Marshall County is hosting the Gunner's Magic Train Shootout on Friday and Saturday nights, with both of the host school's teams playing two games.
The schedule was only finalized this week, with St. Mary taking on Madisonville on Friday night. South Laurel pulled out of the shootout in the fall, and Marshall was left scrambling to fill the void.
After the All A Classic seedings were set, Marshall worked out an agreement for the loser of Wednesday night's Mayfield-St. Mary game to play Madisonville, since a first-round loss for either team would leave it able to fit an extra game on its schedule.
The Marshals and Lady Marshals will each play two out-of-state teams, Arnold from Panama City, Fla., and Harding Academy of Searcy, Ark.
Both of Marshall's teams played in Arnold's Christmas tournament last month, and both of the Marlins' boys' and girls' teams have records around the .500 mark. Harding Academy is a small, private school that plays in Class 3A in Arkansas. The Wildcats' boys' team is currently 9-3 while the girls' squad has a 5-5 mark.
Here is the schedule:
Friday
Girls: Marshall County vs. Panama City Arnold (Fla.), 5 p.m.
St. Mary vs. Madisonville, 6:30 p.m.
Marshall County vs. Panama City Arnold, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Girls: Massac County vs. Panama City Arnold, 3 p.m.
Madisonville vs. Panama City Arnold, 4:30 p.m.
Marshall County vs. Harding Academy (Ark.), 6 p.m.
Girls: Marshall County vs. Harding Academy, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
All A Classic amended schedules ...
Snow has wreaked havoc on the All A Classic, postponing tonight's games in both the First Region and Second Region tournaments. Both regionals are down to the semifinals in both boys' and girls' play.
Here are the revised schedules:
First Region
(at Graves County)
Boys
Saturday
Ballard Memorial vs. Mayfield, 10:30 a.m.
Heath vs. Carlisle County, noon
Championship, 8 p.m.
Girls
Friday
Ballard Memorial vs. Community Christian, 6 p.m.
Murray vs. Heath, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 6 p.m.
Second Region
(at Crittenden County)
Boys
Saturday
Lyon County vs. Livingston Central, 6 p.m.
Caldwell County vs. University Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Monday
Championship, 8 p.m.
Girls
Friday
Lyon County vs. Dawson Springs, 6 p.m.
Crittenden County vs. Livingston Central, 7:30 p.m.
Monday
Championship, 6 p.m.
Here are the revised schedules:
First Region
(at Graves County)
Boys
Saturday
Ballard Memorial vs. Mayfield, 10:30 a.m.
Heath vs. Carlisle County, noon
Championship, 8 p.m.
Girls
Friday
Ballard Memorial vs. Community Christian, 6 p.m.
Murray vs. Heath, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday
Championship, 6 p.m.
Second Region
(at Crittenden County)
Boys
Saturday
Lyon County vs. Livingston Central, 6 p.m.
Caldwell County vs. University Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Monday
Championship, 8 p.m.
Girls
Friday
Lyon County vs. Dawson Springs, 6 p.m.
Crittenden County vs. Livingston Central, 7:30 p.m.
Monday
Championship, 6 p.m.
Amended Superman Classic schedule ...
Superman Classic play at Massac County has been postponed for tonight. Friday's schedule will proceed as planned, with the Paducah Tilghman-Massac County semifinal highlighting the two-game session. The Carbondale-Martin Westview (Tenn.) semifinal set for Saturday at 11 a.m., with the winner playing for the championship that night.
Because St. Louis Sumner couldn't guarantee it could play on Friday, for travel reasons, Sumner's game with Calloway County is likely cancelled. However, Sumner will play on Saturday.
Here is the revised schedule:
Friday
Madison vs. Vienna, 6:30 p.m.
Paducah Tilghman vs. Massac County, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Carbondale vs. Martin Westview, 11 a.m.
Calloway County vs. Vienna, 1 p.m.
Madison vs. St. Louis Sumner, 2:30 p.m.
Third-place game, 6:30 p.m.
Championship, 8 p.m.
Because St. Louis Sumner couldn't guarantee it could play on Friday, for travel reasons, Sumner's game with Calloway County is likely cancelled. However, Sumner will play on Saturday.
Here is the revised schedule:
Friday
Madison vs. Vienna, 6:30 p.m.
Paducah Tilghman vs. Massac County, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Carbondale vs. Martin Westview, 11 a.m.
Calloway County vs. Vienna, 1 p.m.
Madison vs. St. Louis Sumner, 2:30 p.m.
Third-place game, 6:30 p.m.
Championship, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Eight locals make All-BluegrassPreps.com football team ...
Far western Kentucky was well-represented on the All-BluegrassPreps.com football team, which was released today.
Robert Olive of Murray and Jay Cain of Lone Oak were named as offensive linemen and Josh Forrest of Paducah Tilghman was named at defenisve back. Murray's Carson Greifenkamp was selected as the kicker and Mayfield's Marc Wynstra was chosen at punter.
Three other players, all two-way stars — Mayfield's Jonathan Jackson, Caldwell County's Brandon Sigler and Christian County's Marcoreyon Tandy — were named to the "athletes" team, which "recognizes 12 players whose versatility and all-around contributions on offense, defense and special teams embody the spirit of high school football."
Here is the complete team:
OFFENSE
QB - Demarcus Smith, Louisville Seneca
RB - J.J. Jude, Johnson Central
RB - Anthony Wales, Louisville Central
WR - Jordan Gilbert, Mason County
WR - Devante Parker, Louisville Ballard
WR - James Quick, Louisville Trinity
OL - Jamon Brown, Louisville Fern Creek
OL - Jay Cain, Lone Oak
OL - Tyler Combs, Lawrence County
OL - Robert Olive, Murray
OL - Zach West, Lexington Christian
K - Carson Greifenkamp, Murray
DEFENSE
DL - Paul Megilligan, Boyle County
DL - Darrian Miller, Lexington Bryan Station
DL - Channing Smith, Sheldon Clark
LB - Lamar Dawson, Boyle County
LB - Flo Hardin, Louisville Ballard
LB - Josh Harris, Mason County
LB - John Dudley Hilton, Bell County
DB - Austin Abner, Fort Thomas Highlands
DB - Josh Forrest, Paducah Tilghman
DB - Daylen Hall, Louisville St. Xavier
DB - Leon Melvin, Louisville Western
P - Marc Wynstra, Mayfield
ATHLETES
ATH - Alex Abner, Pulaski County
ATH - Cortez Barber, Warren Central
ATH - Brandon Boards, Allen County
ATH - Darrell Cross, Rowan County
ATH - Cory Davenport, Bell County
ATH - Jalen Harrington, Louisville Fern Creek
ATH - Jonathan Jackson, Mayfield
ATH - Chris Kelly, Newport Catholic
ATH - Chad Lawrence, Simon Kenton
ATH - Cory Lyle, Greenup County
ATH - Brandon Sigler, Caldwell County
ATH - Marcoreyon Tandy, Christian County
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Lamar Dawson, Boyle County
COACH OF THE YEAR - Brad Hood, Allen County
Robert Olive of Murray and Jay Cain of Lone Oak were named as offensive linemen and Josh Forrest of Paducah Tilghman was named at defenisve back. Murray's Carson Greifenkamp was selected as the kicker and Mayfield's Marc Wynstra was chosen at punter.
Three other players, all two-way stars — Mayfield's Jonathan Jackson, Caldwell County's Brandon Sigler and Christian County's Marcoreyon Tandy — were named to the "athletes" team, which "recognizes 12 players whose versatility and all-around contributions on offense, defense and special teams embody the spirit of high school football."
Here is the complete team:
OFFENSE
QB - Demarcus Smith, Louisville Seneca
RB - J.J. Jude, Johnson Central
RB - Anthony Wales, Louisville Central
WR - Jordan Gilbert, Mason County
WR - Devante Parker, Louisville Ballard
WR - James Quick, Louisville Trinity
OL - Jamon Brown, Louisville Fern Creek
OL - Jay Cain, Lone Oak
OL - Tyler Combs, Lawrence County
OL - Robert Olive, Murray
OL - Zach West, Lexington Christian
K - Carson Greifenkamp, Murray
DEFENSE
DL - Paul Megilligan, Boyle County
DL - Darrian Miller, Lexington Bryan Station
DL - Channing Smith, Sheldon Clark
LB - Lamar Dawson, Boyle County
LB - Flo Hardin, Louisville Ballard
LB - Josh Harris, Mason County
LB - John Dudley Hilton, Bell County
DB - Austin Abner, Fort Thomas Highlands
DB - Josh Forrest, Paducah Tilghman
DB - Daylen Hall, Louisville St. Xavier
DB - Leon Melvin, Louisville Western
P - Marc Wynstra, Mayfield
ATHLETES
ATH - Alex Abner, Pulaski County
ATH - Cortez Barber, Warren Central
ATH - Brandon Boards, Allen County
ATH - Darrell Cross, Rowan County
ATH - Cory Davenport, Bell County
ATH - Jalen Harrington, Louisville Fern Creek
ATH - Jonathan Jackson, Mayfield
ATH - Chris Kelly, Newport Catholic
ATH - Chad Lawrence, Simon Kenton
ATH - Cory Lyle, Greenup County
ATH - Brandon Sigler, Caldwell County
ATH - Marcoreyon Tandy, Christian County
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Lamar Dawson, Boyle County
COACH OF THE YEAR - Brad Hood, Allen County
Alex Mallory narrows college choices ...
Ballard Memorial quarterback Alex Mallory said he is awaiting potential offers from Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky. Eastern may offer a partial scholarship, while an invite to Western would likely include an offer to grayshirt, which is what former Lone Oak quarterback Corey Robinson did at Sun Belt Conference rival Troy.
Mallory, who threw for nearly 5,000 yards with 53 touchdowns and 25 interceptions over the last two seasons, said he is likely to go the NAIA route if talks with Eastern and Western fall through.
Mallory, who threw for nearly 5,000 yards with 53 touchdowns and 25 interceptions over the last two seasons, said he is likely to go the NAIA route if talks with Eastern and Western fall through.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Superman Classic preview ...
A few years ago, Massac County athletic director Kelly Glass decided to conduct a seeding meeting to set the pairings for the Superman Classic, guaranteeing the participating teams that the Patriots wouldn't set up the bracket to give themselves an easy bracket in which to make a run to the championship game.
But when you have teams from three (and sometimes four) different states and participating schools spread out from Tennessee to the St. Louis area, and sometimes beyond, it's difficult to nail down a logical pecking order.
Last year was a prime example, when Madison won the tournament as the No. 5 seed and had its toughest game in the opening round, staging a furious comeback to knock off fourth seed Paducah Tilghman.
This year, the seedings looks a little more true to form. Tilghman is the top seed, although the team that earned the seeding may not take the floor this week, as it appears that point guard Josh Forrest will miss a game or two, or possibly the entire tournament, if he opts to take an official football visit to Central Florida. Carbondale is the No. 2 seed, followed by Martin Westview, Massac and Madison.
If it was my seeding, I would probably go with a slightly different order, with Massac at No.3, followed by Madison and Westview. As it stands, the Massac-Madison game will draw some attention since it matches two strong small-school teams — both teams have made it to the state tournament in one the last two seasons — from opposite ends of what much of the state considers southern Illinois.
In any case, a semifinal matching Tilghman and either the Patriots or Madison could be a fun game to watch, and expect Carbondale to be awaiting the winner in Saturday night's final.
But when you have teams from three (and sometimes four) different states and participating schools spread out from Tennessee to the St. Louis area, and sometimes beyond, it's difficult to nail down a logical pecking order.
Last year was a prime example, when Madison won the tournament as the No. 5 seed and had its toughest game in the opening round, staging a furious comeback to knock off fourth seed Paducah Tilghman.
This year, the seedings looks a little more true to form. Tilghman is the top seed, although the team that earned the seeding may not take the floor this week, as it appears that point guard Josh Forrest will miss a game or two, or possibly the entire tournament, if he opts to take an official football visit to Central Florida. Carbondale is the No. 2 seed, followed by Martin Westview, Massac and Madison.
If it was my seeding, I would probably go with a slightly different order, with Massac at No.3, followed by Madison and Westview. As it stands, the Massac-Madison game will draw some attention since it matches two strong small-school teams — both teams have made it to the state tournament in one the last two seasons — from opposite ends of what much of the state considers southern Illinois.
In any case, a semifinal matching Tilghman and either the Patriots or Madison could be a fun game to watch, and expect Carbondale to be awaiting the winner in Saturday night's final.
Big three, round three ...
So ... the midseason round-robin between First Region heavyweights Paducah Tilghman, Marshall County and Graves County ended in a draw.
Friday night's third installment may have been the best game of the three, a contest full of drama that went right down to the final second, when Graves reserve Travis Beck tipped in a missed shot by backup point guard Mason Beale to give the Eagles a 56-54 win.
Note the key words ... reserves. Graves' bench, which has been woefully thin for much of the year, made its biggest contribution yet in a tight game. Beck hit two 3-pointers in the first half and scored 10 points, and Beale was handed the ballhandling responsibilities as Graves set up the game-winning shot without point guard Jesse Anderson, who was held scoreless in the first half and had fouled out with just five points, his season-low total.
Beck, a 6-3 junior who is more of a face-the-basket player, transferred in from Joppa in mid-December and was pushed into some brief action almost before he had a chance to practice with the Eagles, which meant he had precious little time to learn the team's extensive array of offensive sets. Beale, a sophomore, is the first guard off the bench and the heir apparent at the point when Anderson graduates this spring.
What else did we learn about Graves? As good as Anderson is, he might not be the Eagles' most indispensible player. That might fall on athletic 6-4 center Aaron Cooper, Graves' only true post player. With Cooper on the bench with four fouls and Graves holding a seven-point lead with less than two minutes remaining, Marshall attacked the basket at will, scoring two baskets and five points in two possessions.
Combined with a turnover, Marshall made it seven points in three trips and tied the score when guard Blake Clark drew Anderson's fifth foul and sank two free throws with less than a minute remaining.
As for Marshall ... it appears that Gus Gillespie's crew has the size and bulk that enables it to match up with Tilghman a little better than the Eagles. Drew Williams and Casey White, who had big putbacks in both games last week, provide some inside depth and enable Marshall to use a lot of fouls in the paint. That, in turn, exposes one of the Tornado's glaring flaws, its free throw shooting.
What did we learn over the past week or so? Tilghman is still the favorite, in my estimation, probably because it appears to have the most upside. I'm sticking with Marshall second and Graves third — the teams have split two games this season — but, as someone from the Eagles' camp noted on Friday night, the gap between No. 1 and No. 3 might have narrowed a bit.
Stay tuned for the second round-robin, coming soon — the Tornado hosts Marshall and Graves in back-to-back games on Jan. 28 and Feb. 1, and then the Marshals host Graves on Feb. 4.
Friday night's third installment may have been the best game of the three, a contest full of drama that went right down to the final second, when Graves reserve Travis Beck tipped in a missed shot by backup point guard Mason Beale to give the Eagles a 56-54 win.
Note the key words ... reserves. Graves' bench, which has been woefully thin for much of the year, made its biggest contribution yet in a tight game. Beck hit two 3-pointers in the first half and scored 10 points, and Beale was handed the ballhandling responsibilities as Graves set up the game-winning shot without point guard Jesse Anderson, who was held scoreless in the first half and had fouled out with just five points, his season-low total.
Beck, a 6-3 junior who is more of a face-the-basket player, transferred in from Joppa in mid-December and was pushed into some brief action almost before he had a chance to practice with the Eagles, which meant he had precious little time to learn the team's extensive array of offensive sets. Beale, a sophomore, is the first guard off the bench and the heir apparent at the point when Anderson graduates this spring.
What else did we learn about Graves? As good as Anderson is, he might not be the Eagles' most indispensible player. That might fall on athletic 6-4 center Aaron Cooper, Graves' only true post player. With Cooper on the bench with four fouls and Graves holding a seven-point lead with less than two minutes remaining, Marshall attacked the basket at will, scoring two baskets and five points in two possessions.
Combined with a turnover, Marshall made it seven points in three trips and tied the score when guard Blake Clark drew Anderson's fifth foul and sank two free throws with less than a minute remaining.
As for Marshall ... it appears that Gus Gillespie's crew has the size and bulk that enables it to match up with Tilghman a little better than the Eagles. Drew Williams and Casey White, who had big putbacks in both games last week, provide some inside depth and enable Marshall to use a lot of fouls in the paint. That, in turn, exposes one of the Tornado's glaring flaws, its free throw shooting.
What did we learn over the past week or so? Tilghman is still the favorite, in my estimation, probably because it appears to have the most upside. I'm sticking with Marshall second and Graves third — the teams have split two games this season — but, as someone from the Eagles' camp noted on Friday night, the gap between No. 1 and No. 3 might have narrowed a bit.
Stay tuned for the second round-robin, coming soon — the Tornado hosts Marshall and Graves in back-to-back games on Jan. 28 and Feb. 1, and then the Marshals host Graves on Feb. 4.
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