Published: September 02, 2008 10:39 pm            

Somerset AD fights to keep Correll Bowl alive

Somerset — The lights have all been turned off and the clean-up crews have begun their work on William Clark Field after another successful Ray Correll Bowl.

Like always, four teams — three of them local — played their hearts out in two great games.

Yes, there was some trash talking. Yes, there was some hard hits. Yes, there was two joyful winning teams and two disappointed losing teams.

But most importantly, it was the ultimate stage for the community, as a whole, to showcase the best high school football players in the county.

At isn’t that what the Ray Correll Bowl was suppose to be about in the first place?

“Ray (Correll) was for the youth, I’m for the youth and that’s what it is all about,” Ward Correll said. “Ray Correll would have backed this bowl 100 percent.”

After the sixth installment of the Ray Correll Bowl, relationships between opposing sides have seemed to tear away at the fabric that held this great community event of young athletes together.

In one last effort to mend together the torn association between the two rival high school football programs and the continued integrity of the Ray Correll Bowl, Somerset athletic director Bob Tucker sent out a letter to both the Pulaski and Somerset school administrators. The following is the letter in its entirety:



This is indeed a sincere attempt on my part to hold together the original intent of the “Correll Bowl”!

This is my answer to Pulaski County High School and comes specifically from the demands of Pulaski parents and boosters who feel the Bowl is an excellent venue for all three local teams. They state “Pulaski wants to stay in, but I want them out.” I have been admonished that “I haven’t done enough to try and keep the Bowl together”, and that I wanted Pulaski County out of the Bowl so we could make more money or play Southwestern every year.

Let me go on the record with my desire to have Pulaski County continue in the Ray Correll Bowl. The original intent of the Bowl was for Somerset to play Pulaski or Southwestern and not have to choose between the two. Somerset would alternate years playing the two county schools.

I don’t believe any of us around at the time (six years ago) could foresee the growth of this community event. And whether we want to admit it or not, it is an event for our community! It is the only chance for our community to see all three local teams play on the same night. The ‘Parking Lot Paloosa’ has grown each year.

Let me talk about the revenue each school generates. Pulaski, Somerset and Southwestern have taken home between $7,000 to $8,000 each year. And will do so again this year, even after dropping ticket prices from $10 back to $8. This is every year, not every other year.

I know what it now costs to outfit our players. I can’t answer for Pulaski, but Somerset football needs the money.

To just show up and take in this amount of money is extraordinary. (We start preparing the stadium on Monday for Friday’s game). To say the field is an unfair advantage? Look at the results of the past two seasons!

I really can’t understand that since Pulaski and Southwestern both defeated Somerset.

Please, please give this some consideration. Not just for the money, (which with transportation costs rising is indeed a sensitive issue), but for the sake of the players, students and community. I know where your school would like to be playing, and many of your parents have let me know in no uncertain terms.

I approached Pulaski principal Rob Bowers at the game with a plea to stay in the bowl. This is another written plea, I hope all egos can be placed aside and common sense rule.

This is what we envisioned when we started it — I want to keep it this way!



Robert W. Tucker

Athletic Director

Somerset High School



So with the future of the Ray Correll Bowl hanging in the balance, just remember the true intent of the bowl.

I know Ray Correll would have loved to seen all three local high school football teams playing together in one event.

Wouldn’t you?

        

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