[WideRight05]

If I may respectfully disagree, I thought the 09 team was the best JC team that I've seen (I did not see the 06 team that lost to CovCath. I'm told that until JC's fullback got hurt, JC was doing pretty much what it wanted offensively to CovCath). The 10 team would be a close second and the 08 team third. I know that many JC fans felt after the 09 season that the 10 team would be better but in my opinion they weren't. Close but not quite there. The 11 squad would be ranked 4th of the 4 JC squads I watched closely.

As for the number of state titles JC would have won but for Highlands, I don't think they'd have won it in 11. Love the Jude kid, but I can't see him carrying JC past Franklin Simpson. I could see them winning it in 10 against Christian County. Christian County just wasn't a very good all around team. Relied too much on Tandy and Hickey. Frankly they were fortunate to beat BG earlier in the playoffs. I don't think JC would have beaten John Hardin in 09. That was an extremely good John Hardin team and pretty disciplined too. Physical but quick and fast. Very well coached team. If you recall, they had an extremely talented D line and some pretty fast lbers. Coming into the state game, JH was leading the state in rushing defense. JC would have matched up well in the physical department but I think that JH's speed and quickness would have given JC the same problem that Highlands gave JC that year. Would have been a competitive game but I'd go with JH in 09. In 08 I can see JC winning or certainly keeping it within 3 points. The Christian County team that year was much, much better than the 10 Christian County team. Had a very heady and talented QB, some very talented skill positions players (that were seniors in 10 like Tandy and Hickey) and had a decent O line. But I still think the JC team was the better team but not by much.

It's cool that you respectfully disagree, but the 09 year was actually considered a way, way down year by JC standards. You could present an argument for them possibly winning state that year - but not as good as you could for 08 and 10. After a monster year in 08, JC lost a few players and really struggled in 09 beginning the year 0-4. They had huge losses to the likes of Bell, Boyle (who were good that year) and a close loss to Sheldon Clark. Their biggest win of the year was probably upsetting Ashland (They were good that year...had some big back that just mauled people) and winning the district. Everybody else was WAY down that year compared to normal. Belfry was way down. Cov Cath wasn't themselves. I thought we were going to run away on JC in the playoffs when we got up 14-0. They tied that game quickly but thankfully we held through and pulled away. I think they would have had success against John Hardin that year. I didn't think their run defense was as good as advertised. I keep thinking we only threw one or two times in the state title game that year and ran for something like 300 yards on JH.

I have seen the 06 team, I went and watched them play against Covington Catholic that year. Cov Cath, as much as I hate to admit, was LOADED that year and the best team in 3A. JC had a very quick and shifty runningback that year, combined with a fullback that would just fall forward and pick up five yards. The big fullback got hurt (he also played linebacker) unfortunately and that allowed Cov Cath to run away with the game. JC did not have anybody else, other than the shifty back that year that ran the ball real well.

The 08 JC team was the best Matney has had there. I keep thinking they were leading the nation in rushing yards or close to it at one point in the season. Their running attack that year was better than a lot of passing attacks. They would get 10 yards...10 yards...10 yards...on everybody they played. Their line was MASSIVE and their defense IMO was the best under the Matney era. They were capable of putting games away real quick.

Minus Highlands, I definitely think JC would have won in 2008 and 2010, and possibly in 2009 should the cards fall the right way.