[EKY Sportster]

Personally IMO if JC doesn't win the 57th this year, then their coach needs to step back and reevaluate himself. They were a good team last year and they get pretty much their entire team back. The experience is crucial. I think they are beatable, but they would definitely have to be the district favorite.

As for Paintsville, they took a major hit last year with losing their top 6 players and coach. But they do have a good coach that has moved up and they do have talent. How well they do will depend on how quickly they make the transition and gain the experience necessary to play with the more varsity experienced teams. I seriously don't think they will win the district, but if they transition well then it isn't impossible.

I look for Lawrence Co., Magoffin Co. and Sheldon Clark to all be very competitive and capable of winning it. It will be JC's job to prevent them from doing so.

As for who I would predict to go to Region as the runner-up, that would be nearly impossible to guess. Depends on how the teams play and the draw. In other words, it is a toss up.