[Benchwarmer]

Jesus, Moses, and Bear Bryant combined couldn't develop a winning program at Knott Central.

That wasn't nice.

[Benchwarmer]

I bet knotts laughin now that the new coach is givin up a avg. of 62 pts. a game..... Beder will get LCC going.

We knew we were going to be bad with the graduation of a lot of key players. . LCC didn't have a clue and still don't.

[jackbenimble]

We knew we were going to be bad with the graduation of a lot of key players. . LCC didn't have a clue and still don't.

5A schools shouldn't be hurt by graduation year in year out

[Hilbily]

I agree that we should reload every year. Hazard is a very good program but theres no way they should own the field like they did. 5A school is also something i have doubts about. Have they ever taken a second look at those numbers?

[OrangenowBlue]

We knew we were going to be bad with the graduation of a lot of key players. . LCC didn't have a clue and still don't.

KCC was bad before graduation.

[OrangenowBlue]

5A schools shouldn't be hurt by graduation year in year out

I agree. I do not think graduation should have hurt them that much. They return a large portion of their starters as well as a lot of good young players who was on a highly successful Junior Varsity team that beat Bell County last year.

[William Muney]

Whitaker is a Coach that has finesse football teams. If he does not have superior talent he does not win PERIOD. BTW he will not have superior talent at LCC, good but not superior.

He could not do it at Corbin and will not at LCC. Take out the Tim Couch Jr. season and how good was he at Leslie?

[OrangenowBlue]

What grade was Tim Couch in when Joe Beder took over as coach.

[Bobcat_Dad]

What grade was Tim Couch in when Joe Beder took over as coach.

Sr. 1995. Whitaker moved on to Corbin.

[Aslan]

Jesus, Moses, and Bear Bryant combined couldn't develop a winning program at Knott Central.

:lmao:

That wasn't nice.

It was probably true though.

KCC was bad before graduation.

Yep.

[gUrU]

Sounds like the folks in Letcher County are getting tired of the horse and pony show at the University of Letcher County. All of those young men deserve a coaching staff that is there for everyone not just one kid. This program has never been right but it always had the numbers to hide those faults and always had a coach or two who could get the best out of a player, who could take a player--see his talents--and adjust to those talents. When the board let the Maggard guy leave, when they let McCauley leave, when they let strangers come in and take over the program and bring players and families to take jobs and positions away for hometown people they pretty much put an end to the program. Ask a player what the problem is. Ask a parent how they feel. Come to a practice, just get a feel of how things are "really", I promise, you'll watch the next game in a whole new light.

[gUrU]

Cougarpower--You know coach, ppl here in LC call it like they see it, how long is this guy gonna ride on the shirt tail of Couch? That was like what 20 years ago. And Cherokee...I saw a great NFL player providing coach choke at Pulaski last year...did you? When you pull out trick plays in high school you are pretty much washed up. The thing about our little area is we'll stand behind you as long as you are doing right by our kids and our community, winning or losing we'll have your back, but right now we have no faith in our superintendent, our board members or our coaches. So coach, it is not about whether or not johnny misses a pass or block but for him to know at the end of the day his coaches are in this fight with him.

[Jughead07]

so who is this one kid you are talking about guru? is it someone that even plays varsity?

how about the idea that maybe losing 15+ seniors has affected this team more than everyone thought. preseason rankings mean nothing. you lost a game at middlesboro to a good team because of turnovers. defense played well considering clay gave up almost 50 to them. and you got beat by a Hazard team who is one of the best in any class in the mountains. their speed at skill positions is much faster than LCC's. after 3 games everyone is jumping ship with the same old cliche political story everyone else in the mountains uses about their county. if there is a downward spiral to LCC's squad it is because of people like you constantly stirring the pot. maybe all the political things you said have happened, I don't know but kids and players read these boards and all you are doing are putting doubts in their minds.

i would like to ask a mod to close this thread before it gets ugly.

[OrangenowBlue]

Regardless if I agree or diagree with the decisions the coaching staff is making, they still need to be supported. I have questions sometimes, but I am sure they know more about football then I do.

[Bobcat_Dad]

Regardless if I agree or diagree with the decisions the coaching staff is making, they still need to be supported. I have questions sometimes, but I am sure they know more about football then I do.

As a true fan of the KIDS should. :Thumbs:

But you have to admit were their is smoke, fire is not far behind.

[Lambert #1]

Let it die guys. This thread is only going to hurt the kids in the long run. We all need to be supporting them and the program instead of feeding the fire on here.

[cougarpride08]

OK guys, as a cougar fan I am about 50/50 on what is the problem with this team this year. I have come to the conclusion after almost a week after the Hazard game thinking about it. I have not said much on here other than a few things about a former coach that I still believe in this program would have done good. He is struggling because of what he has. It would be hard on Dudley Hilton, Tom Larkey or anyone else to do good at Jenkins in just two years. Rebuilding takes time and patience. Now back to what I was going to type. Here is my problems that I have with this program this year.


1)We are not a balance offense. Our strength is the run, and we do run the ball very well. I think you can't blame coaches for fumbles, and drop passes. I was in the stands and the end when he dropped that pass, and it was perfectly thrown. We tend to get away from the run just a little bit. I still think if we focused on the run just a little bit more when we need just 3 to 5 more yards I think we will be fine.

2)Our Defense- Guys our defense is the main issue. We can't give up so many points, and it isn't the coaches fault if we can't tackle. I counted 10 miss tackles on three straight plays, and I think I might have missed more since I ducked my head down when I got to 4 on one play. If I was the coach that night, I would have done tackeling drills during halftime.

I am going to just say this one time. I really feel that Coach Whitaker needs to run a pro style running attack, and for God sakes we are not a option team so quit running the option. I am going to not pass judgment harshly more that what I really feel I should say due to others on here who think it is hunky doory in cougar land, and reality is it isn't. If we loose to Belfry, it will be a major let down going into district play.

[ONE CUT ABOVE]

Mike Whitaker is better than Tony Sergent at the head coaching position for a few reasons. First, Mike is football through and through. As a head coach at Leslie County he was the reason Tim Couch became a first round draft pick from Kentucky to the Cleveland Browns, he also, as a head coach at Christian County gave their Quarterback at the time (Keith Tandy) a shot to go to a D1 school, he now plays for West Virginia as a corner back (#8) who also has a chance to make it at the professional level. Then in his second season as a head coach at Powell County he lead that team to their first ever winning season. Second, Tony Sergent took a principal job at Neon where he doesnt make it to practices on time, on the other hand, Mike is a PE teacher at the middle school and gets to the feild house long before the players do so he can get them ready for the days practice. Third, Mike has played for the Kentucky Wildcats, then later went to Easter Kentucky University where he set many records (some still standing) and had a chance to play for the New England Patriots. So he knows what needs to be done to have a high powered team, and has the football knowledge to coach his players from a former D1 players point of view, Which Tony Sergent can not. Nothing against Tony, but if Letcher County Central football wants to be successful Mike is the right guy for the job. If you want them to be an "OK" football team then Sergent needs to be there. Mike gives them the tools they need to win games, he breaks down other teams defencese, gives them scouting reports to show what the offence needs to do to have a Guaranteed victory. BUT from my perspective most of the players really dont give a crap, all they worry about is parties and women. They seem to be dead and have no try when times get tough. This changed the Whitley Game when they needed a win to have a shot to get into the playoffs. If they played like they did against Whitley they would have had a better season and you wouldnt be complaining. Plus the Superintendent was smart to higher Mike due to his success, and what he has done for players, things that Sergent couldnt do. He gives them the tools to be great, because he not only played at a D1 school but he has connections to coaches and gets the players names out to them. I dont think Sergent can. So if you really knew your football, you know why sergent isnt coach.

[ONE CUT ABOVE]

Rose has been downhill this year, if you see any of the games you would know that. He humps up and gets brought down too easy, but if he wants too he can be a dominate force, trust me ive seen it when he played for Powell County. Drew Bently likes to take himself out of the game, he has to completely stop to make a cut, and if he so much as gets touched on his leg he is down, if he doesnt have a hole to the outside he is useless. He is two short and too weak, to blast it up the middle. So you cant tell me we need to give it to them, Logan is the only one i see that can make the big plays. He not only can pass but when he runs he will take more than one defender with him when he goes down, something rose or bently cant. Rose can be the same but he hasnt showed it to me.

[ONE CUT ABOVE]

Yes, a good coach like Whitaker wouldnt allow that, which he didnt. Now i am in the locker room a lot, and at the beginning of the year coach Whitaker told them to play with class, not like their previous year. He actually stressed to his players about playing with class. Now i know it wasnt right for the cheap shot but the Coaches couldnt help that, they couldnt have made the sergent kid stop in mid stride and prevent that. If you were watching the game like i was sergent couldnt handle what hazard was doing to us so he had it determined to get a cheap shot in. It was going to happen, like it or not, the coaches tell them to play with class, but its up to the players to play with it or not. The coaches cant make a big run or pass for a touchdown for them, or make a tackle for them. all they can do is show them how, they decide to do it or not. Its not the Coaches fault, its the players. I bet my life that if the coaches played they would do it better.

[kentuckynole]

Mike Whitaker is better than Tony Sergent at the head coaching position for a few reasons. First, Mike is football through and through. As a head coach at Leslie County he was the reason Tim Couch became a first round draft pick from Kentucky to the Cleveland Browns, he also, as a head coach at Christian County gave their Quarterback at the time (Keith Tandy) a shot to go to a D1 school, he now plays for West Virginia as a corner back (#8) who also has a chance to make it at the professional level. Then in his second season as a head coach at Powell County he lead that team to their first ever winning season. Second, Tony Sergent took a principal job at Neon where he doesnt make it to practices on time, on the other hand, Mike is a PE teacher at the middle school and gets to the feild house long before the players do so he can get them ready for the days practice. Third, Mike has played for the Kentucky Wildcats, then later went to Easter Kentucky University where he set many records (some still standing) and had a chance to play for the New England Patriots. So he knows what needs to be done to have a high powered team, and has the football knowledge to coach his players from a former D1 players point of view, Which Tony Sergent can not. Nothing against Tony, but if Letcher County Central football wants to be successful Mike is the right guy for the job. If you want them to be an "OK" football team then Sergent needs to be there. Mike gives them the tools they need to win games, he breaks down other teams defencese, gives them scouting reports to show what the offence needs to do to have a Guaranteed victory. BUT from my perspective most of the players really dont give a crap, all they worry about is parties and women. They seem to be dead and have no try when times get tough. This changed the Whitley Game when they needed a win to have a shot to get into the playoffs. If they played like they did against Whitley they would have had a better season and you wouldnt be complaining. Plus the Superintendent was smart to higher Mike due to his success, and what he has done for players, things that Sergent couldnt do. He gives them the tools to be great, because he not only played at a D1 school but he has connections to coaches and gets the players names out to them. I dont think Sergent can. So if you really knew your football, you know why sergent isnt coach.

First I believe Hal Mumme's offense and Couch's success at the collegiate level had a lot more to do with him being first round pick then his high school coach.

2nd Whitaker is not a Middle School PE teacher that was last year. It is easy to get to the practice field on time when you only teach weight lifting at the high school.

3rd Whitaker transferred from UK because he didn't play. He went to EKU which at the time was D-1AA the same level that Sergent played at Morehead State. Both were successful D-1AA players.

I don't think any one in Letcher County is happy with the way things are this season. I think the biggest frustrations is that a team went from 10-3 to 1-6 in one season.

I would guess when you get a job that results in not only your job but 5 other people including family members that you will take a lot of heat when you are not winning.

Blame it on players, coaches, or graduation losses but there is some problems in Letcher County everyone has their own opinion of the situation.

I know that Whitaker has been successful at other stops but something is not clicking this year. If Sergent was the coach I guarantee he would have the same amount of wins this season. Is Sergent the answer I don't know I don't get paid the big bucks to make that decision.

[gUrU]

So "One Cut Above", what can you tell us about the teams that this guy has coached, not his glory days, not just picking out specific players, but his teams that he has had as hc? Tell us what you think is lacking, tell us how to relate to this guy, help us. These players have tried to adapt to this complicated offense, these players have practiced since July 14th and have looked to their coaching staff to help them to improve and have been let down tremendously. I've always heard that talent coaches itself, maybe he ain't used to having to earn his salary, seems like when the going gets tough he gets going, and after he leaves these programs they pick up and do well, tell us his team records, b/a his arrival.:igiveup:

[kentuckynole]

Rose has been downhill this year, if you see any of the games you would know that. He humps up and gets brought down too easy, but if he wants too he can be a dominate force, trust me ive seen it when he played for Powell County. Drew Bently likes to take himself out of the game, he has to completely stop to make a cut, and if he so much as gets touched on his leg he is down, if he doesnt have a hole to the outside he is useless. He is two short and too weak, to blast it up the middle. So you cant tell me we need to give it to them, Logan is the only one i see that can make the big plays. He not only can pass but when he runs he will take more than one defender with him when he goes down, something rose or bently cant. Rose can be the same but he hasnt showed it to me.

Bentley had 150+ yards this weekend so there goes that argument.

[johnnyt]

2)Our Defense- Guys our defense is the main issue. We can't give up so many points, and it isn't the coaches fault if we can't tackle. I counted 10 miss tackles on three straight plays, and I think I might have missed more since I ducked my head down when I got to 4 on one play. If I was the coach that night, I would have done tackeling drills during halftime.

sorry but i have to make a sarcastic comment here...

i find it funny that you say its not the coaches fault that the defense cant tackle yet feel that the coaches should do tackling drills to prevent them from missing tackles. how can teaching tackling fundamentals be the solution when you just said it is not a coaching problem for missed tackles?

missing tackles happen, but when the team consistently misses tackles over the span of several games then it is a "coaching issue". most great teams in the state are fundamentally sound when it comes to basic football skills and most poor teams are not.

[cherokee]

So "One Cut Above", what can you tell us about the teams that this guy has coached, not his glory days, not just picking out specific players, but his teams that he has had as hc? Tell us what you think is lacking, tell us how to relate to this guy, help us. These players have tried to adapt to this complicated offense, these players have practiced since July 14th and have looked to their coaching staff to help them to improve and have been let down tremendously. I've always heard that talent coaches itself, maybe he ain't used to having to earn his salary, seems like when the going gets tough he gets going, and after he leaves these programs they pick up and do well, tell us his team records, b/a his arrival.:igiveup:

Whitaker was 105-49 = 681% Never had a winning first season
Leslie County 36-12
Corbin 29-16 before Whitaker (26-21)
Christian Co. 40-21 before Whitaker (16-36)
After Whitaker these three schools have a 235-154=604%
from 1990 till consolidation in 2005 Whitesburg (98-72)
Neon (73-86) 171-158 = 519%
Lets not mention how horrible Letcher County High was even though they never had a varsity team. If not for the last three season under Hilliard success in this county has been on a 20 year skid, playing 500% ball. I wonder how many of you guys was wanting Hilliard resignation after his first 2 seasons. All this information is on KHSAA

[kentuckynole]

Whitaker was 105-49 = 681% Never had a winning first season
Leslie County 36-12
Corbin 29-16 before Whitaker (26-21)
Christian Co. 40-21 before Whitaker (16-36)
After Whitaker these three schools have a 235-154=604%
from 1990 till consolidation in 2005 Whitesburg (98-72)
Neon (73-86) 171-158 = 519%
Lets not mention how horrible Letcher County High was even though they never had a varsity team. If not for the last three season under Hilliard success in this county has been on a 20 year skid, playing 500% ball. I wonder how many of you guys was wanting Hilliard resignation after his first 2 seasons. All this information is on KHSAA

Not for sure what Whitesburg, Neon, and Letcher football records dating back to 1990 have anything with 2010.
You do realize that Hilliard after taking over a 2A team that won 2 games and a 1A team that won 0 games and another school that basically had a JV team and combined them they still won 4 games in is his first year in 5A football.
Whitaker's team has one win this year against a team that has zero wins.
I doubt anyone was calling for Hilliard resignation because he has 3 state championships, numerous region titles and if I am not mistaken only 3 losing seasons in his career 2 of them at LCC.
Whitaker has only been to the 3rd round of the playoffs twice in his career so hopefully you are not even attempting to compare the two situations because they are totally different.

[cougarpride08]

See what I mean.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Did you really just bring a thread back from a year ago just to say i told ya so. lol

[cougarpride08]

Well would you?

[GRIFFIN]

well would you?

you are so lame man this does not help the kids you need to say good things about the team.