[Beetle01]

Of the kids that did leave Russell and play Division 1 ball I know of 2 that got their Scholys because of their parents efforts not because of the efforts of the coaching staff.
That being said, I've heard rumors about these letters being tossed for 20 years but as far as I know those are just rumors.

I'm not gonna bash anyone on the staff because I think most of them are good people but their are a few that don't bring much to the table.

As for the JFL Dads, Yes! They are the ones who built this program. Hats of to them. Everyone from LG Mullins & Don Jones to Richey Bloom & Doug Messer have made a big impact on Russells Program. They are to be commended.

Some New Blood would do the program some good I think. Those young coaches are gifted and hungry and should be given the reigns at Russell.

Not bashing on a personal level either.

I ust don't want to see another group of very talented kids come through and goto waste like the other dozens of groups that have before them.

I can 100% guarantee you letters have been thrown away. Invitations to camps.

A player this year asked one of the coaches to help him with footwork, because he will be playing on the line in college if he plays. That coach told him not to worry about it. What is that about? That's pathetic and should cost him his job on the staff imo.

[DevilsWin]

Not bashing on a personal level either.

I ust don't want to see another group of very talented kids come through and goto waste like the other dozens of groups that have before them.

I can 100% guarantee you letters have been thrown away. Invitations to camps.

A player this year asked one of the coaches to help him with footwork, because he will be playing on the line in college if he plays. That coach told him not to worry about it. What is that about? That's pathetic and should cost him his job on the staff imo.

Maybe that coach just isn't capable of teaching those techniques.

Did that player go to a Camp during the off season to learn these things? If so where?

No one plays college ball due to size alone. It takes hard work and dedication year round and year in /year out.

[FBALL]

It seems some have taken a doom and gloom attitude towards Russell... but the Devils have several facotrs in their favor that nearly assures they will be in the hunt every single year.

1. Feeder System- The JFL is as good as you will find anywhere in KY, and loaded with caring coaches. The vast majority of these kids enter HS with the fundamentals already down, where the coaches can now focus more on schemes and personal skill improvement.

2. Facilities- Russell has a very good weight trainign and conditioning program already in place. There will never be any doubt whether Russell teams will be bale to compete physcically. The flexibility of the program can also help it evolve with time. Evidently speed training and agility may be the next step. It is much easier for Russell to improve this when the base of what they need and the facilities needed are already there.

3. Numbers- Russell will always draw over 50+ kids out. This not only amplifies the available talent to pull from and develop..but it provides critical depth and the ability to practice against better talent.

4. Coaching Stability*- I put an asterisk on this because there will always be the possibility of an unforseen retirement by McGlone due to health or personal reasons, but the fact remains that McGlone and his top asisstants won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Thus the possibility of a cataclysmic event occuring, or the program completely changing their system and philosophy does nto exist as with other schools with constant coaching turnaround.

Without the doom and gloom

Coaching Stability -

Ivan will coach as long as he wants to and then pass the torch. My guess is to Morris. Beetle is right in certain aspects. It is very basic. Russell does not run alot of different schemes or different plays. Coach McGlone will always say "we do what we do". It is simple and you are not going to trick anybody. It depends on execution and determination by the players. I have said for years that Ivan is either the most patient or most stubborn man I have ever met.

I disagree about the coaching staff caring more about accolades than the student athletes. In all honesty I don't think they really care about the accolades at all.

As for the letters from colleges. I agree that the coaching staff could do more to help players get scholarships. But some of that responsibility goes to the players and families themselves. If you are good enough colleges will find you. I can say I did get letters when they were sent to the front office at the school. Did I get all of them? I don't know. That was a rumor as far back as when I played in the 80's.

Coach McGlone is a great guy and knows more about football than 99% of the population on this earth. He does care about kids and I have never known him to hold a grudge. He is old fashioned though. A little youth and energy to the coaching staff would be a plus. I know Ivan wanted Nate McPeek hired as a teacher when he came out of college but the Principal and Site Base did not want to hire a teacher with no experience. Even though McPeek was a good student and alum of Russell they hired someone who had years of teaching experience instead. Big mistake IMO. Nate would have been an asset to the Football program as well as the faculty.

I do think Jones may have already retired. But the stability is there.


Facilities -

Russell does have all the facilties they need. A new field house is needed but the weight room is adequate and the stadium is top of the line. The weight program is not mandatory. It is up to the student athletes as to how much they want to put into it.

Numbers and Feeder System -

I am putting these together because to me this is by far the most important factor in how good Russell's football program can be.

The numbers are there. The JFL numbers are up. Until you get to middle school. That is when they start declining and where the JFL and school system have dropped the ball. We put alot of work into the JFL and teaching these kids how to play football the right way. Most of the coaches and parents have done a tremendous job instilling pride in Russell football and teaching these kids to love the game and how to play it.

The biggest reason for the decline in numbers though is the decision that was made a few years ago to change the 11-13 year old division from four teams that played in a league against each other to sepearte 6th, 7th and 8th grade teams that compete against other middle schools.

This has started a terrible pattern. Usually about 30 kids start out in 6th grade. By their 7th grade year its usually down to 20 and by 8th grade its usually a few less than 7th grade. When you have the numbers to play as many as 25-30 kids per grade it is crazy to start weeding them out to compete with other schools who cannot match these numbers. Play within the league and get as many kids as much playing time as you can.

Let them love and play the game and then when they get to high school the numbers are there. If you four team of 6th-8th graders that is four full backfields, fours sets of linemen, four QBs etc.. all playing and learning and developing. Yeah the 6th graders usually don't play as much but as you get older you play more. There is a rule that the B team plays the second quarter. Kids understand the concept of paying your dues at this age. As it stands now the ones who don't get to play as much get frustrated and don't come back. No kid that age is going to want to work his butt off in practice and then just be a spectator in the game.

This to me is the most important factor determining if Russell reamains a football power or just an average program. Get all of these kids. Yeah not all of them will be stars or even play in high school. But many of them will continue to develope and some will suprise as the get older. These numbers provide depth and give a huge advantage for a 3A school. This to me has always been Russell's strength. Alot of kids that take pride in the football program. That is something we are currently losing at the middle school level and the highschool program is starting to suffer because of it.

[Beetle01]

Well if the line coach doesn't know the proper footwork for basic pass blocking, maybe that is why AJ had about .5 seconds to throw the ball this year.

[DevilsWin]

Without the doom and gloom

Coaching Stability -

Ivan will coach as long as he wants to and then pass the torch. My guess is to Morris. Beetle is right in certain aspects. It is very basic. Russell does not run alot of different schemes or different plays. Coach McGlone will always say "we do what we do". It is simple and you are not going to trick anybody. It depends on execution and determination by the players. I have said for years that Ivan is either the most patient or most stubborn man I have ever met.

I disagree about the coaching staff caring more about accolades than the student athletes. In all honesty I don't think they really care about the accolades at all.

As for the letters from colleges. I agree that the coaching staff could do more to help players get scholarships. But some of that responsibility goes to the players and families themselves. If you are good enough colleges will find you. I can say I did get letters when they were sent to the front office at the school. Did I get all of them? I don't know. That was a rumor as far back as when I played in the 80's.

Coach McGlone is a great guy and knows more about football than 99% of the population on this earth. He does care about kids and I have never known him to hold a grudge. He is old fashioned though. A little youth and energy to the coaching staff would be a plus. I know Ivan wanted Nate McPeek hired as a teacher when he came out of college but the Principal and Site Base did not want to hire a teacher with no experience. Even though McPeek was a good student and alum of Russell they hired someone who had years of teaching experience instead. Big mistake IMO. Nate would have been an asset to the Football program as well as the faculty.

I do think Jones may have already retired. But the stability is there.


Facilities -

Russell does have all the facilties they need. A new field house is needed but the weight room is adequate and the stadium is top of the line. The weight program is not mandatory. It is up to the student athletes as to how much they want to put into it.

Numbers and Feeder System -

I am putting these together because to me this is by far the most important factor in how good Russell's football program can be.

The numbers are there. The JFL numbers are up. Until you get to middle school. That is when they start declining and where the JFL and school system have dropped the ball. We put alot of work into the JFL and teaching these kids how to play football the right way. Most of the coaches and parents have done a tremendous job instilling pride in Russell football and teaching these kids to love the game and how to play it.

The biggest reason for the decline in numbers though is the decision that was made a few years ago to change the 11-13 year old division from four teams that played in a league against each other to sepearte 6th, 7th and 8th grade teams that compete against other middle schools.

This has started a terrible pattern. Usually about 30 kids start out in 6th grade. By their 7th grade year its usually down to 20 and by 8th grade its usually a few less than 7th grade. When you have the numbers to play as many as 25-30 kids per grade it is crazy to start weeding them out to compete with other schools who cannot match these numbers. Play within the league and get as many kids as much playing time as you can.

Let them love and play the game and then when they get to high school the numbers are there. If you four team of 6th-8th graders that is four full backfields, fours sets of linemen, four QBs etc.. all playing and learning and developing. Yeah the 6th graders usually don't play as much but as you get older you play more. There is a rule that the B team plays the second quarter. Kids understand the concept of paying your dues at this age. As it stands now the ones who don't get to play as much get frustrated and don't come back. No kid that age is going to want to work his butt off in practice and then just be a spectator in the game.

This to me is the most important factor determining if Russell reamains a football power or just an average program. Get all of these kids. Yeah not all of them will be stars or even play in high school. But many of them will continue to develope and some will suprise as the get older. These numbers provide depth and give a huge advantage for a 3A school. This to me has always been Russell's strength. Alot of kids that take pride in the football program. That is something we are currently losing at the middle school level and the highschool program is starting to suffer because of it.

I am glad some one finally brought this up.

Whoever thought this was a good idea should be banned from Russell Football Forever!

[FBALL]

I am glad some one finally brought this up.

Whoever thought this was a good idea should be banned from Russell Football Forever!

!

Trust me. It has been brought up and will continue to be until I am out of breath.

If the stars are the head then the depth is the heart. We have cut the heart out of the body in this case.

It needs to be fixed.

[FBALL]

I do want to say again that there is WAY TOO MUCH negativity toward the Russell program right now. Most schools would kill to have the coaching staff, facilities and number of kids that we have.

I really do feel that Russell fans have gotten a whole lot spoiled.

Note to Belfry fans. When the current run of greatness comes to an end and you have an average year. Don't turn on the team and the coaches. It does nothing but bring everyone down.

I'm not saying don't voice your opinion and not to be critical when you need to be. Just be realistic.

[ryanparker]

Note to Belfry fans. When the current run of greatness comes to an end and you have an average year. Don't turn on the team and the coaches. It does nothing but bring everyone down.

You assume that the current run of greatness for Belfry will come to an end.

[FBALL]

You assume that the current run of greatness for Belfry will come to an end.

It always does.

[jgrubby]

It always does.

Nothing lasts forever. But it does come in cycles.

[EKUAlum05]

Nothing lasts forever. But it does come in cycles.

Very true... I don't think Belfry will fall off the face of the earth or fall into mediocrity.. but when you are a rural school with a small enrollment ultimately it is nearly impossible to stay on the top of the mountaintop.

[thekicker]

I think that a huge problem with the whole russell community are the parents. When I played in little league when I was in 5th grade i didn't make the all-star team for baseball while some of the coaches kids that weren't very good did make the team. This completely turned me away from baseball and to prove them a point I was goin to excel in another sport that I loved. By middle school I started to get good and by highscool I was a Freshman starter. Not saying all but you can't tell me that some of these coaches/parents turn kids away from something that that just like doing and that one day could end up playing D-1 for a certain sport. Politics are the issue here. Just let them have fun.

[FBALL]

I think that a huge problem with the whole russell community are the parents. When I played in little league when I was in 5th grade i didn't make the all-star team for baseball while some of the coaches kids that weren't very good did make the team. This completely turned me away from baseball and to prove them a point I was goin to excel in another sport that I loved. By middle school I started to get good and by highscool I was a Freshman starter. Not saying all but you can't tell me that some of these coaches/parents turn kids away from something that that just like doing and that one day could end up playing D-1 for a certain sport. Politics are the issue here. Just let them have fun.

I agree with you. But I think that is a problem at alot of other places as well.

[Sarrr]

No matter what the Red Devil fans will be on your side.

That is why Russell will be back in no time.

It was just a bad year, everyone has them. The fact that the community is always going to support the team, they're going to be there packing stands at away games, cheering louder than anyone else outside of Pond Creek (:p ) and showing you how much they appreciate the fact that you just come out to play. It's inspiring, and Russell will reload in no time at all

[jgrubby]

I agree with you. But I think that is a problem at alot of other places as well.

Guys, just think if Michael Jordon didn't get cut from his high school basketball team he wouldn't have become who he is. Politics, is just something you have to learn to deal with. Obviously quitting wasn't with in him. I have seen talent come and go at Russell, and yet not used. It all comes down to heart. Teaching the kids to quit when they should try harder isn't the answer. If you think football has problems, HUH,...have your daughter go out for the cheerleading team!

[reddevilpride]

5 that I can count right off,
Wil Rice 5"8" 180 LB,FB
Steven Stapleton 5'10" 175 DB
Travis Jones 6'1" 210 guard, RB??
Spencer Hutchinson 6'0" 210 Center,guard,NG
Kam Smith 5'9" 200 LB and O-Line Anywhere!!

Which makes predictions interesting for next year.
QB- Sparks, Dehoff, Roark or Alleshouse
FB- Wil Rice
RB- Travis Jones,Jesse White, Joel Korzep,Dehoff,Davidson(soph),Max Rogers
Center- BIG JOHN Evans,Hutchinson
Guards-Kam Smith, Lee Marr,Zach Smith,Big John Evans
Tackles-Andy Lyon,????
Ends- Dehoff, MAX ROGERS, Bruce Bates

I can also see som eof these kids making a statement next year as Sophomores:
easier to do this:
6Brian Conley5' 8"170QB / DB9Zach Dickens5' 8"170RB / DB18Paul Spradlin5' 9"170RB / LB33Logan Dehoff (Captain)6' 1"180RB / LB27Miles Mussetter (Captain)5' 9"170RB / DB35Zach Thompson5' 8"170RB / DB40Justin Davidson (Captain)6' 2"185TE / DE52Sean Murphy5' 9"190OL /DL56Luke Bailey (Captain)6' 0"175E / DE65Jace Kibby5' 10"230OL / DL67TJ Pickett6' 0"210OL / DL71Cody Minnehan5' 10"175OL / LB73Myles Lane5' 9"185OL / DL76Erik Pierce6' 2"190OL / DL95Cody Castle6' 2"175OL / DL

I can see some of these sophomores next year getting a chance to play alot.
Good luck DEVILS in the off season and get ready for next year...right now we all better root for the PIRATES of BELFRY to wipe away the taste of bitterness and down the Yellowjackets of Central for revenge.

you left Max Rogers off of the returning starters list

[DEVILOLOGIST]

I knew that FBALL would eventually bring this up.

Here is the other end of the spectrum....:::

When we played JFL inthe 6th,7th and 8th grade we had NUMBERS and I am talking 1100-1200 kids in the high school, now we had around 650,, you can not tell me that this is not a reason for the kids not coming out.... So I hav prepared a list of other issues::::

1. We do not have the number in the school system like we used to. Almost cut in half, now with the layoffs and the economy, ARMCO and other companies I see this to continue....

2. When we played JUNIOR JFL, the high school did not have a Soccer team, no fall baseball, No video games, No Academic team, Boys did not cheer !!!!!!. We had baseball and track in the spring, basketball in the winter and Football inthe fall. Thats IT.


3 Now if you look at the Freshman team this year, they had low numbers,, but they have had low numbers from the beginning, no surprise there...

4.We had 75-80 kids onthe varsity team when I played with no freshman, the band had 100-150 kids in it!!!! We just dont dont have the numbers..

Now we can sit around and gripe about playing time or "My boy does not get to play and he should, The coach does not know what he is doing, he is killing my kids ego about starting......OR playing..... Well we can see both side of the arguement but we need to focus on a solution that is best for everyone in the long run.

Breaking the Middle school team down to JFL teams is not the Ultimate Answer, and here are some reason why:

1. 1990-1998- RHS had a record of 73 wins 33 losses, with the JFL
2000-2008- RHS had a record of 87 wins 21 losses, with 6,7,8th grade ball.

In 2000 we had an enrollment of 700 kids in the High school.
This year average is 660. it has dropped to as much as 652 average in 03-04 year. And I say again, the numbers are not there and they are dropping.

The current Middle School numbers is 493 students, 6,7,8th grade.

2. I can only answer for myself and the team I coached this year, the kids got more playing time this year in 6th grade than any other year in football.
TRUE !!!!!!!??????

3. Our 6th graders learned every high school football play inthe playbook, pulling guards, motions, passess, reverses adn everything was ran the same as High School. The 6th grade DEFENSE was taught the same defense the high school uses, same nomenclature, same stunts,same names for positions, same calls from the sidelines evertything was the same as high school. Kids learned and ran multiple positions and learned the blocking schemes from every position. So in reality we had 4 QBs, 12 running backs, 8 ends,and 15 linemen.

On the other side of the argument I also had kids that would not go in when you tried to put them in. I can name 5 kids right now that only wanted to stand on the sideline and wanted a jersey, They would tell you that they did not want to play and that the only reason they were there is that their parents made them play. These were the kids that hid behind kids, stood at the back of lines and did not want to play. YES THERE WERE THOSE KIDS TOO !!!!!!!

As a coach you play the best kids in each position, if you are not the QB and you can play end and play it well, then play it. If someone is better than you then they play the position. If a kid does not practice hard and pay attention, goofs off and does not ask a question when he does not understand, then when it comes time to do a job, he will not know what to do and he will stand out........

We can argue both side of the fence all day long but here is an answer to Middle School Football:

8th grade plays 20 games
7th grade plays 20 games
6th grade plays 20 games...... Sound rediculous until you look at this.

30 kids on a team each grade has a Varsity and JV game. Divide the number of games in half, all kids get to play. If you complain becasue your son does not play in the varsity game then you have no arguement about playing time, it is something else entirely.

Each team can play, work it out with the coaches of the opposing teams and I am sure that they would love to do the same thing to get there kids the playing time too.

There is no restrictions of how many games you play in Middle School, there is no governing body that restrict who you play or how many games you play.

The new KYMSFA is a great thing and allows the teams to play for a state championship at 7th and 8th grade level. They make sure that kids are eligible, by grade and by age-(hold back issue). They oversee it and take care of it.

They do not restrict the number of games either. BELFRY 8th grade team played 20 games this year, how do think they get there kids playing time?? They do it by playing more games.

Of course if you restrict the team to only playing 10 games, playing for a championship then you play to win with the best kids you have. if there was another game to get kids in for playing time and it makes your team better then why not do it??

I know that teams we played this year wanted more games and wanted to play 2 games back to back, we see it right now.. we agree and play. Morgan Co, Boyd Co. Lawrence Co. were local teams who wanted more games, Greenup Wurtland wanted to play us 5 times in a season becasue we taught our kids how to play,,,, ( we beat them everytime we played them and they knew that beating us would be tough but they wanted to play us anyway because of competition, they lost 5 games total in their season we were 3 of them)

SO a way to correct the issue is have more games which can be done easy, it makes more money for your league and helps the kids overall.

DRAWBACK to playing against each other as in JFL:
1. Kids dont want to play against their friends, they want to play WITH them.

2. Kids would fight in school in Pee-Wee league becasue they would be playing against each other coming up. This destroys friendships and does not build a team. Look at Greenup Co. They have more that one middle school and seperate teams. They are combining their teams next year in middle school. They will have a 6th a 7th and an 8th grade team combined from both schools. They are working on building team togetherness and know that NOT playing together has destroyed their high school program. It Shows !!!!

3. You only get as good as your best player, You can be a big fish in a little pond or you can learn to play together and play other schools.

In closing: My opinion......
Breaking down the Middle School teams into JFL teams will not cure the problem and will only create more problems in the long run.

[DEVILOLOGIST]

you left Max Rogers off of the returning starters list

SORRY, I FORGOT HIM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SORRY MAX!!!!!!!!!!!

[FBALL]

I knew that FBALL would eventually bring this up.

Here is the other end of the spectrum....:::

When we played JFL inthe 6th,7th and 8th grade we had NUMBERS and I am talking 1100-1200 kids in the high school, now we had around 650,, you can not tell me that this is not a reason for the kids not coming out.... So I hav prepared a list of other issues::::

1. We do not have the number in the school system like we used to. Almost cut in half, now with the layoffs and the economy, ARMCO and other companies I see this to continue....

2. When we played JUNIOR JFL, the high school did not have a Soccer team, no fall baseball, No video games, No Academic team, Boys did not cheer !!!!!!. We had baseball and track in the spring, basketball in the winter and Football inthe fall. Thats IT.


3 Now if you look at the Freshman team this year, they had low numbers,, but they have had low numbers from the beginning, no surprise there...

4.We had 75-80 kids onthe varsity team when I played with no freshman, the band had 100-150 kids in it!!!! We just dont dont have the numbers..

Now we can sit around and gripe about playing time or "My boy does not get to play and he should, The coach does not know what he is doing, he is killing my kids ego about starting......OR playing..... Well we can see both side of the arguement but we need to focus on a solution that is best for everyone in the long run.

Breaking the Middle school team down to JFL teams is not the Ultimate Answer, and here are some reason why:

1. 1990-1998- RHS had a record of 73 wins 33 losses, with the JFL
2000-2008- RHS had a record of 87 wins 21 losses, with 6,7,8th grade ball.

In 2000 we had an enrollment of 700 kids in the High school.
This year average is 660. it has dropped to as much as 652 average in 03-04 year. And I say again, the numbers are not there and they are dropping.

The current Middle School numbers is 493 students, 6,7,8th grade.

2. I can only answer for myself and the team I coached this year, the kids got more playing time this year in 6th grade than any other year in football.
TRUE !!!!!!!??????

3. Our 6th graders learned every high school football play inthe playbook, pulling guards, motions, passess, reverses adn everything was ran the same as High School. The 6th grade DEFENSE was taught the same defense the high school uses, same nomenclature, same stunts,same names for positions, same calls from the sidelines evertything was the same as high school. Kids learned and ran multiple positions and learned the blocking schemes from every position. So in reality we had 4 QBs, 12 running backs, 8 ends,and 15 linemen.

On the other side of the argument I also had kids that would not go in when you tried to put them in. I can name 5 kids right now that only wanted to stand on the sideline and wanted a jersey, They would tell you that they did not want to play and that the only reason they were there is that their parents made them play. These were the kids that hid behind kids, stood at the back of lines and did not want to play. YES THERE WERE THOSE KIDS TOO !!!!!!!

As a coach you play the best kids in each position, if you are not the QB and you can play end and play it well, then play it. If someone is better than you then they play the position. If a kid does not practice hard and pay attention, goofs off and does not ask a question when he does not understand, then when it comes time to do a job, he will not know what to do and he will stand out........

We can argue both side of the fence all day long but here is an answer to Middle School Football:

8th grade plays 20 games
7th grade plays 20 games
6th grade plays 20 games...... Sound rediculous until you look at this.

30 kids on a team each grade has a Varsity and JV game. Divide the number of games in half, all kids get to play. If you complain becasue your son does not play in the varsity game then you have no arguement about playing time, it is something else entirely.

Each team can play, work it out with the coaches of the opposing teams and I am sure that they would love to do the same thing to get there kids the playing time too.

There is no restrictions of how many games you play in Middle School, there is no governing body that restrict who you play or how many games you play.

The new KYMSFA is a great thing and allows the teams to play for a state championship at 7th and 8th grade level. They make sure that kids are eligible, by grade and by age-(hold back issue). They oversee it and take care of it.

They do not restrict the number of games either. BELFRY 8th grade team played 20 games this year, how do think they get there kids playing time?? They do it by playing more games.

Of course if you restrict the team to only playing 10 games, playing for a championship then you play to win with the best kids you have. if there was another game to get kids in for playing time and it makes your team better then why not do it??

I know that teams we played this year wanted more games and wanted to play 2 games back to back, we see it right now.. we agree and play. Morgan Co, Boyd Co. Lawrence Co. were local teams who wanted more games, Greenup Wurtland wanted to play us 5 times in a season becasue we taught our kids how to play,,,, ( we beat them everytime we played them and they knew that beating us would be tough but they wanted to play us anyway because of competition, they lost 5 games total in their season we were 3 of them)

SO a way to correct the issue is have more games which can be done easy, it makes more money for your league and helps the kids overall.

DRAWBACK to playing against each other as in JFL:
1. Kids dont want to play against their friends, they want to play WITH them.

2. Kids would fight in school in Pee-Wee league becasue they would be playing against each other coming up. This destroys friendships and does not build a team. Look at Greenup Co. They have more that one middle school and seperate teams. They are combining their teams next year in middle school. They will have a 6th a 7th and an 8th grade team combined from both schools. They are working on building team togetherness and know that NOT playing together has destroyed their high school program. It Shows !!!!

3. You only get as good as your best player, You can be a big fish in a little pond or you can learn to play together and play other schools.

In closing: My opinion......
Breaking down the Middle School teams into JFL teams will not cure the problem and will only create more problems in the long run.

We have plenty of numbers for four JFL teams. When you and I played there were six.

Don't use that argument about the economy. I work for AK. I know the situation much better than you. That doesn't change anything about the kids that are currently here and the ones who have quit teams because of the playing time issue. There are a bunch of them. Even some off of the 6th grade team this year. Want to bet there won't be nearly as many of them playing in 7th grade? I'll take that bet.

We had soccer when I played. It had just started though. The fact that there are more options for kids shows even more reason to keep the ones that want to play involved so they don't quit and go to another sport.

If you want to complain about playing time or egos or "your boy" thats up to you. My concern is for the Football program at Russell as whole and every single kid that is involved with it.

Sorry but most people and parents did not want to play 20 games. They do not want to travel all over the place when you can get just as many games and just as much playing time playing at home without the travel and expenses.

You may have had a Utopia in the 6th grade. But the 7th and 8th grade did not. They practiced together and half of the time you ended up with kids standing for an hour at a time doing nothing but watching. Not just one kid but all of them. You want to tell that kid he wasn't paying attention when he was standing doing nothing for an hour?

Kids like to play against their buddies. It does not cause problems and it does not destroy friendships and destroy teams. If anything it promotes better sportsmanship and competition.

Do you really want to use Greenup County and their feeder system as an example? I sure wouldn't. How about we use Ft Thomas as an example. The play in league against each other. They get more kids than any other school their size in the state.


My opinion. Break them down into JFL teams and keep the numbers that we have to start with. Yeah they all will not continue to play. But many more of them will and provide greater depth for the highschool program.

[DEVILOLOGIST]

Well you have contradicted the argument.
6th grade utopia
7th grade standing around for an hour at practice..
If that is the issue then ask the league to deal with THAT issue and not change it for everyone.
Like you and I have spoken about in person, we see things different, I agree with ya, the issue that you have brought up has been spoken about.

Yea you are right, people did complain about driving to SOME games.
Leslie Co
Shelby Valley
Estill Co

All of these games were Bowl Games and not part of the schedule, These were opportunities for kids to play and PARENTS knew that if they did not want to go play , they did not have to play, NO GAME WAS mandatory on my schedule. if a kid wanted to play then he showed up to be there.
You can not please everyone so do your best becasue no matter what you do it will **** someone off and not everyone will be happy..

What killed me was the parents that called the league and complained about driving to Morgan Co and play,,,yes Morgan wanted to play 2 games so their 5th grade could pick up a game against our JV 6th grade team. The problem was that the people who complained did not even go and the parents who drove down were upset if we did not play 2 games.

And I know that you know about the ARMCO deal I am not stupid........
I use that as referrence, My dad worked at C/O and grand-dad worked at ARMCO... The economy is going down hill around here and it affects everyone.....
When Ashland Oil went out, things started going down hill....

Now if you want to ask about the JFL days most recent ask Mike Couchot,, he was involved in the league. It got down to enought kids for 2 teams becasue kids did not want to play against each other, 6th graders did not want to play at all against 8th graders and then they have the second quarter rule so they get to play........
if you add 8 games with a second quarter rule at the end of the year you get what 2 games......
Talk about no playing time, 2 games in the entire year,, that seems to defeat the purpose of making JFL teams.


Yea we have spoken about this everytime we see each other in person.. It will continue to we die, because we just see things different...... Does not mean I dont love ya.

call me and lets get back together.......
Do you still love me??????

[kybaseball]

Hey you two it's the season to be jolly.

[DevilsWin]

We have plenty of numbers for four JFL teams. When you and I played there were six.

Don't use that argument about the economy. I work for AK. I know the situation much better than you. That doesn't change anything about the kids that are currently here and the ones who have quit teams because of the playing time issue. There are a bunch of them. Even some off of the 6th grade team this year. Want to bet there won't be nearly as many of them playing in 7th grade? I'll take that bet.

We had soccer when I played. It had just started though. The fact that there are more options for kids shows even more reason to keep the ones that want to play involved so they don't quit and go to another sport.

If you want to complain about playing time or egos or "your boy" thats up to you. My concern is for the Football program at Russell as whole and every single kid that is involved with it.

Sorry but most people and parents did not want to play 20 games. They do not want to travel all over the place when you can get just as many games and just as much playing time playing at home without the travel and expenses.

You may have had a Utopia in the 6th grade. But the 7th and 8th grade did not. They practiced together and half of the time you ended up with kids standing for an hour at a time doing nothing but watching. Not just one kid but all of them. You want to tell that kid he wasn't paying attention when he was standing doing nothing for an hour?

Kids like to play against their buddies. It does not cause problems and it does not destroy friendships and destroy teams. If anything it promotes better sportsmanship and competition.

Do you really want to use Greenup County and their feeder system as an example? I sure wouldn't. How about we use Ft Thomas as an example. The play in league against each other. They get more kids than any other school their size in the state.


My opinion. Break them down into JFL teams and keep the numbers that we have to start with. Yeah they all will not continue to play. But many more of them will and provide greater depth for the highschool program.

FBall makes a very good arguement. I agree. The way the JFL was set up in the late 1990s was far superior to the middle school programs of today. All you need to look at is the Russell Varsity record from 2002-2006.

[KYstraydog]

Trust me. It has been brought up and will continue to be until I am out of breath.

If the stars are the head then the depth is the heart. We have cut the heart out of the body in this case.

It needs to be fixed.

I wish it was fixed also.

[Fred Sanford]

Was there an incident after the Belfry game? I heard a player was pretty upset after the game.

[Fred Sanford]

Also not true, Jones is retiring soon. Ivan needs to be, the man can't even remember the plays he is calling anymore. He's been running the same 10 plays for 33 years. The game has passed him by,(I'm not judging that by this year, I was hoping he would be gone before I got there myself, it was a joke to play there Russell is what it is because of the JFL and the dads and coaches involved in it. I learned more about football from them and in 1 year at Ashland than I did in 3 at Russell, actually I learned nothing at Russell, because there was no coaching going on. I would like to see all of them step down except Morris, if he wants the Hc then he should have his shot. If not then keep him as defensive coordinator. I'd like to see Maynard brought in from Raceland as head coach, if he wanted it, maybe not but he should be number 1. ALso bring in Jeff Frasure and Chris Holbrook. With those 4 you would have a young motivated staff that would actually have a conditioning program. This is when Russell would really become a true football program. Get rid of the coaches who are more interested in the accolades they recieve than their students. Ivan has been caught throwing away letters from colleges for players. They do nothing to help players go on anywhere, I played with way too many players who could have easily played somewhere. Of course when you talk to college coaches after HS and they ask you why you never contacted them back, and you have no idea they tried to contact you. Pieces start falling into place. This did not occur to me, but atleast 10 other people I know, just from my grade and the grade above mine. How many other kids over 33 years?

May be one of the most ridiculous posts ever on this site. Most Russell kids are wanna be college players. Like to talk the talk but when they get in a collge program they last about a week or so. Coach MCGlone and his staff are top notch. Too many parents and others like to think they know the game but in reality they dont. Put Russell's record up against any in the state.
As far this year's team a lot of them did not want to put the time in the weight room to be successful. Just showed when they wanted to and it ended up biting them in the butt.

[FBALL]

Was there an incident after the Belfry game? I heard a player was pretty upset after the game.

Yeah there was. But its not a subject for an open forum.

[Fred Sanford]

Cancers are never good for a team. It rears its ugly head at some point.

[KYstraydog]

I love the Russell coaches to death, but years ago when I played I knew of letters being tossed to the side in that small office in the weight room. Some sat for weeks. Alot of invites came and passed also, but I believe Russells Athletic Director is doing a good job in that aspect. I know a guy who coached down in Jessup Ga. He showed me their locker room and all the kids had mailboxes in which these letters went into. Maybe that is an idea.

[Beetle01]

May be one of the most ridiculous posts ever on this site. Most Russell kids are wanna be college players. Like to talk the talk but when they get in a collge program they last about a week or so. Coach MCGlone and his staff are top notch. Too many parents and others like to think they know the game but in reality they dont. Put Russell's record up against any in the state.
As far this year's team a lot of them did not want to put the time in the weight room to be successful. Just showed when they wanted to and it ended up biting them in the butt.

Ill agree most kids dream of playing football on the next level. Hwoever, there is no preperation by the Russell coaching staff to prepare them for this. No lifting or conditioning program. And if you think what they have now counts you're sadly mistaken. I played at both Ashland and Russell and the reason 90% of the time Ashland beats us it is because of their intensified lifting and conditioning program. They actually have coaches who also push you to the limit. I have friends who have been through Marine Corps boot camp, and they said it was much easier than the 3 a days we used to have at Ashland. Russell has a good record, but against who? Against the Powell, Flemings, Lewis, East, West, Mason Co's of the world? Greenup and Boyd have been down for quite a few years. Lawrence has been way down. And even Ashland has been sub-par. Heck even OC wasn't very good and they made it to state, although traditionally this class has traditionally been won by the East. I remember state games being won by Boyle, Breathitt and other East teams by 30-40+ pts.

The time in the weight room shouldn't even be in question, it should be mandatory for all kids not involved in other sports, thats how it is in college and this is about preparing kids for the next level, they may not make it, but if they do they need to be ready. It should be about helping kids better their lives through the sport, which requires hard work, and yes sometimes HS boys need some mandatory motivation from their superiors, and if they can't handle it then they need to find other endeavours. Until the Russell fan base and parents can understand this, Russell will neevr be what it truly can be.

Instead letters are not even being given to the students, they are being thrown away by Coach Mcglone himself. Why do you think this year some parents had to goto the AD himself letting him know that if this was the case with their kid action qould be taken? I mean honestly, you're head coach for years has been throwing away college letters and invitations that are being sent to his players. I know this is 100% fact, no denying it. Even sometimes coaches ask for a player to call them but the player is not told. Who woud you recruit if you were a college coach at any level? A kid who's coach is out there pushing him and trying to sell him. Or a kid who's coach won't even let the kid know you're trying to contact him?

[ryanparker]

Ill agree most kids dream of playing football on the next level. Hwoever, there is no preperation by the Russell coaching staff to prepare them for this. No lifting or conditioning program. And if you think what they have now counts you're sadly mistaken. I played at both Ashland and Russell and the reason 90% of the time Ashland beats us it is because of their intensified lifting and conditioning program. They actually have coaches who also push you to the limit. I have friends who have been through Marine Corps boot camp, and they said it was much easier than the 3 a days we used to have at Ashland. Russell has a good record, but against who? Against the Powell, Flemings, Lewis, East, West, Mason Co's of the world? Greenup and Boyd have been down for quite a few years. Lawrence has been way down. And even Ashland has been sub-par. Heck even OC wasn't very good and they made it to state, although traditionally this class has traditionally been won by the East. I remember state games being won by Boyle, Breathitt and other East teams by 30-40+ pts.

The time in the weight room shouldn't even be in question, it should be mandatory for all kids not involved in other sports, thats how it is in college and this is about preparing kids for the next level, they may not make it, but if they do they need to be ready. It should be about helping kids better their lives through the sport, which requires hard work, and yes sometimes HS boys need some mandatory motivation from their superiors, and if they can't handle it then they need to find other endeavours. Until the Russell fan base and parents can understand this, Russell will neevr be what it truly can be.

Instead letters are not even being given to the students, they are being thrown away by Coach Mcglone himself. Why do you think this year some parents had to goto the AD himself letting him know that if this was the case with their kid action qould be taken? I mean honestly, you're head coach for years has been throwing away college letters and invitations that are being sent to his players. I know this is 100% fact, no denying it. Even sometimes coaches ask for a player to call them but the player is not told. Who woud you recruit if you were a college coach at any level? A kid who's coach is out there pushing him and trying to sell him. Or a kid who's coach won't even let the kid know you're trying to contact him?

I agree that a mandatory conditioning program is needed. It seems like if you are going to have a chance to play any sport in college these days, then you need to "specialize" and train year round for the sport. If you don't, then someone else will be out there doing so and beat you out.

I have no inside knowledge of the day-to-day operations of the Russell football program having never played...but I have to ask this...what in the world would be the motivation for a coach to throw letters that are intended for his players away??? I just don't understand why a coach would do this. What purpose would it serve?