[Hoot Gibson]

Social and Economic status has been proposed as a possible rationale for the difference in D1 football recruits at the two high schools. To some extent I am certain that these were and are factors, however to say that they should be considered as primary I believe is erroneous. Most coaches have "taken care"of players with special needs and considerations.The problem may be that the ball may have been dropped after utilization is complete or during the time the student was used? This was a question. I could provide a list of student athletes who are or could have been excellent D1 prospects (athletically). This is within the entire geographic area of Johnson Co. to include Paintsville. To do so would be wrong especially since many of them I consider friends. Quite simply there is just another systems break down. Now JCHS needs to focus on a very important Ashland District and Paintsville with winning another game.

That's not the context in which I raised the academics and relative poverty levels of the two schools. My point was that parents who want to send their kids to Johnson Central no longer need to worry that they would be sacrificing academics for the sake of football. Johnson Central has graduated National Merit Finalists and Semi-finalists the same as Paintsville has. In previous generations, this was not the case. Any athlete who wants a first class education can obtain one at either school.

If only one county player each year decides to play for Matney instead of enrolling at Paintsville, a roster reduction of four players could be a factor in the decline of Paintsville's football program. As one of the smallest Class 1A programs in the state, Paintsville fielding a soccer team is a much bigger factor - but small factors tend to snowball into big ones when a program starts losing.