[eastkyhunter]

Coach Haywood is the only coach from Kentucky left in the running. All Kentuckians should vote for him. If you don't, you are just a jerk.

Yeah, what he said! haha

[WideRight05]

Again, you dodge the ? of which of the coaches you have seen. If you have not seen them coach, then how do you know they are better. Your just going off of titles. So, then EKU would have it right. As far as Highlands playing "much tougher competition". Belfry has played and beatin some of those teams and has taken beating from them even Highlands, from a much less talent pool. Your point proves nothing. Thanks for the well wishes for the kids at Belfry. I have no emotional attachment to Belfry what so ever. I try to call it as I see it.

Has Belfry beat Cincinnati St. X? Cincinnati Elder? Boyle County? Lexington Catholic? Covington Catholic?

As for your point that "if you have not seen them coach, how do you know they are better," then how do you know Haywood is better than those coaches since you haven't seen them coach? You're choosing only because he is from Kentucky. But again, as I said before, he will win this popularity contest.

You mistake me for someone claiming Haywood is the best coach in the state...I am not. In fact my opinion of a Coach Ranking might surprise you.

I am pointing out that based on your previous posts in this thread about who you are voting for an what qualifies them as the best coach it is above all else, and unequivocally, Championship Frequency in your opinion. Moreso than Championship Total.. moreso than competition level... and void of quality of team (because the St. X coach would dominate everyone on that list).


Scroggins and Beatty each have won Championships in 71.4% of the seasons they have coached.

Eviston has won Championships in 66% of the seasons he has coached.

Mueller has won championships in 55% of the seasons he has coached.

So either there is more that goes into being the best coach rather than Championship Frequency... or...well.... your boy Dale Mueller is second tier to a NewCath coach

I know very little about Eviston, but as much as I pick at NCC I will say that is impressive. The books are still in writing right now. Mueller and Beatty both have a ton of titles, and Skroggins has a shot to catch up with them. My point is however, not to compare those coaches, but the fact that Haywood falls well short of what any of the previously mentioned coaches have. If I had to choose between them, I would be okay with any of them representing our state.

And this is exactly why I am interjecting as WR outspokenly lashes out against the coach from the Bluegrass State.

My criteria for what makes the best coach involves many pieces to the puzzle...not just simply "Championships are Championships".. because that is not actually the case. There is a reason a minority of KY teams win the majority of the Championships. There is a reason that long before Dale Mueller ever walked the sidelines of Highlands High School that the Bluebirds were one of the dominant programs in KY regardless of class and why he was able to seamlessly continue that legacy.

The argument Belfry fans make for Coach Haywood is that he "Does More With Less" and to be frank..it is a damn good argument. For a county school there is no Coach remotely on the level of Haywood's resume, IMHO. The only County School that rivals Belfry's achievements the past 20 years or so is Boyle County.. but the lion's share of their success came and went with Chuck Smith. They are still a fine program, but even Boyle has not enjoyed the success of Belfry consistently since Smith's departure. On top of all this, for Belfry to do it in such a rural area with such a dwindling economy and the pressures that comes with it is impressive... to see the program ascending in spite of this is downright unprecedented.

In the previous thread WR accurately made the point Highlands has done a lot since they play up and are really a 3A school.. to which I said that WR was mistaking enrollment with talent pool. This is absolutely nothing to do with recruiting.. but Highlands has enjoyed the spoils of talent pool for decades and their talent pool to draw from (once again not implying recruiting) is night and day larger than anything Belfry could dream of.

Thus when the argument is made he has "done more with less" I think WideRight is doing himself an injustice to dismiss it and vote ever so outspokenly for a coach he has no clue about other than a 3 line blurb under his name

Are you sure Haywood has done more with less? Or has he done less with more? You dodge the criticisms about the 07 and 08 teams I made that choked in the state title game and lost to Breathitt in the regional finals, respectively. Losses that should have never happened. It's the equivalent Highlands losing to NCC - it wouldn't and shouldn't happen. Too many times he has had a team that should have won the state title, only to fall short.

Belfry returned some players from the 2007 team and defeated a great Johnson Central team by the score of 21-13 in 2008. They would have likely had a great matchup with Central if the two schools would have played. The 10 team I will agree with you was an underdog and couldn't do a lot against a favored Central team, but in 11 it was 50/50, and in 2012 there was a slight lean toward Belfry.

The feeder program can do a lot to narrow the gap in the "talent pool." Belfry is a decent sized school that has a lot of able-bodied kids walking the halls. If they were a 1A or even a 2A school I would sympathize with you a little on that, but they are not. You're wanting to imply that Belfry is less talented than they actually are. There is no excuse for losing deep in the playoffs like they have in recent years.

Now, tell me what you have seen from all the coaches on this list competing against Coach Haywood, and why he is a better coach and more deserving of winning his "region."

I have no problem saying he's going to win. But, I am yet to see a logical reason as to why he should be chosen over somebody that has a better winning percentage and 6 times the state championships he has.

[WideRight05]

Coach Haywood is the only coach from Kentucky left in the running. All Kentuckians should vote for him. If you don't, you are just a jerk.

Everything I say is either a question or fact. You call me a jerk for voting against him, now can you prove to me why he is better than the other coaches on that list?

[EKUAlum05]

Are you sure Haywood has done more with less? Or has he done less with more? You dodge the criticisms about the 07 and 08 teams I made that choked in the state title game and lost to Breathitt in the regional finals, respectively. Losses that should have never happened. It's the equivalent Highlands losing to NCC - it wouldn't and shouldn't happen. Too many times he has had a team that should have won the state title, only to fall short.

Belfry returned some players from the 2007 team and defeated a great Johnson Central team by the score of 21-13 in 2008. They would have likely had a great matchup with Central if the two schools would have played. The 10 team I will agree with you was an underdog and couldn't do a lot against a favored Central team, but in 11 it was 50/50, and in 2012 there was a slight lean toward Belfry.

The feeder program can do a lot to narrow the gap in the "talent pool." Belfry is a decent sized school that has a lot of able-bodied kids walking the halls. If they were a 1A or even a 2A school I would sympathize with you a little on that, but they are not. You're wanting to imply that Belfry is less talented than they actually are. There is no excuse for losing deep in the playoffs like they have in recent years.

Now, tell me what you have seen from all the coaches on this list competing against Coach Haywood, and why he is a better coach and more deserving of winning his "region."

I have no problem saying he's going to win. But, I am yet to see a logical reason as to why he should be chosen over somebody that has a better winning percentage and 6 times the state championships he has.

I didn't dodge anything about 07..I have a second post where I said Belfry was the favorite in 07 when they lost (the only year Central was an underdog to Belfry). It's not the first time the favorite has lost a title game..it certainly won't be the last. The 2008 game was also a year Belfry laid an egg in the Semi-Finals.. no denying that.

But if you want to point to two instances where a heavily favored Belfry team lost...you should also point out the greater number of instances where a heavy underdog Belfry team won in the playoffs or stomped a mudhole in a team who entered highly regarded.

2010 an extremely young Belfry team beat #1 ranked Somrset and a Mason County team who I believe was ranked #3 who had only been defeated once. Belfry was a huge underdog in both games.

2011 Breathitt County entered undefeated and ranked higher than Belfry playign at home..Belfry beat them by 2 TD's. There was absolutely no 50/50 to it in the Title game..Jason Frakes and nearly every publication outside of EKY predicted Final Scores around 42-7. You may want to do your research.

2012 Breathitt and Bourbon were both undefeated and many thought on equal footing as Belfry, the Pirates crushed both teams so badly that people now have the misconception Belfry had a "cake walk" to the Finals. There was no slight Belfry lean in the 2012 championship aside from EKY people on here... the consensus was Central was the favorite until defeated in a close game.



As for the feeder program and the talent pool debate you are still not even close to seeing the big picture. EVERYTHING about Belfry's program has been built over time and has evolved as needed. Belfry's feeder system is great... right now... but 6-7 years ago it was a mess. Former DC Steve Mickey completely revamped the Belfry youth football league and the Middle School consolidated. They started playing regional games instead of focusing on intra-county games. Belfry is not Highlands who has had a JFL program in place for decades... and in addition to this..when I refer to talent pool I am talking about the area that Highlands and other areas are able to pull from in all aspects. There is a reason that Ft. Thomas property values are at such a premium. People move there from all over the NKY area at a very young age to get their kid in their school system, and subsequently into the Highlands football program. I don't blame them. I would move there as well if I lived in Union or Hebron.. great school system, great community, and guaranteed to play for a winning team throughout your son's lifetime.

Much is made about the WV born players who come to Belfry, but it is a minimal view of what happens at programs like Highlands, Trinity, St. X, LexCath, etc where the population surrounding that school and subsequent talent level is exponentially stronger The population fo Williamson, WV and Matewan, WV (the only two towns), where 99% of the WV kids have moved into the Belfry school district at a young age comes from, is a whopping 3,578 . Even if you include the smaller communities in between those areas you may have 6500 people TOTAL. Compare that to Covington, Newport, Dayton, Alexandria, Ludlow, Silver Grove... just the areas closest to Ft. Thomas and completely ignoring Ohio... all areas that people have relocated to.. and you have a population of nearly 75,000 people.

As I said before, this is not anything to do with recruiting or transfers at the HS level..this about parents doing whats best for their kids and sending them to a nearby school that allows them the best opportunities athletically, socially, and academically. Belfry could only dream of the talent pool of a school in a metro area. The team they have to compete with is Central..a magnet school located in the heart of urban Louisville. There are more D-1 caliber athletes in a 10 mile radius of Central in any given year than Belfry has had come through their school in 25 years.

Once again I am not saying Haywood is a better coach than the other gentleman in terms of his resume. Much like you I have not seen any of these guys coach. I am simply pointing out that your criticisms as to why you are so adamant to go out of your way to vote against the local guy are short sighted.

FWIW,

1. Mueller
2. Beatty
3. Scroggins
4. Haywood
5. Redman

[WideRight05]

I didn't dodge anything about 07..I have a second post where I said Belfry was the favorite in 07 when they lost (the only year Central was an underdog to Belfry). It's not the first time the favorite has lost a title game..it certainly won't be the last. The 2008 game was also a year Belfry laid an egg in the Semi-Finals.. no denying that.

But if you want to point to two instances where a heavily favored Belfry team lost...you should also point out the greater number of instances where a heavy underdog Belfry team won in the playoffs or stomped a mudhole in a team who entered highly regarded.

2010 an extremely young Belfry team beat #1 ranked Somrset and a Mason County team who I believe was ranked #3 who had only been defeated once. Belfry was a huge underdog in both games.

2011 Breathitt County entered undefeated and ranked higher than Belfry playign at home..Belfry beat them by 2 TD's. There was absolutely no 50/50 to it in the Title game..Jason Frakes and nearly every publication outside of EKY predicted Final Scores around 42-7. You may want to do your research.

2012 Breathitt and Bourbon were both undefeated and many thought on equal footing as Belfry, the Pirates crushed both teams so badly that people now have the misconception Belfry had a "cake walk" to the Finals. There was no slight Belfry lean in the 2012 championship aside from EKY people on here... the consensus was Central was the favorite until defeated in a close game.



As for the feeder program and the talent pool debate you are still not even close to seeing the big picture. EVERYTHING about Belfry's program has been built over time and has evolved as needed. Belfry's feeder system is great... right now... but 6-7 years ago it was a mess. Former DC Steve Mickey completely revamped the Belfry youth football league and the Middle School consolidated. They started playing regional games instead of focusing on intra-county games. Belfry is not Highlands who has had a JFL program in place for decades... and in addition to this..when I refer to talent pool I am talking about the area that Highlands and other areas are able to pull from in all aspects. There is a reason that Ft. Thomas property values are at such a premium. People move there from all over the NKY area at a very young age to get their kid in their school system, and subsequently into the Highlands football program. I don't blame them. I would move there as well if I lived in Union or Hebron.. great school system, great community, and guaranteed to play for a winning team throughout your son's lifetime.

Much is made about the WV born players who come to Belfry, but it is a minimal view of what happens at programs like Highlands, Trinity, St. X, LexCath, etc where the population surrounding that school and subsequent talent level is exponentially stronger The population fo Williamson, WV and Matewan, WV (the only two towns), where 99% of the WV kids have moved into the Belfry school district at a young age comes from, is a whopping 3,578 . Even if you include the smaller communities in between those areas you may have 6500 people TOTAL. Compare that to Covington, Newport, Dayton, Alexandria, Ludlow, Silver Grove... just the areas closest to Ft. Thomas and completely ignoring Ohio... all areas that people have relocated to.. and you have a population of nearly 75,000 people.

As I said before, this is not anything to do with recruiting or transfers at the HS level..this about parents doing whats best for their kids and sending them to a nearby school that allows them the best opportunities athletically, socially, and academically. Belfry could only dream of the talent pool of a school in a metro area. The team they have to compete with is Central..a magnet school located in the heart of urban Louisville. There are more D-1 caliber athletes in a 10 mile radius of Central in any given year than Belfry has had come through their school in 25 years.

Once again I am not saying Haywood is a better coach than the other gentleman in terms of his resume. Much like you I have not seen any of these guys coach. I am simply pointing out that your criticisms as to why you are so adamant to go out of your way to vote against the local guy are short sighted.

FWIW,

1. Mueller
2. Beatty
3. Scroggins
4. Haywood
5. Redman

If Belfry has won as an underdog so many times, why couldn't they pull it off in the state finals when they were more favored than they were against the bigger opponent they were expected to get blown out against in the previous round? YOU are the one who needs to "do your research" about that, a comment which gives the satisfaction of knowing that I am getting in your head. I am not a fan of Central or Belfry, but very much recall that it was a 50/50 game in 2011 and 2012. Central may have had a slight edge, but it would have been a stretch to say they would beat Belfry by that big of score. I know I have reputation for ragging on Belfry, but the only year I would have picked a score like that was 2010.

You've got to be kidding me about Bourbon County in 2012. They were undefeated, but considering that Bath County was the lone 8 win team and the other best teams (prior to Belfry) that they beat were Madison Southern and Garrard County, that undefeated season is hardly worth bragging about (unless beating state powerhouses Paris and Harrison County are worth talking about). Breathitt played Somerset and Hazard (winning both), but not much else outside of that until Belfry. Thus, that greatly diminishes the value of those "number one teams." Don't get my wrong - any win against a highly ranked team is good, but I certainly wouldn't consider a Belfry team that played well against the likes of Henry Clay, Ashland Blazer, Johnson Central, and Prestonsburg an underdog to those teams.

You mentioned that 6-7 years ago Belfry's feeder system was a mess. And then you wonder why your school lacks talent compared to the other schools? The feeder system is an integral part of a good program, so if Belfry's feeder system was a mess, as you proclaim, then no wonder they kept producing lesser talent than some of the other competitors such as Central.

I agree with your coaching list, but I'm not really that adamant about voting against Haywood, who I like and respect. But the facts are the facts. I merely said I voted against him which drew a reaction from the Belfry folk. If Haywood was the best coach on the list, I would have absolutely no problem voting for him. I would want a class act like Haywood coaching my team. However, when it comes to the ones listed, he's not the best.

[EKUAlum05]

If Belfry has won as an underdog so many times, why couldn't they pull it off in the state finals when they were more favored than they were against the bigger opponent they were expected to get blown out against in the previous round? YOU are the one who needs to "do your research" about that, a comment which gives the satisfaction of knowing that I am getting in your head. I am not a fan of Central or Belfry, but very much recall that it was a 50/50 game in 2011 and 2012. Central may have had a slight edge, but it would have been a stretch to say they would beat Belfry by that big of score. I know I have reputation for ragging on Belfry, but the only year I would have picked a score like that was 2010.

Because the favorite doesn't always win...only once has Belfry lost a Finals game they were favored.

Did the research for you on 2011.. you are slipping man..old age

Like I said in the other thread....

Central - 61

Belfry - 0

Wales becomes the state's all time leading rusher.

also so you can refresh your memory

http://www.bluegrassrivals.com/forum/sho...p?t=122432

Hint: It was so bad and the blowout predictions were so deep even Coachdad was having to throw the "We respect our opponent" line.

Also here is what the "experts" thought:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...y=nav|head

Must have been a pretty well coached team to have a shot at even winning this one

[WideRight05]

Because the favorite doesn't always win...only once has Belfry lost a Finals game they were favored.

Did the research for you on 2011.. you are slipping man..old age





also so you can refresh your memory

http://www.bluegrassrivals.com/forum/sho...p?t=122432

Hint: It was so bad and the blowout predictions were so deep even Coachdad was having to throw the "We respect our opponent" line.

Also here is what the "experts" thought:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...y=nav|head

Must have been a pretty well coached team to have a shot at even winning this one

I had a feeling you would bring that up when I was posting. What is your point, other than me being the troll that I am on that? I would have picked Central to win, yes, but it was even more enjoyable seeing some of the responses to it. I even said last year that Western and Mason County would keep up with Highlands, so it's nothing new for me to post a bizarre prediction to rile some people up. You're the one with the brain slipping, because you should know me a lot better than that, as much as I have made this place my stomping grounds the past two years. nicker:

Duck, dodge, dip, and dive. You do pretty well at that don't you junior?

[EKUAlum05]

I had a feeling you would bring that up when I was posting. What is your point, other than me being the troll that I am on that? I even said last year that Western and Mason County would keep up with Highlands. nicker:

Duck, dodge, dip, and dive. You do pretty well at that don't you junior?

The point is Belfry fans have a a valid argument when they say Coach Haywood has done less with more... and that your criticism that he chokes away the games he is the favorite is not valid beyond an isolated couple isnatnces... also that for being the master troll you are you may need to get some vitamins to help your memory. if that is their reasoning why they feel he is the best coach, they are certainly entitled to it

And I am pretty quick on my feet.. appreciate the compliment. nicker:

[EKUAlum05]

Plus if you are going to be a fair weather member of the site and only show up at your leisure and post in the threads you feel like...might as well have a little fun with you and round you into playoff form. Even Dale Mueller knows to play Elder after mopping up the floor with the Harrison County teams of the world...

[WideRight05]

The point is Belfry fans have a a valid argument when they say Coach Haywood has done less with more... and that your criticism that he chokes away the games he is the favorite is not valid beyond an isolated couple isnatnces... also that for being the master troll you are you may need to get some vitamins to help your memory. if that is their reasoning why they feel he is the best coach, they are certainly entitled to it

And I am pretty quick on my feet.. appreciate the compliment. nicker:

Is it not fact that he has choked away a few games over the past few years, more than most of the other coaches he was nominated against? Look through this page - I have complimented Haywood multiple times. He's better than a lot of coaches in the state. What else do you want me to say? I don't think it's your memory that's the problem as much as it is elementary reading ability. My argument is not about him being a bad coach, not winning enough games, etc. My contention, had you paid attention, is about him not having the resume to beat these other coaches out on the nomination list, which no one is yet to prove. He shouldn't have beat our Mueller, Beatty or Skroggins - any of the three of which you can provide a legitimate argument for winning. And now, he's going to win the region over coaches that are more deserving.

[WideRight05]

Plus if you are going to be a fair weather member of the site and only show up at your leisure and post in the threads you feel like...might as well have a little fun with you and round you into playoff form. Even Dale Mueller knows to play Elder after mopping up the floor with the Harrison County teams of the world...

And I guess Belfry has fun mopping up Pikeville, Sheldon Clark, PCC, and Gailia Academy. Mueller can't help it that he has to play Harrison County. It's a requirement since they are in the same district. I post here when I want. If you can't deal with the facts, tough.

[EKUAlum05]

Is it not fact that he has choked away a few games over the past few years, more than most of the other coaches he was nominated against? Look through this page - I have complimented Haywood multiple times. He's better than a lot of coaches in the state. What else do you want me to say? I don't think it's your memory that's the problem as much as it is elementary reading ability. My argument is not about him being a bad coach, not winning enough games, etc. My contention, had you paid attention, is about him not having the resume to beat these other coaches out on the nomination list, which no one is yet to prove. He shouldn't have beat our Mueller, Beatty or Skroggins - any of the three of which you can provide a legitimate argument for winning. And now, he's going to win the region over coaches that are more deserving.

He has lost two games he was heavily favored in. One was a bad loss to a Breathitt team at home they ha dno business losing to. The other was to a Central team with 5 D-1 players on their roster competing in 3A for the first time that have since went on to only lose one other time to 3A competition.

Everyone knows this contest is what it is..nothing more than a popularity contest.

But the definition of the best coach isn't only about "Championships" and there is absolutely o denying Haywood's overall resume warrants him being in the company of these coaches to be considered..especially if one way to view coaches is simply on the results they have garnered given the resources at their disposal. A point several Belfry fans made to you but you chose to dismiss.

Our collective view of what defines the best coach is a collage of different factors, but it's not for us to say our view is the only correct one.

[WideRight05]

Tougher competition my ass..Highlands couldn't beat the past two or three Louisville central's...Mueller knows better to schedule Louisville teams because he knows he will lose....Coach Haywood is the best Coach in the state of Kentucky. Period........And he knows how to beat Highlands History shows...4A is a joke...

:biglmao:

[EKUAlum05]

And I guess Belfry has fun mopping up Pikeville, Sheldon Clark, PCC, and Gailia Academy. Mueller can't help it that he has to play Harrison County. It's a requirement since they are in the same district. I post here when I want. If you can't deal with the facts, tough.

Don't get so sensitive..I was kidding with you. I like when you are on here..you certainly keep it entertaining and get people involved. You obviously know your stuff or you wouldn't troll as successfully as you do..just figured I would give you a little real debate for once instead of people threatening your life and saying how they were ignoring you.

Also Mueller cant help he plays Harrison just as Belfry cant help they play two of the teams you chose to list.

[FBALL]

All of this yelling is giving me a head ache.

[FBALL]

On a serious note Haywood is very deserving. Stated simply , no, Belfry is not as good as Highlands but that is not because of the coaching or even the feeder systems. It's the talent pool pure and simple.

Russell has a JFL system that is much like Ft Thomas and has been in place for over 4 decades. While that consistency helps it still comes down to the Jimmy's and the Joes.

All of the Kentucky coaches who were nominated were deserving and I couldn't argue against any of them. I think the fact that coach Haywood's and Coach McGlone 's longevity and amount of respect they have built up across the state, not just in their communities, is why they were far and away the top two in the poll.

[WideRight05]

He has lost two games he was heavily favored in. One was a bad loss to a Breathitt team at home they ha dno business losing to. The other was to a Central team with 5 D-1 players on their roster competing in 3A for the first time that have since went on to only lose one other time to 3A competition.

Everyone knows this contest is what it is..nothing more than a popularity contest.

But the definition of the best coach isn't only about "Championships" and there is absolutely o denying Haywood's overall resume warrants him being in the company of these coaches to be considered..especially if one way to view coaches is simply on the results they have garnered given the resources at their disposal. A point several Belfry fans made to you but you chose to dismiss.

Our collective view of what defines the best coach is a collage of different factors, but it's not for us to say our view is the only correct one.

If it's not about winning championships, then what is it? Should every school shoot to go 13-2 with a loss in the state title game? Doesn't sound attractive to me.

Don't get so sensitive..I was kidding with you. I like when you are on here..you certainly keep it entertaining and get people involved. You obviously know your stuff or you wouldn't troll as successfully as you do..just figured I would give you a little real debate for once instead of people threatening your life and saying how they were ignoring you.

Also Mueller cant help he plays Harrison just as Belfry cant help they play two of the teams you chose to list.

Not a problem, I state facts. So do you, I'll admit. Some people can't deal with them. I enjoy the debate.

On a serious note Haywood is very deserving. Stated simply , no, Belfry is not as good as Highlands but that is not because of the coaching or even the feeder systems. It's the talent pool pure and simple.

Russell has a JFL system that is much like Ft Thomas and has been in place for over 4 decades. While that consistency helps it still comes down to the Jimmy's and the Joes.

All of the Kentucky coaches who were nominated were deserving and I couldn't argue against any of them. I think the fact that coach Haywood's and Coach McGlone 's longevity and amount of respect they have built up across the state, not just in their communities, is why they were far and away the top two in the poll.

How many titles does Russell have? How has the feeder system worked for them?

[FBALL]

2 state titles, 1 state runner up, 10 region championships, 20 something district championships and it's worked pretty well.

[E's Army]

Voted again. Go Coach Haywood!

[FBALL]

I'm voting for coach Haywood again right now.

[WideRight05]

2 state titles, 1 state runner up, 10 region championships, 20 something district championships and it's worked pretty well.

Pretty solid. Is this all under one coach or over multiple coaches? At least Russell cashes in when presented the opportunity.

[FBALL]

Pretty solid. Is this all under one coach or over multiple coaches? At least Russell cashes in when presented the opportunity.

McGlone has been there since 1976. It's all under him.

[WideRight05]

McGlone has been there since 1976. It's all under him.

Then I would bump Haywood down another notch. At least this guy can cash in when presented the big opportunity.

[FBALL]

Haywood is a class guy and a heck of a coach. I've got no problem with him getting the vote.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Haywood is still leading with 34% of the vote, and he has broke 100,000 votes.

Ill add this, its sites like this one that really helps KY high school sports. Other states might have sites like this one, but there usually very few members and there covered in ads. You can only see 3 or 4 post per page at Coach T (TN) because of the ads.

You cant find a better state in the country for high school sports discussion if you ask me.

[AtlPirateFan]

Haywood still leading with about 34% of the vote. Coach from Stillman Valley coming on strong. Looked at front runners in other regions and most are in the 50-60k vote range while Haywood has over 122k at last check in. A few regions already have comments on their pages about rallying support for their winner to challenge Haywood on the National vote should he get there.

[long_time_pirate]

At last check I thought the name of this "sports site" was BLUEGRASS Rivals. BLUEGRASS meaning KENTUCKY. Voting and supporting the Coach representing KENTUCKY should be where the support lies. Coach Haywood is human as the others are. We have more knowledge of him because of his location. One fact USA Today has wrong is his state tournament trips. They have him listed as going 6 times where it is actually 8. Sometimes all the facts listed aren't correctly. MY vote is for Philip Haywood!

[Pirate Pal]

I really hope Coach Haywood wins it all. I'm sure everyone has their own opinion, for which they are entitled, but it's really a pathetic shame that some people's opinion sounds more like a crying baby than a mature adult.

Just remember Belfry fans, we are classier than some, and that IF another Kentucky school, say like Highlands for example, EVER get the opportunity to be nominated in any capacity on a national poll, and Belfry isn't nominated in that poll, then please be mature enough to put your petty feelings aside and vote for that school/coach/team out of nothing more than Kentucky pride, whether or not you like them personally. It's just the right thing to do for our State.

[AtlPirateFan]

I don't think that there is any doubt to anyone that this is pure and simple a popular vote. USA Today chose 8 coaches they deemed eligible to be considered the best coach in each state. At that point it became about the fan bases and who had the most love, respect or reverence and it showed a lot that the two coaches in KY got so many votes in the state rounds.

Regardless of what USA today calls this poll, it's nothing more than a fan vote and the accolades listed are mere metrics to justify USA Today including them.

One of the reasons many feel Haywood deserves this is because it's not something he cares about, this is a very humble man who doesn't crave individual awards or trophies. This is a man who resisted the field being named after him. I'm sure only looking forward to Friday's game and getting his players healthy. This is a man who cares about the young men he coaches and the community he coaches for.

It should be telling that a fan base is so loyal to a team that it wants something this awesome for their long time, much loved and respected head coach. Some of the coaches in the running could blow Haywood out of the water in the vote if they put their minds to it (Russell tried and Stillman Valley is giving Pond Creek Nation a go of it the regionals) but the Belfry fans are more determined and nearly have double to vote of almost all other regional front runners.

We've all seen the high school sports movies about communities who eat, breathe and sleep their team and that is Belfry High School football, a community, hard hit recently by the economy with a special team that win or lose brings them together every fall for a single purpose. It's easy to see how much this team means to the community any given week by the fans in the stands. This past week I travelled up to Knoxville from Atlanta to see the Pirates and visit with my brother (Belfry0304). I was blown away that not only did BHS fill the visitors section but easily matched or outnumbered the defending TSSAA 3A State Champions on their homecoming night. It's a true to life Friday Night Lights type love for Belfy football and it saddens me to see not every school has that following.

If Coach Haywood wins, it will be because Pond Creek Nation wanted it for him more than any other fan base wanted it for their school and coach. I see nothing wrong with that.

[skully03]

I'm asking all who love Ky highschool football to please vote for Haywood in the regional vote. We currently are holding a small lead over another coach but they are gaining on us because they have more voters at the present time. Let's support the home state coach and put him through to the national round. Thanks.