justmyvoice (anonymous) says...

Way to go Hartford girls! That team had one goal...to not let Olpe score 50 points. They new they wouldn't win that game but they weren't going to give Olpe the satisfaction of running the score up and also having a running clock. Hartford may not have scored many points and they may have lost but they didn't give Olpe the satisfaction of making their stats look good, 4th quarter Olpe only scored 6 points. How about those stats! Someone tell me the last time Olpe/Jesse Nelson won a state title. Yes their records look marvelous, their high scoring games put them over the top and they do have players with a lot of ability. Never fails for front page news for blowing the other team apart! But when it comes to the big "show" where is their record? The look on Nelson's face when he couldn't get the refs to do something about Hartfords stalling tactic is "priceless" Lets see Olpe play some teams with higher quality, and see what happens. Oh never mind that already happens when they get beat out on their way to state.

It's nice to see the other towns within the league cheering for the team playing against Olpe.

January 23, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

batbatly (anonymous) says...

Sounds like somebody is a little upset at all the beatdowns Olpe has thrown on Hartford. It's a little sad when you get all your satisfaction from keeping Olpe from getting the running clock. I wonder what the Hartford girls were thinking in the second half when their coach didn't have enough confidence in her players to let them at least try to make a game out of it. Instead, she had her players lay down for Olpe, basically doing them a favor by keeping them rested in the second half. But congrats on keeping it to just 30 points. I'm sure you're real proud.

January 23, 2008 at 12:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

I've also seen Olpe's starters on the floor starting the 4th quarter with 50+ point leads. I guess given their propensity to worry about stats they should expect overmatched teams to play slowdown games.

January 23, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

fudgesickle (anonymous) says...

lol, the envy of Olpe continues...

January 23, 2008 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

gtntired30 (anonymous) says...

justmyvoice seems to be a bit blinded by ignorance. I set close to the Olpe bench during that game. Their coach never said anything about the stall tactics of the Hartford team to the officials. I am betting that he realizes that the stall is an available part of the game. I do not believe that Olpe had any scoring goals in mind. I have heard him say that honestly they have NEVER had an offensive goal or a number of points to beat the opponnent by. Nelson is admittedly not a stat keeper and never shows the stats to anyone including the media. There is NO running clock rule in the league so the clock was not his goal. With 5 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter Olpe was playing their bench. There may have been even more substitutions but with the stall game there was not a lot of clock stoppages. I really doubt that 6 points in the fourth quarter in a game like that makes a lot of difference to their coach. I would not try to comment on the strategy of Hartford because I do not know her team or what her intentions were. Halfway through the 3rd quarter of a game what is it that you think any team should do. I was watching and I saw 12 kids on their team and I believe 10 of them played in 4 quarters. They actually I believe scored 8 in the last quarter not 6 as you have said .......but they only scored 7 in the 3rd and actually only 11 in the second. Not sure that the 46 that Olpe was held to is really a big deal but you can cheer it if you think it is a worthy goal. Not sure where you are going on that schools previous records. There are over 100 teams in 1A and going through the elimination process is difficult. I am thinking that whatever their total of state appearances is...something like 16 or so ...that they have faced and beaten a few quality teams. This is a league tournament and as far as I know only league schools are allowed to play in it.
What is it that you would have had them do differently in that game? As for starters being on the floor to start the fourth quarter of a game. I believe that is a common practice of having subs finish the 3rd and letting starters have some time in the fourth. It would seem to me that those players that have earned the most playing time should get the most playing time. As for others rooting against Olpe.......I hear people rooting against the Patriots, the, Yankees, etc. I have a feeling that people even pulled a little for David vs Goliath. I don't suppose the Olpe team likes it but I think they understand it. I have watched many tourneys and I will say I have never seen a badly behaved Olpe team. They usually have a good team that plays with control and sportsmanship. You can hate them if you want but I have to admit that I like to watch them play. Its a great tournament and I will be there for every game possible.

January 23, 2008 at 3 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

gtntired30 (anonymous) says...

justmyvoice seems to be a bit blinded by ignorance. I set close to the Olpe bench during that game. Their coach never said anything about the stall tactics of the Hartford team to the officials. I am betting that he realizes that the stall is an available part of the game. I do not believe that Olpe had any scoring goals in mind. I have heard him say that honestly they have NEVER had an offensive goal or a number of points to beat the opponnent by. Nelson is admittedly not a stat keeper and never shows the stats to anyone including the media. There is NO running clock rule in the league tournament so the clock was not a likely goal. With 5 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter Olpe was playing their bench. There may have been even more substitutions but with the stall game there was not a lot of clock stoppages. I really doubt that 6 points in the fourth quarter in a game like that makes a lot of difference to their coach. I would not try to comment on the strategy of Hartford because I do not know her team or what her intentions were. Halfway through the 3rd quarter of a game what is it that you think any team should do. I was watching and I saw 12 kids on their team and I believe 10 of them played in 4 quarters. They actually I believe scored 8 in the last quarter not 6 as you have said .......but they only scored 7 in the 3rd and actually only 11 in the second. Not sure that the 46 that Olpe was held to is really a big deal but you can cheer it if you think it is a worthy goal. Not sure where you are going on that schools previous records. There are over 100 teams in 1A and going through the elimination process is difficult. I am thinking that whatever their total of state appearances is...something like 16 or so ...that they have faced and beaten a few quality teams. This is a league tournament and as far as I know only league schools are allowed to play in it.
What is it that you would have had them do differently in that game? As for starters being on the floor to start the fourth quarter of a game. I believe that is a common practice of having subs finish the 3rd and letting starters have some time in the fourth. It would seem to me that those players that have earned the most playing time should get the most playing time. As for others rooting against Olpe.......I hear people rooting against the Patriots, the, Yankees, etc. I have a feeling that people even pulled a little for David vs Goliath. I don't suppose the Olpe team likes it but I think they understand it. I have watched many tourneys and I will say I have never seen a badly behaved Olpe team. They usually have a good team that plays with control and sportsmanship. You can hate them if you want but I have to admit that I like to watch them play. Its a great tournament and I will be there for every game possible.

January 23, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lycomu (anonymous) says...

Jesse Nelson is the best thing to happen to sports in this area during the past 30 years. His dedication to his girls and Olpe High School is without equal. Records are a wonderful thing. Being a standout coach, teacher and human being is a far better way to rate him. Oh and 1981, undefeated and over 300 wins for his career, priceless

January 23, 2008 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lenny4374 (anonymous) says...

Agreed lycomu, one thing though, I think he has more than 600 wins. Add to that list a school counselor, father, role model and all around class act! Sad that some people are so envious, but that is the world we live in.

January 23, 2008 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lycomu (anonymous) says...

yes my bad....over 600 wins...and yes the very best example of doing things the right way

January 23, 2008 at 3:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Common practice of when to play your starters varies from coach to coach. Some always have their starters on the floor to start the 4th qtr, other coaches would never put their starters in (and risk injury to them in a meaningless game) once the game is that far out of reach. To each coach his/her own. I simply state that an opposing coach's goal is to win, or come as close as possible to doing so. If the coach believes that slowing the game down and keeping the score as low as possible gives his/her team the best chance to win or keep the game close or more respectable, that is their right.

Mr. Nelson has built an impressive program at Olpe, and deserves the recognition for doing so, regardless of whether they make it "all the way" each year. There are teams capable each year of playing at their level and even beating them - but don't berate the coaches of teams which are more overmatched for doing whatever strategy they deem will give their team the best chance. If you think the underdog can NEVER win, then you haven't watched very much college football this past fall - LOL

January 23, 2008 at 4:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lenny4374 (anonymous) says...

Maybe that's why the Windle's have coached at nearly every LCL school, because they can't succeed at any of them!

January 23, 2008 at 4:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Good grief, Hartford, what a bunch of sour grapes! Some sportsmanship. Some team attitude!

Olpe's Jesse Nelson is a fine man, a sensitive and intelligent teacher, counselor, community member, and he deserves to be recognized for building an excellent basketball program at Olpe. Having worked with him for over twenty years, I never knew him to showcase himself, always his girls.

On my way home during basketball seasons, I would sometimes step into the gym when he was at practice just to watch him work with the girls. It's magic. The rhythm, even at practice, is a treat to watch, even uplifting.

At my retirement luncheon this past May, I listed a number of things I would always remember about being a part of Olpe. One of them was listening to the Lady Eagles play ball on the radio and hearing Jesse's whistle in the background.

Go Lady Eagles!!!

January 23, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

I am sure neither coach is happy with what is transpiring here.

Their teams met, they both played the strategy they thought best, after the game they shook hands, and went on. That is coaching.

There is more to coaching high-school sports than just the final score. Perhaps the Hartford girls came away from the game with some positives about their strategy, performance, and character. And ideas for improvements in areas. The radio announcers even stated the positives that Hartford could take away from the game and the way they played. And if Mr. Nelson is even half the coach we all know he is, we know that his team came away from the game with ideas to help themselves as well, such as handling stalls and slow-down tactics.

Mr. Nelson's record speaks for itself, and the original poster's slamming of him was uncalled for. I also apologize for my earlier short remark about stats - if Mr. Nelson prefers to always start his starters the 4th qtr regardless of score, that is his right whether I (as a non-coach) agree or not.
But the totally classless remark about the Windle's is also completely uncalled for, and untrue as well. Mr. Windle has an Area Coach of the Year in Volleyball on his resume, among with many successes between the both of them.

Let the coaches coach, and let the players play. Once again, as we see too much of these days in high school sports, the adults have embarrassed the kids.

January 23, 2008 at 6:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

emporian (anonymous) says...

Nelson is a @$$ plain and simple. He loves running up the score and will continue pressing teams after being up 40 points to humiliate them. I played in the LCL and saw it many times. He also likes to leave his starters in to further run up the score. I dont care about your accomplishments when you have to feed your ego that much. Some Olpe folks on here defending him cause its okay when you are doing the pounding you see it through rose colored glasses. Wait till you are one of the less talented teams getting the score ran up on you. He has kids that get into the game the last minute when they are up 60 and have been for some time.

Why cant Olpe win a state title? Cause they are choke artists when the meet somebody close to them in talent. Should nickname the town Cholpe.

January 23, 2008 at 6:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

luv4dagame (anonymous) says...

I refuse to degrade either teams, both deserve respect and credit for their accomplishments. I do believe however, Hartford did what they thought was necessary, whether you disagree or not, it is not your responsibility nor right to judge them. Olpe has a respectable program and community, they also have many talented athletes, but Hartford does also, so it would be nice to give them both recognition, for they are in the same district. Neither teams deserve the negativity being said in the previous comments. What it all comes down to is immaturity on both parts, do the players deserve this treatment? No, it's not fair to them, they are playing sports for the, hopefully, good experience. Be good role models for these children. Don't ruin it for them.
Good Job to both teams and Good Luck in future games.

January 23, 2008 at 8:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

getsakick (anonymous) says...

I myself think that parents need to quit trying to live their basketball dreams through the kids. They all had their chance when they were in school!! I don't fault Hartford for the way they played the game. Those girls pretty much knew that they were not going to win part-way through the game. Maybe they felt like doing what they did was a win for them. Maybe it felt good for them to know that they were'nt going to get beat by 70 or more points. Jesse is a really nice guy don't get me wrong but I don't agree that Jesse Nelson leaves his starters in and still plays full court press when they are ahead by 50 points or more, BUT guess what?? HE IS THE COACH!!! Hartford could have great girl's basketball team but the parents keep running off EVERY coach they get!!!

January 24, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lenny4374 (anonymous) says...

I'd like to see one example of being up 50 points and still pressing. I just think that the league is so non-competitive that it has to be hard to work on anything, or get any better when all you play is crummy teams, like the Hartford's, and Burlingame's, and MdCV's, etc. I would imagine year in and year out they would finish in the top half of the Centennial League.

January 24, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

admireed (anonymous) says...

lenny4 That is a stretch. They would beat HP , THS and TW most of the time, maybe. There, for sure, is a wide gap in the LCL. Same problem Silver Lake football has in the MEL

January 24, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Way to go again, lenny4374. You just ooze class, don't you? Many of those kids on those "crummy teams, like Hartford, Burlingame, and MdCV" are wonderful kids and will grow up to be fine, outstanding, human beings with alot of class, something you will obviously never be, from your posts here. But at least you'll have your precious victories while the kids on the "crummy teams" get on with life and the things that are REALLY important.
What do you do in your spare time when you're not busy making a complete idiot out of your self posting here - hang around the hospital or rehab center and make fun of people in wheelchairs?

January 25, 2008 at 8:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Jaguar_Mom (anonymous) says...

Congrats to open_eyes. You have a very open minded view of things. You can't fault Nelson for being a good coach. He has built a reputible program at Olpe. I also think Windle did a great job against Olpe. 20 years from now what are the girls going to remember," Olpe beat us by 30pts(nothing new)" or "WE held Olpe to 46pts!"

To getsakick, we don't run off EVERY coach. FYI every on- campus coach we've had over the last 10 yrs, with the exception of last year's last minute substitute, is no longer on staff. That is of no fault of ours. The one off-campus coach we had had no idea how to handle girls. He had 2 years and all he did was make our kids want to quit playing ball.

January 25, 2008 at 1:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

lenny4374 (anonymous) says...

Hey Jaguar Mom, maybe next time it would be a real win if you only lost by 30, how would 30-0 be? Then they could say they held Olpe to 30 points!
But Congrats on putting up 16 points on Olpe, something to be proud of!

January 25, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

joejoe2 (anonymous) says...

Jaguar mom,
Coach Taylor did a great job with the kids. You say he made them not want to play. All he tried was to instill a little discipline and start a program.
All the parents did was B%$ch.

January 25, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Ya know, lenny_the_jerk, I can remember playing in the LCL when sports wasn't all just about the score. It was about teaching kids the value of hard work, discipline, and maturity (something you have obviously missed out on by a mile). Sure, everybody strove to win, and I hate losing as much as the next person, but unlike you, I have a perspective of sports and it's place. Too bad nowadays sports is "EVERYTHING".

I can also remember many times the "crummy teams" you mentioned had GREAT teams, and I can also remember back when Olpe had some quite-a-bit-less-than-stellar seasons themselves.

Also, back in my day, kids didn't move around and change districts based purely on sports nearly as much as they do today. Common in bigger cities, but not so much in smaller areas such as the LCL. I might suggest that there have been times there would have been more balance and parity in the LCL if students stayed at their school and didn't move based on sports. But, that's the world we live in, and that's the way it is, deal with it and move on.

I've made it pretty clear what I think of this thread. I think alot of kids are flat out ashamed of some of the adults that are posting here and embarrassed by some of these immature rantings. So here's more rope lenny, go ahead and make an even bigger idiot out of yourself than you already have. You're doing a fine job of it, I must say.

What goes around comes around. One of these days Olpe may not have as much talent or transfers as they have had in recent years to stay on top. They might suffer thru a losing season, or maybe even a fairly miserable one. But as long as those kids out there are trying their best, playing hard with dignity, basically just acting the exact opposite of people like low_IQ_lenny, I'll never refer to them as a "crummy" team. I'll congratulate them for their effort, and hope whatever their season record turns out to be that their participation in sports has taught them the value of teamwork, hardwork, discipline, how to both win and lose graciously, given them improved character, and many other tools that will benefit them throughout the rest of their life. Which is what it's really all about.

January 25, 2008 at 2:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justmyvoice (anonymous) says...

Matter of opinion in regards to T Taylor. I hear he did a fine job when he coached the boys however if you personally had a daughter playing for him you would have been disgusted to hear some of the things he said to them. It is true that he caused many girls to ponder the idea of quitting. Discipline is one thing but down right vulgar is not. You should have attended the board meeting in regards to his actions and maybe you might not be so judgmental over Hartford wanting him to leave.

If you take a look at the whole picture Hartford has had stability as far as boys coaches but for some reason that school district never seems to want to put the full effort into hiring someone to stick around, not unless they can fill more then one spot at the same time. It is odd how two schools in the same district can be so uneven. Makes you wonder what the board had done all these years that two schools could be so far apart.

January 25, 2008 at 9:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )