[Hoot Gibson]

You already lost your argument. You didn't say city schools. You described county seat schools. Edit: You said schools in cities that were the county seats.

No, Bob did not lose his argument, if you want to call it that. You left out the word usually from Bob's post. Most small schools that had football teams around the time Johnson County's schools consolidated to form Johnson Central were as Bob described them. Towns like Elkhorn City, Lynch, Wheelwright, and others had football teams because boys could make it to practices without all of them having cars to drive to practice. Others were too small to support a football team or were rural schools where transportation impeded the establishment of football programs.

It was fairly rare when the consolidated high schools that were formed in the mountains during the late 60s and early 70s were formed exclusively from schools that played football. That was my point and I believe that it was Bob's point as well. Political struggles over hiring decisions were difficult enough to deal with, but having to create football programs at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels where few teachers, administrators, or coaches had any experience playing or coaching organized football slowed development of the high school programs.

These were problems that larger city schools and schools located in more populous areas with better roads rarely appreciate. To many Highlands fans, creating a successful football program seems like a simple thing to do - just emulate their successful program. No high school football coach could have taken over at Johnson Central in the early 70s and fielded a successful football team. Not even the great Dale Mueller. They would have failed because the administration expected to win quickly, just as their basketball team did. With no feeder system, few competent football coaches in the system, the early JC coaches faced unrealistic expectations. I am sure that other consolidated schools of that era faced similar problems.