[16thregioner]

Every school loves to get transfers who make a difference in the success of their athletic programs. Russell has gotten them, too. They just haven't gotten them recently in the 2 major sports, football and boys basketball. In order to get other area schools really upset, you have to get multiple transfers in those 2 sports and then start winning big. See Ashland boys basketball. See Fairview football.

The Ashland boys basketball team who made the run to the final 4 in 2021 had 3 starters from Elliott, Greenup, and Cabell Midland. They also got Boyd's best player for the upcoming season who originally came from Russell. This led to Boyd secretly recording the coach in an effort to end them. The jury's still out as to whether or not any penalties will be handed down.

The Fairview football team who made the run to the state finals in 2012 had 9 impact players from Huntington, Ironton, Spring Valley, Coal Grove, Ashland, and Boyd. They would have been on the verge of getting all kinds of talent from area schools had they continued. This led to Ashland and Raceland reporting them to the KHSAA in an effort to end them. The Eagles finally got caught for playing an ineligible player from Ashland.

No one cares that a Fairland transfer led Boyd to the 2018 boys basketball region title because it was just one guy for one season. No one cares that Paintsville and Lexington transfers almost led Rowan to beat Ashland in the 2021 region boys basketball finals because they lost. No one cares that Ashland's all-time leading QB passer is from Paintsville because they never came close to beating Johnson Central in the playoffs when he was there anyway. No one cares that a foreign exchange player led Boyd to the 2018 boys region soccer title and that 2 foreign exchange players led East Carter to the 2019 boys region soccer title. No one cares that a transfer from Lawrence led East Carter's girls to the 2021 region soccer title. No one cares that Boyd girls basketball started 2 sisters from West Virginia and another player from East Carter for their 2018 final 4 run. No one cares that Boyd's best volleyball player on last year's region title team isn't from Boyd. No one cares that Boyd's starting running back this season is a transfer from Coal Grove. No one cares that Russell's best baseball pitcher last season transferred to Boyd following 2 other Russell players in recent years. No one cares that Russell's star point guard on their girls basketball team was originally at Ashland in middle school. No one cares that Russell's best girls soccer defender was originally from West Virginia before going to Ashland and then to Russell.

Those are all either examples of transfers in sports that don't make a lot of money in the first place, examples of teams that got 1 or 2 transfers here and there that didn't ruffle too many feathers and led to short term success, or examples of teams who got transfers who didn't win. No one cares if you don't win.

2 players from Ohio, 2 players from Ashland, and 1 player from Russell are 5 of the top 11 tacklers on this year's Raceland defense. A couple of the other top 11 likely live in the Greenup or Russell school districts. The QB is from Russell. That's not so bad at this point. Raceland has to be aware, though, that going for football glory is going to come with a lot of detractors along the way, particularly when you start curb-stomping your next door neighbor while playing guys who used to wear the other uniform. It's part of the "arms race" that Ram-a-Devil described. Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil if you want to compete for a state title. They do it in Pikeville, Johnson Central, Belfry, Northern Kentucky, Lexington, Louisville, and even right across the river in Ironton, Ohio. The Rams just have to be conscientious in dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's...oh, and make sure none of the coaching staff is stupid enough to get recorded talking on the phone about players they'd like to have.

Ram-a-Devil is correct in that Raceland has built up their school to look tremendous from 23. They have the small school environment where everyone knows everyone. They also have the easiest path to Kroger Field than any team in the area. That's a lot of good selling points. I think it's good for area sports when a school steps up like this and goes for it. It intensifies rivalries and makes the games more attractive, i.e. the gate of 5,000 people at Raceland's stadium last weekend.

Good luck to the Rams in winning a state title and good luck to Russell in developing a plan to retain male athletes and make their boys athletic programs as good as they should be. Russell is a top 10 academic school in the state so they have a lot to offer for those thinking about the real world after the glory days of high school. Russell managed to retain the area's best basketball player last season, Brady Bell, after he was admittedly recruited on the recorded call of Ashland's Jason Mays. They managed to retain the area's best receiver, Carson Patrick, when it would have seemed completely logical for him to head to Raceland or Ironton as well. I don't know what happened to a few classes of Russell football, but hopefully it will turn around soon given GoRedDevils reports on the middle school success.