[EKUAlum05]

Hoot...4 years can take a team from doormat to state title contender...but at the same time look at programs like Elizabethtown, Mercer County, LCA, Middlesboro, and Allen County-Scottsville.

Each of these programs had a single crop of players who came up from Freshman to Senior that led them from either doormat status or at best mediocre status to a State Final appearance. Where did they go the years immediately following that class that graduated?

A Coach is a massive part of maintaining success... unequivocally I agree...but there is another aspect that is huge in a program turning around or sustaining success...something that Johnson Central has benefited from almost as much as having Matney... and that is the strength of your feeder system. That's why some programs can bounce back quickly, if not instantly, after coaching change (ex: Highlands, Boyle County, LexCath) and why some strong programs have to start from scratch (ex: Breathitt County, Lawrence County).

Who would be better equipped to sustain success the next 3-4 years following an abrupt coaching change immediately?

Belfry with potentially back to back Middle School State Championship teams the past two years

or

Cadlwell County with a very talented crop of Juniors, but a very limited crop of Freshman or Middle Schoolers