http://www.kentucky.com/289/story/970125.html
"Where have all the great rivalries gone?
Besides the holy war between Catholic superpowers St. Xavier and Trinity, won by St. X 32-7 in front of more than 26,000 fans to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on Saturday, it's hard to find any Hatfield-McCoy type football feuds that stir the passions of coaches, players and fans, and attract state-wide attention."
Not sure exactly why, but this irritated me. Nice crowd for a high school game, but for two schools of this size, with an undoubtedly huge alumni base, on a Saturday, is this really a big deal? Does this really attract "state-wide" attention? (I think I checked to see what the score had been on Saturday night, mainly because Highlands had beaten St. X the previous week and I knew they were "looking ahead" to this titanic 25 point squeaker.) 32-7 is generally a yawner, but in this case it qualifies as a great rivalry? Did Highlands/CovCath really ever garner "state-wide" attention? Boyle and Danville had some great matchups for a while, but it's noted that Boyle won the most recent game in a "49-9 rout a few weeks ago". Is 49-9 that much different than 32-7? Both sound like opportunities for the winning team to get the second team players some field time. Is Trinity "elite" this year, or does the history and the fact that they're from Louisville get them tagged no matter the talent level. I think Mike Fields is full of it.:moon: There are TONS of great rivalries out there that play to packed houses in small stadiums with rabid fans and fevered atmosphere. Just because the schools aren't big Louisville football factories doesn't mean the fan base cares any less.:redboxer:
Thoughts? Opinions? Insults? Hit me, I'm open.
i agree i always said the passion for louisville football isnt the same as in eastern ky or the mountains in louisville you have 20 high schools how do you decide which one to root for all the good players somehow end up at st x trinity or male and thats it but in places like ashland, belfry, russell, bell co, rockcastle, and johnson central those are the only teams and a whole community will rally behind those kids the environment is just alot better even if maybe the talent level isnt the same
Here in the Louisville area it is a huge deal, statewide I remember hearing about it growing up, I didn't know it was that big of a deal. It garners almost as much press as UK-UofL affairs. Generally, the games are very close and they usually meet two times a year, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs. As far as your question about Trinity being elite this year, Trinity and St. X are head and shoulders above all the public schools in the Louisville area and state. Trinity always gets it together and wins state title again. I personally could care less about either school. I am originally from NEKY so I pay more attention to the NEKY schools anyway. Tomcat is correct, HS football is not really a huge deal in this area. I remember growing up and attending Raceland, football was talked about year round. Everyone was wondering how Ashland, Raceland, Russell was going to do each year. We supported the local schools in the playoffs each year.
If your wanting a few great rivalry games, I will say Ashland and Russell has always been a good game, very competitive. Raceland and Russell is becoming a great rivalry. The series never should have been stopped for 30something years. I really hope the series continues for many years.
Adding to it from EKY perspective:
Belfry vs. Pikeville- One one of the fiercest and most competitive rivalries in the state has been dominated by Belfry in the past decade as Pikeville has endured coaching change after coaching change.
Bell County vs. Middlesboro- Disbanded rivalry in mid 2000's.
Bell County vs. Corbin- See above.
Perry Central vs. Hazard- Heated rivalry disbanded this season
Paintsville vs. Johnson Central- Apple Bowl disbanded a few years ago once JCHS took hold of the series.
EKUAlum05 Wrote:Adding to it from EKY perspective:
Belfry vs. Pikeville- One one of the fiercest and most competitive rivalries in the state has been dominated by Belfry in the past decade as Pikeville has endured coaching change after coaching change.
Bell County vs. Middlesboro- Disbanded rivalry in mid 2000's.
Bell County vs. Corbin- See above.
Perry Central vs. Hazard- Heated rivalry disbanded this season
Paintsville vs. Johnson Central- Apple Bowl disbanded a few years ago once JCHS took hold of the series.
Actually this is the first year that there has not been an Apple Bowl.
Keep in mind this is coming from a non-support of all the schools I am discussing but a fan of football that respects the traditions.
The marque game in SEKY for years was Corbin vs. Bell. No matter what was going on I made it a point to get to that game. Too bad Corbin got to the point were they could not compete and quit the series. It really suprised me.
The Bell vs. M'boro game ending did not suprise me, it has been very lopsided for years and years. Not b/c of talent but b/c of Coaching. Roark at M'boro probally underachieves every single year.
It is my hope Bell vs. KC will become a rivalry soon. But of course we have to beat them first.
Boyle County vs Danville is a classic rivalry. Boyle has won the past two by blowout but prior to that most of the games were close; with Danville sneaking in a couple of wins after Boyle's dominance started in the late nineties. It was Danville who stopped Boyle's 47 game winning streak in 2002. Both teams are normally ranked high in their respective divisions and either winning or contending for state titles. Both schools serve up D1 college players on a regular basis. Danville is one or maybe two years away from returning to greatness. This rivalry will be good for many years to come.
Boyle County and Lexington Catholic have had some great games in the past 12 or so years. That game has all of the makings of a great rivalry. It isn't quite there yet, but it definitely could be on the horizon.
Bell Co. VS Cawood was probably my favorite. Maybe Harlan Co. can bring some of that back.
In terms of football for NKY the biggest rivalries around are by far Highlands/CovCath, Boone/Ryle and Dayton/Bellevue.
The Highlands/CovCath game generally is a great game to watch and generally decides who wins the state title for that year in their respective class however CovCath has been down as of late but is improving steadily.
The Ryle/Boone game may be the closest to a hate game rivalry that I have ever seen. Those two teams just don't like each other.
The Bellevue/Dayton game has been a classic rivalry for a long time now in NKY and deserves to be recognized as one of the top rivalries in the state even though they aren't some of the better teams in the state.
Perry Central/Hazard
Bell/Corbin
Whitesburg/Fleming Neon, now that was a battle, now they play together after consolidation.
North/South Laurel
Paintsville/Johnson Central
Prestonsburg/Johnson Central, when will they schedule this game?
Belfry/against everybody! They are like the Kentucky of SEKY football, everyone guns them because what is written across the front of the jersey.
Johnson Central/Sheldon Clark
pikeville-belfry
pikeville-beachwood was great during playoff years.
S.V.-p.burg is becoming a great fans game.
J.C-paintsville
BaseballIsLife Wrote:In terms of football for NKY the biggest rivalries around are by far Highlands/CovCath, Boone/Ryle and Dayton/Bellevue.
The Highlands/CovCath game generally is a great game to watch and generally decides who wins the state title for that year in their respective class however CovCath has been down as of late but is improving steadily.
The Ryle/Boone game may be the closest to a hate game rivalry that I have ever seen. Those two teams just don't like each other.
The Bellevue/Dayton game has been a classic rivalry for a long time now in NKY and deserves to be recognized as one of the top rivalries in the state even though they aren't some of the better teams in the state.
Ryle vs. Boone is truely a vicious game, both teams really do hate eachother and it usually comes out to a close game.
Jarons Wrote:Here in the Louisville area it is a huge deal, statewide I remember hearing about it growing up, I didn't know it was that big of a deal. It garners almost as much press as UK-UofL affairs. Generally, the games are very close and they usually meet two times a year, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs. As far as your question about Trinity being elite this year, Trinity and St. X are head and shoulders above all the public schools in the Louisville area and state. Trinity always gets it together and wins state title again. I personally could care less about either school. I am originally from NEKY so I pay more attention to the NEKY schools anyway. Tomcat is correct, HS football is not really a huge deal in this area. I remember growing up and attending Raceland, football was talked about year round. Everyone was wondering how Ashland, Raceland, Russell was going to do each year. We supported the local schools in the playoffs each year.
If your wanting a few great rivalry games, I will say Ashland and Russell has always been a good game, very competitive. Raceland and Russell is becoming a great rivalry. The series never should have been stopped for 30something years. I really hope the series continues for many years.
I thought one of them lost to Fort Thomas.
Most people will say that Hazard and PCC is each other biggest Rivalries.
I went to both school. The week PCC play Hazard they do all kinds of stuff to get them pump up for the game, as for Hazard they did do nothing that week.
The year i went to Hazard, was the first time PCC beat Hazard. PCC call KHSAA, the players that come from PCC wasn't able to play that game.
Hazard VS Pikeville is a good rival. When won that game most of the time, went into the playoffs with home field.
Jarons Wrote:Here in the Louisville area it is a huge deal, statewide I remember hearing about it growing up, I didn't know it was that big of a deal. It garners almost as much press as UK-UofL affairs. Generally, the games are very close and they usually meet two times a year, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs. As far as your question about Trinity being elite this year, Trinity and St. X are head and shoulders above all the public schools in the Louisville area and state. Trinity always gets it together and wins state title again. I personally could care less about either school. I am originally from NEKY so I pay more attention to the NEKY schools anyway. Tomcat is correct, HS football is not really a huge deal in this area. I remember growing up and attending Raceland, football was talked about year round. Everyone was wondering how Ashland, Raceland, Russell was going to do each year. We supported the local schools in the playoffs each year.
I believe both Trinity
and St. X must take a back seat to Highlands this year.
DevilsWin Wrote:I thought one of them lost to Fort Thomas.
Cincinnati St. X.
More Cowbell Wrote:I believe both Trinity and St. X must take a back seat to Highlands this year.
You are probably right about this year. I am talking about most typical seasons.
Bellevue vs Dayton is the oldest rivalry in the state with both teams clashing 130 times. These 2 schools absolutely hate each other when they are competing. I had the chance to compete in this rivalry and I can attest that you definitely threw all records out the door when the Tigers and Devils met. As much as I despised the opponent in High School its funny how 20 yrs later I run into past opponents and they are some of the nicest guys you'd want to meet. But when the ball gets teed up its certainly game on and they were bloodbaths.
DevilsWin Wrote:I thought one of them lost to Fort Thomas.
St-X, only lose was to (20)St-X(OH)
Trinity, lose 4 so far, (74)St-X(KY), (20)St-X(OH), (3)Elder(OH), Lawrence North(IN)
That is the ranked, when they play each other. St-X(OH) beat Elder last week 17-7.
these teams is in the top 100. I havn't heard about Lawrence North(IN). They might be rank.
I actually thought I read somewhere that the Mayfield-Paducah Tighlman rivalry is the state's oldest based on years.
EKUAlum05 Wrote:Adding to it from EKY perspective:
Belfry vs. Pikeville- One one of the fiercest and most competitive rivalries in the state has been dominated by Belfry in the past decade as Pikeville has endured coaching change after coaching change.
Bell County vs. Middlesboro- Disbanded rivalry in mid 2000's.
Bell County vs. Corbin- See above.
Perry Central vs. Hazard- Heated rivalry disbanded this season
Paintsville vs. Johnson Central- Apple Bowl disbanded a few years ago once JCHS took hold of the series.
Mr.Kimball Wrote:Actually this is the first year that there has not been an Apple Bowl.
Not only is this the first year the game hasn't been played like Kimball said, Paintsville still leads the series.
I believe you could through Johnson Central vs. Ashland into this. Its not a very old series, but it has already yealded three classic games in 4 seasons and these 2 teams really don't like each other very much!
cj2561 Wrote:St-X, only lose was to (20)St-X(OH)
Trinity, lose 4 so far, (74)St-X(KY), (20)St-X(OH), (3)Elder(OH), Lawrence North(IN)
That is the ranked, when they play each other. St-X(OH) beat Elder last week 17-7.
these teams is in the top 100. I havn't heard about Lawrence North(IN). They might be rank.
Highlands beat ST-X(OH). Who beat Elder,St X(ky), and Trinity. I would say that makes Highlands top dog in the state this year.
Redneck Wrote:Not only is this the first year the game hasn't been played like Kimball said, Paintsville still leads the series.
Yeah but we would never beat them again they have became what they always should have been they have always had good talent but never good coaching. We are in a turbulent time in our program. But in the end i still wish we played them because there are some great traditions and it seems like the whole county shows up to watch lol
Matman Wrote:Highlands beat ST-X(OH). Who beat Elder,St X(ky), and Trinity. I would say that makes Highlands top dog in the state this year.
St-X(OH) beat Elder.
Highlands is rank in the top 15 right now. In another poll they got Highlands as high as #6. I think Highlands should be in the top 10.
The Boyle/Danville rivalry is a dandy..... thats when you honestly see signs in town where stores are closed for "Gone to the Game"
Mr.Kimball Wrote:Actually this is the first year that there has not been an Apple Bowl.
Thats okay. Ill take what JC has going with Ashland anyday over the Apple Bowl.
PaintsvilleTigerfan Wrote:Yeah but we would never beat them again they have became what they always should have been they have always had good talent but never good coaching. We are in a turbulent time in our program. But in the end i still wish we played them because there are some great traditions and it seems like the whole county shows up to watch lol
:Thumbs: Very classy post, PTF. I hope that JC will always have the upper hand but they proved when Musick left how quickly a team can go from an undefeated season to a one-win season. I would love to see Paintsville able to compete with the best JC teams at some point but Paintsville's enrollment disadvantage makes that unlikely as long as JC remains well coached. I miss the Apple Bowl already.
Letcher Central and Harlan Co has started a good one for sure.
Jarons Wrote:Here in the Louisville area it is a huge deal, statewide I remember hearing about it growing up, I didn't know it was that big of a deal. It garners almost as much press as UK-UofL affairs. Generally, the games are very close and they usually meet two times a year, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs. As far as your question about Trinity being elite this year, Trinity and St. X are head and shoulders above all the public schools in the Louisville area and state. Trinity always gets it together and wins state title again. I personally could care less about either school. I am originally from NEKY so I pay more attention to the NEKY schools anyway. Tomcat is correct, HS football is not really a huge deal in this area. I remember growing up and attending Raceland, football was talked about year round. Everyone was wondering how Ashland, Raceland, Russell was going to do each year. We supported the local schools in the playoffs each year.
If your wanting a few great rivalry games, I will say Ashland and Russell has always been a good game, very competitive. Raceland and Russell is becoming a great rivalry. The series never should have been stopped for 30something years. I really hope the series continues for many years.
yeah but idk, around here it may not get as much attention as that but its a different atmosphere for sure, idk if it's just because i'm from belfry or what but there's something about friday nights that gets EVERYONE fired up around here. i mean, it's like a religion around these parts & i've been to a few high school games in lexington & the atmosphere is not the same as it is around here. i remeber when we went to state, belfry was like a ghost town & if you could have been @ the last game at vipperman you would agree it was the closest thing to a religious experience i believe you could ever have at a football game even if you wasn't from Belfry..lol=)