[EKUAlum05]

QB should be an easy one. JJ Jude at RB and John Cole and Jake Johnson at WR should be no brainers as well. Beyond that I’ll have to think about it.

Gerad Parker of Lawrence County would like a word at WR.

[EKUAlum05]

For discussion starter, I am sure I will forget someone and others are open to discussion:
First thing I will say is I am cutting this off as the "modern" era of football since 1990...
Second caveat, Mountain= WYMT coverage area. No Ashland, Russell, etc.

QB- Tim Couch, Leslie County
RB1- Isaac Dixon, Belfry
RB2- Daniel Thomas, Bell County
WR1- Gerad Parker, Lawrence County
WR2- Jake Johnson, Pulaski County
OL1- Cole Bentley, Belfry
OL2- Austin Dotson, Belfry
OL3- Grant Bingham, Johnson Central
OL4- Jason Ledger, Rockcastle County
OL5- Brad Durham, Rockcastle County
TE- John Rader, Breathitt County

DB1- David Jones, Belfry
DB2- Dallas Greer, Bell County
DB3- Dontae Wright, Lawrence County
DB4- Ryley Preece, Johnson Central
LB1- Kash Daniel, Paintsville
LB2- John Dudley Hilton, Bell County
LB3- Doug Howard, Belfry
EDGE- Floyd Branham, Middlesboro
DL1- Jeremy Caudill, Prestonsburg
DL2- Joey Stepp, Sheldon Clark
DL3- RayQuan Horton, Belfry

K/P- Dustin Wynn, MIddlesboro

- Felt weird not having a Pikeville or Corbin player and I probably could be talked into it with a good argument, plenty that missed the 1990 cutoff. Plenty who definitely would have been in that 2nd Team discussion. The twins from Corbin probably deserve it based on talent and single season performance but I did penalize them for only playing a limited career.

- Scotty Russell is a tough one. If I was listing an Athlete position he would be there. Michael West is another guy who easily slots as an Athlete.

- Breathitt and Somerset are another pair of teams with lots of talent that would be very close. I had to get John Rader on my team because he is one of the best two-way players I have seen from EKY on the field. I chose him over Durrell White (Middlesboro/Bell) and Chase Gibson (Pikeville). John Cole as I mentioned would probably be my next WR but hard to argue against Parker and Johnson.

- I feel like I am missing a linemen. Durham from Rockcastle is great but I could be talked out of him if there is another dominant OL I forgot. To me Ledger is the most underrated player to come out of the mountains and the clear cut best linemen from Rockcastle. He was underrated but dominant in HS and then went to UK and they couldn't keep him out of the starting lineup because he just mauls you.

- Joey Stepp is my sneaky pick many forget probably about. That guy absolutely was unblockable and dominated. He went on to have a very successful career playing at Marshall.

- I love Doug Howard and forced him into the LB spot and would definitely slot him if we had extra ATH spots... but as much as I love Doug I could be argued out of him as a LB if there was another LB worthy at that position only. Doug falls in that Scotty Russell role where you need him on your team on both sides of the ball, as odd as it is, of the Belfry guys listed maybe the the second best overall (next to Dixon) is the one I would be most apt to eliminate from a 1st Team. Ryley Preece is another one I could be talked out of as a lock at his position, but as an ATH will be very hard not to take. Wright and Jones are probably the two best CB's and Greer is a clear cut Safety, Preece would be the best compliment at the other Safety to those three so i gave him the nod.

[Westside]

For discussion starter, I am sure I will forget someone and others are open to discussion:
First thing I will say is I am cutting this off as the "modern" era of football since 1990...
Second caveat, Mountain= WYMT coverage area. No Ashland, Russell, etc.

QB- Tim Couch, Leslie County
RB1- Isaac Dixon, Belfry
RB2- Daniel Thomas, Bell County
WR1- Gerad Parker, Lawrence County
WR2- Jake Johnson, Pulaski County
OL1- Cole Bentley, Belfry
OL2- Austin Dotson, Belfry
OL3- Grant Bingham, Johnson Central
OL4- Jason Ledger, Rockcastle County
OL5- Brad Durham, Rockcastle County
TE- John Rader, Breathitt County

DB1- David Jones, Belfry
DB2- Dallas Greer, Bell County
DB3- Dontae Wright, Lawrence County
DB4- Ryley Preece, Johnson Central
LB1- Kash Daniel, Paintsville
LB2-  John Dudley Hilton, Bell County
LB3- Doug Howard, Belfry
EDGE- Floyd Branham, Middlesboro
DL1- Jeremy Caudill, Prestonsburg
DL2- Joey Stepp, Sheldon Clark
DL3- RayQuan Horton, Belfry

K/P- Dustin Wynn, MIddlesboro

- Felt weird not having a Pikeville or Corbin player and I probably could be talked into it with a good argument, plenty that missed the 1990 cutoff. Plenty who definitely would have been in that 2nd Team discussion. The twins from Corbin probably deserve it based on talent and single season performance but I did penalize them for only playing a limited career.

- Scotty Russell is a tough one. If I was listing an Athlete position he would be there. Michael West is another guy who easily slots as an Athlete.

- Breathitt and Somerset are another pair of teams with lots of talent that would be very close. I had to get John Rader on my team because he is one of the best two-way players I have seen from EKY on the field. I chose him over Durrell White (Middlesboro/Bell) and Chase Gibson (Pikeville). John Cole as I mentioned would probably be my next WR but hard to argue against Parker and Johnson.

- I feel like I am missing a linemen. Durham from Rockcastle is great but I could be talked out of him if there is another dominant OL I forgot. To me Ledger is the most underrated player to come out of the mountains and the clear cut best linemen from Rockcastle. He was underrated but dominant in HS and then went to UK and they couldn't keep him out of the starting lineup because he just mauls you.

- I love Doug Howard and forced him into the LB spot and would definitely slot him if we had extra ATH spots... but as much as I love Doug I could be argued out of him as a LB if there was another LB worthy at that position only. Doug falls in that Scotty Russell role where you need him on your team  on both sides of the ball, as odd as it is, of the Belfry guys listed maybe the the second best overall (next to Dixon) is the one I would be most apt to eliminate from a 1st Team.

Great list.

[EKUAlum05]

Who are the other "Sniper" players?

By that I mean the clear cut best of the best for a school worth of consideration kind of like a Tim Couch, Scotty Russell, or the Joey Stepp example I used?

Quentin Henson of Lynn Camp immediately comes to mind. JJ Canady of Knox Central, maybe?

Anyone else?

[Shogun]

QB should be an easy one. JJ Jude at RB and John Cole and Jake Johnson at WR should be no brainers as well. Beyond that I’ll have to think about it.

Gerad Parker of Lawrence County would like a word at WR.

Deserving for sure, but I can't say moreso than Johnson or Cole. Between the two of them they hold nearly every receiving record in the state.

[EKUAlum05]

QB should be an easy one. JJ Jude at RB and John Cole and Jake Johnson at WR should be no brainers as well. Beyond that I’ll have to think about it.

Gerad Parker of Lawrence County would like a word at WR.

Deserving for sure, but I can't say moreso than Johnson or Cole. Between the two of them they hold nearly every receiving record in the state.

Very valid point, but I would counter with the fact they had to break Parker's records he had set in an offense that was 85% run.
When Lawrence County was passing, there was only one option they were passing to and noone could stop it still because Parker was that good and never dropped anything that hit his hands.

[Khalisimo]

gerad can call plays and play receiver big advantage

[Shogun]

QB should be an easy one. JJ Jude at RB and John Cole and Jake Johnson at WR should be no brainers as well. Beyond that I’ll have to think about it.

Gerad Parker of Lawrence County would like a word at WR.

Deserving for sure, but I can't say moreso than Johnson or Cole. Between the two of them they hold nearly every receiving record in the state.

Very valid point, but I would counter with the fact they had to break Parker's records he had set in an offense that was 85% run.
When Lawrence County was passing, there was only one option they were passing to and noone could stop it still because Parker was that good and never dropped anything that hit his hands.

That's fair, and to be honest I didn't get to watch Gerad Parker play. Having watched a lot of John Cole and Jake Johnson though, I don't know that I could pick between the two of them either. They were different types of receivers and both very good at what they did. For both of them you just had to throw the ball in their general direction and they would come down with it, but Johnson was more of a possession receiver that you could chuck it to 15-20 times a game and treat it almost like a handoff. Cole was a legitimate 4.4 though and was more of a big play guy, but Somerset wasn't sending him across the middle the same way Pulaski did Johnson, which is why you see Cole's yardage numbers so high on way fewer receptions. If you could get Cole the ball in the open field he was gone, but Somerset preferred to get him the ball downfield or on a screen in the flats rather than having him cross a linebacker or safety's face.

[EKUAlum05]

QB should be an easy one. JJ Jude at RB and John Cole and Jake Johnson at WR should be no brainers as well. Beyond that I’ll have to think about it.

Gerad Parker of Lawrence County would like a word at WR.

Deserving for sure, but I can't say moreso than Johnson or Cole. Between the two of them they hold nearly every receiving record in the state.

Very valid point, but I would counter with the fact they had to break Parker's records he had set in an offense that was 85% run.
When Lawrence County was passing, there was only one option they were passing to and noone could stop it still because Parker was that good and never dropped anything that hit his hands.

That's fair, and to be honest I didn't get to watch Gerad Parker play. Having watched a lot of John Cole and Jake Johnson though, I don't know that I could pick between the two of them either. They were different types of receivers and both very good at what they did. For both of them you just had to throw the ball in their general direction and they would come down with it, but Johnson was more of a possession receiver that you could chuck it to 15-20 times a game and treat it almost like a handoff. Cole was a legitimate 4.4 though and was more of a big play guy, but Somerset wasn't sending him across the middle the same way Pulaski did Johnson, which is why you see Cole's yardage numbers so high on way fewer receptions. If you could get Cole the ball in the open field he was gone, but Somerset preferred to get him the ball downfield or on a screen in the flats rather than having him cross a linebacker or safety's face.

I had the privilege to get to see all three play. All three were tremendous and very deserving of this discussion. Don't think you could go wrong picking.

I think the way you described Cole and Johnson is 100% accurate. Cole obviously did not have the sustained post-season success, but he also didn't have a Mr. Football type of player throwing to him most of his career as well that Johnson did. The only ding I could give Johnson is he probably had it easier than the other two in terms of having accurate balls or schemes designed to maximize his success. The flip side, is I would probably argue when you factor in the playoffs that Johnson probably faced arguably the better competition as well.

Parker was special  because his efficiency was off the charts. I would say his ratio of catches, yards, and TD's compared to targets would be something unlike we have ever seen in KY. His route tree was pretty condensed, but his ability to get balls was absurd. Cole was really good at winning 50/50 balls with his vertical and his ability to high point as well. I saw maybe five Parker games either in person or on TV and I am not sure I ever saw him miss a ball that he could get his hands on.

To be fair to Cole, my tiebreaker with him is the one time I saw him in person was against Belfry. I won't say I ding him for his performance, because he certainly impressed me and almost single handily kept his team in that game against a very dominant Belfry team in the Regional Finals in 2007, but I do remember two 50/50 balls he lost that game including a crucial interception by Ryan Preston to seal it late. (He also had two more where it would have been an INT 99.9% of the time that he turned into a catch).

Not a negative for me because he was trying to make plays HS receiver's usually don't make, but it does play into a more natural bias I have that probably isn't fair that favors Parker a little. Belfry was up 38-7 in that game and Cole was the primary reason they even kept that game competitive until the end of the 4th Quarter.

[Shogun]

Gerad Parker of Lawrence County would like a word at WR.

Deserving for sure, but I can't say moreso than Johnson or Cole. Between the two of them they hold nearly every receiving record in the state.

Very valid point, but I would counter with the fact they had to break Parker's records he had set in an offense that was 85% run.
When Lawrence County was passing, there was only one option they were passing to and noone could stop it still because Parker was that good and never dropped anything that hit his hands.

That's fair, and to be honest I didn't get to watch Gerad Parker play. Having watched a lot of John Cole and Jake Johnson though, I don't know that I could pick between the two of them either. They were different types of receivers and both very good at what they did. For both of them you just had to throw the ball in their general direction and they would come down with it, but Johnson was more of a possession receiver that you could chuck it to 15-20 times a game and treat it almost like a handoff. Cole was a legitimate 4.4 though and was more of a big play guy, but Somerset wasn't sending him across the middle the same way Pulaski did Johnson, which is why you see Cole's yardage numbers so high on way fewer receptions. If you could get Cole the ball in the open field he was gone, but Somerset preferred to get him the ball downfield or on a screen in the flats rather than having him cross a linebacker or safety's face.

I had the privilege to get to see all three play. All three were tremendous and very deserving of this discussion. Don't think you could go wrong picking.

I think the way you described Cole and Johnson is 100% accurate. Cole obviously did not have the sustained post-season success, but he also didn't have a Mr. Football type of player throwing to him most of his career as well that Johnson did. The only ding I could give Johnson is he probably had it easier than the other two in terms of having accurate balls or schemes designed to maximize his success. The flip side, is I would probably argue when you factor in the playoffs that Johnson probably faced arguably the better competition as well.

Parker was special  because his efficiency was off the charts. I would say his ratio of catches, yards, and TD's compared to targets would be something unlike we have ever seen in KY. His route tree was pretty condensed, but his ability to get balls was absurd. Cole was really good at winning 50/50 balls with his vertical and his ability to high point as well. I saw maybe five Parker games either in person or on TV and I am not sure I ever saw him miss a ball that he could get his hands on.

To be fair to Cole, my tiebreaker with him is the one time I saw him in person was against Belfry. I won't say I ding him for his performance, because he certainly impressed me and almost single handily kept his team in that game against a very dominant Belfry team in the Regional Finals in 2007, but I do remember two 50/50 balls he lost that game including a crucial interception by Ryan Preston to seal it late. (He also had two more where it would have been an INT 99.9% of the time that he turned into a catch).

Not a negative for me because he was trying to make plays HS receiver's usually don't make, but it does play into a more natural bias I have that probably isn't fair that favors Parker a little. Belfry was up 38-7 in that game and Cole was the primary reason they even kept that game competitive until the end of the 4th Quarter.

I would say that between the three we're probably splitting hairs with them. I know Johnson and Cole were all timers in Kentucky, and if Parker was on that level or better then I don't think you could do wrong picking any one of them. Like you said, it probably depends on the rest of your team's situation, but if you're starting off with Tim Couch throwing the ball then I'd say it's more of a pick your poison situation with the three of them. 

Wish they had more of a chance to showcase their skills in college. Sounds like Parker battled injuries his entire time at UK. In hindsight, Cole would have been better off at Stanford. Harbaugh was in Somerset multiple times John's junior and senior year before he ultimately ended up sticking with his commitment to Vandy. Not saying that he definitely would have had more success, but you have to think he would have had more opportunity to showcase his ability with Andrew Luck than he would have had in the QB fiasco at Vandy. He also battled injuries his entire college career. I know Johnson committed to Georgetown but I never really heard anymore out of him after he graduated.

I was also at that game with Belfry and you're right, not Cole's best game. John ended up getting his stats in that game but IIRC Kenny Hughes at RB helped to keep the offense opened up. Cole had better numbers his junior year with Deaton passing to him than he did with Hall his senior year. Hall was capable, but didn't have the arm strength that Deaton had which hurt Cole on the long ball, which was his bread and butter.

[King Kong]

For discussion starter, I am sure I will forget someone and others are open to discussion:
First thing I will say is I am cutting this off as the "modern" era of football since 1990...
Second caveat, Mountain= WYMT coverage area. No Ashland, Russell, etc.

QB- Tim Couch, Leslie County
RB1- Isaac Dixon, Belfry
RB2- Daniel Thomas, Bell County
WR1- Gerad Parker, Lawrence County
WR2- Jake Johnson, Pulaski County
OL1- Cole Bentley, Belfry
OL2- Austin Dotson, Belfry
OL3- Grant Bingham, Johnson Central
OL4- Jason Ledger, Rockcastle County
OL5- Brad Durham, Rockcastle County
TE- John Rader, Breathitt County

DB1- David Jones, Belfry
DB2- Dallas Greer, Bell County
DB3- Dontae Wright, Lawrence County
DB4- Ryley Preece, Johnson Central
LB1- Kash Daniel, Paintsville
LB2-  John Dudley Hilton, Bell County
LB3- Doug Howard, Belfry
EDGE- Floyd Branham, Middlesboro
DL1- Jeremy Caudill, Prestonsburg
DL2- Joey Stepp, Sheldon Clark
DL3- RayQuan Horton, Belfry

K/P- Dustin Wynn, MIddlesboro

- Felt weird not having a Pikeville or Corbin player and I probably could be talked into it with a good argument, plenty that missed the 1990 cutoff. Plenty who definitely would have been in that 2nd Team discussion. The twins from Corbin probably deserve it based on talent and single season performance but I did penalize them for only playing a limited career.

- Scotty Russell is a tough one. If I was listing an Athlete position he would be there. Michael West is another guy who easily slots as an Athlete.

- Breathitt and Somerset are another pair of teams with lots of talent that would be very close. I had to get John Rader on my team because he is one of the best two-way players I have seen from EKY on the field. I chose him over Durrell White (Middlesboro/Bell) and Chase Gibson (Pikeville). John Cole as I mentioned would probably be my next WR but hard to argue against Parker and Johnson.

- I feel like I am missing a linemen. Durham from Rockcastle is great but I could be talked out of him if there is another dominant OL I forgot. To me Ledger is the most underrated player to come out of the mountains and the clear cut best linemen from Rockcastle. He was underrated but dominant in HS and then went to UK and they couldn't keep him out of the starting lineup because he just mauls you.

- Joey Stepp is my sneaky pick many forget probably about. That guy absolutely was unblockable and dominated. He went on to have a very successful career playing at Marshall.

- I love Doug Howard and forced him into the LB spot and would definitely slot him if we had extra ATH spots... but as much as I love Doug I could be argued out of him as a LB if there was another LB worthy at that position only. Doug falls in that Scotty Russell role where you need him on your team  on both sides of the ball, as odd as it is, of the Belfry guys listed maybe the the second best overall (next to Dixon) is the one I would be most apt to eliminate from a 1st Team. Ryley Preece is another one I could be talked out of as a lock at his position, but as an ATH will be very hard not to take. Wright and Jones are probably the two best CB's and Greer is a clear cut Safety, Preece would be the best compliment at the other Safety to those three so i gave him the nod.

Very nice list, this team you've put together here would be hard to beat!

[Gridiron_Raid]

For discussion starter, I am sure I will forget someone and others are open to discussion:
First thing I will say is I am cutting this off as the "modern" era of football since 1990...
Second caveat, Mountain= WYMT coverage area. No Ashland, Russell, etc.

QB- Tim Couch, Leslie County
RB1- Isaac Dixon, Belfry
RB2- Daniel Thomas, Bell County
WR1- Gerad Parker, Lawrence County
WR2- Jake Johnson, Pulaski County
OL1- Cole Bentley, Belfry
OL2- Austin Dotson, Belfry
OL3- Grant Bingham, Johnson Central
OL4- Jason Ledger, Rockcastle County
OL5- Brad Durham, Rockcastle County
TE- John Rader, Breathitt County

DB1- David Jones, Belfry
DB2- Dallas Greer, Bell County
DB3- Dontae Wright, Lawrence County
DB4- Ryley Preece, Johnson Central
LB1- Kash Daniel, Paintsville
LB2-  John Dudley Hilton, Bell County
LB3- Doug Howard, Belfry
EDGE- Floyd Branham, Middlesboro
DL1- Jeremy Caudill, Prestonsburg
DL2- Joey Stepp, Sheldon Clark
DL3- RayQuan Horton, Belfry

K/P- Dustin Wynn, MIddlesboro

- Felt weird not having a Pikeville or Corbin player and I probably could be talked into it with a good argument, plenty that missed the 1990 cutoff. Plenty who definitely would have been in that 2nd Team discussion. The twins from Corbin probably deserve it based on talent and single season performance but I did penalize them for only playing a limited career.

- Scotty Russell is a tough one. If I was listing an Athlete position he would be there. Michael West is another guy who easily slots as an Athlete.

- Breathitt and Somerset are another pair of teams with lots of talent that would be very close. I had to get John Rader on my team because he is one of the best two-way players I have seen from EKY on the field. I chose him over Durrell White (Middlesboro/Bell) and Chase Gibson (Pikeville). John Cole as I mentioned would probably be my next WR but hard to argue against Parker and Johnson.

- I feel like I am missing a linemen. Durham from Rockcastle is great but I could be talked out of him if there is another dominant OL I forgot. To me Ledger is the most underrated player to come out of the mountains and the clear cut best linemen from Rockcastle. He was underrated but dominant in HS and then went to UK and they couldn't keep him out of the starting lineup because he just mauls you.

- Joey Stepp is my sneaky pick many forget probably about. That guy absolutely was unblockable and dominated. He went on to have a very successful career playing at Marshall.

- I love Doug Howard and forced him into the LB spot and would definitely slot him if we had extra ATH spots... but as much as I love Doug I could be argued out of him as a LB if there was another LB worthy at that position only. Doug falls in that Scotty Russell role where you need him on your team  on both sides of the ball, as odd as it is, of the Belfry guys listed maybe the the second best overall (next to Dixon) is the one I would be most apt to eliminate from a 1st Team. Ryley Preece is another one I could be talked out of as a lock at his position, but as an ATH will be very hard not to take. Wright and Jones are probably the two best CB's and Greer is a clear cut Safety, Preece would be the best compliment at the other Safety to those three so i gave him the nod.

Great list, and you cut it off around a decent time frame. I would keep the list completely the same if you opened it up to people from before that minus one player. I would switch any DB in the history of the state for Harvey Miracle. 

Harvey miracle still holds one of the most unbreakble records in the state. 16 interceptions in one season. The most impressive thing… HE DID IT AT CORNER.