[smoke1015]

I know they are real good, really really good. Opinions on if most really think they've surpassed Belfry. And then Central was ranked #2. Have they gained players, or is it just some underclassmen have matured? With Scroggins gone has the coaching been able to fill in someone to take his place (I always thought he was actually underrated). Bell has leapt into 6th or 7th (I forgot which). Are they really there yet? I know they are improved. I would still, I think, have to put Belfry at 1, Corbin at 2, Central at 3. I'm not sure how much Elizabethtown lost. I know Casey lost a big group of seniors. Bell I'm not sure if they gained any new players, or just young guys who have improved, along with improved/proven coaching. I still prefer, myself, 5A down to 1A. 6A, at the top, is too much like college (scary as all hell if you have to play anyone at the top).

[BellCo18]

I know they are real good, really really good. Opinions on if most really think they've surpassed Belfry. And then Central was ranked #2. Have they gained players, or is it just some underclassmen have matured? With Scroggins gone has the coaching been able to fill in someone to take his place (I always thought he was actually underrated). Bell has leapt into 6th or 7th (I forgot which). Are they really there yet? I know they are improved. I would still, I think, have to put Belfry at 1, Corbin at 2, Central at 3. I'm not sure how much Elizabethtown lost. I know Casey lost a big group of seniors. Bell I'm not sure if they gained any new players, or just young guys who have improved, along with improved/proven coaching. I still prefer, myself, 5A down to 1A. 6A, at the top, is too much like college (scary as all hell if you have to play anyone at the top).

Bell Co has a lot of returners back. Plus add Dudley Hilton back. Not just because I'm a Bell fan. But they will improve a lot from week to week. I saw a huge improvement from week 1 to 2. Our D looked a lot better as well. One thing about Dudley. He can take mediocre players and put them where they will excel and look like All Americans. Coaching is back at Bell Co. which has been missing for a long time.

[Single Wing 77]

Nobody is gonna care what the AP rankings were come December. Belfry is #1 until someone in ky 3a beats them. Corbin is a close second. And central deserves to be at third for sure. bell county is eighth because ole dud is their coach. They will probably only lose two or three in the regular season. I think Casey county takes second in the district though.

[The Spread]

Corbin supporter here, but Belfry is king until they are knocked off in KY.

[Westside]

I see nothing wrong with Corbin being number 1. Belfry graduated five D1 players from last year's team and are somewhat inexperienced along their line which is the engine of their offense. Corbin beat a good Alcoa team and return some very key components from last year's semifinal team. I'm not saying Corbin will beat Belfry IF they meet in the playoffs, but they have taken care of business so far this year while Belfry has stumbled.

[Cat Daddy]

Personally, I have never understood the fascination with polls. At the end of the day, Belfry is the "King" until they are dethroned. With that being said, I feel like Corbin has closed the gap with Belfry and since we are talking about polls, the Redhounds deserve to be ranked #1 in the state. I hope this is the year that Haddix and the Redhounds get over the hump and bring home another championship to Corbin.

[Single Wing 77]

An argument can be made for a lot of teams to be in various positions in these polls. I'm just saying that these polls will be of little comfort if Corbin gets beat out in the playoffs, whether it's in the finals, semi finals, or worse let's bell or Casey county sneak up on them in the region championship. These polls give fans something to argue about, and coaches something to pin up on a bulletin board for motivational purposes. They're most damaging to the team in the number 1 spot. Humility is harder to come by when the "whole state" is telling you how good you are.

[EKUAlum05]

Polls are what they are.

At the end of the day it is basically a temperature check and bragging rights.

With that said, thusfar Corbin has earned those bragging rights and if they beat Pulaski County it only solidifies that spot further.

As a Belfry fan I will say right now that I think Corbin looks like the better team as of August 29th. Their Defense is already in mid-season form and though their Offense has flaws, you can't deny that if Corbin has a chance to win Camron Sizemore is going to most likely find a way to make it happen. With a defense as good as Corbin's that opportunity is going to exist almost every game.

Will this change once Belfry's lines mature? Maybe.. maybe not. All I know is if I had to pick a team right now to win Class 3A if the playoffs started tomorrow I would go with Corbin followed by Central

[pjdoug]

Nobody is gonna care what the AP rankings were come December. Belfry is #1 until someone in ky 3a beats them. Corbin is a close second. And central deserves to be at third for sure. bell county is eighth because ole dud is their coach. They will probably only lose two or three in the regular season. I think Casey county takes second in the district though.

Bell will finish ahead of Casey

[pjdoug]

Polls are what they are.

At the end of the day it is basically a temperature check and bragging rights.

With that said, thusfar Corbin has earned those bragging rights and if they beat Pulaski County it only solidifies that spot further.

As a Belfry fan I will say right now that I think Corbin looks like the better team as of August 29th. Their Defense is already in mid-season form and though their Offense has flaws, you can't deny that if Corbin has a chance to win Camron Sizemore is going to most likely find a way to make it happen. With a defense as good as Corbin's that opportunity is going to exist almost every game.

Will this change once Belfry's lines mature? Maybe.. maybe not. All I know is if I had to pick a team right now to win Class 3A if the playoffs started tomorrow I would go with Corbin followed by Central

Should Belfry be ranked 3rd right now with an 0-1 record ?

[School Admin.]

Corbin has a very nice team for sure, but honestly, rankings mean nothing right now. I watched Belfry play, they will be just fine, Coach Haywood seems to turn these early losses into lessons for improving. They are very talented, even though they lost a lot of players from last year. Don't be surprised to see them in the finals again.

[Single Wing 77]

Bell will finish ahead of Casey

I disagree, bell has been in competitive ball games with below average to average teams. Casey had scored ran beat two teams that are also below average to average, but they dropped 50 on them. The Casey/bell game being on log mountain may be enough to swing the outcome in bells favor, but at a neutral field Casey it two touchdowns better than bell in my opinion.

[pjdoug]

Corbin has a very nice team for sure, but honestly, rankings mean nothing right now. I watched Belfry play, they will be just fine, Coach Haywood seems to turn these early losses into lessons for improving. They are very talented, even though they lost a lot of players from last year. Don't be surprised to see them in the finals again.

Right. They lost a lot, but they have a feeder system. it's not like they are starting over.

[TheHotSnakes]

All I want for Christmas is Corbin in the finals, and I'm not even remotely a Corbin fan.

[MadHatter]

^^^ just a Belfry hater?

[OutlawJoseyWales]

Corbin should definitely be in the #1 spot. No question. These rankings are great for fans bases to puff their chest...and for the media to hype up.....but in the grand scheme of things.....they don't mean heck of a lot. That being said....it's still quite and honor to be placed at the top of your respective class. Corbin has answered the bell and come out swinging. IMO, when it's all said and done....unless something drastic happens, Corbin, Central, Boyle and Belfry will be the top four in some order.

[TheHotSnakes]

^^^ just a Belfry hater?

Not really, I just want something new. I want an E-town v. Corbin final

[OutlawJoseyWales]

Not really, I just want something new. I want an E-town v. Corbin final

Yeah....that's probably not gonna happen. However...if that would be the final this year.....It would definitely be a noisemaker. Not so much for Corbin...but E-town. Not throwing shade their way...but if they could get past Central or Boyle....it would be a surprise.

[TheHotSnakes]

Yeah....that's probably not gonna happen. However...if that would be the final this year.....It would definitely be a noisemaker. Not so much for Corbin...but E-town. Not throwing shade their way...but if they could get past Central or Boyle....it would be a surprise.

The Panthers are my pick from the West. They return a stacked team from a team that went to the finals. I think they get over the hump this year and finish the season in Lexington. I actually think they have a better shot at getting there than Corbin. I'd be more willing to pick a 3A team to beat whomever out of Central/PT/Caldwell/Boyle/Lex Cath, than I would someone to beat Belfry.

[Single Wing 77]

They (E-town)don't have to get by central. Belfry was paired up with centrals district in their region. Belfry vs central will happen in the region championship this year. Which is stupid I'm my opinion, but my opinion doesn't mean anything to the khsaa.

[TheHotSnakes]

They (E-town)don't have to get by central. Belfry was paired up with centrals district in their region. Belfry vs central will happen in the region championship this year. Which is stupid I'm my opinion, but my opinion doesn't mean anything to the khsaa.

So it comes down to their ability to beat Lex Cath/Boyle/PT/Caldwell then, yes? I had forgotten about how badly KHSAA botched the playoff pairings.

[FBfan4life]

They (E-town)don't have to get by central. Belfry was paired up with centrals district in their region. Belfry vs central will happen in the region championship this year. Which is stupid I'm my opinion, but my opinion doesn't mean anything to the khsaa.

Not sure what the answer is, but do you think that KHSAA did that so that they can have a little more challenge to Belfry en route to the state championship? I mean Lex Catholic tried in the championship game, Corbin has failed in the regional rounds, so maybe Central can put up a harder fight and maybe can knock off Belfry before the final... Just my opinion

[Single Wing 77]

No one was knocking off Belfry the last two seasons. Didn't matter how you aligned it, but if that is true it's bull crap. No different than the NCAA giving Kentucky the toughest draw every year. "They're too good so let's make it tougher on them". That the mindset of the weak and petty. I think it'll end up backfiring though. Eventually it'll result in an all mountain final.

[Single Wing 77]

So it comes down to their ability to beat Lex Cath/Boyle/PT/Caldwell then, yes? I had forgotten about how badly KHSAA botched the playoff pairings.

I'm reading this as a sarcastic post. If it isn't then I apologize in advance.

Central moving out of the west basically opened the door for Boyle to go to the championship game almost unopposed. With the exception of them, and possibly E-town, the best teams in the west would struggle to win a region title in the east. So yes, you're correct, they REALLY botched the playoff pairings.

[TheHotSnakes]

I feel like E-town would have beaten Boyle the last 2 seasons.



And I fully stand by the fact that KHSAA dropped the ball with the post season this year. I thought their goal was to rotate the pairings within each side of the bracket, but they didn't. So, I guess that's on them.

[Ghostofjoey]

Etown would have definitly beaten Boyle last year. Not sure about the previous year.

[pjdoug]

I disagree, bell has been in competitive ball games with below average to average teams. Casey had scored ran beat two teams that are also below average to average, but they dropped 50 on them. The Casey/bell game being on log mountain may be enough to swing the outcome in bells favor, but at a neutral field Casey it two touchdowns better than bell in my opinion.

The teams Casey has played are small schools and far below average. Campbellsville is way down from what they used to have, and Barren County had a single win by one point last season. They face the same weak competition all the way up until they play Bell County at Log Mountain. They won't be ready for the physical style of play that that Bell County will bring, and The Bobcats will walk away with the victory.

[pjdoug]

Not sure what the answer is, but do you think that KHSAA did that so that they can have a little more challenge to Belfry en route to the state championship? I mean Lex Catholic tried in the championship game, Corbin has failed in the regional rounds, so maybe Central can put up a harder fight and maybe can knock off Belfry before the final... Just my opinion

Yeah, it's a conspiracy :dudecomeon:

[smoke1015]

Bell always has at least 15 on the field when you play at Log Mountain. As one of their current coaches, I have personally heard, say. This game has to be closer than last year. Bell has put many whippings on Casey, but Casey didn't have the numbers. Casey is going to start winning that numbers game in a few years, especially when Dudley flies the coop again, or retires. Coach Stonebraker is as fine a coach as anyone you will find in Kentucky high-school football, not just 3A. Some assume it will be a game of physical play vs finesse...maybe that will be the case. But both teams have work to do before this matchup gets underway.

[Bossdaddy 4115]

This conversation needs to end, I am the biggest Corbin fan out there. In my opinion they are one hell of a team, Haddix is a savior to football at Corbin period. Rankings don't matter, until some disrupts belfry they are the kings, all this added pressure is not helping Corbin. They are still a young program, next year they will be senior strong. Don't put this pressure on these kids, they are stundent athletes, just let them play and in the end #1 will be announced at the championship game. Half of us out there played as kids and deep down this isn't healthy. Let them play and in the end there will be a champion I guarantee that. Haddix even said in the times tribune that belfry is #1 till someone knocks them off. I think Corbin is the team to do that, but we won't know till thanksgiving weekend.