[Stardust]

Thanks Coach for the well written and thought out post. I understand your point. There are advantages held by the urban schools, one of which is the funnel effect that you mentioned (although I think the funnel effect is somewhat present for the strong football programs in the rural areas also. We've seen plenty of transfers among the rural schools and I doubt they were all for the "purest" of reasons.) But I think we need to keep in mind that when there are many strong football programs in an urban area, the mouth of the funnel isn't as wide. I know some folks think that every good football player (or even most good football players) all over N. Ky end up at Highlands. But that's really not accurate. Do we get some? Yes, but it's not as prevalent as people think. Often times its kids of parents that graduated from Highlands but chose to live outside of Ft. Thomas. Heck, we don't even get all the best football players that live in Ft. Thomas. NewCath gets a fair number of them. Beechwood keeps its best football players and also attracts some of the better football players looking to play elsewhere. Kenton County has open enrollment in the county so those kids have several options. I know Dixie and SK are down, really down, this year, but they have both had enough success to "keep" Kenton County kids that want to go to a good football program. Heck, I cheer for SK, Dixie, Boone, Ryle and Beechwood to have great success every year, because I fear if they don't, the kids in their communities will go to CovCath. CovCath is back once again and it acts as another funnel that attracts kids from N. Ky, thus keeping them from entering the Highlands funnel. I'm convinced Lickert will have great success at Campbell County if he stays there for more than a couple of years. There really is the potential to turn Campbell County into a really strong football program. If so, that further takes kids away from the mouth of the Highlands funnel. My point is that because of the number of strong or even just decent programs throughout N. Ky, the funnel effect for Highlands is not as prevalent as some think.

Personally, I think the biggest funnel effect is found in Louisville and Trinity is the primary beneficiary. Given their success and national recognition this year, I think the funnel will get bigger and wider for T. Busing, along with discipline and other issues at some of the Jeff Co. public schools help create the funnel. If Male, Manual, Ballard and the other schools don't start having greater success soon, Trinity will have even greater success in the future (as hard as that is to believe). I think X is fast approaching a crossroad. I like Glaser a lot, but Beatty's style of play is much more attractive to young kids making a decision on what high school to attend. When you have great coaching, great tradition, great support and you add the great athletes, you end up with the great football teams that T is producing. X has great coaches, great tradition and great support, but I'm told the great athletes are choosing T over X. That's not good for the future of X football, at least as it relates to competing against T. I think style of play is a big reason as to why kids are choosing T over X.

Thanks for your 20 years of coaching service to the kids of Ky. I don't think coaches are thanked often enough for their sacrifices and committent.

Charlie, you never cease to amaze me with your foresight and common sense. You have given excellent analogies and a tremendous description of how the process works. Well too often, we get those whose teams that are not as good blame it simply on illegal recruiting. They want to make excuses for their own shortcomings by making saying its the fault of someone else as to why they are not successful. That's why we now have children growing up not being accountable for their own actions. Their parents or support model have taught these kids that "Its not your fault, someone else is to blame".

For me, it's always been about who has the best programs that succeed. Those schools that build tremendous support models are the benefactors of successful teams for longer periods of time. Lets face it, the Ft. Thomas football league just might be the very best youth football program around. Its charter is structured football that teaches the proper skills and sportsmanship for the children of Ft. Thomas. The league is made up of children from that area but there is a small number of outsiders that are allowed in after they have all the Ft. Thomas children who sign up. They fill in the teams with youth from outside the area. My son was privileged enough to play in that league in 4th and 5th grade. His first year, Mueller came down to speak to the boys. It was my first chance to hear him speak. His motivation and enthusiasm sold me and my son. After practices, we went to watch the Birds practice and were so amazed at the structure and execution that Highlands ran their practice. We went to more HHS games that year than we did Campbell County games (where we live).

We went to the Red Devils and were part of what may be the greatest teams in Red Devil History with Buzzy Johnson, Chris Kelly, Michael Kremer, Brady Hightchew, Nate Geiman, Jake Cain, Jake Rebholz and Connaughton. But all of those kids went their separate ways to as many as 8 different High Schools. The story behind this is that the Ft. Thomas feeder created 4 QB's, 8 RB's, etc.... All that knew the Highlands way and entered into High School as a group that already knew how to play football. This is the true backbone to HHS's program. Sure, there are kids that come along the way, but it's the foundation that makes this program great and that program is built out of the small community of Ft. Thomas!