[oneijoe]

This thread is about the best team in eastern Kentucky, which in my opinion will be decided when JC travels to Belfry. My point is this - Johnson Central has won 3 of its last 4 meetings with Belfry and last year's very young Golden Eagles team lost by a slim 17-12 margin. Belfry has a great program, but since Matney arrived at JC, the series has been very competitive and there have been few blowouts by either team.

Belfry fans can make the claim that they have the best football program in eastern Kentucky if they want, but the facts do not support the notion that their program is on an entirely different level than Johnson Central's program - and that is exactly the claim that oneijoe made. Whichever team wins in a few weeks, the game between JC and Belfry should be a great one.

As good as Johnson Central's and Belfry's programs are, nobody should take them for granted. Any good program is one bad hire away from mediocrity. When the days come that Matney and Haywood retire, let's hope that both schools choose their successors wisely.

Hoot... if you go back and read my original post, you'll see I didn't aim my answer toward the original question of this thread but qualified my own particular viewpoint.

While I agree Johnson Central is certainly heading toward that "Friday Night Lights" kind of program (with everything that entails), I personally don't think JC has enough seasons behind them at that level to be considered as Belfry's equal. 10-12 years simply isn't enough time.

And no, having a State Title in the trophy case isn't what it's about. It's about all the other things I mentioned consistantly over an extended period of years.