WoodyJr

Hey Westsider, thanks for catching MY error. I have been reading everyones comments on this thread for the past week or so about Faulkner & Rayburn and when I was skimming Fields article this AM I obviously wasnt wide awake and just focused on those 2 young ladies names and wanted to add to the thread. So I rather mindlessly copied & pasted.(Albeit the editor could have written the copy a little clearer - at least thats my excuse :sssh: ) Anyway, hope I didn't upset the girls or their fans.:cry: Here is the blurb as written: Christian County's Arnika Brown had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the West to a 94-79 win over the East in a girls' All-Star game at Warren Central last weekend. Harrison County's Brooke Faulkner had 15 points to lead the East. Brown and West Carter's Brandi Rayburn, who had 13 points, six boards and three steals, were MVPs. So yes, it was Brown and Rayburn who received the MVP awards. Anyway, congratulations to all the girls - high scorers or otherwise :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

Related FYI on the thread topic: Mike Fields wrote about the East-West all-star game @ Warren Central last week that : "Harrison County's Brooke Faulkner had 15 points to lead the East. Brown and West Carter's Brandi Rayburn, who had 13 points, six boards and three steals, were MVPs." P.S. Neither of them were the leading scorer: "Christian County's Arnika Brown had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the West to a 94-79 win" Mike also wrote that: "Rose Hill's 6-foot junior Laura Terry led the girls' Sweet Sixteen in scoring (97 points) and hit 12 of 24 three-pointers. She was 6-for-11 from long range in the finals. "I thought Larry Bird was a female there for a while," Todd said. "She played an incredible game." Terry also averaged nine rebounds." Woody

Perhaps they have. I may have recalled incorrectly. Maybe they've just had a full district schedule for longer than I thought and I didnt recall those Ohio games. I just wish more of our good teams would/could beat up on those HS buckeyes - which is hard to do sometimes;) Woody Jr

1. I don't recall anyone saying 4A WASNT tough :confused: I discussed the negative of loss of natural rivals and long travel distances. 2. re; western schools dominating 5A isn't a difficult analysis - you can probably list all the 5A schools east of Lexington on one (1) hand :irked: A 6 class plan is just too radical :fight: IMO Woody Jr

Even if/when they have an opening they historically don't play many Ohio teams as I recall Woody Jr

I acknowledge that someone will always be at the low end of a class but as an Ashland supporter I think this would be pretty disasterous for us due to several reasons I discussed in general on other threads previously. Basically ALL of our long time rivalries would be left behind in the 4A class. You can squeeze some of them into the non-district spots you have available on the schedule but the competition will have less & less emphasis over time = less crowds, less money, less interest in football.:irked: Johnson Central would be our best rival and closest school - thats roughly 1 hour away. After that the next closest possible district teams are Montgomery Co - roughly 2 hours travel, Dixie Heights - well over 2 hours, Woodford Co. and Scott Co. - again both well over 2 hours! Besides the long travel time & costs these aren't very attractive in terms of rivalries. I'm not looking at whether we would gain any advantage competition wise. I'm just concerned that it would lessen the excitement, interest, and well being of (in this case) our program and probably many others.:eek: The schools that have many, many easily accessible competitors within a 10-15 drive in heavily populated areas such as Lou, No.KY, and Lex very seldom have to consider this issue. :walk: I voted on the BGP poll for a 5 class system b/c I was concerned that 6 classes would split us too narrowly and also since KY HS football has never been stronger than it is currently I therefore feel any changes made should be done incrementaly in small steps rather than anything drastic - ie. lets look at 5 classes first and see how that works. Perhaps some other folks can evaluate this preliminary 6 class setup and let us know how it effects schools they are familiar with.:confused: Cheers, Woody Jr

I'm trying to figure out if it was an upset or if you guys just scheduled yourselves an easy win Do you have your pre season scrimmages set yet? Woody Jr

Sure thing, I don't have any nails anyway:D Just curious about teams on that end that we just don't see or hear much about; Hoptown, Bullitt, etc. Woody

Yeah, having a mom that was a Bama cheerleader makes quite a difference;) Woody

That was part of my idea of having a list of so-called "advantages" with a point value for each. You could factor in # of transfers to a school each year or some period of time (which would apply to publics as well), and whatever else the committee decided was appropriate:rolleyes: , then create a scale whereby a school scoring too high (ie, too many so-called advantages) would be bumped "UP" a classification. I was just trying to figure out some sort of equitable solution in an effort to prevent the seperate public/private divisions.:confused: Cheers, Woody Jr

Thanx for clarifying it LN. That was my understanding also and that you guys were indeed on the low end of AAA. Ashland played up in 4A until KHSAA stopped allowing us to do so. Cheers, Woody Jr

Guru: Your early prediction certainly has some value to it but I'd love to hear some of the reasons that convinced you those 2 will meet. I'm a Tomcat fan but I would think Rockcastle should be a big preseason heavyweight pick. They ought to have an incredible line down there and have been making progressive steps in the playoffs each year. Not that I don't think my Cats will be a pushover, it just seems Rock has earned the preseason hype. Also, does Lex Cath not have as much talent back or do you feel they have too much adjusting to do this year? You get around a lot and I enjoy your observations [though I think many of us out in the state don't quite get your northerners banter with each other sometimes;)] so how do you compare the East vs. the West in AAA (primarily). It seems like the teams over here, and the mountains too, are more & more competitive as a whole. Rather than just a few exceptional teams, more of our teams appear capable of winning than ever before (example: #1 Rockcastle barely surviving against #4 Mason Co in the 1st round). How does the west compare in your opinion? Thanx for your hard work.:ylsuper: Cheers, Woody Jr

Not sure, Perhaps their most recent enrollment figures have them smaller? I imagine Guru, Leatherneck, or one of those northern boys will straighten me out;) Woody Jr

In my experience most FB coaches LOVE to talk football. As long as you are genuine, ask appropriate questions, and respect their time most guys will encourage, explain, offer suggestions to others interested in the game. There are always exceptions for personality quirks, those who may feel suspicious of those around their program, or are under fire currently, etc. As far as the comment about college coaches - you might be surprised. In "most" every case that Ive contacted a college coach for info, etc. they have responded very nicely. I even wrote to Jerry Sandusky who was the defensive coordinator with Joe Pa for a zillion years and asked about an old book of his about coaching defense I couldnt find (out of print). Coach Sandusky had his copy of the book photo copied and mailed it to me with a personal note encouraging me. He just asked me to send any $ amount for it so that he would not violate NCAA rules. How cool is that? So ask questions and seek people out. Its no different than what I tell folks when investigating new careers; talk to the people who do what you want to do - EVERYONE likes to talk about what they do (usually). Cheers, Woody Jr P.S. Also, when I started out coaching youth sports I did the same thing I would do in business - I try to surround myself with people that know more than me:thumb: and be a thief ! I steal all the good ideas & suggestions I can. There really isn't anything "new" in the game, a study of the history of the game will help you understand that (passing - see Sid Gilman):ylsuper:

I believe it's Christ the King from NYC who just beat Murray Bergtraum (NYC) who was the #3 I believe. You can check out my thread in the public/private section: http://www.bluegrasspreps.com/showthread.php?t=93428 Cheers, Woody Jr P.S. did Scott get any national recognition?

Yes she did. A favorite person of mine :thumb: I was told she passed away peacefully in Lexington where she lived close to her daughter. Woody Jr re; below > That goes for all of us. Though I can't vouch for what kinda shape you were in.....

Anyone who has been around Little league age competition (or what ever sanctioning body you're most familiar with) for very many years, ESPECIALLY on the all-star level, will probably be able to name several kids who threw above at least 75mph. I don't mean lots, as in every team, but that it's not that big of an anomaly when you take in the total pool of players. Usually they are the early developing youngster, but with the explosion of vastly improved coaching, facilities, and year round practice:eek: I don't think it's surprising to see 80+ now and more of these type performers in an ever increasing number. Im glad at least one human being on here expressed concern about kids arms. The number of hard throwing LL phenoms I've seen over the years who were "gonna be the next big thing" and then didn't even have much arm in HS, let alone beyond that are so huge that it completely dwarfs the # of young superstars who actually went somewhere with it. I wish LL age youngsters could be kids again instead of minature professional athletes:cry: Hope this young man has a happy as well as successful future :thumb: Cheers, Woody Jr

Thank you for the responses & votes so far. It's interesting to see how relatively close it is between the 3 options listed - hope more folks vote so we can see if a more definitive opinion develops for BGPers. Runfirst - We can't have 1 class in football b/c of the physical nature of the sport. Small schools cannot compete against bigger schools on a week-in, week-out basis (with a "few" exceptions - which don't change the basic issue) I hope no one thinks I'm saying Bball isn't physical, but competing in football is a completely different situation. TheStepChild68 - Welcome to BGP, nice to see thoughtful, insightful comments without subtle (or overt) jabs at any other school or persons opinion - Hope you can maintain that & not be sucked into the vortex of insanity:cool: Rockpride - They stopped allowing schools to choose to "play up" but perhaps a procedure could be set up to evaulate those requests. They do need to make sure other schools & districts aren't damaged by a move or that it upsets the competitive balance. An example could be a super successful program like Highlands playing in a lower class [i am NOT crticizing Highlands. I believe they would more likely ask to play up against the best competition they could] Without having to label it such, I believe a 5 class setup would end up creating basically what the guys above were suggesting with the top class. I also posted somewhere else about the idea of using various criteria, such as a point system ("perhaps" counting open enrollment, scholarships, # of transfers[which includes publics], same sex schools counting as 1.5 students, etc.) which would bounce certain schools UP a class. This "could" be a way of cooling off the public/private firestorm? [i don't want to turn this into a public/private debate] Interestingly, in NY HS boys basketball they have been discussing the exact idea of a "super" division for only the 12-15 schools that historically have dominated everyone else [those schools are the ones actually discussing it]. I know it's Bball but the idea is similar. Cheers, Woody Jr

CONGRATULATIONS Taylor and big Mike. :banana: Boy how we could have used you these last few years :cry: Maybe you'll get to team up with a Tomcat or 2 there. Best wishes Cheers, Woody Jr

I can handle trying 5 classes

Hey, someone else had a similar idea for off-season conditioning Coach Brooks in todays Courier-Journal : The Cats' off-season conditioning program in the past was pretty ordinary. Players lifted weights and ran to get stronger and faster. Strength coach Marc Hill admitted that it could get monotonous doing the same thing day after day. This winter, though, Brooks worked with Hill to revamp the workouts by dividing players into teams and putting them through some unusual exercises. The idea was that a competition might not only push the players to new limits physically but also enhance their intangible traits. Ten captains were chosen and they drafted their teams for the competitions, which were held each Wednesday for eight weeks. In one timed relay race, called the "Farmer's Walk," each player had to carry 225 pounds for 100 yards. Another competition called for each player to flip a tractor tire for 25 yards. They pushed vans and played tug of war. "The exciting thing to me is the leadership that emerged," Brooks said. "We've got a team that's probably going to have only 11 seniors on the roster, so we can't assume the seniors are going to be the leaders. We've got to get it from anywhere we can." Hill added a responsibility factor to the competition, which was won by Wesley Woodyard's team. Any player who missed an event or showed up late caused his team to be penalized. "The guys really took ownership in it," said Hill, who was part of a similar off-season regimen at Arizona before he was hired at UK seven years ago. "You had a lot of the guys coming by to see what's next. It was something they could have fun with, and it put the accountability back on the players. That's how you're going to get good." Cheers, Woody Jr

An article I read stated there was a staredown or words between a NCH player and the big man for Cleveland when Mayo interjected himself into it and pushed the Clev. player. The Clev. player pushed him back and guess who got a foul PLUS a technical PLUS automatic ejection? It wasn't Mayo. I wasn't there but this was an independent sportswriter Woody Jr

How about running backs ? Woody Jr

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I imagine if it were that simple then there would be a football classification with just 2 Louisville schools in it. I can appreciate supporters of their school but perhaps a little, or lot of fact checking would be advantageous before typing. Cheers, Woody Jr P.S. I'm not asking you to leave the forum, just offering a suggestion:thumb:

Unless something is terribly wrong, change is best done incrementally. KY HS football may be in it's best overall shape ever! and its seems to me that if change is to be made they should try 5 classes first. I'm not against change per se, but I'm worried about breaking up long standing rivalries and schools landing in districts resulting in long travel. We need to make sure and not threaten the financial aspect of this issue for the individual schools. Football typically supports much of a schools overall budget. Losing any rivalry games, longer travel costs, less fan support due to long distances and/or unknown teams(yes, new rivalries do happen), too many district(required) games don't leave room for other more desirable games, these are a few issues that could cripple programs. I'm not trying to sling arrows, but often some peoples views from larger urban areas like Lex, Lou, N.KY don't seem to remember that all of us don't have lot's of competitive & financially beneficial games right around the corner:walk: This banter about a certain championship being of less value than another is all relative.:confused: Years later if someone who won a 4A title in HS is talking to someone who won a 2A title, do they look down upon or feel superior to that other person because they allegedly played in a classification that had better competition? Do the 2A winners sit at their bank job feeling less than, or walk around feeling empty inside because their accomplishment isn't worth as much as anyone in a higher classification?:cry: Lets consider how any changes will encourage more participation by our students "overall", not just whether it will help/hurt ones chance at a title, how it will strengthen programs across the state, not just those in certain locales. Sports can be an important component of a teenagers development, but it is not the most important reason for HS's existence;) Too many folks on here (and everywhere unfortunately) seem to forget that, or just don't know it - even years after they were supposed to leave HS. Yes, I'm suggesting that some folks act like thet're still in HS :creepy: Cheers, Woody Jr