trublue
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trublue got a reaction from Aftiqudgsa in USA Today HSS: Best High School Football Coach
When Philip Haywood first heard he was among 408 candidates for USA TODAY High School Sports' first-ever Best High School Football Coach competition, he figured he wouldn't last long because his community of Belfry, Ky., probably was too small to garner many votes.
He's rethinking that notion 2,332,660 votes later.
Haywood posted the most votes nationally in each round, including the final round that wrapped up Tuesday. A total of 12,501,928 votes were cast throughout the competition, including more than 3 million in the final round. Haywood received 1,529,789 votes in the final round, holding off a late-charging Kevin Lynott of Middletown, Md., who came in second with 1,311,825 votes in the national round.
"We have a team saying and this fits in with it well," Haywood said. "We tell our team, 'It's not about me, it's not about you, it's about us.' I think that is what our community feels about the football program and that is what this is about."
Belfry is an unincorporated community in Pike County, Ky., smack in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. It is more a cluster of tiny communities feeding into the school rather than its own separate town, and the area relies heavily on the coal-mining industry.
"We've been hit hard in recent years," Haywood said. "Something like this, as a community, it gives you a little perk. The whole community felt like this could be a ray of sunshine in tough times."
Haywood has been coaching at Belfry for 29 years, after spending nine years as the head coach in his hometown of Prestonsburg, Ky. His overall career record is 371-125, with two state titles in six trips to the championship game.
His run through the monthlong best coach contest was equally impressive.
Roughly 4.5 million votes were cast during the regional round, with Haywood receiving the most in the country at 653,111. He edged Mike Lalor of Stillman Valley (Stillman, Ill.) in Region Four, as Lalor received 642,342 votes in what turned out to be a heated race to the final buzzer.
The other regional winners were Jim Hightower of St. Thomas More in Lafayette, La., Mike Herrington of Hart in Newhall, Calif., Rick Jones of Greenwood, Ark., Jim Hoover of Walton, N.Y., Lynott of Middletown, Md., Marcus Boyles of Petal, Miss., and Jeff Van Leur of Bridgewater Emery Ethan in Emery, S.D.
The regional round lasted nine days on the heels of a state round in which fans cast approximately 4.8 million total votes. The leading vote-getter among the 408 coaches in the state round was again Haywood with 149,760.
USA TODAY staffers selected eight active head football coaches in each state and Washington, D.C. after more than a month of conversations with local media and other state/school officials with high school football expertise. From there, the fans decided which coach emerged from a list of 408.
The Belfry athletic department will receive $2,000 for Haywood's victory. Second through fifth places also receive cash prizes for the athletic departments: second ($1,000), third ($500), fourth ($250) and fifth ($100). All eight finalists receive banners for their schools.
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trublue got a reaction from reuctucrart in USA Today HSS: Best High School Football Coach
When Philip Haywood first heard he was among 408 candidates for USA TODAY High School Sports' first-ever Best High School Football Coach competition, he figured he wouldn't last long because his community of Belfry, Ky., probably was too small to garner many votes.
He's rethinking that notion 2,332,660 votes later.
Haywood posted the most votes nationally in each round, including the final round that wrapped up Tuesday. A total of 12,501,928 votes were cast throughout the competition, including more than 3 million in the final round. Haywood received 1,529,789 votes in the final round, holding off a late-charging Kevin Lynott of Middletown, Md., who came in second with 1,311,825 votes in the national round.
"We have a team saying and this fits in with it well," Haywood said. "We tell our team, 'It's not about me, it's not about you, it's about us.' I think that is what our community feels about the football program and that is what this is about."
Belfry is an unincorporated community in Pike County, Ky., smack in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. It is more a cluster of tiny communities feeding into the school rather than its own separate town, and the area relies heavily on the coal-mining industry.
"We've been hit hard in recent years," Haywood said. "Something like this, as a community, it gives you a little perk. The whole community felt like this could be a ray of sunshine in tough times."
Haywood has been coaching at Belfry for 29 years, after spending nine years as the head coach in his hometown of Prestonsburg, Ky. His overall career record is 371-125, with two state titles in six trips to the championship game.
His run through the monthlong best coach contest was equally impressive.
Roughly 4.5 million votes were cast during the regional round, with Haywood receiving the most in the country at 653,111. He edged Mike Lalor of Stillman Valley (Stillman, Ill.) in Region Four, as Lalor received 642,342 votes in what turned out to be a heated race to the final buzzer.
The other regional winners were Jim Hightower of St. Thomas More in Lafayette, La., Mike Herrington of Hart in Newhall, Calif., Rick Jones of Greenwood, Ark., Jim Hoover of Walton, N.Y., Lynott of Middletown, Md., Marcus Boyles of Petal, Miss., and Jeff Van Leur of Bridgewater Emery Ethan in Emery, S.D.
The regional round lasted nine days on the heels of a state round in which fans cast approximately 4.8 million total votes. The leading vote-getter among the 408 coaches in the state round was again Haywood with 149,760.
USA TODAY staffers selected eight active head football coaches in each state and Washington, D.C. after more than a month of conversations with local media and other state/school officials with high school football expertise. From there, the fans decided which coach emerged from a list of 408.
The Belfry athletic department will receive $2,000 for Haywood's victory. Second through fifth places also receive cash prizes for the athletic departments: second ($1,000), third ($500), fourth ($250) and fifth ($100). All eight finalists receive banners for their schools.
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trublue got a reaction from reuctucrart in Fri FB Score UPDATES Wk. 8 10-18-2013
ABC13 Sportsâ€@13Sports1m
Liberty 14 Buckingham 7 at halftime
J-99 Sportsâ€@J99Sports3m
Touchdown Gate City 2pc no good 18-0 is your score with 1:27 left in the 1st as the Blue Devils lead the Lee High Generals
WVVASPORTSâ€@WVVASPORTS3m
Midland Trail comes right back and scores, leading Montcalm 14-6 with :49 left in the 1st quarter
757Teamzâ€@757teamz4m
Oscar Smith 28, Grassfield 0. Halftime.
J-99 Sportsâ€@J99Sports4m
Rye Cove 8, Thomas Walker 6 in the first quarter
Great State
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trublue got a reaction from BlueRazor in Fri FB Score UPDATES Wk. 8 10-18-2013
WVVASPORTSâ€@WVVASPORTS43s
Capital leads Woodrow 34-0 10:00+ left in game
ABC13 Sportsâ€@13Sports1m
FINAL: Magna Vista 29 G.W. Danville 28. Magna Vista came from 21 down to win
J-99 Sportsâ€@J99Sports1m
Rye Cove 52, Thomas Walker 40 at the end of the 3rd quarter
Great State
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trublue got a reaction from redtiger in Score Updates: 10/11
Tim Hayesâ€@Hayes_BHCSports7m
Go ahead and admit it: A 9-0 Honaker team vs. a 9-0 Haysi team on Nov. 8 in Sandlick would be epic
Great State
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trublue got a reaction from GMan in FB UPDATES- Fri. 8/30/2013
SWVA Sports Live!â€@swvasportslive2m
Another TOUCHDOWN GENERALS!!!!! 5:59 remains before half time. Lee-17 Burton-0.
Jim Saccoâ€@Sacco_BHCSports3m
Told ya' Harlow was back. 9-yard TD run. 8:28 left in 1st half Battle up 21-0. Radio crew who called our pick "erroneous" silent
roanoke.com sportsâ€@timesland4m
Football:Lord Botetourt 30, James River 0, halftime
WVVASPORTSâ€@WVVASPORTS5m
10-0 River View. End of 1st.
WVVASPORTSâ€@WVVASPORTS5m
Bluefield up 21-0
Great State