[eratia]

This non-district schedule was combined 26 wins - 48 losses and Greenup County and West Carter both lost a bunch of Seniors, and GC, their coach. That will probably result in an incredibly successful season for the Eagles. I always hope every team in eastern Kentucky does well, and I hope the Eagles do well, too. There are kids on the Fairview team that I think of some of the greatest kids ever.
Playing teams that are down is a great way to build your self esteem, but it's false if it's not earned. When you pad your schedule, there's no sense of reality for that team, and in the playoffs, they'll play teams like Lexington Christian, who have truly earned their self-esteem. The result, blowout.
I certainly don't judge what any team does, but the difference in Raceland and Fairview is this: Raceland has ALWAYS played up to higher competition dating way back to the days of Bill Tom Ross and even further back, and Fairview doesn't.
Russell and Lawrence Co, as well as Ashland, Rowan County, Johnson Central would have all welcomed Fairview onto their schedules, and those games would be great measuring tools to find out exactly where they are as a team before the playoffs. So, my response to the initial question of the thread is this: Play at least a few games where the kids are challenged, and grow from the experience. Growth NEVER comes from success, it comes from failure. Grow the program, not the profile! Just one guys advice! Good luck, Eagles!