Year of the Ugly SEOAL

[farmer]

Paldin you keep saying scheduling and travel to play better teams. But I and Witness Protection have brought up some other ways that may improve also. Which you are not even giving a second thought about. The red herring as you say about cost is real. Especially when a district has to try to pass a levy. I did mention that the state/feds are taking even more money away from schools. So schools are dealing with less for education. Some schools have a pay to play. While others do not charge but if it costs more it may led to pay to play.

Look at many professional sports games that are not sell outs because of people not being able to afford going. Big gates at schools also led to big fund raisers for other programs/organizations at the school. Like split the pot tickets and other raffles. There is only so much money to go around. What happens if gas goes to $5 a gallon? When the schedule is made that includes long road trips.

So what about the programs infrastructure in improving play on the field?

[Ironman61]

Haha are you kidding me this horse died along time ago but some refuse to quit kicking it. I guess if you cant win the league title then you should take whatever cheap shots you can at the rest of the league. I suggest you look for proof of your beliefs in you own back yard. For years you have preached about se ohio and their weak scheduling and beat your chest about logans non league schedule but where did that get you unless i have missed something there is no state championship trophy in logans trophy case in fact if memory serves me correctly you rarely even make iy past the first round and now you cant even compete in one of the " weakest" leagues in ohio! So yes schedule teams from columbus or dayton or cincy thats the only places where they play real ball and do ya know where that will get ya....1-9 and a trip to nowhere week 11

[noreply66]

It seems like when you win the league and you beat the other teams by large amounts the league is called weak.

maybe we need barn burners every week.

[moonshine]

Haha are you kidding me this horse died along time ago but some refuse to quit kicking it. I guess if you cant win the league title then you should take whatever cheap shots you can at the rest of the league. I suggest you look for proof of your beliefs in you own back yard. For years you have preached about se ohio and their weak scheduling and beat your chest about logans non league schedule but where did that get you unless i have missed something there is no state championship trophy in logans trophy case in fact if memory serves me correctly you rarely even make iy past the first round and now you cant even compete in one of the " weakest" leagues in ohio! So yes schedule teams from columbus or dayton or cincy thats the only places where they play real ball and do ya know where that will get ya....1-9 and a trip to nowhere week 11

And does Jackson have one of those trophy in there case? It also seems like jacson has trouble getting past the 2nd game most of the time!

[Ironman61]

This is true jackson does not have one but no one from Jackson standin on a soap box preachin on how to reach the promise land either

[BubbleGumTiger]

This is true jackson does not have one but no one from Jackson standin on a soap box preachin on how to reach the promise land either

[Ironman61]

The league may have a down year but i wouldnt call it a weak league secondly i think if u take jackson gallia warren would have been competitive in any surrounding leagues

[Chieftain]

Let me take a reverse arguement some of you want to have--

tough schedules work both ways and you must accept that double edged sword if you are going to lift the competitive level of your team. Warren Harding, a perrenial power and playoff participant just went 2-8 this year. They also just fired the first year new HC Rios today (but thats another story). Mooney a few years back went 0-10. Anyone ever imagine that ? And, of course , you have Logan. You can't have a powerhouse each and every year. That is something you HAVE to accept with a difficult schedule. But you also have to EXPECT that over time, it raises your competitive level and helps you excell when you DO have athletes. Thats where the downfall is in SEO football. People want a winner every year and manipulate the schedules to get weak teams and easy victories. Come playoff time with that "great" record, you get you A handed to you, quickly.

And for farmer -- everyone lifts. I don't see much upside to that arguement either. That never seems to separate the teams up here. Run a good lifting program and play a soft schedule and you get the same results. And, yes, we have schools up here that are unachievers because of that. No one takes them seriously.

[WitnessProtection]

Paladin II,
Your example of Rosecrans is spot on. I now live in Zanesville and my son is in Scouts with some boys who attend the Catholic school system (elementary). One of the kids plays pee-wee or midget football, whatever you wanna call it.
Anyway, his father told me that the Rosecrans "system" is instilled in the kids from the time they're small. If the kids stay in that program from elementary through high school and are receiving proper instruction, it makes a huge difference. They did a great job this year in the ECOL. I was very impressed with their performances, even in losing efforts.
You said you coached at Rosecrans. How much financial support does the athletic department receive from the Rosecrans community (parents, alumni, friendly businesses, etc.)? I know they play home football at ZHS and home soccer at Riverside Park. What other facilities do they have and of what quality are they?
I believe that what we are looking at is a combination of things. Everything that we have talked about on here plays a role in the success of an athletic program, from finances to strength of schedule to community demographics, etc. Some of these factors may play a larger role than others. I do agree with Paladin II that if you don't play a quality schedule you probably won't enjoy much postseason success.

[Chieftain]

When I was there ( eons ago,lol), the boosters were pretty good and had a nice mix of local businessmen and ordinary parents of athletes. I raised hell my first year at the poor uniforms they had and was given a blank check to buy new ones. I got the best $$$$$$$ could buy. We traveled in charter buses, not school buses and had blazers for the BB players to wear on trips. I haven't been there for awhile but was told they put in a diamond and track behind the H.S. The gym at Rosecrans is pretty good too and its a real snake box to play in ( I was also the JV coach and Varisty assistant while there and we played in the state tournament in BB in Columbus at old St. John's arena).

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I'll say something on this thread that will surely get ripped but SE Ohio plays some good football but because of geography, economics and demographics, it is really not an equal subset of the rest of Ohio. I wish there were some way to have our own seperate regional playoffs. I don't think you will see a team from SE Ohio ever compete again seriously for a state championship. That doesn't mean there won't be some compelling football played here. I wish we could arrange to play off like teams from Ohio against teams from WV or Kentucky. That is more apples-to-apples. You know deep down what I say is true but don't like to admit it. PII is just saying what he is observing.

NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND.
IRONTON'S OPPONENT'S WENT 64-35
THAT FEATURED 3 UNDEFEATED TEAMS,
6 PLAYOFF TEAMS
1 STATE CHAMPION
AND 2 TEAMS THAT ENDED UP 1ST IN THEIR REGION.
THAT AIN'T WEAK AT ALL, AND THEY WERE IN THE 3RD ROUND LAST YEAR , AND LOST TO THE EVENTUAL STATE CHAMPION. SO TO SAY NOBODY WILL DO IT AGAIN , STAY TUNED.

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

Population density has nothing to do with it when there are 6 divisions and you play the playoffs in your division. Teams up here who could play next door neighbors don't always do that and often are traveling 2-3 hours for a game. Lots of games between Cleveland , Columbus, Cincy and Ytown teams.

It still boils down to playing better competition and getting used to the better quality of competition. And that happens in every corner of the state, even in cow country, small town NWO, very similar to SEO. BTW, the "cost" arguement is another red herring. Many schools up North are in financial trouble too, but still travel to get good competition, so that arguement is bogus. Schools are strapped for money. Nothing new there.

YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS PALADIN ABOUT THIS LOOK AT YOUNGSTOWN URSILINE, A SOLID D2 TEAM.SOME WOULD ARGUE D1.IT DON'T TAKE 1,000 KIDS , IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT HAND PICKED KIDS.

[Ironman61]

So teams should schedule over their head every year untill the right talent comes along to win state? All or nothing eh.... The thing is we are not in an area where we are fortunate enough to have feeder schools or numerous amounts of schools in a close proxemity so that talent can transfer in ... No we play what we got and do the best we can....look at Athens they were doing really bad in the seoal sure they had sum good runs every few years when the talent was there but bottum line they were overscheduled now look 10 and 0 number 2 in the region there has to be balance when scheduling you cant just play years u have talent being succesfull in the post season takes a mix of things scheduling is important but you got to schedule games you got a shot at winning

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

AND YES I KNOW THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT. YOU KNOW I KNOW.

[WitnessProtection]

When I was there ( eons ago,lol), the boosters were pretty good and had a nice mix of local businessmen and ordinary parents of athletes. I raised hell my first year at the poor uniforms they had and was given a blank check to buy new ones. I got the best $$$$$$$ could buy. We traveled in charter buses, not school buses and had blazers for the BB players to wear on trips. I haven't been there for awhile but was told they put in a diamond and track behind the H.S. The gym at Rosecrans is pretty good too and its a real snake box to play in ( I was also the JV coach and Varisty assistant while there and we played in the state tournament in BB in Columbus at old St. John's arena).

Thanks! Still getting familiar with the area and its schools.

[Chieftain]

For you Jackson folk, I'm not going to cut you any slack -- no one said anything about "scheduling over your head". Read my words -- RAISE YOUR COMPETITIVE LEVEL. Surely everyone laughs when they see your first 3 games annually. Wheres the competition ? Let me give you this -- I expect a Jackson "upset" of Athens in the first round. Why ? Beacuse other than N-Y, they played inferior teams of smaller schools or weaker opponents. BTW, Jackson then gets HAMMERED by Alder in Rd 2.
When you can project that you'll only win 50% of the time against the non-league schedule, you will have arrived. In good years, you should be much better. And in bad years................. opps, forgot, Jackson schedules so there are no "down years", even if they get kicked around in the league. lol

[Ironman61]

My whole point is logan Has finally started scheduling up after years of cherry picking which i find completely ironic considering all the preaching ole pally does now yet it has done squat for them you won they games you should have won and lost the ones u should have lost. I guess my point being is that there are obviously more factors at work in being a sucess in the grand scheme of the post season than just scheduling harder teams first and secondly i would have loved to seen logan play ironton or st charles this year....

[Ironman61]

Hell i dont even know if u would have beat wellston waverly or vinton for that matter

[gunit]

Paladin

The funniest thing of this whole post is you acting like Rosecrans is a football power... basketball, yes... football not even close...

[Chieftain]

I believe I still own the best yearly record at the school .... 8-1 and a league Championship with a final Top Ten position in the polls. That last game loss was on the road at a D-II school by a 12-8 score and we missed ( not by much) an unbeaten season, which RHS has never had. Depends on what you call a power -- playing lots of D-II and D-III teams as a D-VI doesn't count, especially when you are winning most of those games ? 6-4 this year against that killer schedule ? Tough crowd here....................lol

Logan , bless them, played better than St. Charles for YEARS -- DeSALES. Logan played Ironton annually till the tigger ran -- beat them handily, thank you.Can't play them if they leave the league, as you know those boys had a "problem" with travel, so they say. Yet, Logan still had solid D-I programs no one in SEO would beat ( Lancaster, North & Burg). Anyone wanna rate the Alder team Logan played this year ? True, talent was down, discipline problems, injuries, new coach and a very, very tough schedule. I'm not whining either. You take your chances, you risk lumps. With those problems, no wins. No one doubted Logan when they played the same type schedule and rolled over everyone in SEO, including those chest thumping tigger boys on the river who ran from them. Logan will be back and with a challenging schedule, will pass most in talent and ability playing teams better than most in SEO. Logan will be aided, however, by SEO teams that don't challnge their kids and make them less prepared physically to play. No competition leads to no competitive level.