Herbstreit Challenge Update....1/15

NYCBlue

NYCBlue

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Per Cincy Enqueer HS sports blog....


Herbstreit 2008 field: Update

The 2008 Kirk Herbstreit Challenge (football) continues to take shape. Here is the latest from a recent conversation with Jim Herbstreit, father of Kirk and prime matchmaker for the event:


--The Cincinnati games tentatively are Aug. 30-31 at Paul Brown Stadium, which is a switch from the UC Nippert Stadium venue the past two years.


--St. Xavier, Colerain, Moeller, Elder, Middletown, Lakota West and Huber Heights Wayne will play in the PBS event.


--East St. Louis (Ill.) has replaced Rockhurst (Mo.) in the PBS event. Also coming to Cincinnati, pending final agreements, are Chicago St. Rita, Prattville (Ala.), Warren Central (Indianapolis), Montgomery Bell (Nashville, Tenn.), St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and McKeesport (Pa.).


--In the upstate (Canton) portion of the event, teams will include Canton McKinley, Massillon, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, Steubenville, Woodland Hills (Pa.), Jordan (Utah), John Curtis (La.) and Indianapolis Cathedral.


--Matchups are still being ironed out and some contracts still need to be signed. We'll keep you posted, as event organizers hope to have this wrapped up soon.



 
 
Thanks for the info. I am a little disapointed the event was moved out of Nippert. On top of being a great venue, Nippert games are a GREAT recruiting tool for coach Kelly.
 
Who would the Ohio contingency like to see paired with St. Thomas Aquinas? I'm guessing it will be X due to:
1) X has won two of thel last three state titles in Ohio and has one loss TOTAL against Ohio comp the last three years
2) Catholic power vs. Catholic power

But, I know people will say X loses a lot. So, is there a team folks think will be the clear #1 in the state going into the game to play STA?
 
skyway28 said:
Who would the Ohio contingency like to see paired with St. Thomas Aquinas? I'm guessing it will be X due to:
1) X has won two of thel last three state titles in Ohio and has one loss TOTAL against Ohio comp the last three years
2) Catholic power vs. Catholic power

But, I know people will say X loses a lot. So, is there a team folks think will be the clear #1 in the state going into the game to play STA?
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Word is, due to the Chris Carter connection, STA will be paired with his alma mater Middletown. The Middies have not qualified for post season play since 1990, and have had only two winning seasons this decade. If there is any truth to this speculation, the game could be a bloodbath and a complete waste of time for STA.
 
Lakota West will embarress ohio in this event...

Please do not judge ohio based on Lakota West...No one can figure out why they are in the event...
 
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EaglePride01 said:
Word is, due to the Chris Carter connection, STA will be paired with his alma mater Middletown. The Middies have not qualified for post season play since 1990, and have had only two winning seasons this decade. If there is any truth to this speculation, the game could be a bloodbath and a complete waste of time for STA.
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And, worst of all, we'll hear the Ohio folks bitching ad nauseum about the matchup. And, if Middletown were to make any first downs or force any punts, the Ohio pundits will instantly claim STA would get handled by Ohio's best. It would be awful if that pairing happened.

However, I doubt an assistant coach would become a primary driving force in dictating the matchups. And, I'd help lead a push to claim such a pairing would be a product of Ohio's people wanting to protect the reps of Ohio's best teams by putting STA in a can't win scenario. Since it looks like Ohio may be without a domiant team this year, whoever is paired with STA could get beat. By pairing a nobody with them, Ohio folks could always write off the game as meaningless.
 
skyway28 said:
And, worst of all, we'll hear the Ohio folks bitching ad nauseum about the matchup. And, if Middletown were to make any first downs or force any punts, the Ohio pundits will instantly claim STA would get handled by Ohio's best. It would be awful if that pairing happened.

However, I doubt an assistant coach would become a primary driving force in dictating the matchups. And, I'd help lead a push to claim such a pairing would be a product of Ohio's people wanting to protect the reps of Ohio's best teams by putting STA in a can't win scenario. Since it looks like Ohio may be without a domiant team this year, whoever is paired with STA could get beat. By pairing a nobody with them, Ohio folks could always write off the game as meaningless.
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I agree with you. I made a comment earlier that if STA is a good as we expect them to be, any matchup could potentially be a lose/lose situation for them. With question marks surrounding many of the Ohio teams participating in this years event, the pundits can look at whatever the outcome may be and find a way to discredit an STA win or loss. Personally, I would like to see an STA vs. St. Ignatius matchup, but unfortunately Ignatius chooses not to particpate in the event.

Best case scenario for STA is that the speculation proves to be false, and you actually get matched up with one of the GCL-S schools, and then that team ends up winning the GCL-S and making a run a state. Unfortunately, that region is more wide open than it has been in quite some time, and its anybody's guess as to who the top dog is.
 
It's almost certain X will be no better than they were in 2006, when Lakeland beat them. And, despite the fact that X team was in the middle of a three year run where they only lost one game within Ohio, and the fact that Lakeland beat them, and the fact thatb the game was played in X's second home of Nippert.......Ohio fans still cliamed a "victory" of sorts.

You brought up a good idea in Iggy...until we realized they aren't on the list of participants :(. STA will have to blow out whoever they play to be given any respect. And, being that the game will be on the road in a hostile environment against one of Ohio's better teams, I think that is ridiculous.
 
skyway28 said:
And, worst of all, we'll hear the Ohio folks bitching ad nauseum about the matchup. And, if Middletown were to make any first downs or force any punts, the Ohio pundits will instantly claim STA would get handled by Ohio's best. It would be awful if that pairing happened.

However, I doubt an assistant coach would become a primary driving force in dictating the matchups. And, I'd help lead a push to claim such a pairing would be a product of Ohio's people wanting to protect the reps of Ohio's best teams by putting STA in a can't win scenario. Since it looks like Ohio may be without a domiant team this year, whoever is paired with STA could get beat. By pairing a nobody with them, Ohio folks could always write off the game as meaningless.
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Promoters always look for an angle to get exposure and thus $$$. The Carter connection is such a beast. Herbstreit obviously hasn't shied away from matching up big Ohio names against teams that are higher ranked nationally. I think the conspiracy theory can be put to rest.

In fact, if your premise is that the Herbie protects top Ohio porgrams, then the Herbie would not exist. The Herbie has one state to choose from on one side, and even then some of Ohio's top programs are limited in their ability to participate due to prior commitments. Against that limited pool, they've brought in a veritable national who's who of top opponents: DLS, Hoover, Byrnes, Lakeland, DeMatha, Poly, Pittsburgh CC, Independence, Tulsa Union etc etc etc.

Yet Ohio always has it pointed out that they don't have a winning record. Duh. Go figure. Oh, I forgot the 3 TD home field advantage everyone spouts off about.....
 
skyway28 said:
It's almost certain X will be no better than they were in 2006, when Lakeland beat them. And, despite the fact that X team was in the middle of a three year run where they only lost one game within Ohio, and the fact that Lakeland beat them, and the fact thatb the game was played in X's second home of Nippert.......Ohio fans still cliamed a "victory" of sorts.

You brought up a good idea in Iggy...until we realized they aren't on the list of participants :(. STA will have to blow out whoever they play to be given any respect. And, being that the game will be on the road in a hostile environment against one of Ohio's better teams, I think that is ridiculous.
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Why are you so concerned about this? It is a crap shoot.

X will be so new next year that they are a huge question mark. You rbest bets for good games in Cincy are still going to X or Colerain based on recent history. Unfortunately, neither expects to have their best teams in recent years. That's just how it is.

Now, if STA comes to Ohio, beats the poop out of X and X goes on to do well in Ohio D1, then you'll have the feather in your cap. If STA annihilates everything in Florida though, then we've got a standout team in STA but no real Ohio-Florida debate fodder.

You need to see:

1) Who beats who and how.

2) How do they perform at home for the year.


As regards X-Lakeland, there was a victory of sorts for X because they took the national #1 to the wire with a young team. That does not diminish tha fact that Lakeand traveled to Ohio and won a game against one of Ohio's better teams. X, Lakeland, Florida and Ohio all looked good as a result of that game.
 
NYCBlue said:
Per Cincy Enqueer HS sports blog....


Herbstreit 2008 field: Update
--In the upstate (Canton) portion of the event, teams will include Canton McKinley, Massillon, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, Steubenville, Woodland Hills (Pa.), Jordan (Utah), John Curtis (La.) and Indianapolis Cathedral.
Click to expand...

That name surprises me.
 
Middletown & And West Are A Joke Get Them Out!!! I Dont Care If Cris Carter Went To Middletown They Are Affull Get A Good Team Like Sycamore Or Princeton, But Middletown & West?!?!?!? Thats Just Dumb
 
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