[MonsterMan]

As long as I've been a fan of Central football, to remember all the times we were playing out the last games of 2-8 seasons, to think of watching Paintsville dominate us in the Apple Bowl, of getting annihilated year in and year out in our district games...if you had told me that one day I would be watching kids in Johnson Central football uniforms playing in their fourth straight state quarterfinal playoff game and going toe to toe with the #8 ranked team in the nation and holding their own (for a while, anyhow)...I would've called you a lot of things, crazy being one of them.

This program has come a long way since 2003. These kids have come a long way since 0-4 earlier this season. (And of our losses, Boyle, Bell, Sheldon Clark, and Highlands are all still alive in the final four of their respective classes.) They have made us all proud with what they've done, and I salute the Golden Eagles on an excellent season.

Congrats to the Bluebirds for being the fast, well-coached, deep team we all expected you to be. We make a couple of errors (not intercepting the pass thrown into double coverage which set up the HHS score before the half, then coming out after the half trying to tie and losing the fumble) and were made to pay for them dearly. You can't give a team like that a 25 yard field three times in a quarter and expect to get away with it. Emotions are a huge part of football games played between 14-18 year old boys. If you've got the momentum, you maybe can overcome the fatigue of playing both ways, but once you get your head down and your spirit slips a little bit, it catches up with you real fast. No shame tonight on our end. None of us in Eagle Nation have any doubt HHS will put the 2009 state title up on the stadium signs this year.

...but we're thinking the 2010 state title sign would look awfully nice over the entrance to Eagle Field. :Thumbs: Long drive home for the boys tonight, and hopefully they'll start preparing for next year tomorrow. We've seen how far we have to go to get where we want to be, and while it's not as far as it used to be, it's going to take work, and that work has to be done long before August.

Great post! Congrats to HHS and good luck in winning another state title. You have a very good and deep team, well coached.

JC, this has been a great year. You started out slow in a rebuilding year and played the State's best team as well as anyone. HHS has the tradtion, you guys are writing the traditon. Last night was just a bump in the road to the state title. Is is coming and soon.

As a long time JC fan who can remeber the lean years, it is an honor to watch you guys establish us as one the best programs in the state. It is a long hard road but you guys have paid the price and your jouney is close. I can not wait to see you guys on the field next year. The State Title banner will look great as you enter Eagle Field!