[skully03]

To be honest there are only maybe a handfull of teams in east ky that could actually play on the l'viile/nky area. Belfry, Breathitt, Bell, Harlan Co, Hazard, and prob a couple more I didnt't mention. Belfry for one i think would make the trip up there in return. i believe that Haywood likes the tough reg season games to get his team ready for the post season. It seemed to work when they played Ironton every year befor the end of the reg season. But then again i could be wrong about them making the trip. Its just my opinion and i am just one person.

[charlie22]

you was saying something about the major cities. most of there money to fix there roads and stuff come from EKY. if the state put the money back were it come from. EKY would have all the major cities.

I guess I'll have to dig up the report again (I've shared it several times previously with folks from eastern Kentucky) but northern Kentucky sends a lot more money to Frankfort than it receives back. I know the severance tax has sent a lot of money to Frankfort, but if you think it is only eastern Kentucky that has sent more than it received, you are greatly mistaken.

Just think for moment about the large number of businesses in northern Kentucky that have been sending all those corporate income tax dollars to Frankfort and all of their employees that have been sending invidual income tax dollars too. It's a huge amount of cash. Unlike other areas of the state with strong political connections, northern Kentucky does not have the political clout needed to get big state dollars sent back to us. Heck, I can't remember the last Governor from northern Kentucky (has there ever been one?), or the last President of the Senate or Speaker of the House. Which is why it's so rare to see big "pork" projects funded by state dollars coming to northern Kentucky. Heck, NKU is the lowest funded, per student, state university in Kentucky unless something has changed very recently.

I'll admit that we do have a much better road system in northern Kentucky, but that is much more a result of the federally funded interstate system than it is due to state dollars out of Frankfort. Which reminded me of a conversation I had with the late Pete Worthington of Fleming County. Pete was a good friend and chaired the House Appropriations Committee or the Transportation Committee. I don't remember which one, but which ever one he chaired he had great control over where the state road dollars got spent. He liked to brag and tease me that he had more miles of paved roads per constituent than any other member of the General Assembly and he thanked the tax payers of northern Kentucky for making that happen (and for getting him re-elected many times as a result of all the paved roads).

I know that the severance tax is a burr under the saddle for eastern Kentuckians and I fully understand it, but if you think all those dollars are coming to northern Kentucky you are greatly mistaken.

Now back to football: It's not a result of eastern Kentucky being a blind spot in my opinion. We know you are there. Rather, as some have mentioned, it's a financial thing. And it's a convenience thing. And it's a benefit thing.

The cost of taking a team to eastern Kentucky is much higher than playing a local team or for that matter, a Lexington team or even a Louisville team. Unless there is some big guaranteed pay day, it doesn't make financial sense to schedule an eastern Kentucky team unless you absolutely have to do so.

Then you have to factor in the inconvenience to the fans who support the team. Me, I love the long trips. You'll never hear me complain about the state championships moving from Louisville to Bowling Green. The longer the road trip, the more the "event" status for me. But review any thread on any of the Kentucky high school sites, and you'll quickly determine that I am in the distinct minority when it comes to that subject. Could be because the cost of gas; could be because of the crazy busy lifes people live these days, but folks just don't want to drive 5 plus hours for a 2 hour game and then have to drive 5 backs back that night.

Finally, what benefit is there to the northern Kentucky or Louisville schools to travel to eastern Kentucky to play football games? Are teams like T, X and Highlands going to find some higher level of competition that they can't find elsewhere in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana or Tennessee? They aren't. Will they play against some style of O or D that they can't find elsewhere to prepare them for likely opponents in the playoffs? T and X you can say no definitely. As to Highlands, playing Belfry would be helpful in preparing them for Johnson Central. Then again, we played a Boyle team a couple of weeks ago that runs a very similar offense and Boyle is only 2.25 hours away. Have some good friends in Belfry and it's a school with great tradition, but if you have to pay the bills, you're going with Boyle County.