[Blau Vogel]

I'm assuming ur a bird fan? Didn't they just beat catholic by 4 points reg season? An now there gonna put 125 on them? Catholics defense was incredible looked like they had 15 players out there. Haven't seen highlands but can't imagine them being able to blow catholic out let alone beating them.

Remember when we northerners (even those that never want to see CovCath win a game EVER) were telling you guys how good CovCath is and you guys thought the Tomcats' speed and magic of a stadium would be too much for the Colonels? Highlands is pretty good too...You don't have to believe me, ask your friends from Johnson County. Just a guess, but they probably can "imagine" Highlands beating them.

[RAMBAIT]

I told you Ashland fans......Ashland is the new Raceland. Good luck in that region.

[gapman]

Remember when we northerners (even those that never want to see CovCath win a game EVER) were telling you guys how good CovCath is and you guys thought the Tomcats' speed and magic of a stadium would be too much for the Colonels? Highlands is pretty good too...You don't have to believe me, ask your friends from Johnson County. Just a guess, but they probably can "imagine" Highlands beating them.

It isn't that Ashlander's don't respect the programs there at Fort Thomas or Covington. We know how good you are. For now, we take the hand we are dealt and stick our chin in there and give it our best shot. You guys can just keep plugging in players on a team that has 21 one way players with viable backups at every position. Even the Spartan 300 had to bow to the superior numbers of their adversary. Ashland has the horses to make plays even though it obviously didn't happen Friday night. The Tomcat program is moving in the right direction and I for one, am happy with that prospect. The coaches know the things they need to put in place to have a steady stream of players. Ashland will keep rising as long as the coaches have the vision. Until and if the day comes when everybody knows we can match up with you, or they stop making us play semi final games in the second round, we will never bow at your feet.

We had a great group of seniors move on last Friday night as they wore those maroon uni's for the last time. I can tell you for sure they will always be proud to be Tomcats. I have heard, and read, that many think the 2011 Tomcats were the best since the state championship team of the 1990. We didn't see many letdowns through 12 games. Only 5 total points seperated them from a perfect regular season. I guess I'm saying it's good to be part of a big machine like CC or Highlands, but it's certainly no bitter pill to swallow to play for Ashland either. They love their team and the community loves them probably even more. A reasonable number of the 2011 Tomcats have been called up to visit the same schools as have the Colonels and the Bluebirds. :biggrin:

[hop24]

I congratulated CC on a great team they have? What else is there to. Say? It's clear the better team won the game the tomcats did a respectable job statistically they were evenly matched. However the on one thing they couldn't match was the trips to the endzone.

Now Hop24 Suck on that. :biggrin: an good luck CC against the birds.

Clever comeback Hanknicker:. Lesson learned about running your mouth a little early??:eyeroll: Told you would be fun AFTER the game to talk about it.:hilarious::hilarious: Have a "special" offseason.......Moving on.

[nkyfootball81]

I disagree with Stardust's comment about Highlands racking up 125 on Cov Cath. Their defense has matured tremendously since they played Highlands earlier in the season. When they played before, they were missing arguably their second best defensive back. He's back and is ON FIRE with making plays. Not saying he'll do everything in the game, but it helps CCH to have him back. As for Highlands' offense, well we'll see what they have in store. I just think no matter what happens, this game is going to be absolutely crazy. Can't wait to watch this thriller go down Friday night.

[Westside]

This score surprised me. I thought it would be closer.

[hop24]

I disagree with Stardust's comment about Highlands racking up 125 on Cov Cath. Their defense has matured tremendously since they played Highlands earlier in the season. When they played before, they were missing arguably their second best defensive back. He's back and is ON FIRE with making plays. Not saying he'll do everything in the game, but it helps CCH to have him back. As for Highlands' offense, well we'll see what they have in store. I just think no matter what happens, this game is going to be absolutely crazy. Can't wait to watch this thriller go down Friday night.

I look for a great close game like the first one except with a lower score. Agree about the CCH defense.

[Wideleft01]

Playing Ashland and playing against Highlands are 2 vastly different things. Of course Covcath is going to look better against Ashland. You can't replicate the speed and athleticism of Highlands.

[Truth]

It isn't that Ashlander's don't respect the programs there at Fort Thomas or Covington. We know how good you are. For now, we take the hand we are dealt and stick our chin in there and give it our best shot. You guys can just keep plugging in players on a team that has 21 one way players with viable backups at every position. Even the Spartan 300 had to bow to the superior numbers of their adversary. Ashland has the horses to make plays even though it obviously didn't happen Friday night. The Tomcat program is moving in the right direction and I for one, am happy with that prospect. The coaches know the things they need to put in place to have a steady stream of players. Ashland will keep rising as long as the coaches have the vision. Until and if the day comes when everybody knows we can match up with you, or they stop making us play semi final games in the second round, we will never bow at your feet.

We had a great group of seniors move on last Friday night as they wore those maroon uni's for the last time. I can tell you for sure they will always be proud to be Tomcats. I have heard, and read, that many think the 2011 Tomcats were the best since the state championship team of the 1990. We didn't see many letdowns through 12 games. Only 5 total points seperated them from a perfect regular season. I guess I'm saying it's good to be part of a big machine like CC or Highlands, but it's certainly no bitter pill to swallow to play for Ashland either. They love their team and the community loves them probably even more. A reasonable number of the 2011 Tomcats have been called up to visit the same schools as have the Colonels and the Bluebirds. :biggrin:

Losers usually spin and this is nice spin. Since the game was at Ashland, the final score was about as should have been expected. As I said, Ashland and Johnson Central are fine for their district. However, they are not remotely in the same class as FTH and CovCath. That is proven year after year.

[charlie22]

Losers usually spin and this is nice spin. Since the game was at Ashland, the final score was about as should have been expected. As I said, Ashland and Johnson Central are fine for their district. However, they are not remotely in the same class as FTH and CovCath. That is proven year after year.

I didn't see any spin in gapman's post. He pretty much called it as it is. Ashland has a way to go before they can beat Highlands or CovCath. He said he knows how good those two schools are. Not sure how much more you can expect out of him?

To be fair to those Ashland fans predicting a win, CovCath has come a long way back in the last two years. A long way. It wasn't too long ago that CovCath was going to eastern Ky in the playoffs and getting their tails whipped. Sure, the Ashland fans read on here how much improved CovCath was this year, but 90% of the stuff posted on here by posters is based on emotion and what fans hope is the case, as opposed to analysis and what will be the case. So it was only reasonable for people to attribute CovCath's strong game against Highlands to the "rivalry" factor, as opposed to CovCath being as good as they are.

For Ashland to climb to the level of the mountain occupied by CovCath and Highlands, they are going to need to start scheduling both of them during the regular season; they are going to need to schedule strong teams out in the state. Keep one rivalry game; play the district schedule; and fill the rest of the schedule with power programs in Ky. You can only practice for what needs to be done when you know what you need to do. I can see Belfry on the schedule to help prepare for JC, but it does nothing to help prepare for CovCath or Highlands. I realize Raceland and Russell are natural rivalries, but I can't see them helping Ashland prepare for CovCath or Highlands. Lawrence County probably doesn't help prepare either. Don't know the style of play of George Washington or Ironton. I know they have decent programs, but again, unless they help prepare Ashland for the style of play of CovCath and Highlands, I'm not sure they'd be on my schedule if I could avoid them being on there. Based on what I know of Ashland's program and tradition, the Ashland the coach doesn't need to schedule easy wins to build up confidence and the winning attitude. They are way beyond that. Heck, if I wanted to prepare for Highlands and CovCath, the first guy I call is Bob Beatty at Trinity. Sure, I'd lose the game (badly this year) but I think it would pay dividends in the playoffs when I have to play the N. Ky schools.

Congrats to the senior Tomcats. Very nice season and obviously a lot of senior leadership was provided. Best of luck in the future with whatever you decide to make of your lives.

[Truth]

I didn't see any spin in gapman's post. He pretty much called it as it is. Ashland has a way to go before they can beat Highlands or CovCath. He said he knows how good those two schools are. Not sure how much more you can expect out of him?

To be fair to those Ashland fans predicting a win, CovCath has come a long way back in the last two years. A long way. It wasn't too long ago that CovCath was going to eastern Ky in the playoffs and getting their tails whipped. Sure, the Ashland fans read on here how much improved CovCath was this year, but 90% of the stuff posted on here by posters is based on emotion and what fans hope is the case, as opposed to analysis and what will be the case. So it was only reasonable for people to attribute CovCath's strong game against Highlands to the "rivalry" factor, as opposed to CovCath being as good as they are.

For Ashland to climb to the level of the mountain occupied by CovCath and Highlands, they are going to need to start scheduling both of them during the regular season; they are going to need to schedule strong teams out in the state. Keep one rivalry game; play the district schedule; and fill the rest of the schedule with power programs in Ky. You can only practice for what needs to be done when you know what you need to do. I can see Belfry on the schedule to help prepare for JC, but it does nothing to help prepare for CovCath or Highlands. I realize Raceland and Russell are natural rivalries, but I can't see them helping Ashland prepare for CovCath or Highlands. Lawrence County probably doesn't help prepare either. Don't know the style of play of George Washington or Ironton. I know they have decent programs, but again, unless they help prepare Ashland for the style of play of CovCath and Highlands, I'm not sure they'd be on my schedule if I could avoid them being on there. Based on what I know of Ashland's program and tradition, the Ashland the coach doesn't need to schedule easy wins to build up confidence and the winning attitude. They are way beyond that. Heck, if I wanted to prepare for Highlands and CovCath, the first guy I call is Bob Beatty at Trinity. Sure, I'd lose the game (badly this year) but I think it would pay dividends in the playoffs when I have to play the N. Ky schools.

Congrats to the senior Tomcats. Very nice season and obviously a lot of senior leadership was provided. Best of luck in the future with whatever you decide to make of your lives.

Fairly realistic post from another Ashlander. However, there is no reason why Trinity would ever schedule Ashland. There would be absolutely nothing to gain. Trinity beat Manuel 55-0 (it could have been worse), and Manuel is a team far superior year in and year out to Ashland (including this year). I also don't see any reason for FTH or CovCath to schedule Ashland.

But, then, you don't prepare for superior teams by playing teams that are lesser than are you. Ashland needs to beef up its schedule considerably if it wishes to be taken as a serious threat statewide.

[sstack]

Fairly realistic post from another Ashlander. However, there is no reason why Trinity would ever schedule Ashland. There would be absolutely nothing to gain. Trinity beat Manuel 55-0 (it could have been worse), and Manuel is a team far superior year in and year out to Ashland (including this year). I also don't see any reason for FTH or CovCath to schedule Ashland.

But, then, you don't prepare for superior teams by playing teams that are lesser than are you. Ashland needs to beef up its schedule considerably if it wishes to be taken as a serious threat statewide.

NO, it is fairly realistic post from another Bluebird!

[charlie22]

Fairly realistic post from another Ashlander. However, there is no reason why Trinity would ever schedule Ashland. There would be absolutely nothing to gain. Trinity beat Manuel 55-0 (it could have been worse), and Manuel is a team far superior year in and year out to Ashland (including this year). I also don't see any reason for FTH or CovCath to schedule Ashland.

But, then, you don't prepare for superior teams by playing teams that are lesser than are you. Ashland needs to beef up its schedule considerably if it wishes to be taken as a serious threat statewide.

Uh, as sstack mentioned, I'm a Highlands fan; not Ashland. There are reasons why Trinity and Highlands would schedule Ashland: to fill out the schedule. Talk to Dale sometime about the difficulty he has filling a schedule.Trinity has the same problem. Heck no one from Kentucky other than district opponents would play Trinity. I can't say for sure, but my guess is that Beatty would welcome a game against Ashland.

If Ashland wanted to play, Highlands would probably play them if for no other reason than to help fill out the schedule. It's not like Western and Mason County were teams greatly superior to Ashland this year (Ashland was better than both), yet Dale had them on the schedule this year.

[NCC41]

I disagree with Stardust's comment about Highlands racking up 125 on Cov Cath. Their defense has matured tremendously since they played Highlands earlier in the season. When they played before, they were missing arguably their second best defensive back. He's back and is ON FIRE with making plays. Not saying he'll do everything in the game, but it helps CCH to have him back. As for Highlands' offense, well we'll see what they have in store. I just think no matter what happens, this game is going to be absolutely crazy. Can't wait to watch this thriller go down Friday night.

You've hit the nail on the head kyfootball81 and I can't believe no one is talking about the improvement this defense has made over the last several weeks. Covington Catholic will not put up 37 points this Friday on the Birds. If Covington Catholic wins they'll have to do it scoring less than 37 points.

[Blau Vogel]

You've hit the nail on the head kyfootball81 and I can't believe no one is talking about the improvement this defense has made over the last several weeks. Covington Catholic will not put up 37 points this Friday on the Birds. If Covington Catholic wins they'll have to do it scoring less than 37 points.

I always get a kick out comments like these. Team X has really improved since their earlier meeting with team Y. I should hope so! However, the fan of team X doesn't seem to realize team Y has improved also.

I have NO doubt CovCath's D and O have improved greatly since week five, when they played the Birds. If anyone thinks Highlands has not ALSO made great strides since week five, is in for a surprise. The winner of this game, will be the one that can handle the other teams IMPROVEMENTS the best.

[Truth]

Uh, as sstack mentioned, I'm a Highlands fan; not Ashland. There are reasons why Trinity and Highlands would schedule Ashland: to fill out the schedule. Talk to Dale sometime about the difficulty he has filling a schedule.Trinity has the same problem. Heck no one from Kentucky other than district opponents would play Trinity. I can't say for sure, but my guess is that Beatty would welcome a game against Ashland.

If Ashland wanted to play, Highlands would probably play them if for no other reason than to help fill out the schedule. It's not like Western and Mason County were teams greatly superior to Ashland this year (Ashland was better than both), yet Dale had them on the schedule this year.

I stand corrected. However, with all the fine schools in Cincinnati. central Kentucky, and northern Kentucky, I see no reason for FTH or CovCath to ever play Ashland during the regular season. Success makes filling a schedule difficult. However, we all can see what Trinity did and it worked well for them. There are plenty of Ohio schools who would offer much better competition than would Ashland.

Finally, there is absolutely nothing to be gained by Trinity in playing Ashland. Why on earth would Beatty ever "welcome" a game with Ashland? You don't compete for national championships playing schools like Ashland. That statement is not meant to offend Ashland. It is merely reality.

[tomcatfan722000]

QUOTE=Truth;1308834]Losers usually spin and this is nice spin. Since the game was at Ashland, the final score was about as should have been expected. As I said, Ashland and Johnson Central are fine for their district. However, they are not remotely in the same class as FTH and CovCath. That is proven year after year.[/QUOTE]

You were right this year my trolling friend lol jk all in good fun. Cov cath sure was impressive but I do feel the gap is closing. Maybe you could enlighten us as to what CCH and FTH have returning next year

[gapman]

I didn't see any spin in gapman's post. He pretty much called it as it is. Ashland has a way to go before they can beat Highlands or CovCath. He said he knows how good those two schools are. Not sure how much more you can expect out of him?

To be fair to those Ashland fans predicting a win, CovCath has come a long way back in the last two years. A long way. It wasn't too long ago that CovCath was going to eastern Ky in the playoffs and getting their tails whipped. Sure, the Ashland fans read on here how much improved CovCath was this year, but 90% of the stuff posted on here by posters is based on emotion and what fans hope is the case, as opposed to analysis and what will be the case. So it was only reasonable for people to attribute CovCath's strong game against Highlands to the "rivalry" factor, as opposed to CovCath being as good as they are.

For Ashland to climb to the level of the mountain occupied by CovCath and Highlands, they are going to need to start scheduling both of them during the regular season; they are going to need to schedule strong teams out in the state. Keep one rivalry game; play the district schedule; and fill the rest of the schedule with power programs in Ky. You can only practice for what needs to be done when you know what you need to do. I can see Belfry on the schedule to help prepare for JC, but it does nothing to help prepare for CovCath or Highlands. I realize Raceland and Russell are natural rivalries, but I can't see them helping Ashland prepare for CovCath or Highlands. Lawrence County probably doesn't help prepare either. Don't know the style of play of George Washington or Ironton. I know they have decent programs, but again, unless they help prepare Ashland for the style of play of CovCath and Highlands, I'm not sure they'd be on my schedule if I could avoid them being on there. Based on what I know of Ashland's program and tradition, the Ashland the coach doesn't need to schedule easy wins to build up confidence and the winning attitude. They are way beyond that. Heck, if I wanted to prepare for Highlands and CovCath, the first guy I call is Bob Beatty at Trinity. Sure, I'd lose the game (badly this year) but I think it would pay dividends in the playoffs when I have to play the N. Ky schools.

Congrats to the senior Tomcats. Very nice season and obviously a lot of senior leadership was provided. Best of luck in the future with whatever you decide to make of your lives.

Much appreciated charlie22. Good luck this Friday. To your analysis, probabaly Ironton and George Washington are keepers and I agree about Belfry. Those 3 plus the 3 district games for the must have's on the schedule.
We'll have to see about the rest. Phasing in the better teams over the course of several years may be the Rx for the Cats. I believe the new stadium will breathe some excitement into the program too. Thanks for the comment about the seniors, a team has to have that leadship to compete.

[gapman]

QUOTE=Truth;1308834]Losers usually spin and this is nice spin. Since the game was at Ashland, the final score was about as should have been expected. As I said, Ashland and Johnson Central are fine for their district. However, they are not remotely in the same class as FTH and CovCath. That is proven year after year.

You were right this year my trolling friend lol jk all in good fun. Cov cath sure was impressive but I do feel the gap is closing. Maybe you could enlighten us as to what CCH and FTH have returning next year[/QUOTE]



He'll get back to you as soon as he reads up on it real quick. :biggrin:

[tomcatfan722000]

I didn't see any spin in gapman's post. He pretty much called it as it is. Ashland has a way to go before they can beat Highlands or CovCath. He said he knows how good those two schools are. Not sure how much more you can expect out of him?

To be fair to those Ashland fans predicting a win, CovCath has come a long way back in the last two years. A long way. It wasn't too long ago that CovCath was going to eastern Ky in the playoffs and getting their tails whipped. Sure, the Ashland fans read on here how much improved CovCath was this year, but 90% of the stuff posted on here by posters is based on emotion and what fans hope is the case, as opposed to analysis and what will be the case. So it was only reasonable for people to attribute CovCath's strong game against Highlands to the "rivalry" factor, as opposed to CovCath being as good as they are.

For Ashland to climb to the level of the mountain occupied by CovCath and Highlands, they are going to need to start scheduling both of them during the regular season; they are going to need to schedule strong teams out in the state. Keep one rivalry game; play the district schedule; and fill the rest of the schedule with power programs in Ky. You can only practice for what needs to be done when you know what you need to do. I can see Belfry on the schedule to help prepare for JC, but it does nothing to help prepare for CovCath or Highlands. I realize Raceland and Russell are natural rivalries, but I can't see them helping Ashland prepare for CovCath or Highlands. Lawrence County probably doesn't help prepare either. Don't know the style of play of George Washington or Ironton. I know they have decent programs, but again, unless they help prepare Ashland for the style of play of CovCath and Highlands, I'm not sure they'd be on my schedule if I could avoid them being on there. Based on what I know of Ashland's program and tradition, the Ashland the coach doesn't need to schedule easy wins to build up confidence and the winning attitude. They are way beyond that. Heck, if I wanted to prepare for Highlands and CovCath, the first guy I call is Bob Beatty at Trinity. Sure, I'd lose the game (badly this year) but I think it would pay dividends in the playoffs when I have to play the N. Ky schools.

Congrats to the senior Tomcats. Very nice season and obviously a lot of senior leadership was provided. Best of luck in the future with whatever you decide to make of your lives.

I totally agree Raceland and Lawrence are nothing but games that bring big paychecks. GW is very comparable to cov cath the difference is the tomcats played the game if the year on defense. russell is Ashlands biggest area rival so that game isn't going anywhere neither is ironton.

If I made the schedule it would look something like this.

Boyle Co

Belfry

Ironton

GW

Russell

Bell co

I could understand not wanting to play cov cath or highlands if u dont want a region opponent to see u first hand

I do feel this is challenging schedule that would be great for the tomcats.

[Truth]

I totally agree Raceland and Lawrence are nothing but games that bring big paychecks. GW is very comparable to cov cath the difference is the tomcats played the game if the year on defense. russell is Ashlands biggest area rival so that game isn't going anywhere neither is ironton.

If I made the schedule it would look something like this.

Boyle Co

Belfry

Ironton

GW

Russell

Bell co

I could understand not wanting to play cov cath or highlands if u dont want a region opponent to see u first hand

I do feel this is challenging schedule that would be great for the tomcats.

I agree. You only get better by being challenged. I would think that Ashland would draw as big a crowd with some of these better teams as they do with the locals. Of course, district play limits options. Still, if you look back at some of Ashland's old schedules you will see some tough opponents, often from Louisville, each year.

FTH and CovCath lose many key seniors this year. CovCath has a lot of juniors and sophomores on its roster. So a lot of talent and potential will be returning. FTH will merely reload. A review of the rosters would seem to indicate that Ashland will have a much more difficult time replacing seniors than will FTH or CovCath. The quarterback and some of those defensive players will be missed.

[tomcatfan722000]

I agree. You only get better by being challenged. I would think that Ashland would draw as big a crowd with some of these better teams as they do with the locals. Of course, district play limits options. Still, if you look back at some of Ashland's old schedules you will see some tough opponents, often from Louisville, each year.

FTH and CovCath lose many key seniors this year. CovCath has a lot of juniors and sophomores on its roster. So a lot of talent and potential will be returning. FTH will merely reload. A review of the rosters would seem to indicate that Ashland will have a much more difficult time replacing seniors than will FTH or CovCath. The quarterback and some of those defensive players will be missed.

Realistically you are probably right not saying Ashland doesn't have good talent next year just not the experience as some teams we will play. A lot of Ashlands seniors were multi-year starters with some even being 3 or 4 year starters. But if u challenge those kids while inexperienced it can only pay off against schools like FTH. I do not know how many if any open dates Ashland has next year but I hope they fill them with one of the better programs in the state.

[Stardust]

Realistically you are probably right not saying Ashland doesn't have good talent next year just not the experience as some teams we will play. A lot of Ashlands seniors were multi-year starters with some even being 3 or 4 year starters. But if u challenge those kids while inexperienced it can only pay off against schools like FTH. I do not know how many if any open dates Ashland has next year but I hope they fill them with one of the better programs in the state.

Just getting out of the area and playing against different styles which do translate to that region, playing with different refs - all of that goes a long way to helping prepare for playoffs. We do it in baseball, and it has always been very rewarding. Obviously, costs can prohibit this concept, but if there is a way, all schools should do it.

From an outsiders perspective, it seems like EKY teams have struggled more over these pat few years than I have seen other areas when matched up with other styles. That does not always hold true, just an observation.

[tomcatfan722000]

Just getting out of the area and playing against different styles which do translate to that region, playing with different refs - all of that goes a long way to helping prepare for playoffs. We do it in baseball, and it has always been very rewarding. Obviously, costs can prohibit this concept, but if there is a way, all schools should do it.

From an outsiders perspective, it seems like EKY teams have struggled more over these pat few years than I have seen other areas when matched up with other styles. That does not always hold true, just an observation.

Idk about all eastern ky teams many highlands posters said JC was the second best team in the state last year and Russell had a nice playoff run last year as well. Ashland was the creme of the crop this year but most of the other schools were in rebuilding years and should be very competive next year. I would say next year FTH and JC will be the region favorites With Cov Cath as that 3rd team kinda darkhorse.

[Double Lab Trouble]

You do realize that CCH quarterback Blake Bir returns next season for his 3rd season as the starter. This alone makes the Colonels a tough team next season. Several starters on defense will return too.

As for CCH playing Ashland during the season, I tried a few years ago to get the AD to schedule some EKY schools, but to no avail. Too costly to travel that far for a non-playoff game. When you can fill your schedule with highly competitive teams without leaving your backyard, it doesn't make economic "cents" to travel.

[tomcatfan722000]

You do realize that CCH quarterback Blake Bir returns next season for his 3rd season as the starter. This alone makes the Colonels a tough team next season. Several starters on defense will return too.

As for CCH playing Ashland during the season, I tried a few years ago to get the AD to schedule some EKY schools, but to no avail. Too costly to travel that far for a non-playoff game. When you can fill your schedule with highly competitive teams without leaving your backyard, it doesn't make economic "cents" to travel.

I thought bir was a senior so you are probably correct then that makes 3 favorites next year.

[EKUAlum05]

For Ashland to climb to the level of the mountain occupied by CovCath and Highlands, they are going to need to start scheduling both of them during the regular season; they are going to need to schedule strong teams out in the state. Keep one rivalry game; play the district schedule; and fill the rest of the schedule with power programs in Ky. You can only practice for what needs to be done when you know what you need to do. I can see Belfry on the schedule to help prepare for JC, but it does nothing to help prepare for CovCath or Highlands.

As a Belfry fan I agree with this point. As much as I enjoy the matchup with Ashland, putting the bias aside and calling a spade a spade this point has merit. Granted, Belfry probably was the one single game that allowed Ashland to learn what they had to improve on and as mentioned really got them ready for JC, in the grand scheme of things Belfry served very little purpose to prepare them for what they saw with CovCath.

Belfry's belly offense and 5-2 defense serves basically as nothing more than a teaching clinic on execution, technique, and physicality. From the standpoint of schemes, looks, and styles of offense and defense the Tomcats get little to no value. I wholeheartedly agree that Ashland may need to drop some historic rivals to find teams who run a more challenging and diverse offense.

A few teams that come to mind are Manual, NewCath, LexCath, Boyle, and Scott County. As previously stated teams like X and T gain nothing by playing Ashland when they can have their pick of the litter with any number of teams, but these others may be a different story.

Belfry, Russell, and Ironton are all essentially the same team where your merit is based off the intricate details of the game and teaching points moreso than the competition itself. I think one of those teams are certainly worth keeping for this fact, but am not sure all 3 are necessary. In the past few years Belfry has been became the best of the lot, but from a rivalry and distance standpoint they make the least sense of the three.

[Hatz]

Idk about all eastern ky teams many highlands posters said JC was the second best team in the state last year and Russell had a nice playoff run last year as well. Ashland was the creme of the crop this year but most of the other schools were in rebuilding years and should be very competive next year. I would say next year FTH and JC will be the region favorites With Cov Cath as that 3rd team kinda darkhorse.

Guess the Highlands posters that said that didn't see Boyle or Bell either one beat the Eagles from Johnson Central for the 2nd straight year.

:biggrin:

[Blau Vogel]

I agree. You only get better by being challenged. I would think that Ashland would draw as big a crowd with some of these better teams as they do with the locals. Of course, district play limits options. Still, if you look back at some of Ashland's old schedules you will see some tough opponents, often from Louisville, each year.

FTH and CovCath lose many key seniors this year. CovCath has a lot of juniors and sophomores on its roster. So a lot of talent and potential will be returning. FTH will merely reload. A review of the rosters would seem to indicate that Ashland will have a much more difficult time replacing seniors than will FTH or CovCath. The quarterback and some of those defensive players will be missed.

Highlands has about, + or -a couple, 25 seniors, 25 juniors and 25 sophomores
By game, (1 thru 10) this is how many players got into each game:

27, 37, 52, 55, 36, 53, 59, 59, 33, 44, for an average of 44.6

Based on this, it would be fair to say the players coming back have significant experience, not even including there JV schedule.

[Wideleft01]

Highlands will be loaded again. At least for the next 2 seasons. I don't know much about the current freshmen or 8th graders, but Highlands is favored to win it the next 2 years regardless of what the other teams think they have. They have veteran sophmores and jrs. playing big minutes right now.