincoln County was able to match-up well with the Maroons defensively. The front 4 of Walls, Long, Conanster and Denson kept pressure on Muse and contained him when he scrambled. It was a case of a very good quarterback being limited by a very good defense.

 

I agree that the future is bright for Pulaski County. I think Coach Hines and his Maroons will be the District favorites in 2008.

You might be right but Mercer has 17 out of 22 startes back. They lost to Pulaski by 1 at Pulaski after Muse ran 85 yards to score the winning 2pt. conversion late in the game.He reversed field twice and I think the whole Mercer team missed him.I've never seen anything like it.

Highlands. From what I have seen of them, they are a completely different monster than anything I have seen over the past few years. They put on a "clinic"....in everything they do.

0-0?

 

Was there a 5A last year?

 

They were 7-1 in their region last year according to Riherd's and 10-2 overall, with wins over Rockcastle and Montgomery, and winning twice against Madison Central. Beat Clark County in reg season, then lost to them by 1 in the second round of the playoffs.

Correct. Lincoln has a very strong tradition. They fell on hard times for a few years before French got there to lead them back to prominence. Lincoln, while in 3A in the 90's played in:

4 District Championships (1 for Phillips, 3 for Jaggers)

6 Regional Finals appearances (1 under Phillips, 4 under Jaggers, 1 under Estes)

2 Semi-Final appearances (1 for Phillips, 1 for Jaggers)

2 3A State Runners-Up ( 1 for Phillpis, 1 for Jaggers)

Lincoln County has a very strong tradition. Best of luck to them this week and the rest of the post season! :thumb:

I don't really know either, but at times it looked like we had 4 running backs or 3 backs and then the QB would roll with it... it confused me so I can't explain it to ya!:lol: Kinda looked like Mercer tried to do some new things instead of sticking with what they had done all year. Sometimes its better to do what you know and just improve on that. I dunno though... I'm merely speculating.

Here is some football trivia for you. You can't have 4 running backs (excluding the QB). You know why?? Because that would cause you to have 5 people behind the line of scrimmage .....that's ILLEGAL. Now, you can have 4 running backs, people behind the line, counting the quarterback...but, not the afore mentioned. Given the fact that you didn't know that, probably does explain why you didn't know what was going on....that's football basic knowledge 101 (not being disrespectful, just adding to what you were saying on your own account).

Lastly, 3 backs and the QB in the backfield isn't uncommon. The Wing-T, the Power-I, the Maryland Straight I, the Wishbone, Flexbone, etc. all can have 3 backs in the backfield. Mercer, the other nite, when they got in the "gun" was nothing more than a version of the wishbone....the SAME plays, except for maybe the addition of 1 or two.

Yeh, I'd say you're right, 'revamping' is a better word for it so no disrespect to the Lincoln community.:thumb:

 

And you're right, there have been a few here in Titan town jump off Jaggers' bandwagon, but I assure you they haven't given up on the boys! All I'll say is that the Mercer football community has had more to deal with than just football this season. Too many distractions, IMO. That's all I'll say about that.

That wasn't just a disrespectful comment to the Lincoln community, but also to it's previous coaches who led them to GREAT success, in particular, Larry Phillips and Marty Jaggers. Usually, though, comments like that aren't unheard of when dealing with some who have never lived anywhere else in their life, but one community.

You're comment about too many distractions is completely uncalled for, first of all...and, that's all Im going to say about that, at least on a message board, that is.

Heres what you and some others fail to realize. Marty Jaggers, at Mercer County, has a 30-8 record....pre-merger/merger combined. Back to my comment about some not having been anywhere else in their life, but one community, which SOMETIMES (depending on each individual) leads to a lack of knowledge of other football programs, and the tough times that EVERY team, despite their success, tend to fall on.

Bowling Green, back in '01 or '02, went 5-6. Danville, in 1999, went 7-6. Covington Catholic, while still in the playoffs this year, is 6-5. Bullitt East, finished this year 4-7 and even Boyle County. If you will do your research, you and others will realize that everyone of those schools I just mentioned have a very, very tradition rich football program....but, guess what, even they have fallen on hard times before. Guess what else?! They've bounced back...just like Mercer will.

I am a big LC supporter, I had no problem with Coach Jaggers sporting LC threads. Everyone I talked to thought it was great and in good fun.

I think both teams have improved, I just think LC has improved more. Judging LC's recent performances and getting home field advantage, LC should win this game by 10 or less. The South Laurel performance really sticks out to me. LC easily handled them, Mercer lost to them. Mercer seems to struggle against the pass, LC has been throwing the ball well.

 

All that being said, I would not be shocked at all to see Mercer pull off the mild upset in Death Valley. Jaggers will have his bunch ready to play, and there is a lot of pride on the line.

Exactly.

No doubt about it. It should be a dandy. :thumb:

Coach Peach, his players and staff @ Anderson County move on. AC by 2 TD's. :thumb:

Doug Preston's young Western squad is much improved since the beginning of the year...look for them to make statement about who makes a run for the 4A title. Western with the win and a little sweet revenge from earlier in the year.

If Lincoln Co. is what has made Jaggers what he is today, great! I am not so shallow to say that he shouldn't cherish what he had at Lincoln and care for that community or deny what he had while he was there. So, I didn't then and I'm not now saying he should deny anything he has with Lincoln. I'm merely looking at it from what his players at Mercer might think about it, as well as a few other folks. I would have thought the same thing if I had seen Coach French wearing his old Mercer gear when he scouted Mercer... but since he is at Lincoln Co., I suppose that is why he sported his Patriots gear. These are just my opions:thumb:... its how I view loyalty to where you are.

And trust me, I'm not so serious about this thing that I'm gonna lose any sleep over it!

Again, you are blowing it way out of proportion.