Trinity Looks to Rock & Roll Again in 2009

by Jeff Fisher
Kentucky High School Football Huddle

One of my favorite parts of covering high school football for 35-years are the coaches I gotten to meet. High school football coaches are a different breed...especially the good ones.

For the most part, they're in it for the kids, not the accolades that come with the position.

That's why I enjoyed the Courier-Journal's story on Trinity head coach Bob Beatty, who heads into the season looking to tie Kentucky's state record for consecutive championships. The Shamrocks have won four straight 6A titles and Beatty owns seven total in his nine seasons at the helm...not to mention an .885 winning percentage with a 116-15 record.

My favorite part of the article, the fact that Beatty knew at the age of 12 he wanted to be a head coach.

This year, Beatty is putting the championship streak into the hands of junior quarterback Brad Kragthorpe, son of University of Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, 6-1, 180-pounder should be another good one in the long-line of top Rock QBs.

Trinity opens the season August 28th at home against Lawrence North from Indiana.

Pre-Season Kentucky High School Football Rankings

by Jeff Fisher
Kentucky High School Football Huddle
The regular season begins Friday and Saturday, and while this is 2009 and not 2008, coaches around the Bluegrass State don't think that much has changed as all six defending state champs were football #1 in the Pre-Season Coaches' Poll according to the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com.

The big question is...can the Trinity Shamrocks match Boyle County as the ONLY Kentucky team to ever win five straight high school football titles? Boyle County did it from 1999-2003.

In 5A, Highlands is going after a three-peat, as is Fort Campbell in 2A and Beechwood in Class A.

Here are the rankings in all six classifications with 2008 records:

CLASS 6A
1. Trinity (14-1)
2. St. Xavier (12-1)
3. Simon Kenton (10-5)
4. Boone County (9-4):
5. Male (9-5)
6. Henry Clay (6-5)
7. Manual (10-3)
8. Scott County (10-3)
9. Lafayette (7-4)
10. Bryan Station (6-5)

CLASS 5A
1. Highlands (14-1)
2. Owensboro (11-2)
3. Christian County (13-2)
4. John Hardin (12-2)
5. Bowling Green (9-3)
6. Johnson Central (11-2)
7. Whitley County (12-2)
8. Anderson County (7-5)
9. Pulaski County (8-4)
10. Dixie Heights (4-7)

CLASS 4A
1. Bell County (15-0)
2. Boyle County (13-1)
3. Lexington Catholic (8-5)
4. Bullitt East (9-6)
5. Calloway County (11-3)
6. Knox Central (9-4)
7. Western (3-9)
8. Marion County (9-3)
9. Fairdale (6-5)
10. Rockcastle County (8-4)

CLASS 3A
1. Central (11-3)
2. Breathitt County (12-3)
3. Belfry (13-1)
4. Elizabethtown (10-3)
5. Mason County (9-3)
6. Sheldon Clark (10-3)
7. Union County (8-6)
8. Russell (7-5)
9. Paducah Tilghman (2-8)
10. Garrard County (4-7)

CLASS 2A
1. Fort Campbell (14-1)
2. Newport Cent. Catholic (13-2)
3. Corbin (13-1)
4. Danville (8-4)
5. DeSales (10-3)
6. Murray (8-4)
7. Prestonsburg (11-2)
8. Green County (10-3)
9. Bardstown (4-8)
10. Middlesboro (8-4)

CLASS A
1. Beechwood (14-1)
2. Lexington Christian (10-4)
3. Frankfort (11-2)
4. Mayfield (7-6)
5. Raceland (12-1)
6. Hazard (11-4)
7. Bellevue (7-4)
8. Williamsburg (10-2)
9. Lou. Holy Cross (7-5)
10. Pikeville (7-6)

Ft. Campbell Player Dies After Football Practice

by Jeff Fisher
Kentucky High School Football Huddle

It never is easy to write these stories, but it's important to keep focus on the seriousness of what can happen on football fields.

Ft. Campbell (KY) high school player Tim Williams passed away after practice on Wednesday. A report on WKRN says that Williams died after practice and doesn't appear to be heat related since temperatures were in the 70's with rain. Click here to read the story.

My condolences go out to Williams' family, teammates and his school.

Non-Contact Drills Begin in Kentucky

by Jeff Fisher
Kentucky High School Football Huddle

Full contact drills don't begin until August 1st, but coaches are able to get down to the business of coaching today in the Bluegrass State. However, not all teams will be on the practice field today for non-contact workouts.

State officials want to make sure that before heading out into the summer heat, all coaches have completed training to comply with the state's new rules on heat-related training that were implemented last year after the heat-related death of Max Gilpin of Pleasure Ridge Park.

Two week's ago, the National Athletic Trainers' Association recommended that high school football teams should eliminate two-a-day practices in the first week of August. Kentucky High School Athletic Association rules prohibit teams from holding two-a-day workouts on consecutive days.

Click here to read about the National Athletic Trainers' Association recommendations.

The regular season begins August 21st in Kentucky.