[goBIGblue82]

I have heard over the past few years how people have weighed in about certain teams prowess because they won or went to the middle school state championships. I have never really bought into that much. Tonight will be a good demonstration of how that does not equate to much in high school. Here is what to watch for. 3 years ago the 8th grade state championship was won by Butler County, I think 46-8, over Raceland. I would not be surprised if tonight, both the Butler County Bears and the Raceland Rams get bumped in the second round.

That Division was down some that year. Previous years winners made a big run in High School. And the teams you're speaking of are only juniors right now. So you're basing your hypothesis over a very small sample. Let me help you out. If you want to look at the Junior and Senior classes that excelled in the Middle School State Tournament they are listed below.

Pulaski County, Whitley County, CAL, Paintsville, Somerset, Southwestern, Bowling Green, Belfry, Paducah, Johnson Central, Ryle, and several Louisville schools. Things change from Middle School to High School, but you can't deny a direct correlation from the Middle School State tournament to the High School State tournament. Not saying it translates to championships (although in many cases it has), but there is a correlation.