Hearsay

What scoring margin for you would constitute a good game?

Not saying anything not already apparent from HUDL film, but the Tigers did not pass rush or defend the pass worth a flip against Lexington Catholic. If the threads are to be believed, this could well be a Jaguar romp.

Bardstown had a 7 on 7 with them last week and has another one on Thursday. I thought my son had some astute comments: "to hang with CAL you have to have fast linebackers who can cover" and then "you have about 3 seconds to get pressure or your hosed." Coverage linebackers are rare in high school, and Hodge gets it out so fast you can't get pressure. He did say that not having the RB (Vandenhover?) has changed them slightly from last season.

? I am fresh off a two-week vacation in Wyoming and feeling much too relaxed to engage right now. What you say may well be true, but we heard a lot of that last year, too, so . . .

Excited to host them Week 1 down here in the Bourbon City. Not happy about the addition of a 2800 yd./30 TD stud to their roster.

Any update on this? I've seen nothing public. Dead period starts Sunday.

Is the AD still Glenn Spalding? Who are assistants that would slide up to take the job?

While there is some talent returning, it’s hard to lose your head coach, your QB, and your RB and advance too far.

He will not find a finer man to work for than Mike Jackson.

Amber Courtney left Bardstown via text message, without so much as a single word to her varsity players.

What in the Wide, Wide World of Sports is a goin' on over there?

David Clark has been at Bardstown since 1997, head coach since 2008 (15 seasons). One fun fact I always like to bring up is that Bardstown has only had 3 head coaches since, I believe, 1954 (Garnis Martin, Joey Downs, David Clark).

I'm intrigued by the 9/8 game vs. Ashland. Two teams that were sophomore-heavy this season. David Clark's old college teammate Steve Dowdy helps coach at Ashland.

No, they are not. But we do not need to re-hash that tired old argument here. Central buses kids under JCPS rules from south Louisville and says they are on the "engineering track." CAL's noseguard my son was blocking was from Simpsonville. With respect, the "same rules" and "just work harder" arguments are tired and hackneyed.

that's not a guarantee. The KHSAA has changed playoff formatting 3 times in the last 5 years, and done it in-season. Until this season, we were playing our own district against in the playoffs.

The Tigers will return 7 of 11 on offense, including 4 of 5 offensive lineman, and 8 of 11 on defense, including the entirety of a good linebacking corps (rising-juniors FB/LB Kaden Stone, and All-State Championship LB Caden Ferrell are two names that should be on your watch list). We are pretty close to having full platoon. In addition, during the injury pandemic the Tigers suffered, several reserve personnel got critical game experience and performed well. Practices will be iron sharpening iron. There are good numbers and pretty good talent coming up to the freshmen class. The offseason early morning and evening workouts have had the best participation numbers in my 30 years watching this school. Morale is high, I repeat, morale is high. Kids want to play for the Tigers again. We have to replace a QB, and that is likely to be rising-junior Amonti Marshall. Amonti does not have the polish throwing the ball that Brayden Clark had, but is a tremendous athlete. Is it a downgrade? As always, much depends upon the system Coach Clark installs to cater to personnel strengths and the performance of those around him. CAL and Central can and do take players from all over Louisville, and beyond. We can't and don't. 50 of our 53 man roster last year played middle school football for Bardstown Middle School. We have 4 high schools in a county of 45,000 residents. The district was a factor, but the bigger picture is being in a district with teams that are like us and where there is a level-playing field. let's ask E-Town in two years how they feel about their district. It does no good to speculate about cross-districting or 4th round play if you can't make it out of your own district. I think Coach Clark made the right move, but if it turns out to bite us in the rear than he is the type of guy who will own it. In the end, he's the one paid to make the tough calls, not us.

Bardstown's David Clark had the crystal ball working.

Anyone have a link to tomorrow's Board of Control meeting?

I've never seen the first scintilla of evidence tying success in football to the income levels of schools or players. Bardstown is 80% FARL and went to the state championship. Danville was high FARL for a couple decades and won many state titles. If the focus is on the potentially unlimited economic base and facilities of private schools, then address that instead of tippy-toeing around it. Also, I'm not disclosing my income to anyone except the IRS. So if this is just a FARL number, then fine, but any slippery slope to disclosure requirements will be over my cold, dead corpse.

The Bills are still good, but they don't run the ball well, are starting to show weaknesses covering tight ends and backs out of the backfield, and rely too much on their QB to bail them out. I like the Bengals here.

Nelson County and Elizabethtown are moving up to 4A, and I'm sure the thought of being placed in a district with Central, CAL, and Desales was not an insignificant factor.

I was a baseball umpire for about 25 years, and I think I could also officiate wrestling. The difficulty for me is the travel. If it was just officiating in and around Nelson County, I'm in like Flynn. But since you are generally a region official, getting sent to, say, Greensburg, I just can't do it. I'm old.

I do believe Bardstown will ask to play up in 4A.

I have heard that Washington County will ask to play up to 3A, and that Desales will ask to play up in 4A.

A little bird has told me that Washington County will ask to play up in 3A, making a geographic district of Washington, Marion, Larue, Bardstown, and Thomas Nelson more palatable.