Scott Brown's SportsBytes on WKDZ

Kentucky up to #8 in football polls

Kentucky is up to #8 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' Polls that were released today.  It's the first time UK has been ranked in the top 10 since 1977.  (Some UK basketball fans will tell you it seems that long since the hoops team was ranked in the top 10.)

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POLLS

LSU took over the top spot in the AP Poll, which is where they belong.  USC remained #1 in the coaches' poll.

Kentucky will get a chance to show they either belong in the top ten or are waaaay overranked when they face South Carolina, LSU, and Florida in consecutive weeks.

Byers wins Logan County Invitational

Trigg County runner Lynease Byers won the Logan County Cougar Run Saturday in Russellville, besting 82 other runners in a time of 21:15 over the 3.1-mile course.

It wrapped up a fantastic three-day swing for the eighth grader, who finished third at the Trigg County Invitational Thursday.

Macey King finished 20th in 23:30, followed by Rachel Cronin in 68th (30:12), and Monica Jones in 71st place (30:37).

Trigg's Alex Olin won the middle school race in the time of 12:16, while Xzasha Mayes was fourth across the line in 12:49 over the 2.4-mile course.

Over on the boys' side, Jay Jolly was Trigg's top runner with a 28th place finish in a time of 18:54.  Romaine Cunningham was 38th in 19:58, followed by Jonathon King in 56th (20:40), Jakelzie Martin in 75th (21:54), Raymond Cronin in 100th (25:53), and Landon Sumner in 102nd (26:19).

Brien Dossett led the Trigg middle school runners with a seventh place finish in the middle school race in a time of 12:11.  Jayven Jones was ninth (12:17), followed by Debo Mayes in 11th (12:25), Ethan Dossett in 13th (12:36), Corbin Estes in 23rd (13:14), Tyler Estes in 32nd (14:11), Austin Hendricks in 35th (15:14), and Hunter Allen in 46th place in a time of 16:50.

Trigg County will host St. Mary Tuesday at the Lake Barkley Airport Course.

Trigg runners finish second at Rotary Invitational

Trigg County had three runners finish second out of the four races of the day at the Cadiz Rotary/Fenton Dawson Memorial Cross County Invitational Thursday at the Lake Barkley Airport Course.

Lynease Byers (right) took second place in the girls' varsity race, finishing the 3.1 mile course in 20:23, which was 14 seconds behind the race winner Elizabeth Beach of Graves County.  Beach became the first runner to repeat as invitational winner since Caldwell County's Miranda Meeks in 2004.

Macey King finished 20th in 23:37, followed by Rachel Cronin in 45th (28:04), and Monica Jones was 48th in 28:39.

Graves County easily won the girls team title for the fifth straight year with 29 points.  St. Mary was second with 92 points followed by Calloway County (100), Clarksville Northwest (103), and Fort Campbell (103).

Christian County's Shawn Hurd pulled away from Fort Campbell's Thomas Wilson over the final mile to win the boys' varsity race in a time of 17:06 over the 3.1 mile course.  Wilson finished ten seconds behind in second place.  Hurd is the first Christian County runner to win the Trigg invitational since Dwight Bailey in 2004.

Jay Jolly (left) was Trigg County's top runner with a 17th place finish in a time of 18:53.  Jonathon King was 33rd in 19:33, followed by Zeke Wright in 35th (19:35), Jakelzie Martin in 40th (19:53), and Jayven Jones in 65th (21:52).

Calloway County won the boys race for the second time in three years with 43 points.  Northwest was second with 47 points, followed by St. Mary (135), Fort Campbell (141), Carlisle County (168), Trigg County in sixth (190), and Christian County (210).

Trigg County's Romaine Cunningham (right) finished second in the middle school boys' race in a time of 16:21 over the 2.4 mile course.  Christian County's Daniel Johnson won the race in a time of 15:54.

Brian Dossett was Trigg County's second runner across the line in 10th place with a time of 18:46, followed by Raymond Cronin in 12th (18:57), Debo Mayes in 13th (19:06), Corbin Estes in 16th (19:14), Ethan Dossett in 17th (19:18), Landon Sumner in 20th (19:52), Adam Calhoun in 32nd (22:55), Austin Hendricks in 40th (24:49), Matthew Brokering in 41st (24:22), Hunter Allen in 46th (25:53), and Kyle Rivera in 51st (26:57).

Christian County won the middle school race with 36 points, followed by Graves County in second with 43 points, and Trigg in third with 53 points.

Alex Olin (left) took second place in the middle school girls race in a time of 18:41, which was 40 seconds behind the race winner, Amber Genseal of Dawson Springs. 

Graves County won the middle school girls division with 30 points, followed by Dawson Springs (37), and Christian County (137).

There were 233 runners in this year's race, which was just 10 fewer than last year.

CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO GALLERY OF THE CADIZ ROTARY/FENTON DAWSON MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL.

Caldwell County 7 Trigg County 1

Trigg County struggled to their third consecutive loss, falling to Caldwell County 7-1 Thursday night at the Complex.

Caldwell scored five of their seven goals in the first half.

Trigg got on the board when Brooklyn Thomas scored at the 63:00 mark for the lone goal for the Lady Wildcats, who allowed a season high seven goals.

"The kids have taken blow after blow this year, and the loss of our two leading scorers in the last game didn't help, but we have to find a way to pull everything together if we are going to come out of this in a positive way."

Trigg's three-game losing streak has come to Lyon County, Heath, and Caldwell County who have a combined record of 38-7-4.

"We actually continued to move the ball fairly well, and generated several more opportunities than we have of late, but we just can't put out a complete game yet and we can't stop shooting ourselves in the foot," Smith said. "Danni Romero played well in goal in the second half and several of our young players stepped in and got some great experience. We are banged up and struggling right now, but I think we can find enough fight to get things worked out and make a run."

Trigg County will travel to Todd County Central Tuesday.

Trigg County 1 Hopkins County Central 1

Trigg County and Hopkins Central tied 1-1 Thursday night, but the score really shouldn't come as a shock.

Five of the last six meetings between the schools has ended in a tie.  Earlier this year, the teams played to a 2-2 tie.

Roman Cail scored the lone goal for the Wildcats on a penalty kick.

"It was a very physical game.  We have gotten away from playing to our strengths," said Wildcat head coach Josh Nichols.  "We are in too big of a hurry and allow ourselves to get into running games when teams are physical with us instead of holding possession and working for good chances."

Hopkins Central (4-9-3) scored their goal on a header.

Trigg County is now 5-5-3 on the season.

Trigg's JV lost 2-1, with Aaron Yielding scoring the lone goal.

Trigg County will host Russellville Tuesday night for senior night at the Complex.  All Trigg County Youth Soccer players will be admitted to the game for free and will be recognized during halftime of the JV game at 6:15pm.

More on Fenton Dawson

I'm getting ready to head out the door and go to the Cadiz Rotary Club/Fenton Dawson Memorial Cross Country Invitational at the Lake Barkley Airport course.

I came across these numbers on Fenton while researching some other things.

Fenton finished sixth in the region meet as a sophomore.  He finished second in the region as a junior (two spots ahead of teammate and current TCHS cross country coach Mike Wright), and was ninth at the state meet.

In his senior season of 1977, he finished third in the region meet and was seventh at the state meet, which was the highest-ever finish for a Trigg County runner at that time.  He was also a captain of the 1978 track team that won the state title.

Mike Wright forwarded me some pictures of Fenton.  The top picture is him running in the state meet.  The second is a team picture that includes Fenton, Wright, and coach Jim Wallace among others.  The bottom picture is a family photo taken just months before his death in the ComAir plane crash in Lexington.

Up Next: Thursday

Here is the where and when of Trigg County sports today:

CROSS COUNTRY - The Cadiz Rotary Club/Fenton Dawson Memorial Cross Country Invitational will be today at the Lake Barkley Airport Course.  The middle school race begins at 5pm, followed by the girls varsity race at 5:30pm, and the boys varsity race at 6pm.

BOYS SOCCER - Trigg County at Hopkins County Central (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:15pm).  Trigg County saw Community Christian cancel their Tuesday game.  The Wildcats (5-5-2) tied the Storm 2-2 back on Sept. 10.  Hopkins Central is 4-9-2.

GIRLS SOCCER - Caldwell County at Trigg County (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:30pm).  Trigg County will try and snap a two-game losing streak that has seen them get shut out by Lyon County and Heath.  Trigg County is 4-4-3 on the season and will play their first game without leading scorer Laykn Brooks, who injured her knee in Tuesday's loss to Heath.  Caldwell County is 11-2-1 and is riding a 10-game winning streak.  Trigg has never beaten Caldwell in six career meetings.

FRESHMAN FOOTBALL - Trigg County at Madisonville (6pm).

Trigg to honor Fenton Dawson at Rotary Run Thursday

Trigg County will host their annual Rotary Club Invitational Cross Country Meet and honor a former Wildcat runner at the same time.

The Cadiz Rotary Club/Fenton Dawson Invitational gets underway Thursday at 5pm with the middle school races.  The girls' varsity run is at 5:30pm, and the boys' varsity run is at 6pm at the Lake Barkley Airport Course.

Dawson, a friend and teammate of Trigg cross country coach Mike Wright, was killed last year in the ComAir plane crash in Lexington.  Speaking on the Saturday Morning Sports Report Sept. 22, Wright said it was the "right thing to do" to honor Dawson by renaming the invitational in his honor.

Wright said they will be selling special T-shirts at the meet that honor Dawson as well.

He said he expects nearly a dozen teams to come to the meet, including Fort Campbell, Christian County, Hopkinsville, St. Mary, Carlisle County, Ballard Memorial, Fulton County, and several schools from Clarksville.

243 runners took part in last year's invitational, which saw Trigg finish third in both middle school races.

There is no admission charge to come watch the cross country invitational.  The shirts cost $15.

Trigg region golf results

We've documented how Tyler Mitchell fared in the Region I Golf Tournament, just missing out on a trip to the state tournament.

Derek Rogers tied for 43rd place with a score of 91, while Caleb Bush shot a 102, Nick Choate a 104, and Preston Metts a 119.

Trigg finished in 12th place with a score of 367.

On Monday, Karli Bush finished in 48th place with a score of 131.  Caldwell County eighth grader Emma Talley scorched the course with a tournament record 8-under 64 to win the region title.

Heath 3 Trigg County 0

Trigg County lost their soccer game to Heath Tuesday and may have lost their leading scorer for the season.

The Lady Wildcats fell to Heath 3-0 in a game that saw junior Laykn Brooks injure her knee late in the first half.  Brooks tore her ACL in the final soccer game of last year and missed the entire 2006-07 basketball season.  Lady Wildcat head coach Mike Smith said Brooks' injury was the the same knee she injured last year.  Brooks was leading the Lady Wildcats with 10 goals and was tied for the team lead in assists with three.

As far as the game went, the Lady Wildcats played well against the top-ranked team in the First Region.

"The score board doesn't reflect the game in this case. Unlike the Lyon game, where I was very upset with the way we performed in a 3-0 loss, I was actually happy with the work we did in this game," Smith said.  "The girls played well tonight against a solid team, and I'm glad they gave us something positive to build on."

Heath scored in the 29th minute of the first half and scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the second half to seal the win.

"We just didn't come out like we should have in the second half and allowed two goals.  The game remained 3-0 and again, the girls worked hard and created some chances, we just weren't able to convert," Smith said.

Dori Sheehan made five saves in goal, and Danni Romero had nine saves in a reserve role.

Heath improved to 14-2-3, while Trigg County fell to 4-4-3.  The Lady Wildcats will host Caldwell County Thursday.

Heath won the JV game 2-0 as Trigg played most of the game with nine players.

Trigg County still ranked in football top 4

Trigg County still remains ranked in the football top four in Class 2A in the human polls and slightly lower in the computer rankings.

The Wildcats are ranked third in the Associated Press Class 2A poll and fourth in the Bluegrasspreps.com  Class 2A Poll.

Associated Press Class 2A Poll
Rank-School	FPV	Rcd	TP	Pvs
1. Danville	(9)	4-1	185	1
2. New. Cent. Catholic	(5)	4-1	172	2
3. Trigg Co.	(5)	5-0	160	3
4. Corbin	(1)	4-1	136	4
5. Middlesboro	-	3-1	94	5
6. Prestonsburg	-	4-1	90	6
7. Metcalfe Co.	-	5-0	71	7
8. Owensboro Catholic	-	3-2	65	8
9. Bardstown	-	2-3	47	9
10. Fort Campbell	-	3-2	36	10

Others receiving votes: 11, Green Co. 28. 12, Shelby Valley 11. 13, Glasgow 3.

Here are the full class rankings from Bluegrasspreps.com and where they play this week

Class 1A
1. Beechwood at 5A Covington Catholic
2. Mayfield at 3A #6 Paducah Tilghman
3. Frankfort at 3A Garrard County
4. Pikeville at 3A #2 Belfry
5. Lexington Christian vs. 2A #5 Corbin
6. Hazard -- OPEN
7. Louisville Holy Cross at 2A DeSales (9/29)
8. Dayton at 2A Lloyd Memorial
9. Lynn Camp vs. Harlan
10. Bellevue vs. Bracken County

Class 2A
1. Newport Central Catholic -- OPEN
2. Danville at 1A Campbellsville
3. Bardstown vs. 3A #9 Elizabethtown
4. Trigg County-- OPEN
5. Corbin at 1A #5 Lexington Christian Academy
6. Owensboro Catholic -- OPEN
7. Prestonsburg at 1A Paintsville
8. Fort Campbell vs. Fort Knox
9. Metcalfe County at 3A Hart County
10. Green County vs. 3A Taylor County

Class 3A
1. Central at 4A Western
2. Belfry vs. 1A #4 Pikeville
3. Breathitt County -- OPEN
4. Mason County vs. 6A Campbell County
5. Russell at 4A Lawrence County
6. Paducah Tilghman vs. 1A #2 Mayfield
7. Sheldon Clark at 4A Rowan County
8. Russellville vs. 2A Glasgow
9. Elizabethtown at 2A #5 Bardstown
10. Somerset -- OPEN

Class 4A
1. Lexington Catholic at Harrison County
2. Bell County vs. Volunteer, TN (9/29)
3. Warren East vs. Logan County
4. North Bullitt vs. Jeffersontown
5. Bullitt East vs. #10 Fairdale
6. Marion County -- OPEN
7. Boyle County -- OPEN
8. Lone Oak vs. Todd County Central
9. Franklin County vs. 5A #5 Woodford County
10. Fairdale at #5 Bullitt East

Class 5A
1. Highlands vs. Hopkinsville (9/29)
2. Bowling Green at Franklin-Simpson
3. John Hardin at 6A North Hardin
4. Owensboro at 6A #7 Boone County (9/29)
5. Woodford County at 4A #9 Franklin County
6. Dixie Heights at 6A Conner
7. Lincoln County at 4A Rockcastle County
8. Johnson Central -- OPEN
9. Montgomery County vs. 1A Paris
10. Pulaski County at North Laurel

Class 6A
1. Trinity vs. #2 Saint Xavier at Papa John's Stadium
2. Saint Xavier vs. #1 Trinity at Papa John's Stadium
3. DuPont Manual vs. Shelby County
4. Henry Clay at George Rogers Clark
5. Male vs. #8 Ballard
6. Scott County vs. Oldham County
7. Boone County vs. 5A #4 Owensboro (9/29)
8. Ballard at #5 Male
9. Lafayette vs. 5A Bryan Station
10. Madison Central -- OPEN

The Louisville Courier-Journal Litkenhous Ratings have Trigg County ranked #7 in Class 2A, where margin of victory appears to be the key driving the computer's magic number.  You can see the Lit Ratings by clicking HERE.

Dave Cantrell's Ratings in the Lexington Herald-Leader have the Wildcats ranked #5 in Class 2A.  You can see those ratings by clicking HERE.

Livingston Central 2 Trigg County 0

With just a couple of weeks left in the regular season, Trigg County finds themselves in the midst of a slump.

One night after losing to a three-win Madisonville team, Trigg County lost to Livingston Central Tuesday night for the first time ever in eight career meetings.  The Lady Cardinals improved to 3-17 with the 25-9, 25-18 win over the Lady Wildcats.

The victory was Livingston Central's first district win in the three-year history of their program.

Trigg County returns to action Tuesday at Wildcat Gym against Christian County.

Mitchell ties for third at golf regional

Tyler Mitchell put together a consistent round of golf that would have been good enough to win the region meet in past years.  However, it wasn't quite enough to earn the Trigg County senior a berth in the state meet.

Mitchell tied for third place after shooting an even-par 70 at the Region I Golf Tournament Tuesday at the Mayfield Country Club.  Mitchell was in a group of four players vying for the final qualifying spot in next week's state tournament in Bowling Green, but lost on the third playoff hole.

His round consisted of a birdie on #1, a bogey on #3, and 16 pars, which was three shots behind the winner and five shots better than St. Mary's Case Cochran, the two-time defending state champion who was playing in his group.

The golfers had to endure a day of rain that even halted the match at one point.  None of that rain found its way to Trigg County.

The top two teams qualified golfers for the state meet, but the two golfers ahead of Mitchell weren't on those teams which left him on the outside looking in.  That is an obvious rule that needs to be changed and allow the top five golfers not on the top two teams into the state meet.

While the finish at the region meet is a disapointment for Tyler, the past few weeks have been busy and fulfilling.

Tyler has committed to play golf at the University of Charlotte, according to Tyler's father Butch Mitchell.  Memphis and Kentucky were two other schools hot on the trail of the Trigg golfer before Tyler settled on Charlotte recently.

Charlotte is the number one team in Division I college golf after a pair of victories in their first two events of the 2007-08 season.  It's the first time a 49er sports program has been ranked number one in the nation.

Mitchell becomes the second Trigg County boys' golfer to play at the college level in recent years, joining former Wildcat teammate Bradley Sutherland, who is at Transylvania.

Up Next: Tuesday

Here is where everyone is playing on a busy Tuesday.  We'll see if we can get the locations right today.

GOLF - Region I Golf Tournament at the Mayfield Country Club.

VOLLEYBALL - Trigg County at Livingston Central (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:30pm).  Trigg County tries to snap a three game losing streak tonight at Livingston Central.  Trigg (9-14) beat Livingston Central (2-16) back on Aug. 16.

BOYS SOCCER - Trigg County at Community Christian (Varsity at 6pm, according to the KHSAA website).  Trigg County suffered their first loss in six games Monday at Lyon County.  The Wildcats are 5-5-2 on the season and beat Community Christian 3-2 last year in the only meeting between the schools.  Community Christian, located in Paducah, is 0-4 this year.

GIRLS SOCCER - Heath at Trigg County (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:30pm).  Trigg County has a tough one tonight as they host Heath at the Complex.  The Lady Pirates advanced to the state All-A Tournament semifinals and carry a 13-2-3 record into tonight's game via a four-game winning streak.  Trigg County is 4-3-3 on the season.

Boys Region Golf Tournament Tuesday

Tyler Mitchell is among the favorites to win the Region I Boys Golf Tournament Tuesday at the Mayfield Country Club.

Mitchell will be in the final group of the day that tees off at 10:38am.  He will be paired with two-time state champion Case Cochran of St. Mary, the son of PGA pro Russ Cochran, Marshall County's Patrick Newcomb, and Adam Butler of Lone Oak.

Mitchell played the course last Monday as part of a triangular match and shot a 36 over nine holes.

Nick Choate and Caleb Bush are set to tee off at 8:30am, Derrick Rogers at 8:38am, and Preston Metts at 8:46am.

The top two teams in the tournament advance to the state tournament in Bowling Green next week.  Also advancing will be the top three not on one of those two teams.

A good day by Mitchell will keep him in the hunt for one of ten spots on the All-State Golf Team.  Mitchell currently stands in 12th place in total points, but can land in the top ten with solid finishes at both the region and state tournaments.

Lyon County 4 Trigg County 3

Trigg County lost for the first time in six games as Lyon County edged the Wildcats 4-3 Monday night in Eddyville.

"Our defensive performance was embarrassing.  I pulled our entire starting defense with 15 minutes to go and if there was a positive tonight it was the play of their replacements.  Ethan Sweno, Aaron Yielding, and Ronnie Weeks stepped in and held them scoreless for the rest of the way," said Wildcat head coach Josh Nichols.

Jeremy Stamps scored his 11th goal of the season, giving him a goal in his third straight game.  Tanner Stallons scored his first career goal, and Trevor Harper scored his 11th goal of the season to round out the Wildcat scoring.

The four goals was the most goals allowed by the Wildcats in seven games dating back to a 5-1 loss to Caldwell County on Aug. 30.

Trigg County fell to 5-5-2, while Lyon County improved to 5-10.

The Wildcats return to action Tuesday AT Community Christian in just the second meeting between the schools.  Trigg won 3-2 last year.

Madisonville 2 Trigg County 1

Struggles in service and net play spelled doom for Trigg County, who fell to Madisonville in three games 25-17, 21-25, 19-25 Monday night at Wildcat Gym.

It marked the first time in ten games dating back to last year that Trigg won the first game of the match only to drop the last two.  They did the same thing against Crittenden County last year in Cadiz.  Trigg is now 2-5 this year in three-game matches.

"As a team tonight, we had 82 passing errors.  It is hard to beat any team with that many errors.  The girls  have to pull together and decide they want to win for each other," said Lady Wildcat head coach Rick Erickson.  "After all the gains in the Caldwell match last Thursday, it was as if a different team showed up in the last two games tonight.  We are a MUCH better team than how we played.  Tuesday is another day and another chance for us to right the ship and play like we are capable of playing."

Trigg County jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first game only to see the Lady Maroons battle back to 13-10.  Casey Banister then served eight straight points to go ahead 21-10 and Trigg was able to hold off Madisonville 25-17.

The second game saw neither team separated by more than four points at any time.  Trigg led 13-11, but Madisonville scored eight of the next 11 points and never trailed again.

In the third game, Madisonville jumped ahead 16-7.  Trigg couldn't take advantage of four consecutive side outs as they failed to score a winner of their serves.  The Lady Wildcats pulled to within five points on two occasions -- 21-16 and 24-19 but didn't serve consistent enough to win.

Casey Banister had 7 aces, 9 assists and 2 kills.

Molly Thompson had 5 aces and 2 kills.

Morgan Parker had 4 kills and 1 block.

Kalesha Williams had 4 kills.

Trigg County fell to 9-14 with the loss, while Madisonville ended a 16-game losing streak and improved to 4-18 by winning their third three-game match of the year.  Madisonville has still never lost to Trigg County.

Trigg JV lost 19-21, 16-21.

Amber Morris had 2 blocks and 1 ace.

Samantha Harper had 2 aces.

Kassy Davis had 2 aces.

Stephanie Graves had 1 ace and 1 kill.

Amber P'pool had 1 kill.

Alyssa Weber had 1 block.

Trigg Freshmen lost 9-21, 9-21.

Dominique Graves had 1 ace.

The Lady Wildcats return to action Tuesday night at Livingston Central.

Up Next: Monday

Here is the where, when, and who of Trigg County sports today:

GOLF - Region I Girls' Tournament at Drake Creek Golf Course in Ledbetter.  Trigg County middle schooler Karli Bush is the school's only entry.   She is in the first group of the day that tees off at 8am.  The top two teams in the tournament advance to the state meet in Bowling Green Oct. 5-6.  The top five individuals not on those teams also advance.

Caldwell County's Emma Talley is the two-time defending region champion.

VOLLEYBALL - Madisonville at Trigg County (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:15pm).  Trigg County hosts Madisonville, the defending region champion, tonight at Wildcat Gym.  Trigg has never beaten the Lady Maroons, who come into play tonight with a record of 3-18 and have lost 16 straight games.  Trigg is 9-13.

BOYS SOCCER - Lyon County at vs. Trigg County (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:30pm).  Trigg County closes out the district portion of their schedule tonight as they host travel to Lyon County at the Complex.  The Wildcats (5-4-2) beat Lyon County 3-2 back on Aug. 28 to snap a long losing streak to the Lyons, who enter play tonight with a record of 4-10.  These two teams will likely meet again in the first round of the district tournament next month.

Billy Gillispie visits Madisonville's Jon Hood

Madisonville junior Jon Hood has been offered scholarships from several Division-I colleges, but the recruiting of the junior swingman ramped to a different level Friday when new Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie visited the school to watch Hood work out.

Hood scrimmaged with his Madisonville teammates, and according to the Madisonville Messenger, he had a dunk, blocked a couple of shots, and looked strong taking the ball to the basket.  The workout ended a little early for Hood when he slightly injured his finger.

The junior has seen his stock rise over the summer thanks to strong showings at AAU camps and tournaments.  Ole Miss offered Hood a scholly earlier this summer, and Georgia and Tennessee have also offered.

Gillispie's visit came a week after his new assistant coach Jeremy Cox visited the Hopkins County high school.  Hood said the two talked, but no offer was made Friday.

Trigg County fans remember Hood for torching the Wildcats for 24 points and seven rebounds in Madisonville's 70-58 win over the Wildcats in the first round of the Second Region Tournament last year.

Hood will have to prepare for another workout later this week when Florida head coach Billy Donovan pays a visit to Madisonville on Wednesday, the Messenger said.

“Jon can dunk over anybody, from 6-5 to a 7-footer,” Madisonville head coach James Davis told the Madisonville Messenger.  “He shoots the 3-pointer very well and sees the floor at 6-foot-6. All I ask the coaches to be honest with the player. As you can see, everyone realizes what he might be able to do at the next level.”

Kentucky moves up in the AP, USA Today Polls

Fresh off their win over Arkansas, Kentucky has moved up to #14 in the latest Associated Press football poll -- their highest ranking in 30 years.

UK also moved up to #15 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

The Wildcats are ranked as the third-best SEC team in both polls behind LSU and Florida.  UK plays LSU (Oct. 13) and Florida (Oct. 20) at home in consecutive weeks.

CLICK HERE to see both polls.

Trigg goes 2-3 at Caldwell JV SlamFest

The Trigg County JV went 2-3 at the Caldwell County JV Slamfest Saturday in Princeton.

Trigg lost to Caldwell Co. 21-17, 12-21, 4-15, beat Christian County (Freshmen) 21-17, 21-19, beat Hopkinsville 21-18, 21-10, lost to Madisonville 7-21, 21-16, 15-6, and to Owensboro Apollo 21-4, 21-7.

Amber Morris had 6 kills, 7 aces and 10 blocks.

Stephanie Graves had 12 aces and 26 kills.

Samantha Harper had 11 aces, 18 assists and 3 kills.

Courtney Oliver had 15 assists, 1 kill and 2 aces.

T'ana Dixon had 6 blocks and 3 kills.

Mariah Calhoun had 3 kills.

Amber P'Pool had 2 aces and 3 kills.

Kassy Davis had 3 aces and 2 kills.

Trigg's win over Reidland in pictures

Trigg County's offense was to fast for Reidland but not too fast for Monty Stagner's camera as he captured the highlights of the 42-0 Wildcat win Friday.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME

Be sure to visit his website at www.montystagner.com to view the hundreds of sports pictures and purchase the ones you want, with the proceeds to benefit the GridIron Club.

Trigg County 42 Reidland 0

Trigg County got off to a slow start but rebounded to blitz Reidland 42-0 Friday night in Reidland to improve to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in district play.

The Wildcats fumbled on their first two possessions and had two more touchdowns called back on penalties before getting in gear.  Trigg scored 21 points in the second quarter and 14 more in the third before a running clock ended the festivities for the night.

Trigg County outgained Reidland 462-29 and held the Greyhounds to a pair of first downs for the game.

The Wildcats have won six straight games against Reidland by a combined score of 412-20.

Trigg County has this week off and will return to action Oct. 5 against Heath at Perdue Field.

Other news, notes, and stats you're likely to read again somewhere else...

• Trigg County ran 36 times for 356 yards -- almost 10 yards a carry.  Brandon Bridges ran for 143 yards -- right at his season average -- on just 10 carries.  Scotty Mayes ran seven times for 59 yards.  Bridges ran for three TDs and Mayes ran for two and caught a 44-yard score.
• Donald Bush completed 7-of-12 passes for 111 yards.  He extended his streak of consecutive attempts without an interception to 131 straight.
• Mayes caught three passes for 59 yards, including a 44-yard score.  Will Stagner caught two passes for 39 yards.
• Mitch Rogers ran for 42 yards on five carries in mop-up duty and even completed a pass to himself when his pass was deflected right back to him.  It went for minus-five yards.
• Trigg was penalized seven times for 75 yards, with six coming in the first half.
• Reidland was held to 29 total yards and was in danger of finishing the game in negative yards before a 43-yard run late in the game got them out of the hole.  Reidland completed two passes for a yard and ran for 28 yards on 30 carries.
• The 29 yards allowed is the fewest by the Wildcats since holding Reidland to 28 yards in a 56-0 win in 2004.
• Reidland's Shane Forbis, who entered the game averaging 95 yards a game on the ground, finished with 19 yards on 15 carries.
• John Reinick is now 25-of-26 on PATs this year.  The only one he missed was a 35-yarder on a penalty after the score.
• Tony Bryant was the WKDZ Player of the Game with 11 tackles and a sack for the Wildcats.
• Reidland did not have a turnover.
• While both coaches agreed to go to a running clock if the game got out of hand, the running clock actually began in the third quarter when Trigg County was ahead 35-0 and driving for their final touchdown.  The mercy rule says the clock runs continuously when a team achieves a 45-point lead in the second half.  However, the clock can run before then if both coaches agree before the game.
• Reidland's Ben Grimm punted seven times for an average of 37.4 yards a boot.

Caldwell County was off Friday and is 2-0 in the district along with Trigg County.  Murray beat Heath 27-25 to pull to 1-2.  Heath is 1-2, while Reidland is 0-2.

Trigg County at Reidland

Trigg County looks for their third 5-0 start in six season and a chance to move to 2-0 in the district when they travel to Reidland tonight.

Reidland is 1-2 and coming off a 26-6 win at Muhlenberg North against a team that has lost 29 straight games.

Trigg County leads the all-time series 12-2 and have won the last five games by a combined score of 270-20.

Airtime tonight on WKDZ-FM is 6:45pm.  The game can also be heard at www.wkdzradio.com.

Below is a map to get to Reidland.  Keep in mind that there is some major road construction going on near the school, which may cause you to change your route once you get within eyeshot of the stadium.

Caldwell County 2 Trigg County 0

Trigg County showed vast improvement over Tuesday but still came up on the short end of the stick as they fell at Caldwell County 25-23, 25-22.

"Our passing was much improved over the Crittenden match.  As good of a team as Caldwell is, we played well against them.  If we can play with the same intensity and teamwork in the rest of our matches this year as we did tonight, we will have a good chance of winning each match," said Lady Wildcat head coach Rick Erickson.  "I am very proud of the effort put in by the whole team tonight.  We ran a new offense that we had not had time to practice and hung with one of the top two teams in the region.  I think we may be starting to click at the right time of the season, this year."

Kalesha Williams had 9 kills and 8 blocks.

Casey Banister had 13 assists.

Morgan Parker had 6 blocks and 3 kills.

Molly Thompson had 3 blocks and 2 kills.

Kelly Bradshaw had 2 kills and 1 ace.

The Trigg JV lost 11-21, 22-20, 7-21. 

"This is the first time, to my knowledge, that a Trigg JV team has taken a game from Caldwell County  I am very impressed with how well we played in the second game," Erickson said.

Samantha Harper had 8 assists.

Stephanie Graves had 5 kills and 1 ace.

Amber P'Pool had 3 aces.

Kassy Davis had 2 kills and 1 block.

Amber Morris had 2 blocks and 1 kill.

Courtney Oliver had 1 ace.

Faythe Rea had 1 block.

The Trigg freshman lost 3-21, 6-21.

Trigg County will host Madisonville Monday.

Lyon County 3 Trigg County 0

Trigg County head coach Mike Smith knew Thursday's game with Lyon County would be considered a "measuring stick" game to let him know where his team stood against the better teams in the region.  He now has a better idea after Lyon County shut out the Lady Wildcats 3-0 in Eddyville.

"This showed us exactly where we are and exactly what we need to do to get to where we want to be. Lyon played a good, physical game at home and showed why they are defending district champs. We worked hard, and had some opportunities, but just could never get anything going as a team," Smith said.

Lyon County scored in the 26th minute for the only goal of the first half.

The Lady Lyons (9-3) scored twice more in the second half for their sixth shutout win, while holding the Lady Wildcats scoreless for the first time this year.

"The girls possessed the ball well in the last 20 minutes of the game and created some chances, but again, just couldn't convert," said Smith.

Dori Sheehan made eight saves in goal, but Lyon's goalie was less busy as Trigg generated just six shots and two corner kicks in the contest.

Despite playing with just eight players, Trigg County lost the JV game by only a 2-1 score.

Trigg County is now 4-3-3 on the season and will host Heath (12-2-3) Tuesday at the Complex.

Trigg County 2 Russellville 0

It was a night of milestones as Trigg County shutout Russellville 2-0.

The win was the 100th in the soccer program's history.  Trigg County is now 100-135-16 (.430) in 16 seasons of soccer.

Jeremy Stamps scored both goals for the Wildcats, with Roman Cail assisting on both.  That gives Cail 25 career assists and makes him the all-time leader in TCHS history, passing Justin Cain who played from 1998-2001.

Josh Green got the win in goal with his second shutout of the year.

Trigg County is now 5-4-2 on the season and above the .500 mark for the first time since the third game of the 2005 season.

Despite the win, Wildcat head coach Josh Nichols wasn't exactly serving up milk and cookies to the team afterwards.

"I knew coming in that it was sort of a trap game in that it came between games against Caldwell and Lyon.  We just didn't play well at all," he said.

The JV won 4-0.

Trigg County is 3-1-1 in the district and will play at Lyon County Monday.  However, the game Trigg fans will be watching is tonight in Eddyville as Caldwell (2-1-1) and Lyon (3-1) meet at Lee S. Jones Park.  If Caldwell County wins, it pretty much assures them the top seed in the district.

However, if Lyon County beats Caldwell and Trigg wins at Lyon Monday, Trigg County would be the top seed in next month's district tournament with just the one district loss.

Trigg winding down season on the links

Trigg County wrapped up their final week before next week's Region I Golf Tournament.

On Monday, Trigg played at the Mayfield Country Club and posted their lowest team score of the year at 184, which was 29 shots behind Mayfield and ten ahead of Caldwell County.

Tyler Mitchell led Trigg with a 36, while Derek Rogers shot a 48, and sixth grader Nick Choate shot a season-low 49.

The Mayfield Country Club will host next week's boys' region tourney.

On Tuesday, Trigg County played without Mitchell and finished third in a triangular match with Calloway County and Murray at Boots Randolph Golf Course.

Derek Rogers led Trigg with a 49, while Karli Bush had the low score on the girls' side with a 55 to finish fourth on the day.

Calloway County won by 29 shots over Murray and 45 over Trigg.

Bush will compete in the Region I Golf Tournament Monday at Drake Creek in Ledbetter.

Up Next: Thursday

Here is the who, where, and when of Trigg County sports today:

VOLLEYBALL - Trigg County at Caldwell County (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:30pm) - The Lady Wildcats (9-12) lost to Caldwell County 25-23, 25-18 on Aug. 30 in Cadiz.  Caldwell (20-3) has won three of the last four meetings dating back to last year.

GIRLS SOCCER - Trigg County at Lyon County (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:15pm) - Trigg County saw their Tuesday game with St. Mary cancelled when the game officials did not show.  Lady Wildcat head coach Mike Smith said the game would not be rescheduled.  Now, the Lady Wildcats enter their toughest stretch of the season against Lyon County (8-3) tonight, Heath (11-2-3) on Tuesday, and Caldwell County (9-2-1) next Thursday.

"We have a tough stretch coming up which should really challenge us and show where we are.  I'm real proud of the kids and they keep working hard and staying positive. We still have yet to field the same starting line up for more than two games in a row, and we continue to have key players out for injuries, yet the kids keep finding ways to stay competitive," Smith said.

Trigg has never beaten Lyon County, getting outscored 28-3 in their four previous losses.

BOYS SOCCER - Trigg County at Russellville (Varsity at 5:30pm) - Trigg County looks to get above .500 and notch the soccer program's 100th career win tonight in Russellville, a team with a record of 4-7 who bring a 4-game losing streak to the table.  Trigg County leads the all-time series 10-3-1 and have won the last seven meetings.  Junior Roman Cail needs one assist to tie Justin Cain for the all-time assist mark with 24.

FRESHMAN FOOTBALL - Trigg County hosts Graves County in a 6pm game at Perdue Field.

Trigg County 2 Caldwell County 2

Trigg County scored two goals in the final five minutes to force a tie with Caldwell County and keep their chances alive for the top seed in next month's district tournament.

Roman Cail fed Jeremy Stamps, who punched home his eighth goal of the season with less than five minutes left in the second half.  Cail's assist was his sixth of the season and puts him one behind Justin Cain for the all-time assist lead with 24.

With less than two minutes left and trailing 2-1, Trevor Harper tried to cross a pass in front of the Trigg goal but it found the side of the goal to tie the game at 2-2.  The goal was Harper's team-leading 10th of the season.

The tie gives Trigg County a 4-4-2 record and a 3-1-1 mark in the district.  Trigg has one more district game left at Lyon County Monday.

"We played very hard tonight and obviously showed some heart coming back from 2-0 so late in the game.  It wasn't our best game as far as execution, but our effort kept us in it," said Wildcat head coach Josh Nichols.  "When we did work to keep possession and string passes together, we did a good job, but we just didn't do enough of it.  Part of that is Caldwell are a quick and hardworking team that make it difficult to hold on to the ball."

Trigg County was also aided by the return of Wesley Croom on defense.  He didn't play in Caldwell County's 5-1 win over the Wildcats last month.

"I thought his effort and aggression were contagious to the rest of our team tonight," Nichols said.  "Joel Ben Thomas and Jeremy Butts did a good job at defensive center midfield.  They did 80 minutes of hard running and did a good job of disrupting Caldwell's attack."

Trigg also got a strong game in goal from Josh Green, who has allowed just six goals in his last four games.

Caldwell County's record is 6-4-1 overall and 2-1-1 in district play.

Caldwell won the JV game 1-0.

The Wildcats return to action Thursday at Russellville.

 

Jeffrey Adams is big on film too!

Louisville offensive lineman Jeffrey Adams got his first taste of the Kentucky/Louisville rivalry Saturday in Lexington.  The former Trigg County standout went through the pregame drills and shows he's not starving while away from home.  Thanks to Todd Griffin of the Princeton Times-Leader for sending the pic.

Crittenden County 2 Trigg County 0

Trigg County played much better than their first match with Crittenden County, but the outcome was the same as the Lady Rockets downed Trigg 25-14, 25-22 Tuesday night in Marion.  The loss drops Trigg County to 9-12 overall and 1-3 in the district.

"Crittenden Co. did a good job of keeping the ball alive and allowing us to make mistakes.  Too many balls hit the floor on our side that should have been passed.  Our passing has to step up in the next few weeks to be able to compete," Lady Wildcat head coach Rick Erickson said.

Crittenden County is now 8-6 overall and 3-2 in district play.

Kalesha Williams had 8 blocks and 2 kills.

Casey Banister had 2 kills, 2 assists and 1 ace.

Morgan Parker had 2 blocks and 1 kill.

Molly Thompson had 2 kills.

Kelly Bradshaw had 2 aces.

Kassy Davis had 2 aces.

The Trigg JV team lost 9-21, 15-21.

Stephanie Graves had 7 kills, 1 block and 3 aces.

Samantha Harper had 13 assists, 2 kills and 1 ace.

Courtney Oliver had 6 assists and 3 aces.

Amber Morris had 2 kills and 1 block.

The Lady Wildcats play at Caldwell County Thursday night in Princeton.

Trigg County is everywhere in the football rankings

Don't ask me how a team can win by 43 points and fall two spots in the football rankings, but it happened this week.

Apparently beating Murray 49-6 wasn't enough as Trigg County dropped from a tie for first in the Associated Press Class 2A football poll to third.  Danville remained #1 followed by Newport Central Catholic.  Fort Campbell remained 10th.   Here is the AP 2A Poll.

1. Danville (10) 3-1 181 1
2. Newport Central Catholic (3) 3-1 162 3
3. Trigg Co. (6) 4-0 161 2
4. Corbin (1) 3-1 121 4
5. Middlesboro - 2-1 83 5
6. Prestonsburg - 3-1 81 7
7. Metcalfe Co. - 4-0 69 9
8. Owensboro Catholic - 2-2 60 8
9. Bardstown - 1-3 53 6
10. Fort Campbell - 2-2 51 10

Christian County moved up to seventh in this week's AP Class 5A Poll.  Here is the AP Poll for 5A.

1. Highlands (18) 4-0 198 1
2. Bowling Green (1) 3-1 159 2
3. John Hardin - 4-0 145 3
4. Owensboro - 4-0 138 4
5. Johnson Central (1) 4-0 129 5
6. Woodford Co. - 4-0 85 9
7. Christian Co. - 2-2 55 10
8. Dixie Heights - 2-2 52 6
9. Lincoln Co. - 3-1 27
10. Anderson Co. - 4-0 26

Bluegrasspreps.com has released their football polls for the week.  Trigg County is ranked #3 in Class 2A behind Newport Central Catholic and Danville.  I think Trigg is more like #4 behind Bardstown.  Here are the Bluegrasspreps.com rankings and where they play this week.

Class 1A

1. Beechwood vs. Ludlow
2. Mayfield at Crittenden County
3. Frankfort vs. Bracken County
4. Pikeville vs. Allen Central
5. Lexington Christian vs. #9 Raceland
6. Hazard vs. 5A Perry County Central
7. Louisville Holy Cross vs. Beth Haven
8. Lynn Camp at #10 Dayton
9. Raceland at #5 Lexington Christian
10. Dayton vs. #8 Lynn Camp

Class 2A

1. Newport Central Catholic vs. Covington Holy Cross
2. Danville at Fort Knox
3. Trigg County at Reidland
4. Corbin at Knott County Central
5. Bardstown vs. Washington County
6. Owensboro Catholic at Hancock County
7. Prestonsburg at Morgan County
8. Fort Campbell at Todd County Central
9. Metcalfe County vs. Monroe County
10. Middlesboro at Leslie County

Class 3A

1. Central at #8 Elizabethtown
2. Belfry -- OPEN
3. Breathitt County vs. Cawood
4. Mason County vs. West Carter
5. Russell at East Carter
6. Paducah Tilghman at Union County
7. Sheldon Clark at Magoffin County
8. Elizabethtown vs. #1 Central
9. Russellville at Butler County
10. Somerset at Wayne County

Class 4A

1. Lexington Catholic at #7 Boyle County
2. Bell County -- OPEN
3. Bullitt East at #10 Marion County
4. Warren East at Franklin-Simpson
5. North Bullitt at Larue County
6. Rockcastle County at Knox Central
7. Boyle County vs. #1 Lexington Catholic
8. Franklin County vs. Pendleton County
9. Lone Oak at Calloway County
10. Marion County vs. #3 Bullitt East

Class 5A

1. Highlands at Covington Catholic (9/22)
2. Bowling Green vs. #10 Warren Central
3. John Hardin vs. Waggener
4. Johnson Central vs. #7 Woodford County
5. Owensboro vs. Ohio County
6. Dixie Heights -- OPEN
7. Woodford County at #4 Johnson Central
8. Christian County vs. Hopkinsville
9. Lincoln County -- OPEN
10. Warren Central at #2 Bowling Green

Class 6A

1. Trinity vs. Eastern
2. Saint Xavier at #3 duPont Manual
3. DuPont Manual vs. #2 Saint Xavier
4. Henry Clay vs. #9 Lafayette
5. Male vs. Bullitt Central
6. Scott County at Shelby County
7. Boone County - OPEN
8. Ballard at Seneca
9. Lafayette at #4 Henry Clay
10. Madison Central vs. George Rogers Clark

And, the Louisville Courier-Journal published their first Litkenhous Ratings of the 2007 football season.  Their computer had Trigg County ranked #7 in Class 2A. 

CLICK HERE for the C-J's Litkenhous Ratings by Class.

Up Next: Tuesday

Here is where Trigg County is playing today:

BOYS SOCCER – Trigg County vs. Caldwell County.  JV at 6pm, varsity at 7:30pm.  Trigg County will try and snap a 12-game winless streak against Caldwell County tonight at the Complex.  Caldwell County carries a 6-4 record into tonight’s game and leads the all-time series 23-12-2.  Trigg County lost to the Tigers 5-1 back on Aug. 30 and has a record of 4-4-1 this year.

GIRLS SOCCER – Trigg County at St. Mary.  JV at 6pm, varsity at 7:30pm.  Trigg County is 4-2-3 and will take on a St. Mary team that is 1-8-2.  That lone win was over a Dawson Springs team that Trigg tied last week.  St. Mary leads the all-time series 2-1.

VOLLEYBALL – Trigg County at Crittenden County.  JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7pm.  The Lady Wildcats (9-11) will try and get back in the race for the top seed in the district tournament tonight in Marion.  The Lady Rockets are 7-6 on the season and thumped Trigg County 25-6, 25-16 on Aug. 21.  A Trigg loss will likely relegate them to a three seed in the district tournament.

GOLF – Trigg  County hosts Calloway County and Murray at Boots Randolph Golf Course at 4:30pm.

MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL – Trigg County travels to Christian County Middle School for a 7th/8th doubleheader beginning at 6pm.

Trigg's win over Murray in pictures

More Monty, more of the time.

Monty Stagner again provides pictures of Trigg County's big win over Murray.  You can CLICK HERE to see his photo gallery of the game.

Be sure to visit his website at www.montystagner.com and purchase football pictures to benefit the GridIron Club.

Byers third at St. Mary Invite

Trigg County's Lynease Byers brought home third place in the St. Mary Invitational Cross County run Saturday in Paducah.  She was slightly behind race winner Chelsea Reed of Kenwood and second place runner Madison White of Union County.

Macey King finished 41st, Diasia Acree 42nd, Monica Jones 61st, and Rachel Cronin 66th as the Lady Wildcats ranked ninth in scoring.

On the boys' side, Jay Jolly took 11th place in a race won by St. Mary's James Maglasang. 

Trigg County runs again in the Dawson Springs Invitational next Saturday.

Trigg County goes 2-3 at Caldwell County SlamFest

Trigg County won two of five games at the Caldwell County SlamFest, and their record stands at 9-11 with two huge district games looming this week.

Trigg County opened with a 21-10, 21-18 win over Hopkins Central in pool play.  The Lady Wildcats then fell to McLean County 21-91, 21-18 in a match that could have gone either way.

The Lady Wildcats beat Fort Campbell in three games 21-18, 16-21, 15-7 before falling to Calloway County 14-21, 21-15, 6-15 to just miss advancing out of pool play.

Once they advanced out of pool play, Trigg took eventual tournament champion Massac County, Ill. to three games before losing 18-21, 22-21, 8-15.

Kalesha Williams had 23 aces, 22 kills and 21 blocks.

Casey Banister had 40 assists and 7 aces.

Kelly Bradshaw had 13 kills and 9 aces.

Molly Thompson had 9 kills.

Morgan Parker had 18 blocks and 5 kills.

Massac County won the tournament with a thrilling 22-20, 21-19 win over Caldwell County in the championship game.  Caldwell had beaten Massac County 21-17, 21-18 earlier in the day and held a record of 19-3 at day's end.

Trigg County will travel to Crittenden County Tuesday and Caldwell County Thursday, needing to win both games to have a shot at the top seed in next month's district tournament.

CLICK HERE FOR THE SCORES FROM THE CALDWELL COUNTY SLAMFEST

Trigg County 2 Hopkins County Central 1

After suffering a loss earlier in the day, Trigg County rebounded with a 2-1 win over Hopkins County Central Saturday night in the Lady Storm Invitational.

Trigg County is now 4-2-3 on the season.

Melanie Want opened the scoring for Trigg with her fifth goal of the season early in the second half.

After the Lady Storm (3-7) tied the game five minutes later, Laykn Brooks took a pass from Taylor Davis (writer, defender) and scored her seventh goal of the year to give the Lady Wildcats a 2-1 lead.

I was real pleased with the effort I saw in the second game as Ashley Wigand, Brooklyn Thomas and Millie Futrell all stepped up with key contributions," Lady Wildcat head coach Mike Smith said.  "The defense held, and we came away with the win."

Dori Sheehan saved eight of the nine shots she face in goal for Trigg County, who travel to St. Mary Tuesday.

Lone Oak 3 Trigg County 2

After three ties in their last four games, Trigg County suffered just their second loss of the season and first since the Aug. 13 season opener in a 3-2 setback to Lone Oak Saturday.  The game was played as part of the Lady Storm Invitational in Morton's Gap.

After falling behind 1-0, Kelci Winn scored in the 27th minutes to tie the game.  Brooklyn Thomas fired a shot that the Lone Oak goalie couldn't handle and dropped into the net to give Trigg a 2-1 lead.

However, the Lady Flash (3-5-2) scored their game-winning goals in the second half.

"Lone Oak is a solid, disciplined team and just took advantage of our mistakes in the sedon half. We just didn't respond aggresively enough in the second half," Lady Wildcat head coach Mike Smith said. "It was a decent performance against one of the toughest opponents we have faced."

Dori Sheehan made eight saves in goal.

UK vs. U of L: Poll Results

Thanks to all of those who voted in the Governor's Cup Poll.

52.6% picked Louisville to win

47.4% picked Kentucky to win

Among the locations of voters were Amanda. Ohio; Toledo, Ohio; Washington D.C.; Nashville; and somewhere in Kansas among many places in Kentucky.

Thanks to everyone who voted and look for a new poll next week.

Trigg County 49 Murray 6

This is the 900th post of this blog.  And the space will deal with Trigg County's largest win over Murray in 51 career meetings.  Wildcats 49 Murray 6.

Murray drove down the field and took a 6-0 first quarter lead.  Then the bottom fell out and it was all Trigg after that as they scored 21 points in the first quarter and 21 points in the third quarter.   Mixed in were six Murray turnovers.

On a downer, the Wildcats lost receiver Dustin White for what may be a considerable amount of time with a broken bone in his arm, which was caused on a run attempt.

Trigg County is 4-0 and 1-0 in the district.  Murray drops to 0-4 and 0-2 in the district.

More news, notes, and stats you read somewhere else soon...

• The 43-point win was Trigg County's largest over Murray in 16 career wins over the Tigers.  The previous high was a 31-0 shutout of the Tigers in 1984.
• Murray still leads the all-time series 34-16-1.
• The win was Trigg's first over Murray since 1996 and their first at Perdue Field since the 1989 playoffs.
• Trigg County outgained Murray 407-232.
• Scotty Mayes had 14 carries for 82 yards and scored four touchdowns on runs of 9, 16, 17, and 7.  Brandon Bridges added 73 yards on 14 carries, and Donald Bush had 57 yards on five carries -- all in the first half.
• Trigg outrushed Murray 264-160.
• Bush was 11-for-20 passing for 145 yards.  He was 5-of-5 for 91 yards in the second half and extended his streak of passing attempts without an interception to 119 consecutive attempts.
• Antonio Grubbs caught six passes for 93 yards.  Will Stagner caught three passes for 36 yards and a score.
• Trigg County had 23 first downs.
• Jamie King led Murray with 159 yards on 21 carries.  Quarterback Josh Garland was 7-of-30 passing for 72 yards and was picked off three times.  Trigg had four picks as a team.
• Devin Stewart had two interceptions, including one for a 9-yard touchdown return.
• Through four games, Trigg County's defense has 13 sacks and 12 interceptions
• Trigg County visits Reidland next week.
• The other district game was Caldwell County 41-27 winners over Heath.  Caldwell County is now 2-0 in district play.  Trigg and Caldwell meet Oct. 19 in Princeton.

Trigg in Caldwell SlamFest Saturday

The Caldwell County SlamFest Tournament will be held Saturday at Caldwell County High and the Butler Gym in Princeton.

Trigg County will play their initial games at the Butler Gym in Princeton.  They will play Hopkins County Central at 8am, McLean County at 9:30am, Fort Campbell at 11:45am, Calloway County at 2pm.  If they advance, pool elimination games begin at 4pm.

The championship is at 7pm.

Here is a schedule for the day.

Pool A will play in the High School Gym on Campus (CAB building). Pool B will play in the Butler Gym located in town.

Pool A (CAB Building)            Pool B (Butler Gym)

1) Christian County             1) Trigg County

2) Union County                  2) Hopkins Central

3) Caldwell County              3) Ft Campbell

4) Livingston Central          4) Calloway County

5) Massac                          5) McLean County

8:00 1 vs 2                         8:00 1 vs 2

8:45 3 vs 4                        8:45 3 vs 4

9:30 5 vs 1                         9:30 5 vs 1

10:15 3 vs 2                       10:15 3 vs 2

11:00 4 vs 5                       11:00 4 vs 5

11:45 1 vs 3                       11:45 1 vs 3

12:30 2 vs 4                       12:30 2 vs 4

1:15 5 vs 3                         1:15 5 vs 3

2:00 4 vs 1                         2:00 4 vs 1

2:45 2 vs 5                         2:45 2 vs 5

Single elimination round begins at the CAB Gym at 4:00:

Game 1 4:00 Pool A (2nd) vs Pool B (3rd)

Game 2 4:45 Pool B (2nd) vs Pool A (3rd)

Game 3 5:30 Pool A (1st) vs winner Game 1

Game 4 6:15 Pool B (1st) vs winner Game 2

Game 5 7:00 Championship Game

Trigg County 2 Hopkins County Central 1

Trigg County got their fourth straight win of the season with a 16-25, 25-14, 25-14 win at Hopkins County Central Thursday night.

"Molly Thompson, Kalesha Williams, and Kelly Bradshaw passed well for us," said Lady Wildcat head coach Rick Erickson, "and Kalesha Williams, Kelly Bradshaw and Casey Banister served well in the match."

Trigg County improves to 7-8 with the win and will play in the Caldwell County SlamFest Saturday in Princeton where they will play at least four games.

Hopkins Central won the JV game 21-13, 15-21, 21-19.

Murray at Trigg County

Tonight is the 51st meeting between Murray and Trigg County in a series that dates back to 1939.  Murray leads the all-time series 34-15-1 and has won the last three in a row and 10 of 12. 

Trigg's last win over the Tigers came in the Monsoon of 1996 when the teams combined for 33 fumbles in a driving rainstorm.  Trigg won 6-0.  Ironically, that was the last Trigg County football game I missed.  I was in Texas at my cousin's wedding.  We met the Oak Ridge Boys after the wedding reception (they were staying in the same hotel as us), but that's another story for another time.

126 consecutive games later, here's some other notes and stats for Friday's game:

• The last time these schools played was the second round of the 2000 playoffs -- the last year Trigg County competed in Class 1A.  Murray won 34-21 at Perdue Field.  Since then, the programs have went in opposite directions.  Trigg County's record has been 59-17 with seven playoff game victories.  Murray has been 45-30, but with six playoff wins.
• Trigg County and Murray were district opponents in the 1950s and 1960s when both schools were 1A.
• The Wildcats are 7-17 against Murray at home but haven't beaten them at Perdue Field since a 12-7 win in the 1989 playoffs.
• The only other opponents Trigg County has played 50 times are Caldwell County (18-35-1 in 54 games) and Russellville (19-36-1 in 56 games)
• Trigg head coach Shannon Burcham is looking to become the first Wildcat coach to start his coaching career 4-0.
• Murray is 0-3 and has allowed 82 points.  Trigg County is 3-0 and has allowed 76 points.  The difference?  Trigg is averaging 33 points a game offensively, while Murray is scoring 19 points a game.
• Antonio Grubbs has four interceptions in three games.  The school record is eight by Derek Burcham in 2000.
• Brandon Bridges leads Trigg in rushing with 348 yards on 58 carries (6.0 ypc.).  Donald Bush is 19-of-39 passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns.  Seven different Wildcats have caught a pass, with Dustin White leading with four catches for 55 yards.
• Trigg's defense has 12 sacks in four games.

In other things I have missed over the first three games...

• When Calloway County's Tyrell Willis rushed for 174 yards against Trigg County on Aug. 31, it was the most rushing yards allowed by the Wildcats since Caldwell County's Kent Wells rushed for 255 yards on 20 carries in a 56-27 Caldwell win Sept. 27, 2002.  It was the most by a Wildcat opponent since Murray's Bobby Smith ran for 195 on 19 carries and scored three times in Murray's 34-21 playoff win in 2000.
• When Brandon Bridges and Hopkinsville's Cardell McGregor returned kickoffs for touchdowns in the season opener, it was the first time both teams returned a kick for a score since Kelvin Grubbs and Todd County's William Stewart did the trick Oct. 10, 1997.

Airtime tonight on 106.5 WKDZ is 6:20pm for the Tailgate Show.  The SEC Report will air at 6:06pm.  You can hear the game live at www.wkdzradio.com

 

Trigg County 5 Dawson Springs 0

Trigg County evened their record at 4-4-1 with a 5-0 shutout at Dawson Springs Thursday.

Roman Cail collected his second hat trick of the season and third multi-goal game, while Trevor Harper scored two goals -- his team-leading eighth and ninth of the year.

Cail also assisted on a goal, giving him five assists for the season and 22 for his career, which ties him with Ryan Brady for second all-time.  He needs just two to tie Justin Cain for the all-time lead.

Jeremy Stamps had two assists, and Shaun Sizemore added one assist.

Wildcat head coach Josh Nichols said Wesley Croom suffered a knee injury in the game and will be analyzed over the next few days to determine his immediate status.

Josh Green picked up the win in goal for the Wildcats, who have beaten Dawson Springs by a combined score of 14-1 in two games.

The JV also won 9-0.

The Wildcats will host Caldwell County Tuesday in a big district matchup at the Complex.  Both teams enter the game with 2-1 district records.  A Trigg win would give them the inside track for the top seed in the district tournament next month.  Caldwell beat Trigg 5-1 on Aug. 30.

Jay Jolly takes 7th at Hopkins Central Invitational

Trigg County took part in the Hopkins Central Invitational Thursday in Morton's Gap, with Jay Jolly finishing seventh in the boys' varsity race in a time of 19:20 over the 3.1-mile course.

Jonathon King was 44th in a time of 23:19, followed by Zeke Wright in 45th (23:19), Grady Cofield in 55th (24:46), and Chris Lawrence in 58th (25:09).

In the varsity girls race, Lynese Byers was 9th in 24:36, followed by Macey King in 15th (25:51), and Rachel Cronin in 43rd (32:04).

The middle school boys took second place as a team, with three runners in the top ten.  Romaine Cunningham was second in the 1.8-mile race in a time of 12:13.  Brien Dossett was 9th (14:16), Debo Mayes 10th (14:16), Corbin Estes 12th (14:48), Landon Sumner 15th (15:38), Raymond Cronin 16th (15:51), Tyler Estes 19th (16:28), Kyle Riveria 24th (17:40), Austin Hendricks 28th (18:20), Matthew Brokering 31st (19:51), and Hunter Allen 32nd (19:52).

In the middle school girls' race, Alex Olin was second in a time of 13:58, and Xzasha Mayes was third in a time of 14:02.

Trigg County will compete in the St. Mary Invitational Saturday morning in Paducah.

Trigg County 1 Hopkinsville 1

The Lady Wildcat soccer team must feel like they're eating at a Chinese restaurant buffet.  They leave their games satisfied but not quite fulfilled.

Trigg County tied for the third time in four games, matching Hopkinsville at a goal apiece Thursday night at the Complex.  Trigg is now 3-1-3 on the season and 3-0-3 in their last six games.  Hopkinsville is 4-4-1.

Danni Romero sent a pass across the goal box that Hoptown put into their own net at the 20:00 mark to stake Trigg to a 1-0 lead.

Hopkinsville scored midway through the second half, and the defenses took over to keep the game tied.  The Lady Tigers, who came into the game scoring 4.6 goals a contest was held to one by a Trigg defense that has allowed just seven goals in seven games.

Shaundra Finley and Ellie Jolly stepped in on defense and played well against the regions highest scoring team. Hoptown has a good offensive system and they have yet to be shut out this season so I was satisfied with holding them to one goal and coming away with the draw," said Lady Wildcat head coach Mike Smith.

Hoptown held Trigg to eight shots on goal, while Dori Sheehan made 12 saves in goal for Trigg County.

"There was some great play back and forth. We had several good opportunities in front of their net on corners, and they did a good job of spreading the field and creating opportunities. Both teams cleared several would be goals of their respective lines," Smith said.

Trigg County will play at Hopkins Central Saturday in a day-long tournament.  Trigg will play Lone Oak (2-4-2) at 8:30am and the host Lady Storm (3-5) at 7:30pm.

Up Next: Thursday

Here's what's on tap for today in sports:

GIRLS SOCCER - Trigg County vs. Hopkinsville - JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:15pm.  The Lady Wildcats (3-1-2) will have their five-game unbeaten streak tested tonight when they host Hopkinsville (4-4) at the Complex.  Hopkinsville is 4-0 lifetime against Trigg County, including a 3-2 win in Hoptown last year.

BOYS SOCCER - Trigg County at Dawson Springs - Varsity first at 5:45pm, JV at 7:15pm.  Trigg County is 3-4-1 and have scored 21 goals and allowed 21 goals in their eight games.  Trigg beat Dawson Springs (1-8) by a score of 9-1 on Aug. 21.

VOLLEYBALL - Trigg County at Hopkins County Central - JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:15pm.  Trigg County carries a three-game winning streak to Morton's Gap to play Hopkins County Central (1-11).  The Lady Wildcats haven't won four straight in two seasons.

CROSS COUNTRY - Trigg County at the Hopkins County Central Invitational (4:30pm).

FRESHMAN FOOTBALL - Trigg County vs. Hopkins County Central at 6pm at Perdue Field.  The freshmen beat Calloway County 14-0 last week in their opener.

Countdown to Kentucky vs. Louisville: 3 days

Just three days until the annual Governor's Cup Game between Kentucky and Louisville at Commonwealth Stadium.

Here is what people around the state and nation are writing about the game:

• Louisville Courier-Journal: UK must put heat on Brian Brohm
• CJ: Rich Brooks facing enormous pressure Saturday
• CJ: Louisville coach says redirect the boos
• CJ: How bad are the defenses for UK and UL?
• Lexington Herald-Leader: Burton not adding to game's hype
• LHL: Louisville not paying attention to signs

No more Kentucky/Tennessee All-Star Football Game

After 24 years, the annual Kentucky/Tennessee All-Star Football Game is going by the wayside after an agreement on when to play the game couldn't be reached.

According to the press release from Jimmie Reed, all-star game director and executive director of the Kentucky High School Coaches' Association, said the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association (TACA) wanted to move the all-star game to December 15.  However, Kentucky would not have been able to get the players and coaches out of school to practice whereas Tennessee schools have been given the okay to release their players and coaches to participate in the game, Reed said.

Kentucky offered Tennessee a three-year deal where Kentucky would pay all of Tennessee's expenses and play the game at Westen Kentucky University, but the game had to be played in June of each year. That proposal was rejected by Tennessee, according to Reed.

After inquiring into a football series with border states Indiana and West Virginia and being turned down, the KHSCA decided to renew the intra-state East-West All-Star Game that was last played in 1982 prior to the Kentucky/Tennessee All-Star Game.

"The upside to all of this is that we will have more Kentucky players and coaches involvled in the all-star game," said Reed.  "The plans are to pick 33 players for each squad whereas before we had 40 players."

Initial plans call for the West squad to consist of schools in Districts 1-4 in each of the six classes, while Districts 5-8 would make up the East team, Reed said.

L.T. Smith Stadium on the campus of Western Kentucky University will be the host of the East-West All-Star Game, possibly for three years.

"I am sorry that the series between Tennessee has come to an end. I did everything in my power to keep the series going, and we had a tremondous proposal on the table for Tennesse to accept or reject which Tennessee rejected," Reed said.

The series with Tennessee was the third longest in the nation.  Tennessee led the all-time series 17-15, but Kentucky had won six of the last eight games, fueling speculation of the reasons why Tennessee wasn't eager to renew the series.

Several Trigg County players have participated in the KY/TN all-star game in recent years.