[MtnHSFootballFan]

No, Bob did not lose his argument, if you want to call it that. You left out the word usually from Bob's post. Most small schools that had football teams around the time Johnson County's schools consolidated to form Johnson Central were as Bob described them. Towns like Elkhorn City, Lynch, Wheelwright, and others had football teams because boys could make it to practices without all of them having cars to drive to practice. Others were too small to support a football team or were rural schools where transportation impeded the establishment of football programs.

It was fairly rare when the consolidated high schools that were formed in the mountains during the late 60s and early 70s were formed exclusively from schools that played football. That was my point and I believe that it was Bob's point as well. Political struggles over hiring decisions were difficult enough to deal with, but having to create football programs at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels where few teachers, administrators, or coaches had any experience playing or coaching organized football slowed development of the high school programs.

These were problems that larger city schools and schools located in more populous areas with better roads rarely appreciate. To many Highlands fans, creating a successful football program seems like a simple thing to do - just emulate their successful program. No high school football coach could have taken over at Johnson Central in the early 70s and fielded a successful football team. Not even the great Dale Mueller. They would have failed because the administration expected to win quickly, just as their basketball team did. With no feeder system, few competent football coaches in the system, the early JC coaches faced unrealistic expectations. I am sure that other consolidated schools of that era faced similar problems.

You lost your argument too because I quoted his post in it's entirety in my post that he replied too. Game over!

I replied to his post the way that he posted. Very simply. Put your glasses on and go back and read my original message that quoted him and see what he said and what I responded to.

Hey, I feel like the Golden Eagles must feel in their games this season. The opposition attacks and fumbles and I score in the first sentence.

Really I didn't mean to rile anyone up, just to add some history. I don't know how old the poster is but I have been around a while and I remember the facts. I tried to make sure that my first post would not provoke anyone and I only responded to the post the way it was written. He said, "I cant think of one single county school system that ever had a football team until the early to late 70's in eastern Kentucky." It's a fact that there were a lot of high school football teams around years ago in counties in Eastern KY other than Johnson County and most of them were not located in the county seats and they were there well before the 70's. Can anyone argue with that? Here's what he said and what I replied.

Originally Posted by Bob Seger [Image: http://www.bluegrassrivals.com/forum/ima...ewpost.gif]

It very well could have been Hoot, I really don't remember that part. But, for what it's worth, Johnson Central was really not that much different than most county schools in eastern Kentucky at that time. For many years it was usually only the city schools that served as their respective county seats that fielded football teams....Consolidation is the thing that can be attributed to football being what it is now in the mountains. Perhaps there were some, but I cant think of one single county school system that ever had a football team until the early to late 70's in eastern Kentucky.

I'll have to disagree with that statement. Floyd County had not only Prestonsburg but Wheelwright as far back as I can remember. (Wheelwright is now part of South Floyd.) Pike County had Belfry, Millard, Elkhorn City, at least 2 other schools that are now part of Pike County Central and maybe another team or two many years ago. Perry County had M. C. Napier and maybe another one or two. And Letcher County had Jenkins and Whitesburg. And that's just what I can think of right now. There may have been as many if not more county schools playing football in this area back then than city schools or county schools located in the county seat. Pike County skewed those numbers.