[ryanparker]

Well.....Mightyhog I'm sorry that we are not in the power district that you guys are in. 3 in a row over Ashland is not sneaking out a win. 2 in a row over Russell after this year is not sneaking out a win either. Sneaking out a win would be like the last time Russell beat Ironton.

To play "Devil's advocate" here:

Raceland has one good team in their district, LCA. Russell has one good team in their district, Mason County. I say the district competition is about even. Fairview, Nicholas County, and Paris do not a "power district" make.

As for overall quality of the programs, here is each team's record since 2000:

2000: Russell 8-4 / Raceland 1-9
2001: Russell 7-5 / Raceland 5-6
2002: Russell 11-3 / Raceland 9-3
2003: Russell 10-3 / Raceland 6-5
2004: Russell 13-1 / Raceland 5-6
2005: Russell 14-1 / Raceland 7-4
2006: Russell 13-2 / Raceland 11-2
2007: Russell 11-2 / Raceland 7-2
2008: Russell 7-5 / Raceland 12-1

Overall records look like this:
Russell (94-26)
Raceland (63-41)

I won't list it here, but Russell went deeper into the playoffs every single year in the decade except for last year when Raceland had the best team they had ever fielded. Of course, you know about Russell's state title in 2005, state runner-up in 2006, and state semi-final appearances as well. Raceland has yet to even make it to the state semi-finals.

Granted, Raceland is evidently looking like a more appealing place to play these days given the numerous Greenup and Russell transfers we keep hearing about, but until they do something in the playoffs, they will always be looked at as a step below Russell.

It's clear they are on the rise lately since Russell grad T.J. Maynard's arrival in 2005 and maybe they will make some noise on a statewide level someday, but Russell is still the historically best team in the county and rivals Ashland as the elite football program in our area.

It is likely that Raceland's recent dominance over Ashland might just come to a screeching halt this year as well. I'll give you the fact that Raceland will be competitive with this year's Russell team, but a win there is no guarantee either.

I can understand why Greenup players would transfer to Raceland. I can't understand why Russell players would transfer to Raceland.