MountainMan10

The 14th is down this year. Leslie, Powell and Lee lost tons of talent. They return good players, but they will take a step back. Looking at what teams return, Estill and Perry should be the preseason favorites. Estill has almost everything back and they very well could have beaten the eventual champ out of the district last season. Perry is always solid.-- I also think that Letcher will be in the hunt if they can improve their pitching.

The job was not posted on the KDE webpage until July 10th. I think that it must be advertised for 30 days unless they decide to hire from within.

I think for this truly to work, districts would have to go to a double elimination format. Winners move on to a four team regional and runner-ups are eliminated. By making districts double elimination, it makes for a more true champion. Four team regional should be double elimination set-up as well. Baseball was not designed to be a one and done sport. It is designed for a series to determine the outcome. The greatest teams in the history of the sport often have had 60-70 losses (MLB). Unlike sports like football, where teams often go undefeated, most baseball teams lose, even the best ones. They just win at a lot higher percentage. One bad hop, one unfortunate bounce and the best team often loses. It would be a much truer test to have all levels of the tournament at least double elimination.

I think this draw definitely favors Powell and Perry. I guess they earned this draw by winning the tough 54th and 56th districts. I don't think a team from the 53rd of 55th has played in the championship game in 7 or 8 years. Leslie got the toughest draw. Going into district play many, including me, thought they were the favorites to win it all, but the upset victory by PCC has put them in a tight spot. They will not be able to overlook Letcher like they did Buckhorn in the 54th tourny. If they do, they could get knocked off in the 1st round. If they get by Letcher, they will more than likely get Lee, but Wolfe with Stamper on the hill can beat them, and Lee got upset in a similar game last year vs. Knott. While I know Leslie has a deep staff, I don't know if they have enough to beat 3 quality teams in 3 days. With all this being said, I think Powell will shake off the demons and bring home the trophy.

So far... winners Perry Wolfe Letcher runner-ups Leslie Breathitt Knott 56th TBD

People thought the 55th was weak in basketball until Jackson City came within an eyelash of winning the 14th region. Wolfe with Stamper on the mound is capable of beating any team in the region. If they get a good draw, you could easily see them in the championship game as well.

Letcher Central finally breaks through with their boys program. After disappointing seasons in football and basketball, the baseball team saves the day and prevents a titleless year in boys sports. Congratulations to the team. They have much to proud of, especially since they have had to play on the road all year. That is a lot to ask of any team. Hopefully their new "state of the art" facility will be ready by next season.

Who are the possible replacements?

Congratulations Coach Lively. I still feel Coach Baker deserved an opportunity, but they made a good choice in Lively.

Would be a good job for a young coach looking to make a name for himself (like Lively did). If they do have some returning talent, they could succeed in the 55th this year. Both Wolfe and Breathitt will be down again.

JBS, Lee, Powell, Letcher and Hazard. In any order.

Hasn't Owsley had like 7 coaches in 7 years?

Elections are over. Who won?

Baseball for high school teams in Louisville. Aaron Alvey and Zach Osborne were the stars of the team that defeated Japan to win the championship. They hit back-to-back homers in the US semi-final game in the 11th inning to propel them to a 2-1 win. I think Alvey set or tied a record for consecutive no-hit innings. Others on the team included Casey Jordan, Ethan Henry and Alex Hornbeck. These guys would be sophs. or Jrs. this season. Does anyone know if they are playing baseball in High school and how are they doing?

If I were Lively and aspired to move to a better job, I would definitely leave now. After taking his team to the finals of the 14th for the 1st time in school history he is definitely a hot commodity and will likely never be as coveted again.

Baker is a quality guy and he already has a teaching job in the system. What else could they be looking for?

How many hits did he get against Lee Co.?

1. Lee 2. Leslie 3. Owsley 4. Knott 5. Perry 6. Estill 7. Powell 8. Hazard 9. Letcher 10. Wolfe I have seen half of my top ten so far this year. I have not seen Owsley, but the way everyone are talking about them, they must be great. I will definitely try to catch them in action in the next couple of weeks.

I saw ALC beat Oak Hill when they had Stackhouse.

I think that more variables need to be put into this argument. First off, spring break is usually early in the baseball season. What if a parent comes to the coach well before the season starts and explains that the family is planning vacation during this week? In my opinion, as long as the student/athlete has been dedicated, and the family agrees to the coaches stipulation (extra conditioning/suspended games etc.) what is wrong with letting them go. This can also be the case in Basketball and football, especially early in the year. I do know it is not uncommon for families to plan trips during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now I realize there has to be some differences made between the sports, I mean football only plays 10 reg. season games, while baseball teams often play 30, but if the parents and player handle the situation correctly, I don't see why they can not work it out with the coach. On the other hand, if the kid comes up two days before spring break and says he is going on vacation, I would have a problem.

Lots of great high school coaches in the state of Kentucky. Many great coaches at "high profile" schools, and many are lesser known talents who coach at small schools throughout the state. It is great watching the clashes of basketball strategies and ideology across the state.

Why is he staying? With his resume, he has no reason to put up with all of the crap he is getting at Hazard. I mean, if it is bad now, image what happens if he really had a down year. Hazard is a small school, and usually has the typical small school cycles. Some years they are up, some they are down. Coach Spurlock has kept Hazard on a nice high for four consecutive years. If I was him, I would leave while the getting is good. I am surprised he stayed after last season. I thought that the Letcher job was his if he wanted, but he turned it down. They had more talent than Hazard this season IMO.

Way to early to know. They should have talent with the combining of the 3 schools, but that did not seem to help their football or basketball teams that underachieved. I think it is safe to say, up to this point, it has been a disappointing year for Letcher Central's boys sports. --- Unlike the successes of the Ladies (volleyball and basketball- 14th region champions).

It would only make sense that Coach Baker gets the job. He did a great job at Breathitt and has been an assistant their the past couple of years. Powell's admin. would be crazy to look to anyone but him.

A four class system in Kentucky would not ruin basketball. I will agree that it would ruin the sweet 16. Most people that are against class basketball are not against classes, but they are against doing away with the State tournament. I am mixed on this argument. While I like the system as it is, I also think that a class system would work in Kentucky. Yes, the state tournament would never be the same, but that is 4 days a year. Most coaches would agree that Kentucky basketball is a year round sport, but in most years only probably 15-20 schools go into a season with serious hopes of winning a State Championship. I would argue that if Kentucky would go to a class system, as many as 60-80 school would carry that belief. Could this be a reason why Kentucky high school talent is at an all-time low? I don't know, but by putting the largest schools in a class by themselves, it would prevent the watering down of their competition, thus making them better. Again, I like our current system, but can see the reasoning behind a class system. The one thing I would like to see is consistentency in Kentucky. Why do we class some sports (Cross Country, Track) while others are not?