The first Cantrall ratings of the season were published in Monday's Lexington Herald-Leader, and there were a couple of surprises on the girls' side. Calloway County is ranked ninth and Murray is ranked 17th, the first time in several years — perhaps a decade or longer — that the First Region has had two schools ranked in the top 20.
The Cantralls don't count out-of-state games, so Murray's two early-season hiccups against two Tennesee clubs — nearby Henry County and defending private-school state champion Ensworth — don't figure into the equation. Neither does Calloway's two wins over Martin Westview (a final four team in Tennessee Class 2A a year ago) and the solid 2-1 performance at a tournament in Orlando last week.
Murray and Calloway meet for the first time on Jan. 14, which could be the first of four meetings this season.
Paducah Tilghman was the First Region's top team in the rankings and tied for 32nd overall with Louisville Western.
• Marshall County point guard Margaret Thomas is expected to make her debut on Tuesday night against Lone Oak and potentially see major minutes when the Lady Marshals host Calloway County on Friday night.
Thomas, a Paducah Sun All-Purchase selection a year ago, originally opted not to play this season, reportedly because she was upset that Marshall assistant Aaron Beth didn't get the head coaching job this summer after the retirement of his father, Howard Beth.
She changed her mind after the Lady Marshals played their first two games in Marshall County's Hoop Fest, but Marshall coach Joseph Simmons decreed that Thomas would have to practice with the team for a few weeks before being eligible to play.
• As one All-Purchase player rejoins the regional ranks, another of the area's most dynamic guards is sidelined for the rest of the season. Paducah Tilghman playmaker Chelsey Shumpert, a sophomore who had a chance to become a four-time All-Purchase pick, has a torn ACL in her right knee and is out for the remainder of the season.
Shumpert will do some rehabilitation work and have surgery within a few weeks. She originally tweaked the knee while playing AAU ball this summer, but the injury was diagnosed at the time as a strained ligament. She went down in the second quarter of Tilghman's Dec. 18 game with Lone Oak, but the torn ACL wasn't diagnosed until nearly a week later, after the Lady Tornado returned from playing in the Kenton County Classic in northern Kentucky.
• The All A Classic First Region tournament will be seeded via the first batch of Litkenhous Ratings, which will be released this week in the Louisville Courier-Journal. The boys' ratings will be published on Tuesday with the girls' ratings set for release on Friday.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Big Ten's meltdown ...
Ohio State University president Dr. Gordon Gee ruffled a few feathers a while back with his comments that football programs such as Texas Christian and Boise State didn't deserve to be considered for Bowl Championship Series honors because of their supposedly weak conference affiliations.
Even worse was his characterization of the Buckeyes' Big Ten schedule as a "Murderers' Row."
On New Year's Day, the murderers were ... well, murdered.
Northwestern lost to Texas Tech in the Ticketcity Bowl, whatever that is. Penn State gave up 20 unanswered points in the last 18 minutes to fall to Florida in the Outback Bowl.
And it got worse. Wisconsin, the Big Ten champion, was beaten by undeserving TCU in the Rose Bowl. Michigan was utterly humiliated by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, outscored 42-0 in the final three quarters.
To top it off, Big Ten co-champion Michigan State was bombed, battered and blasted by Alabama, outgained 3-1 and held to minus-48 yards rushing in a 49-7 rout in the Capital One Bowl. But the Spartans did make it respectable, right, by scoring an "oh, by the way" touchdown after falling behind 49-0?
Dr. Gee might want to stick to running his university and refrain from future smug and pretentious comments about the Big Ten, whose reputation has taken a beating in recent years. Maybe the league should spend more time working to modernize and upgrade its football programs instead of gerrymandering its divisions and choosing haughty division names like "Leaders" and "Legends."
Oh, and the Buckeyes still have to play their bowl game, with several players whose suspensions have been delayed until next season so they can "preserve the integrity" of Tuesday night's Sugar Bowl. I suspect there are a lot of college football fans who will be yelling "Wooo, pig sooie" for Arkansas' Razorbacks.
Even worse was his characterization of the Buckeyes' Big Ten schedule as a "Murderers' Row."
On New Year's Day, the murderers were ... well, murdered.
Northwestern lost to Texas Tech in the Ticketcity Bowl, whatever that is. Penn State gave up 20 unanswered points in the last 18 minutes to fall to Florida in the Outback Bowl.
And it got worse. Wisconsin, the Big Ten champion, was beaten by undeserving TCU in the Rose Bowl. Michigan was utterly humiliated by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, outscored 42-0 in the final three quarters.
To top it off, Big Ten co-champion Michigan State was bombed, battered and blasted by Alabama, outgained 3-1 and held to minus-48 yards rushing in a 49-7 rout in the Capital One Bowl. But the Spartans did make it respectable, right, by scoring an "oh, by the way" touchdown after falling behind 49-0?
Dr. Gee might want to stick to running his university and refrain from future smug and pretentious comments about the Big Ten, whose reputation has taken a beating in recent years. Maybe the league should spend more time working to modernize and upgrade its football programs instead of gerrymandering its divisions and choosing haughty division names like "Leaders" and "Legends."
Oh, and the Buckeyes still have to play their bowl game, with several players whose suspensions have been delayed until next season so they can "preserve the integrity" of Tuesday night's Sugar Bowl. I suspect there are a lot of college football fans who will be yelling "Wooo, pig sooie" for Arkansas' Razorbacks.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
All A Classic state tournament pairings ...
It's a new year, and it's time to get back on the blogging thing.
To start 2011, let's discuss the All A Classic state tournament pairings, which were released on the small-school state tournament's website this week.
The state tournament is Feb. 2-6 at Eastern Kentucky University's McBrayer Arena and was pushed back a week this year because of a scheduling conflict with Eastern and the Ohio Valley Conference. The regional championship games are on Jan. 22 at Graves County's Eagles' Nest, so each regional champions will have about 10 days to prepare for the state tournament.
On the girls' side, the First Region champion will take on the 15th Region winner — a very winnable contest if, say, Murray or Ballard Memorial wins the regional title. Shelby Valley, Paintsville and Sheldon Clark are the 15th Region favorites, but all three would likely be an underdog against Murray or Ballard.
The Fourth Region representative, potentially Glasgow or Monroe County, could be a tough quarterfinal-round opponent. Murray beat Glasgow in the first round of the state tournament a year ago before losing to eventual champion Newport Catholic in the semifinals. Newport Catholic could be waiting in the semifinals this year, too.
Crittenden County is the Second Region favorite, with Livingston Central looming as the top challenger, but either is likely to be an underdog against Lexington Christian, the likely 11th Region champion.
The boys' First Region race appears to be wide open, with Fulton County, defending champion Ballard Memorial and Heath among the favorites. The first-round opponent in Richmond is the 13th Region winner, which is likely to be Barbourville. Potential second-round opponents include Glasgow, Russellville and Danville.
University Heights is the Second Region favorite and will be among the state favorites. The Second Region drew the 14th Region, where Hazard and Buckhorn are the favorites. Newport Catholic would make for a very tough quarterfinal-round foe.
To start 2011, let's discuss the All A Classic state tournament pairings, which were released on the small-school state tournament's website this week.
The state tournament is Feb. 2-6 at Eastern Kentucky University's McBrayer Arena and was pushed back a week this year because of a scheduling conflict with Eastern and the Ohio Valley Conference. The regional championship games are on Jan. 22 at Graves County's Eagles' Nest, so each regional champions will have about 10 days to prepare for the state tournament.
On the girls' side, the First Region champion will take on the 15th Region winner — a very winnable contest if, say, Murray or Ballard Memorial wins the regional title. Shelby Valley, Paintsville and Sheldon Clark are the 15th Region favorites, but all three would likely be an underdog against Murray or Ballard.
The Fourth Region representative, potentially Glasgow or Monroe County, could be a tough quarterfinal-round opponent. Murray beat Glasgow in the first round of the state tournament a year ago before losing to eventual champion Newport Catholic in the semifinals. Newport Catholic could be waiting in the semifinals this year, too.
Crittenden County is the Second Region favorite, with Livingston Central looming as the top challenger, but either is likely to be an underdog against Lexington Christian, the likely 11th Region champion.
The boys' First Region race appears to be wide open, with Fulton County, defending champion Ballard Memorial and Heath among the favorites. The first-round opponent in Richmond is the 13th Region winner, which is likely to be Barbourville. Potential second-round opponents include Glasgow, Russellville and Danville.
University Heights is the Second Region favorite and will be among the state favorites. The Second Region drew the 14th Region, where Hazard and Buckhorn are the favorites. Newport Catholic would make for a very tough quarterfinal-round foe.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sigler, Morris, Duncan receive state honors ...
Caldwell County running back-safety Brandon Sigler was named the state's Class 2A player of the year by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association, and Mayfield's Joe Morris (Class A) and Murray's Steve Duncan (Class 2A) were named the coach of the year in their respective classes.
Other players named were quarterback Jon Combs of Hazard in Class A, tailback Anthony Wales of Louisville Central in Class 3A, linebacker Lamar Dawson of Boyle County in Class 4A, wide receiver-defensive back Marcoreyon Tandy of Christian County in Class 5A and quarterback Demarcus Smith of Louisville Seneca in Class 6A.
Other coaches of the year were Russellville's John Myers (a former Mayfield assistant) in Class 3A, Allen County's Brad Hood in Class 4A, Warren Central's Mike Rogers (formerly of Graves County) in Class 5A and Ryle's Bryson Warner in Class 6A.
Other players named were quarterback Jon Combs of Hazard in Class A, tailback Anthony Wales of Louisville Central in Class 3A, linebacker Lamar Dawson of Boyle County in Class 4A, wide receiver-defensive back Marcoreyon Tandy of Christian County in Class 5A and quarterback Demarcus Smith of Louisville Seneca in Class 6A.
Other coaches of the year were Russellville's John Myers (a former Mayfield assistant) in Class 3A, Allen County's Brad Hood in Class 4A, Warren Central's Mike Rogers (formerly of Graves County) in Class 5A and Ryle's Bryson Warner in Class 6A.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Fictional playoff ...
It's my yearly rite to post what a 16-team college football playoff would look like instead of the fiasco that is the Bowl Championship Series.
Here is how it works: seven conferences get automatic bids and another bid goes to the highest-ranked team (in the BCS standings) from the other Division I-A leagues. That gives us these automatic qualifiers:
Big East: Connecticut
ACC : Virginia Tech
SEC: Auburn
Big Ten: Wisconsin
Big 12: Oklahoma
Mountain West: TCU
Pac-10: Oregon
Others: Boise State
Now, we use the BCS rankings to give us eight at-large teams: Stanford, Ohio State, Arkansas, Michigan State, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Nevada
Very interesting is the omission of Alabama, the defending national champion. For the life of me, I can't fathom a system that says Alabama isn't one of the top 15 teams in the country, but the BCS rankings have the Crimson Tide at No. 16. As it turns out, Nevada — thanks to its win over Boise State — edged out the Tide for the last spot.
That gives us these first-round games, in bracket order:
Ohio State vs. Boise State
TCU vs. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma vs. LSU
Oregon vs. Nevada
Wisconsin vs. Missouri
Stanford vs. Virginia Tech
Arkansas vs. Michigan State
Auburn vs. Connecticut
Personally, I love the Ohio State-Boise State matchup, given the comments of Ohio State president Gordon Gee a couple of weeks ago. Just imagine that if Alabama had gotten in as the lowest seed, the Tide would meet Oregon in the first round.
My solution is this: Use the top six bowl games (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Cotton, Fiesta and whichever other one is your preference) to host the quarterfinals and semifinals on a rotating basis. Use eight other bowl sites to host first-round games on a rotation basis.
Then let the other 21 bowl games invite teams as they wish, and schedule those during the week where they won't conflict with the NCAA tournament games. That still lets fans of the participating teams and college football junkies to watch them — and let's face it, those are the only people who care for those games anyway.
Play out the bracket for yourself and see what later-round match-ups you get. Wouldn't this be much better than the system we have now?
Here is how it works: seven conferences get automatic bids and another bid goes to the highest-ranked team (in the BCS standings) from the other Division I-A leagues. That gives us these automatic qualifiers:
Big East: Connecticut
ACC : Virginia Tech
SEC: Auburn
Big Ten: Wisconsin
Big 12: Oklahoma
Mountain West: TCU
Pac-10: Oregon
Others: Boise State
Now, we use the BCS rankings to give us eight at-large teams: Stanford, Ohio State, Arkansas, Michigan State, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Nevada
Very interesting is the omission of Alabama, the defending national champion. For the life of me, I can't fathom a system that says Alabama isn't one of the top 15 teams in the country, but the BCS rankings have the Crimson Tide at No. 16. As it turns out, Nevada — thanks to its win over Boise State — edged out the Tide for the last spot.
That gives us these first-round games, in bracket order:
Ohio State vs. Boise State
TCU vs. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma vs. LSU
Oregon vs. Nevada
Wisconsin vs. Missouri
Stanford vs. Virginia Tech
Arkansas vs. Michigan State
Auburn vs. Connecticut
Personally, I love the Ohio State-Boise State matchup, given the comments of Ohio State president Gordon Gee a couple of weeks ago. Just imagine that if Alabama had gotten in as the lowest seed, the Tide would meet Oregon in the first round.
My solution is this: Use the top six bowl games (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Cotton, Fiesta and whichever other one is your preference) to host the quarterfinals and semifinals on a rotating basis. Use eight other bowl sites to host first-round games on a rotation basis.
Then let the other 21 bowl games invite teams as they wish, and schedule those during the week where they won't conflict with the NCAA tournament games. That still lets fans of the participating teams and college football junkies to watch them — and let's face it, those are the only people who care for those games anyway.
Play out the bracket for yourself and see what later-round match-ups you get. Wouldn't this be much better than the system we have now?
BluegrassPreps.com preseason rankings ...
Note that Paducah Tilghman is 11th in the preseason poll, and the Tornado will face No. 13 Louisville Ballard in the opening round of Lexington Catholic's Republic Bank Classic after Christmas.
Calloway County's girls are ranked 18th.
Boys
1. Louisville Eastern
2. Jeffersontown
3. Clark County
4. Christian County
5. Louisville Seneca
6. Lexington Tates Creek
7. Bowling Green
8. Warren Central
9. Pleasure Ridge Park
10. Louisville Trinity
11. Paducah Tilghman
12. Louisville Iroquois
13. Louisville Ballard
14. Lexington Lafayette
15. Louisville Male
16. Louisville Moore
17. Lexington Catholic
18. Mason County
19. Scott County
20. Muhlenberg County
Girls
1. Marion County
2. Louisville Manual
3. Rockcastle County
4. Scott County
5. Louisville Sacred Heart
6. Boone County
7. Louisville Sacred Heart
8. Louisville Mercy
9. Madison Central
10. Perry Central
11. Louisville Butler
12. Louisville Ballard
13. Bowling Green
14. Ryle
15. Henderson County
16. Anderson County
17. Clay County
18. Calloway County
19. Elizabethtown
20. Monroe County
Calloway County's girls are ranked 18th.
Boys
1. Louisville Eastern
2. Jeffersontown
3. Clark County
4. Christian County
5. Louisville Seneca
6. Lexington Tates Creek
7. Bowling Green
8. Warren Central
9. Pleasure Ridge Park
10. Louisville Trinity
11. Paducah Tilghman
12. Louisville Iroquois
13. Louisville Ballard
14. Lexington Lafayette
15. Louisville Male
16. Louisville Moore
17. Lexington Catholic
18. Mason County
19. Scott County
20. Muhlenberg County
Girls
1. Marion County
2. Louisville Manual
3. Rockcastle County
4. Scott County
5. Louisville Sacred Heart
6. Boone County
7. Louisville Sacred Heart
8. Louisville Mercy
9. Madison Central
10. Perry Central
11. Louisville Butler
12. Louisville Ballard
13. Bowling Green
14. Ryle
15. Henderson County
16. Anderson County
17. Clay County
18. Calloway County
19. Elizabethtown
20. Monroe County
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
BluegrassPreps.com rankings ...
Final rankings for the 2010 season:
Class A
1. Mayfield
2. Hazard
3. Beechwood
4. Louisville Holy Cross
5. Frankfort
6. Lexington Christian
7. Fairview
8. Crittenden County
9. Raceland
10. Kentucky Country Day
Class 2A
1. Newport Catholic
2. Owensboro Catholic
3. Louisville DeSales
4. Murray
5. Danville
6. Prestonsburg
7. Corbin
8. Christian Academy of Louisville
9. Glasgow
10. Green County
Class 3A
1. Somerset
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Central
4. Mason County
5. Union County
6. Pike Central
7. Sheldon Clark
8. Belfry
9. Russellville
10. Breathitt County
Class 4A
1. Bell County
2. Boyle County
3. Allen County
4. Collins
5. Louisville Western
6. Covington Holmes
7. Knox Central
8. Lone Oak
9. Franklin-Simpson
10. Lexington Catholic
Class 5A
1. Fort Thomas Highlands
2. John Hardin
3. Christian County
4. Warren Central
5. Bowling Green
6. Johnson Central
7. Pulaski County
8. Covington Catholic
9. Dixie Heights
10. Harlan County
Class 6A
1. Louisville Trinity
2. Louisville St. Xavier
3. Ryle
4. Louisville Ballard
5. Simon Kenton
6. Louisville Male
7. Louisville Eastern
8. Lexington Henry Clay
9. Louisville Seneca
10. Pleasure Ridge Park
Class A
1. Mayfield
2. Hazard
3. Beechwood
4. Louisville Holy Cross
5. Frankfort
6. Lexington Christian
7. Fairview
8. Crittenden County
9. Raceland
10. Kentucky Country Day
Class 2A
1. Newport Catholic
2. Owensboro Catholic
3. Louisville DeSales
4. Murray
5. Danville
6. Prestonsburg
7. Corbin
8. Christian Academy of Louisville
9. Glasgow
10. Green County
Class 3A
1. Somerset
2. Paducah Tilghman
3. Central
4. Mason County
5. Union County
6. Pike Central
7. Sheldon Clark
8. Belfry
9. Russellville
10. Breathitt County
Class 4A
1. Bell County
2. Boyle County
3. Allen County
4. Collins
5. Louisville Western
6. Covington Holmes
7. Knox Central
8. Lone Oak
9. Franklin-Simpson
10. Lexington Catholic
Class 5A
1. Fort Thomas Highlands
2. John Hardin
3. Christian County
4. Warren Central
5. Bowling Green
6. Johnson Central
7. Pulaski County
8. Covington Catholic
9. Dixie Heights
10. Harlan County
Class 6A
1. Louisville Trinity
2. Louisville St. Xavier
3. Ryle
4. Louisville Ballard
5. Simon Kenton
6. Louisville Male
7. Louisville Eastern
8. Lexington Henry Clay
9. Louisville Seneca
10. Pleasure Ridge Park
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