letstalksports

My father has told me a lot of Ronnie Lyons and many friends have also. They have told me that he could not only qualify for this category as top 5 shooter they've seen but also top 5 quickest players they have ever seen. I heard many stories from his softball playing days that said he could beat out any grounder in the infield.

I couldn't agree with you more. I think teams like Augusta, Deming and Saint Patrick can compete in the region with teams like Pendleton, Harrison, Montgomery and Bourbon this year from what I have seen and heard thus far. They cannot, however, compete in the state which the top three in the region (Mason, Clark and Brossart) will be. I think that would be a better explanation.

Chris Lofton is the best. His range was unmatched. His shot against Lex Cath at Lex Cath in the Fifth-third is the best shot I have ever seen in my life at any level. One player you are forgetting about is Rick Jones from Scott County. He may have made more clutch three's in a state tournament than anyone. Top 5 1. Chris Lofton- Mason Co. 2. Richie Farmer- Clay Co. 3. Allan Houston- Ballard 4. Rick Jones- Scott Co. 5. Chris Harrison- Tollesboro

Adam Reed and Nathan Seiter had some battles! Both should be tenth region hall of famers in my opinion.

Ethan King and Trevor Setty will shine this year mhighfield. They both have grown at least 3 inches since last season. Now, they need some beef. Their length though is something I look for O'Hearn to utilize in their full court pressure which has been referred to as "the Blue Swarm".

These "key losses" everyone has brought up for Augusta and St. Patrick do not mean much to me. The biggest loss in the 39th is Micah Turner. Gallagher's defense will be missed but that means more playing time for an improved Mofford and Hamilton. Also, Staggs is back for the Panthers. Owens is a true point guard and is a leader. Afterall, his last name is OWENS and he is a PATTIE. I don't know what to expect from the Polar Bears with a new coach. I do know Coach Fite a little and I know his style of play is up-tempo which would be a drastic change for Bracken County. One thing that will not change though is the defensive intensity. Fite was a great a defender and I'm sure he will stress team defense which Bracken has never lacked.

I HATE consolidation. The 10th title is nice and all but Augusta vs. Bracken is what every kid in A-Town plays for. I am almost positive that better teams and bigger wins would be in store for an Augusta/Bracken consolidated school but you'd be getting rid of the best rivalry in the bluegrass. How could you bring it up AHSPanther23?

Bracken's old gym was awesome. The rims had more give than any other I have ever played on. One of the best ball games I've ever seen was in the '93 10th Region All "A" Classic (I think) when the Panthers went there and were beat by 3 in the closing seconds. After the move to the new school, I felt like the rivalry lost some of its prestige. The teams only met once a year for three or four years. It's finally back to where it was before the move.

This tournament should be called the BBIT...the Bishop Brossart Invitational Tournament. This tournament is just as much a lock for the Mustangs as the 39th is for the Royals.

Thanks BGGreen!:ylsuper:

The reason I brought this up is that on khsaa.org the all "A" does not appear on the Bishop Brossart schedule. It does appear on the Bracken County schedule along with a link for the bracket. The bracket does not include Brossart. What's going on here?

This may be totally rumor but I heard Brossart was taking themselves out of the all "A" tourney...anyone know if that's true?

Do your homework! I did mine. Augusta has the deepest bench in the all "A" this year. Their five will probably be White, Hardymon, Staggs, Groves and probably Cummins, a pest with on-the-ball defense. Their bench is very deep. 6'7" sophomore, Chris Mofford should help Staggs down low and excite the Panther's Den with something they aren't accustomed to, a slam dunk. I saw Mofford have a few jams this summer against some quality competition. Their purest athlete, sophomore Bradye Hamilton will provide much needed rest for Hardymon and Groves and the kid is a phenomenal scorer for his young age and his inexperience, transferring from the county (Mason) where he nor Staggs made the cut. Derek Fryman (junior) will be a back up point guard, he's quick and will be used when White has a smaller defender he can post up against. Fryman got some playing time last season. Other sophomores who will see some PT are Ryan Kelsch, Shawn White, and Ty Krebs. Kelsch (coming off back surgery) and White can light it up from beyond the arc, ONE THING AUGUSTA WILL NEVER LACK ARE SHOTTING THREATS, and Krebs is a banger downlow who reminds me a lot of Staggs. Their main liabilty is not their bench it's team defense. Gallagher was a decent one-on-one defender, he was lost to graduation from a year ago. Other than Cummins and White, I don't see anyone who even wants to play "D". Team defense should have been their main focal point in the off season, we'll see.

Look, you may never know how it feels to go 25 years since making the regional tournament. That's a must needed boost for the program and the school. The school went from close to consolidation in the mid-90's to a whole town of supporters. The whole thing brought the community closer and gave something to look forward to for the younger kids as well. So what you're sick of it, no one cares. Especially the 1500 people wearing the shirt to this day.

That's why they call it halftime. Great teams make adjustments.

I don't know if anyone remembers the Britt twins from Warren East.

What I am asking is could the 39th district have the biggest difference in enrollment as far as Mason being so much bigger than all three schools. I am not sure of my wording but I'm sure you know what I mean. Pendleton and Harrison are both much larger than St. Patrick, Augusta and Bracken. Deming and Nicholas are small but the district should stay competitive year in and year out with Pendleton and Harrison. This season even Deming should stay at least competitive with all three district opponents. Mason should run away with the 39th every year for eternity unless something drastic happens. I guess I could also word it like this: Is there a bigger lock in the state as far as distict championships as there is of Mason being a lock in the 39th?

I'm going to have to agree with you there, Devilman. There are a lot more teams that also could be top ten. (St. Patrick, Paris, Bracken Co.) Deming may be more deserving considering an impressive performance against Mason in the Fieldhouse when it counted, the postseason. I also believe the Massey kid was robbed on not being a top ten player in the tenth preseason. The kid may be the best run-and-gun type deep threat in the region. In addition, he has to guard the other team's best player, rebound, and run the point. I did see Deming play this summer, too. I saw them play Augusta in Augusta and saw not only two very talented class A teams but a heated rivalry. The only reason I would put Augusta ahead of Deming in the preseason top ten would be Augusta's overall depth and Deming's lack there of. After Massey, Graves, Mitchell and the twins I don't see much on the bench and that ,among other things, hurts in the postseason. I also know that neither Harrison or Pendleton should sleep on the Devils if they draw them in the district. Travis Massey can beat you on any given night, himself. As long as the starters can stay out of foul trouble the Devils shouldn't disappoint your top ten rating Devilman.

I think we have all grown to think of Pendleton as a tenth region powerhouse because of recent years. But, they arose from the tenth region sellar. I'm not saying it's back to the sellar for the Cats. I do think they are in the midst of what NFL fantasy owners refer to as a "rebuilding year". I don't think they should be ranked below Augusta. I do think Augusta has quality talent and for once in school history, size. And Pendleton fans should know, size does matter (Elliot, Belcher's, Verax, even Davis), especially in the tenth. Augusta has a lot to prove to me as far as competing with larger schools. I did see a lot of improvement upon that last season, when they faced Mason and Pendleton in the postseason. So here's my rankings: 1. Mason (not Maysville-Mason) 2. GRC 3. Bishop Brossart 4. Montgomery 5. Harrison 6. Bourbon 7. Pendleton 8. Cov. Scott 9. Campbell 10. Augusta

Augusta's gym is super old and when it's packed it sends chills throughout. Another gym that is still in operation, though remodeled lately is Saint Patrick's, now referred to by many as "the Saint Dome". I remember when out of bounds passes were made by standing behind a dotted line because the out of bounds area was less than a foot wide.

Unless all three school consolidate with each other, Mason will win the district. I do like Augusta's potential this season though. Their varsity now has a lot of experience and their experience from last season should take them back to the regional unless they draw the Royals. Bracken also has some experienced players in Jesse Hall and Tyler Hamilton. Both these kids, like Augusta's seniors, have had to play on some underhanded teams. Kudos to the kids that never give up on success. When I think Saint Patrick this season, I anticipate Chris Owens' breakout season. Afterall, he's an Owens. Should be a sleeper in 10th player of the year. Is there any other district in the state that has a 3A school with three class A schools?

Does anyone have a Silver Grove schedule? I'm interested in seeing this kid play if he's that good because Middleton is a good player.

D'oh!!

Rick Chasteen for PRESIDENT!

The Snapp boys were great...FOR AUGUSTA! Coach Hinson said there were some young up and coming officials doing exhibition games at Augusta that are great.