Scott Brown's SportsBytes on WKDZ

Kentucky avoids a possible radio broadcast problem Saturday night

Kentucky fans can thank Jodie Meeks for avoiding a potential Wildcat football/basketball game issue for tonight.

Thanks to Kentucky's 74-72 win over Kansas State in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Invitational that stretched into the early morning hours, their championship game with West Virginia will not overlap with Kentucky's football game with Tennessee.

The pregame show with Kentucky and Tennessee will begin at 4pm today on WKDZ-FM 106.5, with kickoff at 5:30pm.  The game is also televised on ESPN2.

The UK basketball game isn't set to tip off until around 9:30pm.  The UK radio network informed their affiliates this week that they will leave coverage of the football game immediately after the Rich Brooks Post Game Show and join pregame coverage of the basketball game.

In case you were wondering, Tom Leach will call the football game, while Neil Price, the radio voice of the UK women's team, and Mike Pratt have the radio call of the basketball game.  The game will be on ESPN2 as well.

Had UK lost the game, it would have been a simulcast nightmare with both games being played at the same time and the UK basketball game being carried on a tape-delay basis by WKDZ and many other statewide radio outlets.

Region Championship Football recap

Here is a recap of some regional championship games from the area Friday night:

Class 2A

Fort Campbell held off Owensboro Catholic 48-35 on post to claim their second straight region title and their 16th straight win against Class 2A teams.

Antonio Andrews was 10-of-13 passing for 102 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 147 yards and another score.  Troy Turner added 11 carries for 114 yards and two touchdowns, and J.D. Ervin had over 50 yards of offense and two receiving touchdowns.

The Falcons led 27-0 at halftime before OCath responded with 35 points in the second half.  Evan Walker was 32-of-49 passing for 299 yards and five touchdowns.  Bryan McGraw caught 16 passes for 174 yards and three scores.

Fort Campbell's defense held Owensboro Catholic to eight yards of rushing offense.

Fort Campbell (12-1) will travel to Tompkinsville next week to play Monroe County (12-1), who beat Green County 14-13.  Monroe tackled the Green punter in the end zone with a little over six minutes left in the game for the deciding score.  The win gave Monroe County their first region title since 1989.

The only time Fort Campbell and Monroe County have met in the playoffs was in 2003 -- a 43-8 Fort Campbell win in the first round.

It will be a long trip for the WHVO radio crew next week, but we will post driving directions on here in the coming days.

Class 1A

Crittenden County beat Mayfield 26-13 to win their first region title since their state championship season of 1985.

Next up for the Rockets is the defending state champion Beechwood Tigers and a long bus ride to northern Kentucky.

Mayfield barely avoids a losing season with a record of 7-6 and suffered their first two losses to Crittenden County -- ever -- this year.

Class 3A

Union County won their first football region title since 1976 with a 39-23 win over Edmonson County.

Next up for the Braves is a trip to Louisville next week to play defending Class 3A champion Central.

Class 4A

Calloway County won the school's first ever football region title with a 42-26 win at Allen County-Scottsville.  Tyrell Willis rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns for the Lakers, who will travel to Bullitt East next week to face the Chargers, who beat North Bullitt 26-7.

Class 5A

Christian County shut down Owensboro and beat the Red Devils 16-0 at the Stadium of Champions Friday.  The Colonel defense held Owensboro without a first down until less than a minute left in the third quarter.  Next up for the Colonels (12-1) is a trip to John Hardin, who beat Doss 42-28.

It is Christian County's first football region title since 1992.

Tennessee

In other football news, former Hopkinsville head coach Craig Clayton has coached his Franklin, Tennessee high school team into the Tennessee Class 5A football championship game.  Franklin beat White Station of Memphis 35-18 to run their record to 13-1.  For Franklin, it is their first title game appearance since 2004 and the first for Clayton as a head coach there.  He coached Hopkinsville to back-to-back title game appearances in 1996-97.

Franklin will play Oakland High next Saturday at Middle Tennessee State University.

Interesting fact to take away from tonight's games.  Trigg County played three of the region champs from above -- Calloway County, Fort Campbell, and Christian County.  Another loss came to Owensboro Catholic, who lost to Fort Campbell in the region title game, further lending credence to how tough Trigg's schedule was this year.

Trigg/Union game time changed

Trigg County's boys/girls basketball doubleheader with Union County scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6 has been moved to earlier in the day.

The girls' game will begin at 2pm with the boys' game to follow at 3:30pm at Wildcat Gym.

The game time was changed because of the Cadiz Christmas Parade, which is set to begin at 6pm and navigate past the school.

Saturday Morning Sports Report for tomorrow

Be sure and join me for the Saturday Morning Sports Report at 8:10am tomorrow.

I'll have an interview with University of Kentucky commitment Jon Hood and we'll hear from Christian County volleyball coach Rick Erickson who will tell us about Courttime Volleyball and have information about those signups.

Kyle Allen will also have the College Football Report as well.

Trigg County gets hoops scrimmage win over Madisonville

Trigg County beat Madisonville in three of the four quarters Monday at Wildcat Gym in their first preseason scrimmage of the season.

Madisonville won the first eight-minute scrimmage 10-6 before Trigg won the final three quarters 17-15, 23-19, and 20-15.  Had the score been kept, Trigg would have won 66-59.

Zeke Wright scored 20 points and had four rebounds, while Jonathon King had 20 points and six rebounds.  Also in double figures was Blake Mitchell, who scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Dustin White, who has been practicing basketball for just one day since coming over from the football team, had six points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.  Bradley Davis had four points and four assists.

CLICK HERE to get head coach Mike Wright's take on the scrimmage

Madisonville was led by University of Kentucky commitment Jon Hood.  The 6-foot-7 guard scored 31 of Madisonville's 59 points.  He was 10-of-21 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and was 8-of-11 at the free throw line.  Hood also had 10 rebounds, five blocks, and a steal in about 25 minutes of action.

CLICK HERE to listen to Hood talk about new Maroon head coach Marty Cline

You can listen to more comments from Hood on the Saturday Morning Sports Report this week at 8:10am on WKDZ-FM.

In a sign of things to come, there were 58 fouls called in the scrimmage as officials have promised tighter called games throughout the region.  Trigg County was 11-of-19 at the free throw line, while Madisonville was 16-of-40.

Trigg County will take part in the Preseason Basketball Showcase at Rupp Arena Friday in Lexington.  They will play Western Hills.  Tickets are $15 and can be purchased from any coach or player.

Fort Campbell cancels girls varsity basketball season

Fort Campbell has cancelled their girls' varsity basketball season because of a lack of interest.

Athletic director Mike Marciano said as few as eight players have been practicing with head coach Mary Harrell as recently as last week.  He said some of last year's players did not come out for the team and two others were ineligible.

Fort Campbell was 0-25 last year.  It doesn't help that the Lady Falcons are in the Eighth District with Christian County and Hopkinsville -- two teams picked at the top of the Second Region this year.

Marciano said the Lady Falcons would field a junior varsity team this year and look to field a varsity team again next year.

CLICK HERE to listen to Marciano talk about the decision to cancel the season

Trigg County Cross Country Banquet

Members of the Trigg County Cross Country teams were recognized at their annual awards banquet Monday night.

The Elementary School Most Outstanding Runners were Kelsey Desrochers and Ethan Dossett.

The Middle School Most Outstanding Runners were Alex Olin and Romaine Cunningham.

The High School Most Outstanding Runners were Lynease Byers and Jay Jolly.

The 110-percent Award went to Garrett Brown

The Coaches' Award went to Matt Savage.

Senior Awards went to Rachel Cronin and Jay Jolly.

Rookie of the Year was awarded to Reagan Hyde.

Thanks to Wayne Olin for the pictures

 

Owensboro Catholic at Trigg County

Trigg County hosts Owensboro Catholic tonight in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.

Trigg beat OCath in 2001 at Perdue Field but lost four straight playoff meetings from 2003-06.  Each of those games were in Owensboro.

The Wildcats come into tonight's game with a record of 6-5, needing a win to clinch their ninth straight winning season.

Owensboro Catholic has a record of 4-7, but has played the second toughest schedule in Class 2A, according to the Massey Ratings.  Trigg has played the seventh toughest schedule.

While Owensboro Catholic has been known in the past for their offense, it's their defense that has carried them for most of the season.  They are giving up just 15.8 points a game and have not allowed 30 points in a game since the season opener.

Tonight is another "Black Out" at Perdue Field, with Trigg fans asked to wear all black to support the Wildcats.

Another factor could be the weather....

Tickets to the game are five dollars for everyone.

CLICK HERE to listen to Trigg head coach Shannon Burcham detail the keys for a Wildcat victory

Now for the predictions....

• The Massey Ratings say it's too close to call
• The Courier-Journal Litkenhous Ratings say Owensboro Catholic by nine points

• Dave Cantrall's rankings also give a nine point nod to the Aces

Airtime tonight on WKDZ-FM is 6:03 with the SEC Football Report.  The Wildcat Tailgate Show begins at 6:15.  High School Football Gamenight has the pregame coverage at 6:45, with the kickoff at 7:30.  You can also listen to the game on the internet at www.wkdzradio.com.

All Western Kentucky Conference Team announced

Several Trigg County football players were named to the All-Western Kentucky Conference small school football team that is comprised of Classes 1-3A.

Running back Brandon Bridges, offensive lineman Timmy McGee, defensive lineman Dustin Calhoun, and kicker John Renick were named to the so-called "small school" squad.

Here is the complete list of the All WKC Small School Squad (Classes 1A, 2A, and 3A)

OFFENSE

QB - Antonio Andrews (Fort Campbell)

RB - Brandon Bridges (Trigg County)

RB - Tyrese Murrell (Mayfield)

RB - Rodney Robertson (Crittenden County)

WR - Eric Faughn (Caldwell County)

WR - Chris Allen (Fort Campbell)

OL - Timmy McGee (Trigg County)

OL - Max Moser (Fort Campbell)

OL - Anthony Topps (Fort Campbell) 

OL - Kyle Proffitt (Caldwell County)

OL - Jantzen Jones (Mayfield)

K - John Reinick (Trigg County)

DEFENSE

DL - Stacey Whipple (Fort Campbell)

DL - Dustin Calhoun (Trigg County) 

DL - Kameron Cain (Caldwell County)

DL - Tron Gray (Caldwell County)

LB - Josh Carter (Fort Campbell)

LB - Gaige Courtney (Crittenden County)

LB - Dillion Thornton (Crittenden County

LB - Charles Cooper (Paducah Tilghman)

DB - Raquan Durrante (Fort Campbell)

DB - Denzel Powell (Paducah Tilghman) 

DB - J.D. Gray (Crittenden County)

P - Steven Mix (Ballard Memorial)

The WKC coaches also named their All-WKC team that encompasses all six classes.  No Trigg County players were named to the overall All-WKC Team.

OFFENSE

QB - Casey Brockman (Calloway County)

RB - Tyrese Murrell (Mayfield)

RB - Vashun Banks (Christian County)

RB - Tyrrell Willis (Calloway County)

WR - Victor Moulden (Hopkinsville)

WR - Chris Dobbins (Calloway County)

OL - Max Moser (Fort Campbell)

OL - Jacob Langston (Christian County

OL - Grant Williams (Calloway County)

OL - Jeff Prescott (Lone Oak)

OL - Kyle Proffitt (Caldwell County)

K - Isaac Sims (Graves County)

DEFENSE

DL - Stacey Whipple (Fort Campbell)

DL - Malcolm McDuffen (Christian County)

DL - Denver Seay (Marshall County)

DL - Kameron Cain (Caldwell County)

LB - Josh Carter (Fort Campbell)

LB - Gaige Courtney (Crittenden County)

LB - Tyrrell Willis (Calloway County)

LB - Charles Cooper (Paducah Tilghman)

DB - Raquan Durrante (Fort Campbell)

DB - Deshawn Johnson (Hopkinsville)

DB - Austin Hargrove (Calloway County)

P - Rex Coleman (Graves County)

COACH OF THE YEAR - Steve Lovelace (Christian County)

Brandon Bridges, Shannon Burcham tie for player/coach awards

Trigg County's Brandon Bridges and head coach Shannon Burcham have tied for top honors in the district according to voting by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association.

Bridges tied with Caldwell County's Will Barnes for top honors in Class 2A, District 1.

Burcham tied with Murray head coach Steve Duncan for the top coaching honors in Class 2A, District 1

Other winners included:

• Crittenden County head coach Al Starnes and Rockets quarterback J.D. Gray in Class 1A, District 1.
• Fort Campbell head coach Shawn Berner and Falcons quarterback Antonio Andrews in Class 2A, District 2.
• Muhlenberg South head coach Josh Staples and Suns' player Aaron Johnson in Class 3A, District 1.
• Lone Oak head coach Jask Haskins and Purple Flash quarterback Jamarielle Brown in Class 4A, District 1.
• Owensboro head coach Joe Prince and Christian County head coach Steve Lovelace shared the coaching honors in Class 5A, District 1.  Owensboro running back Yorell Shemwell won the top player honors.
• Madisonville head coach Will Weaver and Apollo player Courtland Dillard in Class 6A, District 1. 

Josh Hunt steps down as Christian County baseball coach

Josh Hunt has stepped down as Christian County baseball coach after two seasons as head coach.

According to a press release from CCHS athletic director Kevin Crider, "Josh is going to be with his wife Miranda as she fights cancer for the third time. He is still going to assist the team as an assistant coach, but could not full fill the responsibilities of a head coach."

Crider said associate head coach Blake Leach would take over as head coach of the Colonels.

Hunt was 50-25 in two seasons as CCHS head coach after serving as an assistant for several years under Crider.

In 2007, Christian County was 23-13 and lost to Henderson County in the region championship game.

This year, the Colonels were 27-12 and won the region title.  They also knocked off Barren County in the semi-state round before losing to PRP in the first round of the state tournament.

I personally wish the Hunt family the best and hope for a full recovery for Miranda.  Josh is one of the most accessible coaches I've ever dealt with and more coaches should work from his example.

Kentucky State Football Playoff Brackets (updated)

Here are the updated playoff brackets for each of the six football classes.

Class 1A Playoff Bracket

Class 2A Playoff Bracket 

Class 3A Playoff Bracket 

Class 4A Playoff Bracket 

Class 5A Playoff Bracket 

Class 6A Playoff Bracket  

Chase Joiner signs with Memphis

Former Christian County All-State pitcher Chase Joiner has signed to play baseball at the University of Memphis.

Joiner, a sophomore at John A. Logan Community College, was 4-2 last year with a 3.00 ERA for the Volunteers.  He struck out 32 batters in 42 innings and had five saves.

"Chase will bring a wealth of experience and ability to our pitching staff," Tigers head coach Daron Schoenrock said in a press release. "We are excited to be adding another John Logan Junior College player to our program. We expect Chase (Joiner) to make an immediate impact on our pitching staff."

Joiner was 42-7 in his Christian County career with 328 strikeouts and a career ERA of 1.63.  His career wins are tied for the most in state high school history.

 

 

Area athletes net conference honors

It was quite a weekend for area athletes in college as three received conference honors.

Former Hopkinsville High quarterback Curtis Pulley was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the week after leading Florida A&M to a 45-24 win over Hampton.

Pulley was 6-of-14 passing for 159 yards and one touchdown while rushing 12 times for 132 yards and three touchdowns.  He also caught a pass for 12 yards for a total of 303 yards of offense.

It's the third time Pulley has been named conference player of the week.

Meanwhile, the player that replaced Pulley at quarterback at Hopkinsville was named Mid-South Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

Chris Thomas, a freshman at Union College in Barbourville, was tabbed with the honor after helping lead the Bulldogs to a 36-7 win over the weekend.

Thomas averaged 34.7 yards per punt return and 28 yards per kickoff return against Bellhaven College of Mississippi.  Thomas had a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown and caught three passes for 40 yards and a score.

For the season, Thomas is averaging 23 yards a kick return and 9.4 yards a punt return.  He's also second on the team in receiving with 34 catches for 432 yards and four touchdowns.

Union College is in the NAIA playoffs for the first time and will play third-ranked St. Francis, Indiana Saturday.

Also, former University Heights Academy basketball standout Scotty Hopson was named Southeastern Conference freshman of the week after scoring 17 points in his Tennessee debut over the weekend.

Hopson played only nine minutes in Tennessee's 114-75 win over Chattanooga.  He was 7-of-11 from the field, including three 3-pointers.  He also had three rebounds and a steal for the Vols.

Kentucky's weekend: Ugh!

Ugh!

While there are plenty of four-letter words to describe Kentucky's weekend showing in basketball and football, the above three-lettered word sums it up the best.

Two games they should have won, had chances to win, and simply gave away were on display at Rupp Arena and Commonwealth Stadium.

First, the basketball debacle.

Just the mention of Garnder-Webb has people scurrying as if someone announced they were having a macarena contest.  The lightly-regarded school came in and not only beat Kentucky last year, they made them look bad on their home floor.

Fast forward a year and VMI (Virginia Military Institute for those of you who have never heard of them) has Gardner-Webbed the Wildcats again.

No passion.  No defense.  And at times, no clue.  That sums up Kentucky's 111-103 loss to the Keydets Friday.

UK couldn't get the basketball into their best player in the first half, and Patrick Patterson had as many shots as I did in the first half.  None.

The score was 35-15 VMI when I left the house to go to the Trigg County football game.   Ridiculous.

Some observations...

1.) Rupp Arena is no longer a tough place for opponents to come into and play.  Arguably, it's never been THE toughest place to play in the nation, but it's no longer in the top 10.  Maybe not even the top 20.  I remember going to a game a few years back and seeing an elderly woman knitting while the game was being played.  Knitting.  Meanwhile, the students were placed in the upper arena or in other non-strategic places in Rupp Arena. 

I know the E-Rupption Zone has put the students closer to the floor, but it's nothing like the home venues of Duke, Florida, New Mexico, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, North Carolina, UCLA, Stanford, and several others.

2.) Bash Tubby Smith all you want, but his teams would not have allowed 111 points in a game, let alone to VMI.  They likely wouldn't have lost to Gardner Webb and San Diego at home last year either.  For some reason, boring and wins weren't appealing to UK fans.  Now, they are getting exciting style and losses.  Which had you rather have?

3.) Why does Billy Gillispie seem to get a free pass for UK's losses to Gardner-Webb and VMI?  If Tubby had lost to these teams, there would be efigies of Tubby hanging in trees on the UK campus and not efigies of Barrack Obama.  It makes one wonder if there is another ugly underlying factor at play here in regards to skin color.

4.) The absence of transfer Derrick Jasper will be glaring until conference play begins.

5.) All we heard about in the preseason was the play of Josh Harralson.  He didn't see much floor time against VMI.  Why is that?

6.) Free passes for losses to Gardner-Webb and VMI just solidifies the belief that UK fans are in denial that their once storied program is slipping into mediocrity much like UCLA and Marquette did in the 1980s

Now, on to football.

How do you lose to a struggling Vanderbilt team at home? 

I know Vanderbilt was playing for a sixth win and their first bowl game since Whit Taylor took snaps in 1982.  But it's still Vanderbilt.

And Kenucky just looked bad on national TV also.  How many times do you keep rushing the punter when you've had flag after flag for roughing the kicker?

How many more games will the special teams cost UK before they can Steve Ortemeyer as special teams coach?

If you played a drinking game that centered on dropped passes by UK's receivers, you'd make Otis Campbell look like a deacon's wife.  How did UK get so thin at receiver?

Rich Brooks took the blame for not having his team ready to play in the first half as they fell behind 14-0.  It's the difference in playing a bowl game inside the Georgia Dome and perhaps playing outside in Shreveport or Memphis.  How can you not have them ready to play?  As a player, how can you not be ready to play against an opponent that comes in needing the win to become bowl eligible.

I'm beginning to believe the Kentucky football program is the Chicago Cubs of college football.  Just when you think they have turned the corner, they lay an egg when it matters most.

Just not a good weekend to be a Kentucky Wildcat fan.

Heritage Christian Academy splits first two games

Heritage Christian Academy split their first two games to start the 2008-09 girls' basketball season.

In their opener Friday, HCA held Victory Christian of Bowling Green scoreless in the first and third quarters en route to a 44-14 win.

Kaitlynn Daniel led the Lady Warriors with 19 points, while freshman Amanda Shemwell added nine points, and Morgan Murray added eight points and 10 rebounds.  Grace Waldron had four points and nine rebounds for the Lady Warriors as well.

On Monday, HCA lost to Jo Byrns 42-24 as Morgan Murray scored 16 points.

Now 1-1, HCA returns to action Saturday at home against Micah of Louisville.

Lynease Byers finishes 26th at state cross country meet

Trigg County junior Lynease Byers finished 26th at the Class 2A State Cross Country Meet Saturday in Lexington.

Byers completed the 3.1-mile course in 20:58, which was 1:18 behind the winner, Jessie Murner of South Oldham.

Byers was the only Trigg County runner in the meet.

In the Class A meet, Fort Campbell's Tony Duran finished seventh in a time of 16:45, which was 37 seconds behind the race winner, James Maglasang of St. Mary.

Duran was followed across the line by Darrell Napier in 33rd; Adam Such in 83rd; Bryan Beeler in 122nd; Scott Hill in 125th; Levi Gibson in 129th; and Shane Veteto in 139th.

As a team Fort Campbell finished in 11th place.

For the gals, Emily Such finished in ninth place in a time of 20:01.  Kaycee Grimes finished 29th, Ashley Gibson 83rd; Lindsey Horton 132rd; Alex Webb 139th; Morgan Dunleavy 140th; and Jackie Pierson 151st.

As a team, Fort Campbell finished in 12th place.

Meanwhile, Hopkinsville had one runner qualify for the state meet.  Johnny Kvietkus finished 46th in the boys' Class 2A meet.

For Christian County in the Class 3A meet, Sean Hurd finished 46th in a time of 17:14.  Danny Johnson finished 136th; Chris Pyle 156th; Roman Roman 209th; Logan Hurd 224th; Matthew Moorefield 225th; and Kyle Lancaster 227th.

Christian County finished 25th as a team.

"Everybody went as hard as they could considering the weather conditions," said head coach Richard Johnson. "We have expectations to return to state with 6 of 8 varsity runners returning. The team was happy to make it, but after the race, they were more motivated to return and improve next year. We have to replace our two seniors, so we are always looking for runners."

Former Graves County basketball player dies

Randon Cavette, a former basketball standout at Graves County High School, collapsed and died following a pickup basketball game Sunday night in Mayfield, according to WPSD-TV in Paducah.

Following high school, Cavette played in college for parts of two seasons at Coastal Carolina alongside former UHA standout Joshua Mack.

Three Trigg wrestlers win at the UHA tourney

Trigg County Middle School finished third out of eight teams at the Tim French Middle School Wrestling Tournament Saturday at University Heights Academy.

Trigg's point total of 138 points trailed only Rossview Middle (160) and UHA (149.5).

First place winners for Trigg County were Jeremiah Kline in the 70-pound class; Riley Reynolds in the 89-pound class; and Gary Barker in the 185-pound class.

Aaron Stevens took second place in the 165-pound class; Daniel Ingram was third in the 96-pound class; Romaine Cunningham was third in the 103-pound class; Jayven Jones was third in the 110-pound class; and Darren Boren was fourth in the heavyweight class.

"I'm proud of them.  For it to be their first meet, they did a tremendous job," said TCMS coach Ralph Stevens of his 17 wrestlers.

Trigg County will wrestle again at the Hopkinsville Middle School Takedown Tournament.

College Football Bowl Projections

Here is a look at where various websites are sending Kentucky and Louisville for the college football bowl season.  Again, these are just projections.

NBC Sports says Kentucky and Florida State in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta

CNN/SI also says the 'Cats are in Atlanta, except against Georgia Tech 

College Football News also says Atlanta -- against the Tar Heels

CBS Sportsline says UK vs. Wake Forest -- in Atlanta 

Only ESPN.com says the 'Cats are going back to Nashville  

The Sporting News didn't list UK amongst the big bowls 

 

Lady Wildcats scrimmaging tonight

Trigg County will have their first girls' basketball scrimmage of the season tonight when they host Community Christian at Wildcat Gym.

Community Christian of the First Region was 19-7 last year and won the 12 Games of Christmas Tournament at Trigg County two years ago.

Trigg County was 6-21 last year but have several different players who didn't play last year that could make an impact on this year's team.

The scrimmage is scheduled for 5pm at Wildcat Gym.

Their next scrimmage will be Nov. 25 at Mayfield.

Trigg County qualifies one for the state cross country meet

Trigg County's Lynease Byers (right) was the lone qualifier for the state cross country meet after finishing third at the Class 2A, Region I Meet Saturday at Muhlenberg South High School.

Byers completed the 3.1-mile course in a time of 20:27, which was 33 seconds behind the race winner, Brianne Porter of Muhlenberg South.

Seventh grader Alex Olin finished in 21st place in a time of 22:48 and missed qualifying for the state meet by three positions.

Macey King finished 40th (25:55), Monica Jones 41st (25:57), and Rachel Cronin 55th (29:59).

To my knowledge, no English teachers ran in the race.

Muhlenberg South won the team event with 32 points, followed by Union County in second with 64 points, and Calloway County in third.

Trigg County finished in sixth place with 148 points, and Hopkinsville finished ninth.

Heidi Ramirez led Hopkinsville with a 30th place finish, followed by Aunye Christian (24:44), Paige Stallons (48th), Alayna Green (50th), and Myra Deason (58th).

In the boys' race, Romaine Cunningham was Trigg County's top runner with a 26th place finish in a time of 18:26.  Jay Jolly was one spot behind with the same time.  Cunningham missed qualifying for the state meet by three slots.

Muhlenberg South's Aaron Poore won the race in a time of 16:42 over the 3.1-mile course.

Jakelzie Martin finished 59th for Trigg County in a time of 20:58, followed by Matt Savage in 64th (22:33), Garrett Brown in 66th (22:40), and Raymond Cronin in 71st (29;38).

Hopkinsville's Johnny Kvietkus qualified for the state meet by finishing in ninth place.  Ryan Crossett finished 51st and Carnel Croney was 57th.

Calloway County won the meet with 55 points, followed by Webster County and Muhlenberg North.

Trigg County finished 10th, and Hopkinsville was 11th.

Meanwhile, in the Class 3A, Region I Meet at Owensboro, Christian County edged Owensboro by a single point to finish fourth and qualify a team for the state meet for the first time since 2003.

Sean Hurd led Christian County with a ninth place finish in 17:18, followed by Chris Pyle in 17th, Danny Johnson in 19th, Roman Roman in 38th, Logan Hurd in 41st, Matt Moorefield in 47th, and Kyle Lancaster in 48th place.

Daviess County continued their mastry of the region by winning with 23 points.  Apollo was second and Marshall County third.

In the Class 1A, Region I Meet at Marshall County, Fort Campbell swept the top two spots in the girls race and finished in second place in the team competition.

Senior Emily Such won the race in a time of 20:41, followed by freshman Kaycee Grimes in second place.  Ashley Gibson finished in seventh.

St. Mary won the team title with 47 points, while Fort Campbell was second with 50 points.

In the boys' race, Tony Duran of Fort Campbell finished second to St. Mary's James Maglasang in a time of 17:08.  Darrell Napier finished fourth, and Scott Hill was tenth.

Murray won the boys' title with 50 points, while Fort Campbell finished second, and St. Mary was third.

The runners move on to the state cross country meet at the Kentucky Horse Park Saturday.

 

Lady Midcats fall at state middle school basketball tournament

Trigg County's girls' middle school basketball team dropped a pair of games in the Middle School State Tournament over the weekend in Lexington but were very competitive in both.

Trigg opened with a 39-33 loss to Wayne County Middle in a game they led 18-17 at halftime.  Khadijah Grubbs led Trigg with 19 points, while Rachel Want scored six points.  Allison Greene added three points, Karli Bush and Leonzerrae Grubbs each scored two points, and Allyssa Stallons scored one point.

In the consolation bracket, Trigg County faced Meyzeek Middle School from downtown Louisville.  Trigg trailed 28-19 after three quarters and fell 45-29.  Grubbs again led Trigg with 11 points, while Greene scored seven, and Want scored five.

The championship game of the tournament will be played at Rupp Arena Nov. 28 between Crosby Middle School of Middletown, a Louisville suburb, and Lebanon Middle School from Marion County.

Trigg County 53 Fulton County 0

Trigg County wrapped up the regular season with a 53-0 shutout of Fulton County at Perdue Field Friday.  The Wildcats head into the playoffs with a record of 5-5.

Fulton County controlled the football for much of the game, but couldn't find a way to poke the football into the end zone when they need to.

The Pilots (1-9) ran 48 plays and held the football for an amazing 36:03 of the game.  Trigg ran 27 plays and had the ball just 11:57 of the game.

Trigg County made their plays count with six of their seven touchdowns covering 23 yards or more.

Trigg took the early lead when Fulton County's punter, Tyler Wilson, was tackled in the end zone following a bad snap for a safety.

Brandon Bridges then scored the next four touchdowns for Trigg County in the first half.  He scored on runs of 1, 52, and 23 yards and caught a 37-yard screen pass for a touchdown.  Trigg led 31-0 at halftime.

Shelton Burress then picked up the rushing slack in the second half, scoring on a 38-yard run.  Bridges added a 32-yard run in the third quarter, and Will Stagner hauled in a 31-yard pass from Donald Bush to round out the scoring for the Wildcats. 

A running clock went into effect with 8:58 left in the third quarter, and Trigg managed just eight plays the rest of the game.

Bridges touched the football nine times and had 119 yards in eight carries and one catch for 37 yards.

Burress ran for 113 yards on just five carries.

Bush completed 6-of-7 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns.  Both Dustin White (44 yards) and Josh P'Pool (10 yards) caught two passes.

Trigg County had 380 yards of total offense.

Freshman LaDevin Fair carried the football 32 times for 111 yards.  Fulton County ran 46 times for 119 yards.  They were 0-for-2 through the air.

Trigg County will host Todd County Central in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs next week at Perdue Field.

CLICK HERE to listen to the comments of head coach Shannon Burcham on the WKDZ Post Game Show

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE GAME

• Trigg County averaged 14.0 yards per snap.  Fulton County averaged 2.4 yards per snap.
• The Wildcats head into the post season with five wins, the fewest amount entering the postseason since they were 1-9 in 1998.
• No Trigg County team has ever rebounded from an 0-3 start to finish the season with a winning record.  The Wildcats are 5-5.
• Trigg scored 22 points in the second quarter and 22 points in the third quarter.
• Trigg County's first quarter safety was their first since the Lone Oak game in 2006 that was played in a monsoon.
• Brandon Bridges now has 14 touchdowns this year -- 12 rushing and two receiving.
• For the season, Bridges needs just 79 yards to rush for 1,000 yards for a third straight year.  The only other Wildcats to accomplish this were Brandon's uncle Greg Bridges (1987-89), and Kelvin Grubbs (1994-95, 1997).
• Bridges has 14 career 100-yard games.  Al Baker holds the school record with 33.
• Donald Bush is already over the 1,000-yard mark for the season (1,143 yards).  Bush joins Dan Moser (1998-2000) as the only Wildcat quarterbacks with three straight 1,000-yard seasons.
• Bush moved into second place on the Trigg County all-time passing list with 3,441 yards.  Dan Moser tops the list with 5,511 yards.
• With his two TD passes, Bush is tied with Tommy Woodall for third place on the career touchdown list with 37.  Only Dan Moser (56) and Ian Stites (44) are ahead of him.
• Trigg County had 16 turnovers in their first five games of the season.  They have four in their last five games.
• Trigg County has won seven of eight games against Class 1A schools since moving up to Class 2A in 2002.  Their lone loss was the storm-shortened game with Mayfield in 2003.
• Trigg County has not lost a regular season finale since a 48-28 setback to Madisonville to end the 1999 season.
• Fulton County still leads the all-time series 7-6.  The teams will likely not meet again next year.
• Trigg County has a career record of 51-57-3 (.472) in November games.

Photos courtesy of www.montystagner.com

Trigg County Wildcat football seniors are (back row) Ricky Jessup, Dustin White, Antonio Grubbs, Timmy McGee, Josh P'Pool, Dustin Calhoun, Eric Keeler, (front row) Henry Wharton, Will Stagner, Donald Bush, Brandon Bridges, and Ryan Acree.

Dillion Cionko (34) and Tavaras Poindexter (55) force a fumble from Fulton County quarterback Ryan McGuire.

Will Stagner (16) heads to the end zone after hauling in a 31-yard pass from Donald Bush.

 

Dillion Cionko (34) and Jamus McAtee (2) provide the high-low hit on Fulton County running back LaDevin Fair.

Reidand to search for a new football coach

Reidland will look for a new football coach after Jeff Sturm announced he is resigning after tomorrow's game, according to WPSD-TV.

Sturm was 13-55 in seven years as head coach at Reidland, with one of those wins coming via forfeit.  Reidland did not make the playoffs in any of those seven seasons.

Reidland finishes out their season tomorrow against Fulton City.

Congratulations to my former English teachers and coaches

I want to give a shout out to my former high school English teachers and coaches I have worked with in the past.

Susan Bryant, Jane Ellen Wilson, and Becky Ginn were all teachers of mine at TCHS "back in the day".  And all three are still apparently in remarkable shape.

At the Meet of Champions cross country invitational last weekend in Lexington, Bryant finished 299th in the girls' middle school race.  Wilson was 303rd, and Ginn was 304th.  Not a bad day for a couple of retired teachers and for Mrs. Ginn, who showed her athletic prowess last spring at the school's dodgeball tournament.  It's my understanding that Mrs. Ginn was not happy to learn she finished behind Mrs. Wilson.  I'm also pretty sure Susan Bryant has set some sort of record for competing in a cross country race and being elected to city council all in the same week.

Another shout out goes to Ray Maggard, who finished 333rd in the boys middle school race.  Maggard, of course, was the boys' varsity basketball coach at Trigg County from 1978-85.

Jeff Embrey, who just last year left Trigg County to take the Lyon County boys' basketball job, finished 335th.

And how about Ginger Wallace?  A former all-state cross country runner, she shows she still has what it takes to be a competitive runner nearly two decades later with a 55th place finish in the girls' varsity race.

Hats off to my former English teachers and former Trigg County coaches.  Your efforts are forever documented in this week's Cadiz Record. 

I can't wait for basketball season to get here.

Kentucky Associated Press High School Football Poll

Here is the latest Associated Press Kentucky High School Football Poll.  The Bluegrasspreps.com poll will be released later tonight.

Class 1A

Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs

1. Beechwood (18) 9-0 207 1

2. Raceland (3) 9-0 187 2

3. Frankfort - 8-1 163 3

4. Hazard - 7-2 133 4

5. Williamsburg - 8-1 121 5

6. Lex. Christian - 6-3 98 7

7. Fairview - 7-2 64 9

8. Lou. Holy Cross - 6-3 63 6

9. Bellevue - 7-3 45 10

10. Crittenden Co. - 7-3 31 8

Others receiving votes: 11, Mayfield 20. 12, Eminence 9. 13, Allen Central 8. 14, Pikeville 6.

Class 2A

Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs

1. Fort Campbell (19) 9-0 208 1

2. Corbin (2) 10-0 182 2

3. Newport Central Catholic - 8-1 170 3

4. Monroe Co. - 8-1 124 5

5. Prestonsburg - 8-1 118 6

6. Green Co. - 8-1 96 7

7. Lou. DeSales - 7-2 85 8

8. Danville - 7-3 79 4

9. Murray - 7-3 28

10. Middlesboro - 6-3 25

Others receiving votes: 11, Trigg Co. 16. 12, Owensboro Catholic 13. 13, Caldwell Co. 6. 14, Shelby Valley 3.

Class 3A

Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs

1. Belfry (19) 9-0 207 1

2. Breathitt Co. - 7-2 168 3

3. Lou. Central (2) 5-3 145 2

4. Estill Co. - 8-1 122 6

5. Mason Co. - 7-2 121 5

6. North Oldham - 8-1 96 4

7. Elizabethtown - 8-2 84 8

8. Sheldon Clark - 7-2 63 7

9. Russellville - 7-2 62 10

10. Butler Co. - 8-1 33

Others receiving votes: 11, Russell 19. 12, Harlan Co. 10. 13, Wayne Co. 8. 14, Casey Co. 6. 15, Union Co. 4. 16, Henry Co. 3. 17, Somerset 2.

Class 4A

Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs

1. Bell Co. (14) 9-0 203 1

2. Boyle Co. (7) 9-0 196 2

3. Lone Oak - 8-1 141 4

4. Lex. Catholic - 6-4 126 5

5. Rockcastle Co. - 7-2 105 7

6. Calloway Co. - 7-2 86 9

7. Knox Central - 6-3 74 3

8. Marion Co. - 7-2 66 10

9. Lou. Western - 2-7 47 8

10. Allen Co.-Scottsville - 6-3 32 6

Others receiving votes: 11, Hopkins Co. Central 22. 12, Franklin-Simpson 19. 13, Lou. Valley 14. 14, Lou. Fairdale 10. 15, Boyd Co. 7. 16, Bullitt East 4. 17, North Bullitt 3.

Class 5A

Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs

1. Highlands (19) 8-1 205 1

2. Johnson Central (2) 9-0 172 3

3. Bowling Green - 8-1 166 2

4. Christian Co. - 9-1 139 4

5. John Hardin - 8-1 105 T5

6. Owensboro - 8-1 94 T5

7. Whitley Co. - 8-1 84 7

8. Oldham Co. - 7-2 77 8

9. Lou. Doss - 7-2 64 9

10. Letcher County Central - 7-2 19

Others receiving votes: 11, Lex. Bryan Station 8. 12, Hopkinsville 7. 12, Anderson Co. 7. 14, Ashland Blazer 4. 15, Clay Co. 3.

Class 6A

Rank-School FPV Rcd TP Pvs

1. Lou. St. Xavier (20) 8-0 209 1

2. Lou. Trinity (1) 8-1 190 2

3. Scott Co. - 7-2 145 5

4. Lou. Eastern - 8-1 118 9

5. Daviess Co. - 8-1 107 6

6. Lou. DuPont Manual - 7-2 100 7

7. Madison Central - 7-2 68 4

8. Boone Co. - 7-2 52 3

9. Lex. Lafayette - 7-2 35

10. Lou. Male - 6-3 29 8

Others receiving votes: 11, Lex. Henry Clay 24. 12, Bullitt Central 21. 13, Lou. Ballard 19. 14, Lou. Fern Creek 11. 15, Lou. Pleasure Ridge Park 9. 16, Henderson Co. 8. 17, George Rogers Clark 6. 18, Simon Kenton 3.

Cross country runners compete at Meet of Champions

Both Trigg County and Christian County competed in the Meet of Champions Saturday at Masterson Station Park in Lexington.

In the girls' elementary school race, Kelsey Desrochers finished 152nd (14:31) over the two mile course.  Stephanie Thomas was 246th (15:35).

In the boys' elementary school race, Ethan Dossett finished 11th out of 388 runners with a time of 11:23.  Debo Mayes was 48th (12:01); Regan Hyde 96th (12:39); Justin Rivas 163rd (13:22); David Morgan 186th (13:31); J.B. Hendricks 202nd (13:37); and Tyler Estes 211th (13:44).

As a team, Trigg County finished in 13th place out of 43 teams.

In the middle school girls' race, Alex Olin finished 172nd (18:21); and Monica Jones was 277th (20:58).

In the middle school boys' race, Romaine Cunningham finished 13th out of 380 runners in a time of 14:22.  Garrett Brown finished 220th (16:48); Brien Dossett was 266th (17:30); Jayven Jones was 327th (19:07); and Corbin Estes was 331st (19:10).

As a team, Trigg County finished in 36th place.

In the high school girls' race, Lynease Byers finished fourth in the Class A race and 12th overall in a time of 20:52 over the 3.1-mile course.  Rachel Cronin was 51st (29:44).  

In the high school boys' race, Jay Jolly was 21st in the Class A race in a time of 19:37 while Jakelzie Martin was 49th in a time of 21:14.

For Christian County, Rachel Snyder took 115th in the elementary school girls' race in a time of 14:02, followed by BrookeLyn Meacham in 147th; Kara Orten in 148th; Karalyn Beymer in 209th; Kaylea Johnson in 235th; and Rachel Holmes in 240th.

As a team, Christian County finished 26th out of 44 teams.

In the elementary school boys' race, Matthew Johnson finished 83rd for Christian County in a time of 12:31, followed by Alex Lancaster (132nd); Jonathon Beymer (155th); Logan Scott (166th); Jacob Gibson (317th); and Ty Meacham (374th).

Christian County finished 28th out of 43 teams in that race.

In the middle school boys' race, Logan Hurd came in 109th in a time of 15:39, followed by Brandon Scott (217th); Chance Reagan (221st); Matthew Hull (235th); Fletcher Lyon (256th); and Taylor Saltsman 270th.

As a team, Christian County was 29th out of 41 teams.

Kentucky Blue/White scrimmage

Kentucky held their first blue/white basketball scrimmage over the weekend.  The good news is, UK won.  The bad news is, they also lost.

CLICK HERE for a recap from Kentucky Sports Radio.

Fort Campbell 28 Trigg County 9

Trigg County had a hard time doing what others have tried to accomplish this year -- contain Fort Campbell quarterback Antonio Andrews. 

Despite playing their best defensive game of the year, Andrews broke open a close game with a pair of long touchdown runs over a 2:06 span of the fourth quarter as Fort Campbell beat the Wildcats 28-9 on post Friday.

The junior quarterback rushed for 184 yards on 13 carries and scored on runs of 58 and 46 in the fourth quarter as the Falcons pulled away from Trigg County.

Andrews also ran for a 2-yard score with 33 seconds left in the third quarter.

Chris Allen opened the scoring with a 20-yard pass from Andrews with 17 seconds left in the first half for the lone score of the half.

Trigg County scored on a 29-yard field goal from John Reinick with 7:27 left in the third quarter to cut the Falcon lead to 7-3.

After Andrews scored twice, Donald Bush scored on a 1-yard QB sneak.  The score was set up by a 71-yard pass from Bush to Will Stagner, who was ruled down at the 1-yard line.

Trigg County finished with 267 yards, with 193 coming through the air from Bush, who was 10-of-21 passing.  He also was picked off three times.

Fort Campbell's main defensive priority was to shut down Brandon Bridges, who ran for 26 yards on 17 carries. 

Dustin White caught two passes for 63 yards, and Josh Adams added three catches for 20 yards. 

Fort Campbell had 290 yards of offense, however Andrews accounted for 184 of their 207 rushing yards.  Troy Turner, who rushed for 1,700 yards last year, was held to minus-four yards on 13 carries.

Andrews was 5-of-18 passing for 93 yards.

Fort Campbell leads the all-time series 23-12.

Trigg County falls to 4-5 on the season, while Fort Campbell has won 22 straight games dating back to last year and all nine this year.

The Wildcats will host Fulton County Friday in the regular season finale.

Photos courtesy of www.montystagner.com

 

Tavaras Poindexter (55) tackles Fort Campbell's Troy Turner for a loss.

Donald Bush is brought down by a pair of Fort Campbell tacklers.