[Club17]

Do you guys think the future of 4A in our area is ever going to change? It seems like JC and everyone else. Ashland always loses to JC, and then to a NKY school. The next would be Greenup, Rowan, Boyd and East. Do any of those four have anything that could challenge the other two?

Second, what needs to change to compete with NKY schools? You can't get much better athletically than Belcher, a few years ago. Workman now, Baker, O'Bryan, the big TE from JC...I know numbers play a big part in it but are there any other factors you guys see playing into it? Is there ever going to be a big EKY school make a deep run?

I know this is mostly a 4A discussion, but can the bigger EKY schools take a page out of Raceland, Fairviews books and try to apply that to what they do or is it completely different when dealing with schools that much smaller?

[mightydog]

Dosnt look like Ashland will ever break through. They had Boyd and Fairview player's and still couldn't get It done.

[MountainSports]

Not just 4A but all of eastern ky football is determined by coaching. From there to get their team better is to play better talent from higher classes, city schools, perennial power houses. Most coaches don't from around here and play really weak schedules and it shows during the playoffs. It's not the lack of talent in schools, you play other schools with your same general enrollment in the playoffs as well.

[RicFlair]

Do you guys think the future of 4A in our area is ever going to change? It seems like JC and everyone else. Ashland always loses to JC, and then to a NKY school. The next would be Greenup, Rowan, Boyd and East. Do any of those four have anything that could challenge the other two?

Second, what needs to change to compete with NKY schools? You can't get much better athletically than Belcher, a few years ago. Workman now, Baker, O'Bryan, the big TE from JC...I know numbers play a big part in it but are there any other factors you guys see playing into it? Is there ever going to be a big EKY school make a deep run?

I know this is mostly a 4A discussion, but can the bigger EKY schools take a page out of Raceland, Fairviews books and try to apply that to what they do or is it completely different when dealing with schools that much smaller?

There have been several schools from EKY not only make a run, but win a championship... Just 3 years ago HC was in the 5A semis, bell county for like 4-5 years in a row was either in the championship or in the semis in 4A. Belfry, I know they're 3A, but dang... What more could you ask from a program? This thread is kind of stupid, many EKY schools have prospered over the past years

[Fundamentals]

Pikeville has had some very prosperous years as well

[Club17]

There have been several schools from EKY not only make a run, but win a championship... Just 3 years ago HC was in the 5A semis, bell county for like 4-5 years in a row was either in the championship or in the semis in 4A. Belfry, I know they're 3A, but dang... What more could you ask from a program? This thread is kind of stupid, many EKY schools have prospered over the past years

I guess I'm basically asking is there any way Ashland, JC, Boyd, Greenup, East will be competitive in a state level. Belfry was a juggernaut, I'm from the northeastern part of ky and it's pretty hard seeing our schools consistently beaten by NKY schools and was wondering how we as an area could break through.

You see our area schools get destroyed by spread teams in Highlands and Cov Cath, the vaunted Ashland defense gave up a lot to Tates Creek and the Scott. Central was getting beaten by Cov Cath for years. I'm just asking the question of how do we get better against these teams so we can make a push at a ring for the area?

[Lynch47]

Central was getting beaten by Cov Cath for years.

Cov Cath holds a 4-3 record against JC. The new alignment will bring success to the better teams in the area. Greenup has a good coach and could turn the corner within the district. I look for Rowan to really pick it up as well. It is hard for these schools to compete with Highlands or Cov Cath due to numbers. Both of those schools have fielded freshmen teams with over 50 players in the recent years. Their varsity can reach numbers near 100 players, not counting freshmen. Each of those two schools typically have over 30 seniors on their roster. Depth plus the experience of playing a full Freshmen and JV schedule before Varsity play also helps. Also for the past 7 of 8 years in their alignment, the state champion and occasional nationally ranked Top 25 team, has been in their region. Just because they didn't win the region in the past doesn't mean that teams in the area are not as good as others across the state. They were just unfortunate to run into the traditional buzzsaws of Highlands and Cov Cath. The best bet would be for the economy to pick up in EKY and get more kids in the area. More kids, larger talent pool, better teams.

[Orange Blaze]

I guess I'm basically asking is there any way Ashland, JC, Boyd, Greenup, East will be competitive in a state level.

As far as schools like Boyd, Greenup, and East go, it is all about creating a winning culture. If they can't even beat the local Class A schools or even the mediocre schools that are in their class (Ashland) how can they possibly be expected to beat the big boys in their class? Greenup is on the right track and Boyd ended the season good as well by beating an undefeated team but they still have a way to go.

If you want kids to come out you first have to convince them that they can win because let's face it, no one likes to get beat by 50 points or be designated as a homecoming game. Kids have other options and why would they want to put in the large time commitment to play football if they think they have no shot of winning? Before we start talking about these teams being competitive at the state level, they first have to start with the building blocks of being competitive at the local level.

The problem with sports in Northeastern Kentucky is that there are too many schools in a close proximity to each other in an area that is not densely populated. Since the population is small there is not a large pool of high caliber athletes and because there are so many schools it is not likely that the athletes will be on the same teams. It is for this reason why you hear so many people in our area cry foul about transfers and recruiting because the available talent is a such a small number.

[Gitback Coach]

It's not the lack of talent in schools, you play other schools with your same general enrollment in the playoffs as well.

Simply comparing raw enrollment numbers doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the issue.

For instance, the median household income in Fort Thomas is $60,000 while it's less than $35,000 in Johnson County.

46 percent of the adults in Fort Thomas have at least a bachelors degree and 7.7 percent of its citizens live below the poverty level. In Johnson County, those same metrics are 10 percent and 24.5 percent, respectively.

Simply put, the "same general" student populations in those two communities are born/raised on two different ideological planets. Whenever we discuss/compare "eastern Kentucky" with any populations/regions beyond, I think it helps to keep these stark, pervasive differences in mind, not as a crutch or an excuse, but as a longstanding reality.

[hoghead]

Losing kids every year by the droves because of no work in Eastern Ky. It will not be long until Harlan County, Perry County, Letcher County falls down to 3A. and Knott County Leslie County goes to 1A. Breathitt County play in the all A this year in Basketball because of so many schools falling out of the all A tournament in west Ky. But for football enrollment Breathitt will go to 1A in the next 3 to 4 years to.