Does anyone really believe that...

[93Bulldog]

When good athletes stop playing other sports to concentrate on football, you might be a football school.

We've seen a lot of those over the last 5 years at Athens.

I'd say we are officially a football school now, which sounds asinine after being so bad for so long.

[Bird Dog]

At this time it's Wheelersburg in multiple major sports. Everything and everyone else can be debated.

[Ironman92]

That is a great answer.



Oh no...if you ask around, there are many in this community believe that Vinton County is a "football" school. However, I disagree, but I do not know why I disagree? And is Vinton County a basketball school? Does success dictate the moniker of "basketball" school? For example, Unioto constantly competing on the regional level in Cross Country and Golf, but does that make it a "cross country" or "golf" school? Adena has made several trips to the state in volleyball, but that success does not translate to success in other girls' programs, but again, does that make Adena a "volleyball" school?

I suppose that every sport is different. Apples and Oranges. But the one common thread is that there is competent and stable leadership at the head of those sport programs.

I am still pondering.

Maybe a couple different levels a bit. By my own made guidelines the majority of the top athletes have to be involved...but if you ask me to name a cross country school I’m going to name Unioto 1st and then maybe Fairfield. Is Adena a volleyball school? To me they sure are....Eastern Pike was for a long time too. Heck my school Whiteoak is a basketball school and there isn’t really any argument against it, except that they don’t have a rich tradition of success but they get all the athletes available and people down that way live and breathe it.

Also needs to be a thing where it’s been that way for a long long time. Nelsonville is a football school. Jackson is a football school as well. Ironton....football school. Burg is the one school that really is known for more than 1 major sport.

Anyways....VC is clearly a basketball school. I’ve seen them come to Jackson and fill up the visitor bleachers and when we go your way....no where to sit. Why...because they are a basketball school and community. As for football I’ve been to the VC field several times...home side has openings to sit in many places, when they travel they don’t travel a big big crowd.

Schools and communities across SE Ohio make a huge deal out of high school sports and will sacrifice for them.

We have one of the top wrestling programs in the state so we are good at that as well lol
Track is pretty darn good as well.
Nelsonville-York competes very well at the state level in both of those sports.
Sure NY is a "Football school" but we also compete well in other areas so Burg isn't the only school that's known for multiple sports.

Yes, I realize wrestling and Track and Field aren't that popular.

NY I’d guess has many football kids wrestling....and many in track on those great relay teams.

Sorry, didn’t want to ruffle anything but I live 40 miles away and to me Nelsonville is known for football. People that don’t even follow football knows Nelsonville is a name you hear in football. Your wrestling program is 2nd to none around here....I don’t know that BY is known for wrestling. I guess I should’ve said the main sports.

[Ironman92]

Guess I did say major sport.....

Track and wrestling aren’t major sports

[Orange and Brown]

Guess I did say major sport.....

Track and wrestling aren’t major sports

I kinda figured that's what you meant, but to me any sport someone dedicates their time to is a major sport. Our wrestlers bust their butts almost year round.
Our track kids Start indoor season in January and then head right into outdoor season.
No harm no foul.... I just try to make sure our other sports get the reconition they deserve

[Ironman92]

Guess I did say major sport.....

Track and wrestling aren’t major sports

I kinda figured that's what you meant, but to me any sport someone dedicates their time to is a major sport. Our wrestlers bust their butts almost year round.
Our track kids Start indoor season in January and then head right into outdoor season.
No harm no foul.... I just try to make sure our other sports get the reconition they deserve

Well I’ve coached track and still coach XC and golfed in high school...so no problems there.

[Chieftain2009]

Guess I did say major sport.....

Track and wrestling aren’t major sports

I kinda figured that's what you meant, but to me any sport someone dedicates their time to is a major sport. Our wrestlers bust their butts almost year round.
Our track kids Start indoor season in January and then head right into outdoor season.
No harm no foul.... I just try to make sure our other sports get the reconition they deserve

Agree with your statement, any sport someone dedicates their time to is a major sport. Most people just look at football, basketball and baseball. I myself, competed in track at the college level, coached at the high school and college level. So to me, track is also a major sport.

[Sid Farkus]

Jackson is a football school.
Vinton County is a basketball school.

I agree that Jackson is a football school, but Vinton County is not a basketball school. Instead, I would say Matt Combs is a great basketball coach. Jackson has had success in football with different coaches. The same cannot be said for Vinton County. They were not a basketball school before Combs and if and when he decides to leave I'd bet they will no longer have the success in basketball that they've enjoyed during the Combs' era. I think a school needs to have success with multiple coaches to be considered prolific in a sport. I'd consider Jackson, Nelsonville-York, Wheelersburg and Ironton football schools. I think Wheelersburg may be the only school I'd truly consider a boys' basketball school. Maybe Waterford in girls' basketball. Not sure how many coaches have had success in girls' hoops there, so I may be wrong. Hawkeye, you mention Adena volleyball. Again, I think they have a very good coach. We'll see if their success continues when she leaves, also.

[Raider6309]

If Vinton isn’t a basketball school then Jackson and Wheelersburg aren’t football schools.

[Sid Farkus]

If Vinton isn’t a basketball school then Jackson and Wheelersburg aren’t football schools.

I believe I explained the difference my post. Were you not able to comprehend that or did you not read my post?

[Raider6309]

I believe I explained the difference my post. Were you not able to comprehend that or did you not read my post?

So Jackson and Wheelersburg aren’t football schools with your logic. Just a few years ago Athens played Jackson home and away, Jackson had very few fans but Jackson was around.500 ball club

Vinton packed our gym and they were under .500 at the time in basketball

[Poo Bear]

We will argue about anything in the off season

[Sid Farkus]

I believe I explained the difference my post. Were you not able to comprehend that or did you not read my post?

So Jackson and Wheelersburg aren’t football schools with your logic. Just a few years ago Athens played Jackson home and away, Jackson had very few fans but Jackson was around.500 ball club

Vinton packed our gym and they were under .500 at the time in basketball

Again, I stated that Jackson and Wheelersburg are football schools because they've experienced success with more than 1 coach. I'm not concerned with fan support, I'm concerned with success. VC just got off to a bad start in basketball this year. Everyone knew they would still have a good season. Again, without Combs I think they'd be mediocre in basketball on a yearly basis.

[Ironman92]

If Vinton isn’t a basketball school then Jackson and Wheelersburg aren’t football schools.

It’s all just differing views on it.

[Ironman92]

I don’t care the success...Eastern Pike, Peebles, Whiteoak, Eastern Brown are all basketball schools...and minimal debate about that in those communities.

[PowerLifitingNut]

If a poster from your school gets on here and argues with others that "we're not a football school," you're probably a football school.

If posters from your school get on here and argue, "but our athletes in other sports bust their butts..." trying to prove your not a football school, you're probably a football school.

If a poster from your school does both of the above, you are definitely a football school. So yes, Nelsonville-YORK is a football school.

[rxburgfan]

Most refer to themselves at HS level as a Football school. Football drives the budgets for all the other programs. College it can be different.

[indianabuck]

I grew up in Indiana when basketball rules. When I was in HS we lost 10 games, and 5 of them were my senior year. After I left, they went on to lose a grand total of 15 games the rest of the decade of the 90s. Most years our football team won more games than the basketball team.
Coaching stability is huge. From 1975 until 2011 we had 2 head coaches. One is in the hall of fame, the other will 've when he retires. He is still coaching and winning at another school. He could end up having the 2nd most wins in Indiana history.
The kids know what to expect year in year out. When change is constant, no one knows what to expect. That is when programs turn south.

[Tartanblue]

Well yeah, if there can be schools who basketball schools why can't there be schools who are football schools, most of them we repeatedly see playing deep in the post season.

[Zunardo]

Put away all of these details that make football the spectacle it is and what are we left with?

There are annual county fairs and the Ohio State Fair - take away all of the details that make the spectacles that they are , and what are you left with? A dog-and-pony show? No, no - it's the sum total of all those things - and that's a good thing.

I think deep down many of us want to experience Friday night football and and still imagine we are in the world of the Boys Life Book sports stories series. The drive to an away game on winding roads with cornstalks on each side for miles, a marching band playing their pre-game, the smell of popcorn, teams warming up on the field, stadium lights backed by an azure sky just after sunset ...... it doesn't last long, so savor it while you can.