[Hoot Gibson]

And Highlands is an independent school system just like Bowling Green who have kids from all over the place. Independent schools take them from all over.

They are still public schools. Johnson Central used to lose athletes to Paintsville (a small independent) because JC's athletic programs were so badly mismanaged and political squabbling kept things from improving for many years. When JC's administration finally began hiring and retaining coaches based on merit instead of political alliances, their teams improved and the flow of athletes to Paintsville dropped sharply as more players elected to stay home for high school.

Dodging competition does not benefit players and teams. What does a state title mean if your players know that they did not play the best teams in the state? Would a 6A title with Trinity and X missing from the playoffs be better than a second place trophy with everybody competing? I would rather get a shot at the best available competition. Anything else would be like winning the championship game 1-0 as a result of a forfeit. Players know the difference in a real, undisputed title and a fake one.