[dawgfather]

Do you think Joey Cecil was a good choice,or even the best choice for the Bulldogs???
I for one don't think he was a good choice at all.
If you look back at his coaching past it just screams mediocre.
He said that he did learn from year's of being an assistant under other coaches.
I hope that is true and I hope he did pay attention to how Luke Salmons was building up the program but we will see.

:football:

[bulldog4life]

I don't blame Coach Cecil he tries hard with the little resources around him, I do question his assistants as he brought the good ol' local boys back here to coach. The program has shown a history of failure with the locals coaching Maybe that was all he could find i dunno.
The issue lies with the administration and lack of support they give. How in the heck do you let the 2009 KY coach of the year and his staff, except for cecil and preece (again local good ol boys), leave!!!!!!! Are you serious??? The highlight of my high school career was the excitement we had my junior and senior year of having great football teams, that excitement carried through the entire school years. It was because we had coaches who weren't from around here and brought a new attitude that this school needed. Again, if I was superintendent and had the best coaching staff in the state, I would do everything I could to match any outside offer in order to keep them. I mean what do you expect?? There are gonna be schools who want your coach when he wins. Now they are off to Cabell Midland in which they turned a 3 win team into an 8 win team in just one year!!!!!!! Administration are idiots!!

[dawgfather]

The powers that be in the administration had good success in the mid to late 90's with coach Williams, and then in the last few years with Salmons.
I don't know the whole story of why they chose to go to other school's.
From what I gather Salmons heart was in WV from the start and he never wanted to stay in KY.
You know they make more money from the football team then what they pay for it or they would never do it to begin with.
You also know that they know or can see that when they have a good coach they have good teams and that='s more games and that ='s more money.
If they would just pay the coach staff what they deserve but they want to pay a little and ask for a miracle.
If you do the same thing the same way over and over and expect a different outcome that is the true definition of insanity!!!

[PaytoPlay]

Lawrence County lost most of the better players from last season correct? Is there solid varsity ready talent to fill key roles this year?

If not, how much can you expect of this guy?

[School Admin.]

Joey is as good a coach as you will find. L.C. doesn't have the same commitment, administration wise as they did when Chuke was there, times and priorities changed in L.C. Joey will have a nice program in time if everyone will leave him alone and let him work. By the way....... talking about hiring "local guys" L.C. brought back Billy Goldsmith who was very successful there several years prior to his return and never could get the program back to the level it was when he was there the first time. That should show you that a great program takes much more than any 1 coach.

[lcgrad2002]

Joey is a great guy and a great coach. Always pulling for a good friend and a good christian guy..

[Iam4thecats]

Every coach needs players. I don't know how Cecil is as a coach but I know he has been on some good staffs. I do know its hard to coach kids when the parents are at home telling them you can't coach.

[lcgrad2002]

He does the best he can with what he has.

[Foxtrot]

Do you think Joey Cecil was a good choice,or even the best choice for the Bulldogs???
I for one don't think he was a good choice at all.
If you look back at his coaching past it just screams mediocre.
He said that he did learn from year's of being an assistant under other coaches.
I hope that is true and I hope he did pay attention to how Luke Salmons was building up the program but we will see.

:football:

They had some other very successful coaches show interest. I know that for a fact. But the admin. was not very aggressive in pursuing that. So those persons pulled out of the process. So they went with an easy hire. Not to take anything away from Coach Cecil. But, I don't know if he has had many successful seasons as a head coach. I think he was at East Carter but struggled. I could be wrong but this is what i am told about his past record. Anyone?

[nky]

Support the coach you have everything else is BS at this point in the year. As you move closer to the season a program doesn't need this type of "fan" support

[StrayBullet]

What you are going to see this fall in LC is a decent coach with no support from the administration and community. Going to be a long year.

[bulldog4life]

What you are going to see this fall in LC is a decent coach with no support from the administration and community. Going to be a long year.

and a bunch of assistant coaches who not all of them always make it to practice or put in the time needed to make a group of kids successful on the field. Also, all they talk about is "back when I played" or some BS about what the days of this player or that player at LC was like. These coaches talk like they won the super bowl back when they were in high school. Heres something for you coaches, who cares!!! No one cares about how you almost went to state or how great a guy was that you played with back in the late 80s or early 90s... I guess thats what you will get from small town life. Kids these days weren't even born then so they don't care.

[Do-double-gg]

I agree with a lot of what all of you say,but I hope he is good enough to keep it intact for now. When is someone who knows this game and knows how to run a team who is good year in and year out going to come. I hear a lot of people say it cant happen in Lawrence county because it's a low population town and low budget but how did coach williams do it. A lot of people who are not from Lawrence county don't know that we were the best team in the mountains in the 90's we had more wins in the mid to late 90's than anyone in the mountains and I think we were like 7'th in state in wins during that period and we went to the state semies like three times. I would like to see someone like coach Ratcliff when he is done with his big time coaching or Jason Michaels when he is done with the NFL or what ever he has in mind to come back home. Or Parker and Wright. That would be great!!!:help:

[StrayBullet]

I agree with a lot of what all of you say,but I hope he is good enough to keep it intact for now. When is someone who knows this game and knows how to run a team who is good year in and year out going to come. I hear a lot of people say it cant happen in Lawrence county because it's a low population town and low budget but how did coach williams do it. A lot of people who are not from Lawrence county don't know that we were the best team in the mountains in the 90's we had more wins in the mid to late 90's than anyone in the mountains and I think we were like 7'th in state in wins during that period and we went to the state semies like three times. I would like to see someone like coach Ratcliff when he is done with his big time coaching or Jason Michaels when he is done with the NFL or what ever he has in mind to come back home. Or Parker and Wright. That would be great!!!:help:

The main difference between then and now is Administration support..its all it is..Superintendent Eddie Michael back then made football the #1 priority. Now nobody up there cares about football or hell even the academics at the school. The school system and athletic departments are dying.

[Do-double-gg]

Sounds like we should stop talking about the coach for now and start calling for some of the people in the administration's head's!!!

nicker:

[Do-double-gg]

Do any of you know what players will make an impact for the dawg's this year.
I know the kid at RB was just a freshman and he did a good job. He look more like a 3r'd year player to me. This kid could be something to see if they can get a good line together. I can't think of his name.
:rockon:

[dawgbyte02]

The priority should always be academics. 10-1 more academic scholarships. It is a extra curricular activity that pays the head coach about 1500.00 extra a year whether its Bill Belichick, Joker Phillips or Joey Cecil. The taxpayers do not allow the school to negotiate 5 or 6 figure contracts with coaches. And even if they could offer say, Urban Meyer 10 Million dollars, under state athletic rules he would not be able to hand pick his players. He would have to use those that showed up. Coach Cecil is a good coach and will do fine. Not many are willing to work 40 hours then put in another 40 coaching. As for the administration they provide a field, a weight room, equipment, uniforms, buses and gasoline for trips to and from games, electric for the lights at night, concession stands and restrooms, water for the grass field, liability insurance, pay the membership dues to the KHSAA, pay the officials, coaches salaries. I am not sure what else they are supposed to be doing. And I am not a big fan of this school board or administration.

[bulldog4life]

I tell you one thing, you do not let the best coaching staff in the state simply walk away without a fight!!! They took average high school players and turned them into all district players because of the weight room and practice ethic. Someone like a Hunter James was average at best (I grew up with him and saw him play since we were little), but these coaches turned him into a threat on the field. Administration should have tried more in my opinion! Now look what staff we are left with here

[lchsalumnus]

I tell you one thing, you do not let the best coaching staff in the state simply walk away without a fight!!! They took average high school players and turned them into all district players because of the weight room and practice ethic. Someone like a Hunter James was average at best (I grew up with him and saw him play since we were little), but these coaches turned him into a threat on the field. Administration should have tried more in my opinion! Now look what staff we are left with here

do you understand the difference between lawrence county high school and cabell midland high school? about 1200-1400 more kids, which means 700-800 more boys than what lchs has to offer. have you seen their football facilities? turf field, very nice weight room. those things plus the fact that luke salmons was, or is, a west virginian who wanted to go back home. i believe his folks live in huntington. it was an easy move for him.

why do you think he could have been kept at lawrence? unless they were willing to give him a schedule of no students, a pay raise of a small college coach, and someone's first born son, i don't see how or why he would have stayed. nothing against lawrence county either. the cabell midland job was something he couldn't pass up.

as for coach cecil. he is a great guy. hard to judge him after this year. if luke would have stayed he would have struggled to win any more than what cecil did. luke won a lot of games but played much weaker competition. that is a fact. it was smart of him to do so.

[lcgrad2002]

Lawrence County should have two pretty good ball carriers in Ricky Goble and Morgan O' Brian. Goble ran hard and with a purpose, loved watching him bounce off tacklers. O' Brian showed a lot last year with his speed and quickness. Excited to see how the line comes along this year and new varsity quarterback..

[barlow]

Unless you've got the BIG boys controlling the line those backs arn't going
any place.

[F.N.L.]

Run the Belly! Throw that Wing T in the garbage.

[F.N.L.]

Lawrence County should have two pretty good ball carriers in Ricky Goble and Morgan O' Brian. Goble ran hard and with a purpose, loved watching him bounce off tacklers. O' Brian showed a lot last year with his speed and quickness. Excited to see how the line comes along this year and new varsity quarterback..

Belly backs.

[Blueheat]

You all need to leave Cecil alone. I mean he took a team this year that faced one of the toughest schedules in this area and did better than what he should have really. I mean when you lose players like Hunter James, Turner O'brian, Wade Skaggs, Blake Bradley, etc..etc.. and then face the schedule they did, he should have earned your respect. Remember folks "Rome was not built in one day", give this man time. You cannot build a program in one year or two it takes time and the people of Louisa cannot see that. Also, the youth program is where it all starts. I hope to see Cecil and his staff take a serious matter in it. I can promise you this though, coming from playing for Coach Cecil, you will not find a more passionate man that cares to see kids succeed.

[Do-double-gg]

I don't know what kind of a man he is,he may be great. I'm sure he loves the kids but that is not the point of this thread. The question was do you think he is the best coach for the job.
I know winning's not everything but if you put in all that time,blood,sweat and tears why not try to win! He may do great and surprise all of us but the man has a coaching history and its not very good. I don't question the man or his love of the kids but his ability to build a solid program and win.

[StrayBullet]

You all need to leave Cecil alone. I mean he took a team this year that faced one of the toughest schedules in this area and did better than what he should have really. I mean when you lose players like Hunter James, Turner O'brian, Wade Skaggs, Blake Bradley, etc..etc.. and then face the schedule they did, he should have earned your respect. Remember folks "Rome was not built in one day", give this man time. You cannot build a program in one year or two it takes time and the people of Louisa cannot see that. Also, the youth program is where it all starts. I hope to see Cecil and his staff take a serious matter in it. I can promise you this though, coming from playing for Coach Cecil, you will not find a more passionate man that cares to see kids succeed.

Trust me the youth league is in worst shape than the high school program..

[Do-double-gg]

Ok all the people have said that the boys love coach Cecil, but if that is true where are all the boys at. Just got back from the school to see em work a little and I counted 25 or 26 boys. That is not enough for a 3a team. That is not enough for a 1a team. It was so disorganized and had the feel of a little leauge practice. This is the kind of stuff I was afraid of when I got the news that he got the job. Mediocre coach ='s mediocre team and program and that is all he is and all we will be under him like it or not. I love this team and school and I was disgusted at what I saw tonight. I will still go to the games and support the team but it is going to be a long ugly year for Lawrence County football!!!

[Do-double-gg]

[Image: http://cdn.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/...s-Down.jpg]

This is what I say to this coach and staff!!!

[Do-double-gg]

What rock did you come out from under. Do you think that is all they can pay a coach. You have no idea what you are talking about. Do your homework and take a look at what some high school coaches in eastern kentucky make. Look at what the coaches of teams like Johnson central,Belfry and Bell county make, or Prestonsburg or Harlan county or Knox central or Ashland. I would bet the farm that all those schools pay more than we do. This school makes more on this team then what they pay or the would just stop the football program all together. They make more when the team is good and so when they get a good coach and they make more money they want to pay the same and that is why no good coaches want to come here. dawgbyte02

[Do-double-gg]

Trust me the youth league is in worst shape than the high school program..

yes the youth league is in bad shape