kyvince

I am not Highlands Fan, but I don't believe "anybody" could win at Highlands. Part of the Tradition, part of the mystique and great deal of the work ethic comes from the coaching staff. Obviously I think winning at Highlands, because of the tradition and the community support is easier than other places. In fact I would say with possible exception of St. X and Trinity there is no bigger advantage in the state. However, the wrong man at the helm and Highlands could quickly come back to the pack. In fact I believe (even though he won 2 championships there) that had Duffey remained at Highlands another 3 or 4 years he may have changed those traditions and support structure so significantly, that Highlands may have never recovered.

VOR hit the main points of my argument. I think Ryle wants to keep Mr. Towles on the sidelines as much as possible. If they get into a shootout scenario with Highlands I think Ryle is in deep trouble. Don't get me wrong I think Ryle's offense is very good. I also think that Hempel has the potential to be a very good passing QB. However, their offense is set up as run first. Hempel has been successful throwing in play action, but in the Dixie scrimmage when they just "dropped" back to throw they didn't seem to be in sync. During the CovCath game when Ryle ran the play action, Hempel looked to run first, and threw only when absolutely necessary. Ryle offense is designed to run Elliot, then boot leg run to Hempel, then change of pace to Mullins and lastly to throw. If Ryle is forced to throw, that tells me their running game is not being effective, and thus takes away their main passing game (play action) as well. If Ryle is chucking it 20 times or more against Highlands, they are playing from behind. I just don't think their passing game is nearly as developed as their run game. If you force a team to their 3rd or 4th best option on offense, chances are you have them right where you want them.

IF Ryle is forced to throw the ball more than 10 -12 times, then I predict Highlands wins by double digits. I think Highlands will have great success throwing the ball against Ryle. It comes down to whether or not Ryle can run the ball successfully against Higlands D. If they can not continue to grind out 4 and 5 yard runs, I think Ryle is in trouble. They will not have the big gainer type runs like they did against CovCath in the 2nd half, so they have to grind out the tough yards, throw in some play action to have success. If Highlands forces Ryle to punt 6 times (3 per half), then Highlands air show will be too much for the Raiders.

Covcath was very inconsistent tonight. At times they looked very good, other times they looked confused. Hopefully the unforced errors tonight, will be corrected. I think this was a very good learning experience for the young QB's on both sides. One thing is for sure CovCath will need to improve on both sides of the ball to get a victory against Ryle. Cooper has improved quite a bit, however, I don't know if they have enough depth to compete week in week out at the 6a Level.

So what have you heard about CovCath's team ? How is Cooper looking?

How is the health of the o-line? Someone told me that a few players may be dinged up a bit.

Although CovCath hasn't beaten the Highlands frosh team recently, the last 4 games have been extremely close. I may not have the exact scores but I believe it something like the following: Class of 2011 (Current Seniors) Highlands 7 CovCath 6 in OT Class of 2012 (Current Juniors) Highlands 28 CovCath 21 Highlands scored winning Td with less than 3 minutes in the game. Class of 2013 (Current Sophomores) Game 1 Highlands 15 Covcath 8 in OT Championship Highlands 14 Covcath 7

I believe CovCath played Moeller yesterday. I think today the 4 teams scheduled are CovCath, Chaminade, Lakota West and Conner.

From the Rivals sight, they are talking about Zeke being in contention for the #1 QB of the class of 2012! To borrow a Marty B saying Thats a big ole HAVE MERCY! Congrats to Zeke ! "Edgewood (Ky.) Dixie Heights quarterback Zeke Pike was also there and the 6-foot-5, 220-pound passer has been one of the top performers in events across the country all summer. He has already received double-digit verbal offers and came in as one of the prospects in contention for top quarterback in the country for the class of 2012. Both Crow and Pike performed well, showing good accuracy and touch on both the intermediate and deep routes. Neither disappointed. However, they may have been upstaged by another, less well-known, class of 2012 quarterback. "

With Coach Brown takeing over at Pendelton who is the D-coordinator for the Camels?

Tough 15 hours for Moeller. They played in a 3 hour 7 on 7 last night at Loveland. Wake up and play against Highlands. That is a pretty tall order even for teams like Moeller who dress nearly 100 kids.

Two or Three more years of Duffy, and Highlands may not be the program they are today. While I agree he was an excellent x's and O's coach. His style of coaching, his personality make it hard for him to maintain a programs. Coach Mueller is a much better fit for Highlands. IMO for High school football.

I would say the play of the Qb's has been a pleasant surprise. Bir seems to be bigger and stronger than last year. He throws a very nice ball, and seems to be gaining in confidence each outing. Reece while not as aesthetically pleasing to watch throw is very effecient running the offense. Reece has also looked very good as a WR when he has been in there. He is very quick, he would be the best running threat of the QB's. It will be interesting to see which direction CovCath takes this year, pure passer or combination runner and thrower. With the RB's that they have the need for the QB to pull it down and run may not be as great as it was last year.

Smith was very impressive a the CovCath scrimmage. He has a very quick release and seems to have nice touch on his passes. Might be a bit much saying they "handled" CovCath. CovCath always started from the 40 yd line, while Conner advanced the ball. Both teams substituted at will, so not sure how you judge that type of scrimmage. I was impressed with Smith though, I expect him to have a very nice year.

That is why I think it has to be "fan" based. I think it has to be someone knowledgeable about the school/program but not necessarily officially tied to the program. You are correct about the fact that many schools either choose not to or just don't have the time to participate in media questionaires like this. If it is done by a responsible fan, not a "trash" talker, it could be a very positive school promoting vehicle.

Nichols knew for quite some time that his College position would be Tackle. He verbally committed to Stanford pretty early in the process as a Tackle. He is slotted, and will play tackle at ND. As for Pike I am sure one of the reasons he has as many offers as he does is his ability to play a position other than QB in college, having said that though I believe most schools are recruiting him as a QB. The next 2 years will help determine what position Zeke plays at the next level.

I don't disagree. I was not thinking of it as a "money Making" proposition. I just think it would be a great thing to have for HS sports fans. I would think you might be able to drum up a sponsor for the Disk space (the only cash outlay I would see, and that would be minimal) I think it would be a fun thing to do as well. It's probably too late for Football season, but I may look into something like this for next year.

I think this is a great idea. I believe online is the only viable option. Here is how I think it could work. If someone developed a template including font type, margin etc. ( Someone with an interest in journalism, perhaps a student hint hin hint) Included would be a consistent summary of each school. For example: Offensive System, Key players returning players with a couple quotes from players and/or coaches. Do the same thing for the defense and Special teams. Perhaps one or two "human" interest stories about each program. Could be about a member of the coaching staff, or a kid that has overcome an injury or a kid receiving college looks etc. The template could leave room for 2 or 3 pictures from the school. Each School would end up with a 2 1/2 or 3 page summary of the coming year. The key is to get a fan from each school to be responsible for gathering the information and submitting the data in the Standard template. The result would be a very nice summary of each program. If a few select "editors" wanted to give their predictions about each distract race that would be great as well. I know its easier said than done, but I think that is possible. Perhaps the way to get something like this going is to start small. Perhaps with a region, or even a specific District like 6A in NKY or Louisville.

I apparently have been mis-informed. I was told that one of the 6A schools told their kids that no more than 5 kids from a given school could participate on the same team in the USA today 7 on 7 Tourn in Cincy earlier this year, or it would be considered a Team event. I was told it was similar to an AAU basketball rule that prevents HS teams from playing as an AAU team all year long, even if coached by someone other than a coach. Thank you for clearing this up.

I am going to predict that Ryle wins the first game, as Highlands will still be breaking in a New O-line and adjusting to the new offensive mix. I will also predict that the 2nd game will be won by Highlands as by then they will have their offensive identity well in hand, and will have had time to make the necessary adjustments both in scheme and players. This is not meant as a knock on Ryle in any way. I think they will be a top 10 team in the state, but I just can't see Highlands losing to them twice. I do however think that starting the season off Ryle with Hempel and Elliot will have a leg up on the Ft. Thomas bunch.

I thought KY High School teams were not allowed to participate in 7 on 7 during the month of June this year. Is this because it is a College invitation, or is there some other reason this doesn't fall under that umbrella?

I have seen both Kummer and Hempel, and I believe Hempel is the better of the two. However, I think Baseball may be Mr. Hempel's best sport. It sound like Mr. Hempel is going to have many options this coming year.

Hopefully it's to focus on academics or another sport. I hate to see kids not play their Senior season. Over the years I can not think of many who have not regretted the decision. I wish good luck to the young man.

How about CJ Bertke or Dylan Cottingham?

Don't know the particulars but it appears that the arrival of Wrobleski and Harris are over shadowing the expectations from Mr. Hayes.