[EKUAlum05]

My statement was not meant as a slap to anyone. I was just telling everyone my prediction. I know you don't see it but you will. I have personal knowledge and experience in Rogers' philosophy of football. I know the defensive coordinator as well. If you want to check quotes go back to mine last year. PT had a losing record when the revealed that Shanks was coming back. I posted right then that they were going to state and y'all gave the same type response you are now. Then when they revealed that he was leaving just before preparing for Wayne Co. I them posted that PT would lose and probably badly. They did. This is the same def coordinator with the head coach that brought him to western ky. You all are drastically underestimating PT. I have already said this before but just take it under advisement and then in 2 years or so let me know how wrong I was.

With all due respect to the bolded, I don't think you are helping your claim much if we are having to base our expectations off your past predictions.

Paducah Tilghman's "Road to the Championship" was a weak Adair County, an extremely young and rebuilding Monroe County, and then a good, but flawed South Warren. Everyone expected PT to blast their first two opponents like they did. Meanwhile South Warren was a very good defensive team with a bad offense and the game played out as such. Tilghman won thanks to a horrible botched call. They then proceeded to get trounced the next week by a superior Wayne County team.

Even if Shanks was the DC versuses Wayne it doesn't change the fact PT only had 10 points offensively, and with all due respect as good of a DC as Shanks is you don't get ran over on defense that bad in the span of One Week after playing an entire season of football. He may have made them a TD better, but that game was simply a matter of one team being much better than the other in every aspect.

As far as predictions go, you also were claiming from the rooftop that McCracken County was going to reach the State Finals and were the best team in WKY. This is the team who made a 2nd Round exit by 11 points to Central Hardin (who followed up that game by getting dismantled by Meade County)

As I have said before, I very easily could see PT finding that perfect mix of athletes and coaching and reaching that elite level in 3A over the coming years. Would not surprise me in the least as Tilghman has seemingly been close for the past 5 or 6 years as it is, but unlike the other proven commodities like a Central and Belfry, or a Boyle or LexCath, PT has to prove it.

Rogers may be the 2nd Coming of Chuck Smith to HS Football and just needed the right fit... but as of now he is simply a Head Coach who has never been able to get over the hump despite having a roster littered with D-1 caliber prospects. What I do know is on any given year there is enough talent in the Paducah/McCracken County area to field a Championship Contending team. The question is going to be whether that talent flows to Tilghman... whether it flows to McCracken County... or if it splits between the two. If PT claims that talent then there is no doubt they will be among the elite of 3A and a bonafide title contender every year. If the talent flows to McCracken County Rogers will have a tough go and will probably have even less talent that his previous job at Warren Central. If it splits, then it will vary.

I think my assessment of PT's potential is warranted and reasonable. OTOH, I think your assessment that PT will dominate 3A over the likes of Central (proven to be an elite program), Belfry (proven track record and about to be VERY up), LexCath (their program speaks for itself), and Boyle County (who was simply elite regardless of classification under Smith) if anything is the mark of "overlooking" someone.

This isn't 1A or 2A... this is about to be pound for pound the toughest class in the State.