kyvince

Baseball is by far the most difficult o fthe big 3 to predict a winner in High School. I also agree that this year there is no "clear Cut" favorite. However, I would have to give the edge to Boone based on their performance last year in the post season. In baseball one dominate pitcher, a team that makes consistent contact at the plate, and you can be a very tough team to beat in 1 game.

What is the rule about number of kids you can keep in High School Baseball? The reason I ask, is that in the past week I have heard of 3 different schools with 3 different number of "Varsity" players. I didn't know if there was a limit, or if it us up to every individual school.

This is the way it should be. If a kid has put the effort to make the team, the least the coach's can do is sit down and discuss it. It's not about treating kids like delicate flowers, its about "teaching" them how to act as an adult. I may be sheltered but at every place I have worked when someone gets "let go" whether it be for performance or for lack of work, the employee is given the courtesy of a face to face meeting. I think the days of "pink Slips" are long gone. It's not like they are keeping them on the team, they are still being cut, they are simply being informed why the coach made the decision.

As a NewCath alum, that is down right hysterical! I can still remember he is the one Ref that was called out by name by the NewCath student Cheering sections... for years! There is no way current administrations would allow some of the Chants directed to Mr. Hummel

Is he going to play RB or is he going to play LB? He is a strong power runner, but I am not sure his style fits into the "usual" Georgetown offensive scheme.

There will be a lot of competition for spots on the defensive side of the ball. The Colonels lose Ritter, Gregory, Connor and Cosby from the secondary. They lose Timmerman, Sizemore and Jones on the d-line, and Nienabor at LB. They have Fangman and Reese in the secondary both of whom should be very good. Powell returns at MLB, and Williamson and Hemmer should be solid on the d-line.

I think Ryle vs NewCath is a toss up. If Vollet play d like he did against CovCath, I'll pick Ryle. If not NewCath wins. I think Dixie wins a close one against Boone, but if Pike gets in early foul trouble Boone could pull it out. I'll pick NewCath over Dixie in the final, with Ft's down the stretch by the Breds to be the difference.

If the 9th region gave a Most Improved Player, Andrew Schult would win it hands down! He is a kid who defines what High School sports should be. He is not a physical freak, and he's not 6'5" or is he a pure shooter. He simply took his God given gifts, worked hard at maximizing them to their fullest. He gives 110% ALL the time, and is the ultimate team player. You can see the passion he plays with every minute he is on the court. He is intense yet displays great sportsmanship. He went from a kid who played sparingly on JV as a Soph, played limited minutes on varsity as a Junior to a kid that next to Thelen was as critical to CovCath as anyone on the team. It has been a joy watching him play/progress these past 4 years.

I was very impressed with the U of Cumberlands program. They have won their division 4 years in a row. The campus was very impressive and the football facilities were very nice as well. I think the youngman made a good choice.

Last night's game was a microcosm of CovCath's season. When they played with energy, attacking on offense and moving their feet a defense they looked very good. Then there would be a 2 or 3 minute "lapse" in play where they would have unforced errors, would play passively on both offense and defense. They struggled fom the outside, which allowed Holmes to pack it in on Thelen, and forced someone else to hit the mid-range jumper. Last night Connelly was on his game and played very well. Baker's shot just wasn't there, even though I thought he took good shots and played well on defense. I said it before the game, and I'll say it again. If Baker and Connelly are both "on", Covcath will be very hard to beat. When one or the other is off, it makes it difficult for them to beat the top tier teams. For Holmes, I was very impressed with Mr. Knox. Even though Jake put up 25, primarily on Knox, he made Jake work hard for those points. Late in the game, he refused to allow Thelen to get position down low and literally backed him out of rebounding position for 2nd chance points. He never lost his cool, just played within himself and allowed Gray and Hayes to do their thing. I am extremely impressed how poised this Holmes team plays. They obviously aren't as talented as the last few years, but they play much more in control and don't seem to have the mental "gaffs" last years team sometimes showed.

Match ups mean everything at this point in the year. Guard play is key to winning in the post season. Below is my rankings, and the team they would least like to face. 1) Dixie (Holmes ..) 2) NCC (Dixie ) 3) Holmes (NCC ) 4) Ryle ( Dixie) 5) CovCath ( NCC) 6) Boone (CovCath) 7) Highlands (Dixie) 8) St. Henry (NCC)

A good win for CovCath against a very scrappy HC team. Does anyone know the FT% for Thelen and for Burger? For kids who are very good shooters it seems both have struggled from the charity stripe in the games I have seen.

Slabaugh is a RB. Had a really nice Senior season. He is a little undersized but plays with passion and heart.

It is quite sad in the past year we have lost Don Weber and ICN6, who did an outstanding job covering NKY sports. Then KRsports stops broadcasting regular season football games. Now losing Mr. Ernst. I know change is inevitable but losing these "unbiased" reporting outlets in less than a year is quite alarming. I hope that other outlets can find a way to make a buck on covering HS sports. What concerns me the most is for the smaller programs. I think the SK's, Ryle's, Highlands and CovCath's of the worlds will fill the void with Internet Broadcast and digital news letters. I am not sure the Ludlow's and Newports of the world will have the ability to have those things.

If history is any indication they will end up with somewhere between 65- 80 "signees" in their Fresman class. That is not uncommon for NAIA and D3 type schools to bring in very large Freshman classes. The reality is that at many of the small schools Football is a big revenue generator, but not in the same sense that it is at D1 schools lIke UK or U of L. If you look at this way, if the average Tuition Room and Board is around $20,000. And if they give the equivelent to 12 full scholarships (out of 24 total for the program) that leaves around 65 full tuitions coming in. If each of those 65 get an average of $6000.00 in "other" financial aid. That still brings in over $900,000 dollars of revenue to the school. ( 65 * $14,000). My guess is that my numbers are very conservative, I would guess that it is more like a $1,000,000 in revenue that is generated by the incoming Football players. One of the key items to look at is what percentage of that class traditionally comes back for their Sophomore year. If that number is not at least 50% you might want to find out why.

A tip of the hat to the Breds and their coaches. I am continually impressed how well they play year in year out. Almost every year it is the same recipe for success. They have 1 or 2 outstanding players along with 4 or 5 nice athletes who play great team basketball. They always play tenacious defense and hustle from baseline to baseline. I was going to say the names change but the results stay, except that many times only the FIRST names change as family member after family member continues the tradition. Is there any other family that has continually produced quality basketball players like the Pangallo clan? Everytime I think they are gone, another Pangallo shows up hitting key shots and diving for balls all over the floor.

Dixie I agree should be ahead of NewCath, although I believe that Newcath would win should they play again. Boone I know had a big wins over Holmes and NewCath, but haven't followed them closely enough to have a good assesment of them. The problem you get with comparing one to one match up's is you almost always come up with some anomalies. If you simply look at head to head you could ask how is that Louisville St. X is rated above Covcath. The answer is the overall body of work, which admittedly is somewhat subjective.

What schools is Josh looking at? Are we talking NAIA or Division II?

Not to get off topic, but how did Brandon's freshman year go? Is he playing inside or OLB at Georgetown?

I hope that's the case, that means CovCath beat HC in the opening round of the districts. Again I still think this CovCath team could make some post season noise. If Baker & Schult play like they did tonight, and Cubby plays his normal game, they will be a tough match up for most teams. I think this Dixie team has to be the favorite in the 9th. Hatton is the Best player in the 9th region, Stansberry (Sp) impressed me as well. If they can get a better effort from their post players they will be hard to beat.

when is the last time Dixie beat CovCath twice in basketball in the same year?

It is a tough situation. Brett is a better pure shooter and Andrew is a better defender. Basketball is all about match ups, so it may depend on who they are playing as to who gets more minutes. I also agree that there are times when Andrew should be getting his minutes, not playing the 2 guard. I am hoping at this point in the year that the players put aside playing time concerns (fair or unfair) and focus on the team winning. If they can do that (not an easy thing I understand), I think they still have a chance to make some noise in the post season.

It is beyond me why CovCATH stayed in a zone as long as they did. Jerry had to be salivating as he sat there in the right corner waiting to shoot his "almost" set shot 3 pointers. I would love to see the scoring chart as to where HC scored their points. If the scored more than 16 points in the paint I would be shocked. It almost looked like they thought they were playing Holmes instead of HC.

I thought I read somewhere that Dixie plays NewCath in week 0. Meaning that is the game Pike will have to sit out.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/preps/ Congratulations to Paul!