Coshocton in a close one.

Agree believer, don't know how that is fun for these schools or coaches

I am going for Coshocton...but Alter is a machine...

Why is it that any team who can produce good teams year after year always get accused of recruiting?
Maybe if your team puts in the same hard work in the offseason, they can produce a successful squad! If people spent less time crying about unfairness it would free up more time to work to get better!

believer wrote: You have to admire the smugness, arrogance and confidence emanating from the fans of small Catholic schools - you know - the ones that "don't recruit" yet somehow consistently field D1-level talent year after year after year.

It's almost as if the OHSAA hands the alleged "D4" Catholic school a Glock and the genuinely D4 public school a pellet gun. Then the fans salivate with glee over the carnage about to occur.

Not complaining mind you. I'm excited and proud that my high school alma mater - for the first time in school history - was able to put together enough talent to finally make it all the way to state-level playoff play.

It's just that I honestly don't understand why the fans of schools like Alter, Mooney, Ursuline, etc. get all giddy about pounding the Sisters of the Poor. It's like clockwork.

I agree 100% but it will never change! Good Luck Skins from Da Wood!

tank2nasty wrote: Why is it that any team who can produce good teams year after year always get accused of recruiting?

Because it's easier to bitch about the unfairness of the system than to admit to themselves that their kids just don't have what it takes.

ridgerunner88 wrote: Brookhaven played Logan here. It should be okay for a D4 match-up. How big of a following does Alter bring with them?

Alter sold over 6,000 tickets for last week's game. Now that was very close to home. I'm afraid the small size of the stadium will keep some fans home.

believer wrote: You have to admire the smugness, arrogance and confidence emanating from the fans of small Catholic schools - you know - the ones that "don't recruit" yet somehow consistently field D1-level talent year after year after year.

It's almost as if the OHSAA hands the alleged "D4" Catholic school a Glock and the genuinely D4 public school a pellet gun. Then the fans salivate with glee over the carnage about to occur.

Not complaining mind you. I'm excited and proud that my high school alma mater - for the first time in school history - was able to put together enough talent to finally make it all the way to state-level playoff play.

It's just that I honestly don't understand why the fans of schools like Alter, Mooney, Ursuline, etc. get all giddy about pounding the Sisters of the Poor. It's like clockwork.

You people have it all wrong in Alter's case on the public vs. private discussion. They have to compete with 3 other Catholic schools, and very good public schools that are free. These other schools play good football (e.g. CJ on the private side and Centerville on the public side). I am amazed every year watching Alter succeed. They do it by developing players, many of which only make on the field contributions their senior years. They ultimately get contributions from kids who develop that would be cast aside in the large public schools early on. I would say they are very much like the successful small public schools you are familiar with (e.g. Coldwater, Steubenville).

Call it crying or bitching all you want, public vs private is not a level playing field. I promise you Ridgewood and Coshocton players and coaches have put in every bit as much work and time as Alter and Ursuline. There is a talent difference and no matter what some may say or believe hard work and heart simply (most of the time) can not match. Sure there are instances where these public schools match them talent wise or the case of determination and heart prevailing but they are far and few between. Its David vs. Goliath

Doc Holiday wrote: Call it crying or bitching all you want, public vs private is not a level playing field. I promise you Ridgewood and Coshocton players and coaches have put in every bit as much work and time as Alter and Ursuline. There is a talent difference and no matter what some may say or believe hard work and heart simply (most of the time) can not match. Sure there are instances where these public schools match them talent wise or the case of determination and heart prevailing but they are far and few between. Its David vs. Goliath

Why is it assumed that the disparity in talent is due to some unfairness? Why can't it simply be that their parents turned out kids athletically superior to yours?

ak_fan wrote:

believer wrote: You have to admire the smugness, arrogance and confidence emanating from the fans of small Catholic schools - you know - the ones that "don't recruit" yet somehow consistently field D1-level talent year after year after year.

It's almost as if the OHSAA hands the alleged "D4" Catholic school a Glock and the genuinely D4 public school a pellet gun. Then the fans salivate with glee over the carnage about to occur.

Not complaining mind you. I'm excited and proud that my high school alma mater - for the first time in school history - was able to put together enough talent to finally make it all the way to state-level playoff play.

It's just that I honestly don't understand why the fans of schools like Alter, Mooney, Ursuline, etc. get all giddy about pounding the Sisters of the Poor. It's like clockwork.

You people have it all wrong in Alter's case on the public vs. private discussion. They have to compete with 3 other Catholic schools, and very good public schools that are free. These other schools play good football (e.g. CJ on the private side and Centerville on the public side). I am amazed every year watching Alter succeed. They do it by developing players, many of which only make on the field contributions their senior years. They ultimately get contributions from kids who develop that would be cast aside in the large public schools early on. I would say they are very much like the successful small public schools you are familiar with (e.g. Coldwater, Steubenville).

I agree 200%!
Put in the work results will follow!

Me being A Big Red Guy I've never seen what's so called UNFAIR about playing the privates!
To be the best you gotta beat the best!

Go Alter
And I'm usually someone who roots for public schools!

Good luck Coshocton!!!

sebastian wrote: LOL, someone's parents obviously turned out athletic kids, however its a shame that it's not yours and that your schools have to go and find those kids in order to make you feel good about your football team.

Actually, I'm a public school parent. A public school in Ohio with a bunch of trophies that say "State Champion" on them. Interesting isn't it? We're both public school people. You whine, we win.

School name please?

Hilliard Davidson

Again lady, that's D1 school who has the numbers to match the recruiting evening out the playing field. When you are a D4, D5, or D6 school you have no chance of matching their numbers. Hell D2 schools would be hard pressed to.

Must be from steubenville or Coldwater. Like I said there are public programs that have been just as dominant as the private schools. Congrats, but typically that isnt the case. Bottom line is it works for you and you are going to back your schools, I understand that, but to an unbias person there is obviously some issues with the private/public situation.

Anyone who doesn't see public/private as an issue is just showing their ignorance.

tank2nasty wrote: Why is it that any team who can produce good teams year after year always get accused of recruiting?
Maybe if your team puts in the same hard work in the offseason, they can produce a successful squad! If people spent less time crying about unfairness it would free up more time to work to get better!

This is an ignorant statement and very unfair to the kids that work their asses off in the off season at small rural public schools.

Dr. Ray Stantz wrote: Anyone who doesn't see public/private as an issue is just showing their ignorance.

That's a cop-out. I can't speak for all private schools, but I know about Alter's situation. Here's the turning point in the Alter program:

2001 10 - 4
2000 4 - 5
1999 2 - 8
1998 3 - 7
1997 4 - 6

You'd probably say the turn-aound occurred in 2001 when Alter must have recruited better athletes. What happened was our current head coach arrived after the 1998 season and started building a football program. It took years of work to get to a winning season and the playoffs. I'll summarize by saying the coaches and players work year-round (within the rules) to prepare for each season. I believe the Alter program has benefited greatly from their playoff failures and successes which you can look up. But most recently Alter played 15 games in 2006, 12 games in 2007, 15 games in 2008 and 13 games (so far) in 2009. That means a lot of extra practices compared to non-playoff teams and much stiffer competition. If you look around, it is the committment to football and the success-breeding-success phenomena that causes the same schools (public and private) to go deep into the playoffs year after year.

I know for a fact Alter does not recruit. I have seen the confidence of the teams improve year-to-year and that makes a big difference. BTW, it would be a big mistake to confuse Alter's confidence with over-confidence. They respect teams that advance in the playoffs.

Good Luck Coshocton!! represent the ECOL...............Alter by whatever they want. Ill go with 28

sebastian wrote: Again lady, that's D1 school who has the numbers to match the recruiting evening out the playing field. When you are a D4, D5, or D6 school you have no chance of matching their numbers. Hell D2 schools would be hard pressed to.

This is as true as the sky is blue. Not saying it isn't fair or it should be changed but it is a fact. There's a reason why 2/3 of the state titles have been won by private and it's not because they work harder!!!

ridgerunner makes some excellent posts. These private schools are also affiliated with larger metropolitan areas versus communities like a Coshocton. I might be wrong but name me some powerhouse private schools that are located in a community of less than 6 or 7000 people and a city that isn't over 20,000 people within a half hour drive.

^^^Exactly.

And for those of you who think that the reason small urban Catholic schools put out consistent winners simply because their kids work harder or their parents care more or whatever bogus rationale you come up with, all I can say is that's an insult of the highest degree to the kids of rural-based public schools who work their asses off for the privilege of playing in the state playoffs.

Fact is urban-based private (Catholic) schools can "tap-in" - COUGH - to the local talent a lot more easily than rural-based public schools even with "open enrollment" and the parents of these kids are willing to pay the price so their boys will get D1-level college exposure. Of course they're going to sign-on with Mooney, Elder, Alter, etc.

To say the playing field is level in the current OHSAA set-up is ridiculous.

I know, I know I can bitch and whine until someone knocks off Alter but nothing will change.

Still just once I would love for one of you "Us Catholic boys just make better athletes" types to man-up and admit that it gets old if not embarrassing to kick the shit out of the public schools who don't enjoy the same talent resources you enjoy year after year.