[Old guy]

Ashland should be happy next year. No more Eagles to kick their tails!!!!!! But on the bad side Bob Seger will still be after you. He will always be under the cats skin. Keep up the good work Bob !!!!!!!!!!!!!

But at some point, they will cross paths with Belfry....just sayin'...

[Old guy]

smh...voted in the poll....clicked the wrong team...smh...Eagles win this one...#Mondays

[baller55]

Belfry will finish skinning the kittens!

[Hoot Gibson]

At least nobody is forcing the Tomcats to play both JC and Belfry in the same season next year. The Tomcats will be able to continue padding their non-district schedule with Kentucky 1A schools to build confidence. Trading two losses per season to JC for two losses to Belfry won't be so bad.

[RAMDAD50]

At least nobody is forcing the Tomcats to play both JC and Belfry in the same season next year. The Tomcats will be able to continue padding their non-district schedule with Kentucky 1A schools to build confidence. Trading two losses per season to JC for two losses to Belfry won't be so bad.

Hey...hold up there Gibson!! This 1A team should’ve beaten them! And there is probably three 1A schools that can beat them and at least another two that will give the kittens all they want

[Hoot Gibson]

Hey...hold up there Gibson!! This 1A team should’ve beaten them! And there is probably three 1A schools that can beat them and at least another two that will give the kittens all they want

No 1A team should beat a team that can draw talent from an enrollment of 1,000 or more. Raceland has and will continue to be competitive with Ashland, but that says more about Ashland's program than Raceland's outstanding 1A program.

Paintsville used to beat Johnson Central like a rented mule, and there was no excuse for it.

[RAMDAD50]

No 1A team should beat a team that can draw talent from an enrollment of 1,000 or more. Raceland has and will continue to be competitive with Ashland, but that says more about Ashland's program than Raceland's outstanding 1A program.

Paintsville used to beat Johnson Central like a rented mule, and there was no excuse for it.

Doesn’t matter how many A’s come after your name...bad football is bad football! It’s a good thing teams like Beechwood or Mayfield don’t buy into this Philosophy!

[Pulp Fiction]

No 1A team should beat a team that can draw talent from an enrollment of 1,000 or more. Raceland has and will continue to be competitive with Ashland, but that says more about Ashland's program than Raceland's outstanding 1A program.

Paintsville used to beat Johnson Central like a rented mule, and there was no excuse for it.

Amen to that!!!!

[Hoot Gibson]

Doesn’t matter how many A’s come after your name...bad football is bad football! It’s a good thing teams like Beechwood or Mayfield don’t buy into this Philosophy!

Mayfield and Beechwood often beat teams from larger schools but they rarely beat the elite teams from three classes above them. All else being equal, teams drawing from the larger talent pools will beat teams drawing from a smaller one most of the time. That is as it should be.

(Recruiting does expand the size of one's talent pool, and so does a great tradition that attracts talent from outside the district without recruiting.)

[Old guy]

Ashland should be happy next year. No more Eagles to kick their tails!!!!!! But on the bad side Bob Seger will still be after you. He will always be under the cats skin. Keep up the good work Bob !!!!!!!!!!!!!

:Thumbs:

[Old guy]

This is getting good...lol

[fewfirstchoice]

No 1A team should beat a team that can draw talent from an enrollment of 1,000 or more. Raceland has and will continue to be competitive with Ashland, but that says more about Ashland's program than Raceland's outstanding 1A program.

Paintsville used to beat Johnson Central like a rented mule, and there was no excuse for it.

Yea but back then everyone used to beat Johnson Central like a borrowed mule 🤷🏻*♂️.

[Hoot Gibson]

Yea but back then everyone used to beat Johnson Central like a borrowed mule 🤷🏻*♂️.

That was true in almost every year before Bill Musick brought respectability to the program and it was true during the three seasons between Coach Musick's departure and Jim Matney's arrival.

JC's administration played musical chairs with its head football coach position for years until almost nobody wanted the job. Coach Musick rebuilt the program from the ground up and then Coach Matney pieced the program back together and took it to another level.

IMO, Bill Musick does not get enough credit for laying the foundation for what has become an outstanding Johnson Central football program. I remember and appreciate the long hours and hard work that he put into building the program.

[ekywildcat]

No 1A team should beat a team that can draw talent from an enrollment of 1,000 or more. Raceland has and will continue to be competitive with Ashland, but that says more about Ashland's program than Raceland's outstanding 1A program.

Paintsville used to beat Johnson Central like a rented mule, and there was no excuse for it.

Amen to this! Never understood how JC could be so bad with the number of kids they had. Matney has done an amazing job! Did he just get the kids out to play or was it the coaching? Both I would guess. So happy he got us to the point where Paintsville said uncle and took their ball and went home.

[RAMDAD50]

That was true in almost every year before Bill Musick brought respectability to the program and it was true during the three seasons between Coach Musick's departure and Jim Matney's arrival.

JC's administration played musical chairs with its head football coach position for years until almost nobody wanted the job. Coach Musick rebuilt the program from the ground up and then Coach Matney pieced the program back together and took it to another level.

IMO, Bill Musick does not get enough credit for laying the foundation for what has become an outstanding Johnson Central football program. I remember and appreciate the long hours and hard work that he put into building the program.

Yes...fist thing Musick did was go straight over to Paintsville and started recruiting from that A school that beat the $hit out of JC every year.Tgen he goes to Fairview and implodes the entire school system! Is this the credit you are speaking of?

[Hoot Gibson]

Yes...fist thing Musick did was go straight over to Paintsville and started recruiting from that A school that beat the $hit out of JC every year.Tgen he goes to Fairview and implodes the entire school system! Is this the credit you are speaking of?

I must have hit a nerve. Paintsville always benefited more from out of district players than JC did. I don't blame JC kids for transferring to Paintsville when the Golden Eagles' program was a wreck, nor do I blame kids who could not find playing time at JC transferring to Paintsville. But to suggest Musick built up JC by recruiting Paintsville players is crazy. JC has always enjoyed a 4 or 5 to 1 enrollment advantage over Paintsville.

In almost all of the pre-Musick years, Paintsville enjoyed a big edge in coaching. Kids who had a choice between losing and playing for HOF coach Walter Brugh often crossed the creek and became Tigers.

A school Raceland's size should rarely be competitive with a school as large as Ashland. Yet, the Rams are competitive with the Tomcats almost every year and win more often than any 1A school should against a school several times larger - and that is a compliment to Raceland's program.

But had Ashland hired Jim Matney instead of Johnson Central, the Tomcats would no longer be on Raceland's schedule. Give a great coach a numerical advantage, and he will exploit it.

[RAMDAD50]

I must have hit a nerve. Paintsville always benefited more from out of district players than JC did. I don't blame JC kids for transferring to Paintsville when the Golden Eagles' program was a wreck, nor do I blame kids who could not find playing time at JC transferring to Paintsville. But to suggest Musick built up JC by recruiting Paintsville players is crazy. JC has always enjoyed a 4 or 5 to 1 enrollment advantage over Paintsville.

In almost all of the pre-Musick years, Paintsville enjoyed a big edge in coaching. Kids who had a choice between losing and playing for HOF coach Walter Brugh often crossed the creek and became Tigers.

A school Raceland's size should rarely be competitive with a school as large as Ashland. Yet, the Rams are competitive with the Tomcats almost every year and win more often than any 1A school should against a school several times larger - and that is a compliment to Raceland's program.

But had Ashland hired Jim Matney instead of Johnson Central, the Tomcats would no longer be on Raceland's schedule. Give a great coach a numerical advantage, and he will exploit it.

Hahaha I just have very little respect for Musick and what he was aloud to get by with at Fairview! He was more then somewhat involved With what went on there and he just gets to retire without anything happening to him.As far as Matney to Assland....not so sure! You said musick didn’t the credit he deserved! I say the JC wrestling program doesn’t get the credit it deserves in it’s help in the successful football program!

[Hoot Gibson]

Amen to this! Never understood how JC could be so bad with the number of kids they had. Matney has done an amazing job! Did he just get the kids out to play or was it the coaching? Both I would guess. So happy he got us to the point where Paintsville said uncle and took their ball and went home.

I think it was both, but mostly coaching. Matney won 7 games in his first season at JC after the team had won 4 or 5 games total over the previous 3 seasons. Any time that a school has 500+ boys enrolled, there is enough talent to field a respectable team. Like you said, coaching and participation are the keys to success at a any school.

Participation is an even bigger factor in the success of a small 1A school. Walter Brugh did a great job of selling football to Paintsville kids. I still remember him telling me what broad shoulders I had and what a good football player I was going to make when I was a sixth grader. (He was wrong, but had I not moved out of the district, then I probably would have played for Coach Brugh - it was hard to say no.)

[fewfirstchoice]

Hahaha I just have very little respect for Musick and what he was aloud to get by with at Fairview! He was more then somewhat involved With what went on there and he just gets to retire without anything happening to him.As far as Matney to Assland....not so sure! You said musick didn’t the credit he deserved! I say the JC wrestling program doesn’t get the credit it deserves in it’s help in the successful football program!

I know it’s a footbll board but inhbe to say JC’s wrestling team should be favored to win state this year. They only lost one wrestler and will gain 3 really solid kids to this years team. They’ll be a hard out for anyone.

[Hoot Gibson]

Hahaha I just have very little respect for Musick and what he was aloud to get by with at Fairview! He was more then somewhat involved With what went on there and he just gets to retire without anything happening to him.As far as Matney to Assland....not so sure! You said musick didn’t the credit he deserved! I say the JC wrestling program doesn’t get the credit it deserves in it’s help in the successful football program!

I don't know much about what happened with Musick and Fairview and you obviously don't know much about what Musick did as head coach for Johnson Central's program.

I said that Musick did not get the credit that he deserved for building the foundation of Johnson Central's football program. He spent countless hours volunteering to help out with the elementary school football program. He was there on Saturdays and his high school players often officiated the games.

Johnson Central had a strong wrestling program when Matney arrived at Johnson Central, but he made it stronger by encouraging his football players to participate. The wrestling team is definitely a key to the football team's success, just as it was at Sheldon Clark when Matney was there.

[Hoot Gibson]

My last post in this thread. It has already been said that the only chance Ashland has is to win the turnover count by a large margin. That means Ashland will take more risks than it did in the first game. I think to avoid a running clock in this game, Ashland will have to race to an early lead and then hang on as Johnson Central marches up and down the field. I predict that will not happen.

Johnson Central 50
Ashland 14

[2000PHS]

I know Musick had some decent teams but I feel he was at best 50/50 vs Paintsville? Never won a regional, even with at least 1 undefeated team. I understand he inherited a train wreck with a HOF coach across the creek but he was never going to build JC to state champions in my opinion.

As far as this game. No contest

[Pulp Fiction]

JC's non-district team results thus far

Capital, WV. is in WV.'s Class 3A quarterfinals and is 10-1 on the season thus far. Capital is currently ranked #3 in Class 3A.

Henry Clay finished the year 6-6 and made it to the 2nd round of the 6A playoffs.

South Charleston, WV. finished the year 3-7 and missed WV.'s Class 3A playoff.

Lou. Moore is 11-1 (JC is the 1) and is in the Region 2 championship game in Class 4A.

Belfry is 10-2 (JC is one of the two) and is in the Region 3 championship game in Class 3A.

[Pulp Fiction]

Ashland's non-district team results thus far.

Harlan County finished the year 4-7 and made it to the 2nd round of the 5A playoffs.

Raceland is 10-2 and in the Region 3 championship in Class 1A.

George Washington, WV. finished the year 4-6 and missed WV.'s Class 3A playoffs.

Russell is 8-4 and in the Region 2 championship in Class 3A.

Ironton, OH. finished the year 6-5 and lost in the 1st round of Ohio's Div. V state playoffs.

[Pulp Fiction]

JC's non-district team results thus far

Capital, WV. is in WV.'s Class 3A quarterfinals and is 10-1 on the season thus far. Capital is currently ranked #3 in Class 3A.

Henry Clay finished the year 6-6 and made it to the 2nd round of the 6A playoffs.

South Charleston, WV. finished the year 3-7 and missed WV.'s Class 3A playoff.

Lou. Moore is 11-1 (JC is the 1) and is in the Region 2 championship game in Class 4A.

Belfry is 10-2 (JC is one of the two) and is in the Region 3 championship game in Class 3A.

Ashland's non-district team results thus far.

Harlan County finished the year 4-7 and made it to the 2nd round of the 5A playoffs.

Raceland is 10-2 and in the Region 3 championship in Class 1A.

George Washington, WV. finished the year 4-6 and missed WV.'s Class 3A playoffs.

Russell is 8-4 and in the Region 2 championship in Class 3A.

Ironton, OH. finished the year 6-5 and lost in the 1st round of Ohio's Div. V state playoffs.

Let's compare non-district schedules, shall we.....

Harlan County vs. Capital, WV.
Ironton, OH. vs. Henry Clay
Russell vs. Belfry
Raceland vs. Lou. Moore
George Washington, WV. vs. South Charleston, WV. (GW won 45-30)

Capital, WV. beat George Washington, WV. 62-30.

[Pulp Fiction]

Boyd County
JC: 48-7
Ashland: 48-0

Rowan County
JC: 57-7
Ashland: 34-6

East Carter
JC: 53-14
Ashland: 49-0

Greenup County
JC: 51-0
Ashland: 46-21


Totals
JC: 209-28 (181 point difference)
Ashland: 177-27 (150 point difference)

[Pulp Fiction]

JC leads the All-Time series 15-7.
1975: Ashland Blazer 47-14
1986: Johnson Central 18-14
1998: Ashland Blazer 26-20
2001: Ashland Blazer 38-14
2002: Ashland Blazer 43-0
2005: Ashland Blazer 13-10
2006: Johnson Central 35-7
2006: Johnson Central 28-21 (Playoffs; 2nd Round)
2007: Johnson Central 67-33
2008: Johnson Central 41-6
2009: Johnson Central 29-28
2010: Johnson Central 42-26
2011: Ashland Blazer 22-6
2012: Johnson Central 22-21 (Overtime)
2013: Johnson Central 42-7
2014: Johnson Central 42-7
2015: Johnson Central 8-7
2016: Johnson Central 43-6
2016: Johnson Central 51-0 (Playoffs; Regional Championship)
2017: Ashland Blazer 21-18
2017: Johnson Central 54-27 (Playoffs; Regional Championship)
2018: Johnson Central 47-24

[T-CATS]

Anyone that knows the Tomcats practice area it’s beside the school. They use the baseball field during the summer and fall and Putnam for spring ball. Driving home last night was wondering why the lights were on at Putnam Stadium. Found out today good ole JC had someone filming practices Monday and got caught. Ashland has moved practice to Putnam and there are guards there too keep spying eyes away. Lol guess ole Matney is more nervous about the game then most of the posters on here.:dontthink

[Hoot Gibson]

Anyone that knows the Tomcats practice area it’s beside the school. They use the baseball field during the summer and fall and Putnam for spring ball. Driving home last night was wondering why the lights were on at Putnam Stadium. Found out today good ole JC had someone filming practices Monday and got caught. Ashland has moved practice to Putnam and there are guards there too keep spying eyes away. Lol guess ole Matney is more nervous about the game then most of the posters on here.:dontthink

Your claim doesn't pass the smell test. Who got caught, and how are they related to the JC program? Better yet, go to JC and make that allegation to Mr. Matney's face. I would be willing to burn some leave time to drive 8 hours to watch. 😄

[Coach Booth]

Anyone that knows the Tomcats practice area it’s beside the school. They use the baseball field during the summer and fall and Putnam for spring ball. Driving home last night was wondering why the lights were on at Putnam Stadium. Found out today good ole JC had someone filming practices Monday and got caught. Ashland has moved practice to Putnam and there are guards there too keep spying eyes away. Lol guess ole Matney is more nervous about the game then most of the posters on here.:dontthink

What a load of bull crap. If that’s what you have to do to motivate your kids in a regional championship game you have major problems.