[honestjchsfan]

All anybody needs to do to see that I am right about Johnson Central's football program is to look at the scores of the Apple Bowls against a 1A team that has never won a state title. Johnson County has always had superior talent to the Paintsville district, but weak coaching and politics drove enough good players across the creek to allow the Tigers to dominate the series for years.

That changed when Steve Trimble hired Bill Musick and Coach Musick began working with the elementary schools and the middle school to develop the best feeder program in eastern Kentucky. By the time that Musick left JC, the Golden Eagles were dominating the series with Paintsville. They did not beat Paintsville again until Matney joined the program and it quickly became clear that most Johnson County talent would be staying home to play and JC resumed pounding the Tigers until the Apple Bowl was mercifully canceled.

Nothing I have said is a knock on any former JC coach or player. Ed Vanhoose was an outstanding coach and posted the school's first undefeated regular season. Unfortunately, he was not around long and a successful season.

Pointing to a win over Clay County to belittle Jim Matney's accomplishments at Johnson Central is one of the silliest things that I have read in awhile.

I will go out on a limb and say that Clay County has never fielded a team that would have beaten Covington Catholic, let alone Highlands.

I agree with what you are saying about the weak coaching and politics that effected JC football during that time frame. Honestly IMO any Paintsville team from 1978 to 1985 wins that mighty district that JC has played in the past 5 years. Yes Matney has won a bunch of district titles but the truth is that district has been SOFT! Matney's non district schedule has been the subject of great debate here in BGR. I have been a huge Matney supporter but I have concluded that some of the HHS fans are right! Playing the school for the POOR and its sister school for the BLIND is not a good way to prepare a team for a state title run! IMO its time to step up and play some 6A schools from the city of Louisville or 5A HHS or CCH! My point about the Clay CO win in 86' was meant to show how good that 86' JC team was not belittle anything Matney has done. I mention the 86' JC team because they played the toughest schedule IMO in JC history a schedule that included Archbishop Alter Ohio and 4 other teams that played in a State title game that season or the season before plus they beat Ashland that year too. BTY way during my 4 years at JC we were 3-1 against Matney and his SC bunch. His one win against JC then came about because of a stupid call by the REFS!