West Kentucky Sports December 2019

Volume 2, Issue 12

Hoop Fest Preview — Page 4

Signing Day

— Page 25

Big Orange Madness

— Page 18

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December 2019 • Page 3

18

Hoop Fest 2019 | Page 4

Marshall County’s annual basketball extravaganza returns in December with top teams from around the country. Here’s a look at teams slated to attend.

Cost to Continue | Page 14

The cost of a higher education forces most students (and student athletes) to search out grants and scholarships. One retired area coach is hoping to help prospective students find funds.

Signing Day | Page 25

Several area student athletes took part in the early National Signing Day in November. Students from Marshall, Paducah Tilghman and McCracken County signed their letters of intent.

The Back Page | Page 31 With a new year, a few changes to West Kentucky Sports are being planned.

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Page 4 • December 2019

HOOP FEST 2019 For 23 years, Marshall County’s Reed Conder Gymnasium has hosted some of the country’s best basketball talent in highlight reel worthy matchups.

For basketball fans, there isn’t much Hoop Fest doesn’t have.

D1 signees.

Nationally ranked teams.

Prep schools featuring international talent.

Local teams ready for the biggest stage.

Hoop Fest features both boys and girls teams from across the country on the Marshall County High School campus for a week of basketball action. A tentative schedule of games and teams was released in early October.

Here’s a look at what’s coming to Benton Dec. 5-8.

December 2019 • Page 5

Marshall County

Marshals

Host Marshall County will take on Madisonville-North Hopkins Friday and Prodigy Prep Saturday night.

The Marshals return several starters from last season, including 6-foot-5-inch guard Tyler Stokes and shooting guard Tyler Powell. Fellow seniors Bryce Flatt and Chase Riley will also return, joining a talented junior class that includes Zion Harmon. Due to KHSAA eligibility issues, Harmon was forced to set out last season, but is considered one of Kentucky’s top recruits.

The 5-11, 175-pound point guard stayed active, though, playing for Bella Vista Prep and taking part in off-season games.

The Marshals will look to turn around last season’s 13-19 that ended in the First Region tournament after finishing as runner up in the Fourth District.

Last year, Stokes led the Marshals in scoring with 484 points, averaging 15 points per game. Stokes led the way in rebounds with 309 boards across 32 games.

Powell averaged 14.5, finishing with 463 total points, including 44 buckets from outside the arc.

Above, Tyler Stokes lays in a bucket for Marshall County during the 2018-2019 campaign.

At left, Tyler Powell looks for an opening in Murray’s defense.

With a few days remaining, the 2019 Hoop Fest schedule is subject to change. For latest dates and times, follow at twitter.com/mchoopfest

Page 6 • December 2019

Marshall County

LADY Marshals

The Lady Marshals open Hoopfest against Russellville (18-12 last season and runner-up in the 13th district) on Thursday night and Madisonville-North Hopkins Saturday. The Lady Maroons went 23-8 last year and are the reigning district Seven champions, returning the bulk of their roster after losing only one senior to graduation.

The Lady Marshals return several key players, including All-Region selections Cayson Conner and Halle Langhi. The duo teamed up to lead the Lady Marshals in scoring and rebounds last year, with Langhi notching 384 points to go along with 356 from Conner. Langhi also earned 277 boards, averaging nine per game.

Presley Jezik could also play a key role this season with lethal accuracy from the line. The junior shot 80 percent from the free throw stripe, hitting 53-of-66 attempts.

Last season’s Lady Marshals went 23-9, finishing as Fourth District and First Region finalists under first year head coach Dan Langhi.

Memphis, Tennessee

Briarcrest Christian

5Halle Langhi • Marshall County Lady Marshals

The reigning D-II-AA Tennessee State Champs, Briarcrest Christian, has a stable of talented players. They include No. 12 junior Kennedy Chandler, Marcellus Brigham, Michael Malone, and top football talents Omari Thomas Neely (Tulane commit).

8

7 12

and Reggie

5

December 2019 • Page 7

Louisville Male

Bulldogs

Tim Haworth, who led Hopkinsville High School to five Second Region championships in seven years, was named the new boys basketball coach at Male High School in May 2018. Hoop Fest will be a trip close to home for the second year Male coach, as Haworth is a 1999 graduate of Graves County High School who went on to play four seasons of basketball at Murray State University. He served as a graduate assistant at Murray State before two seasons as an assistant at Hopkinsville.

The Bulldogs finished last season 22-10, taking the District 26 title in a 74-59 decision over St. Xavier before falling to eventual state champions Trinity during the regional tournament.

Senior shooting guard Tyren Moore, who led the Bulldogs last season with 537 points across 30 games while hitting 84 percent of free throws, will return this season. He’ll be joined by fellow senior Howard Fleming, a 6-foot-4 inch guard, and wing forward Noah Courtney. At 6-foot-six-inches, Courtney was second in scoring for the Bulldogs, scoring 300 total points. The trio are part of a class of 11 seniors at Male.

Prior to the season, Courtney mentioned the team’s talent to PrepHoops.com.

“With the talent that the Bulldogs have on our team, I feel like we can make a big push to go to state this year,” Courtney said.

WHERE THE MARSHALS TRAIN

Page 8 • December 2019

M c C racken C ounty

Mustangs McCracken County had an 11-game win streak to open the season and won 16 straight as it marched to the end, including the Second District championship and two wins in the First Region tournament before falling to Mayfield. They finished the season 31-4.

At Hoop Fest, the Mustangs will take on Madisonville-North Hopkins on Saturday. They are led by Murray State commit Jackson Sivills and also feature Noah Dumas and Ian Hart.

Sivills led the team in scoring last season with 640 points. He also earned 251 rebounds. Dumas, meanwhile, scored 428 for McCracken County.

As a team, the 20-18-2019 Mustangs were second in the First Region in scoring (2,095 points) and third in points allowed (1,575).

5Grant Davis • McCracken County Mustangs

T ennessee P rep

Lions

The Diplomat Lions of Tennessee Prep return to Hoopfest with the talents of Tyrus Baynham, Juston Johnson, and Swiss international Yassine Glitni.

They take on Prodigy Prep on Sunday.

They were 18-2 in First Region games, a feat the team looks in good shape to repeat this year.

C urie (C hicago )

Condors

The Condors will take on Callaway Saturday.

They feature senior SEMO commit Ramean Hinton and recent transfer Saiveon Williams, a 6-foot-5-inch wing with strong frame known for his athleticism.

In 2019, the Condors, not even a top five team in the preseason, won the Red-South/Central, the Pontiac Holiday Tournament and the city title. They went is 32-1 without losing to an in-state team.

Good luck Lyons & ! s n o y L y d a L

December 2019 • Page 9

O rangeville P rep

O rl ando , F lorida

Bears

The Bears of Canada are led by No. 54 senior Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, Shemar Rathan-Mayes, Coleman Stucke (Northeastern commit), and Darius DeAveiro.

Prodigy Prep

They will take on Prolific Prep of California on Saturday’s slate of games in their first trip across the border since 2017.

A spire A cademy

Wizards

P rolific P rep

The Aspire Academy Wizards are led by top center Gethro Muscadin and guards TJ Montgomery, Kidtrell Blocker, and DJ Jackson.

O ur S aviour L utheran (B ronx , NY)

Falcons

First year program Prodigy Prep will make their Hoopfest debut this December. They are led by senior internet sensation Julian Newman and junior Emmanuel Maldonado.

The Falcons of Our Saviour Lutheran return for their second Hoopfest appearance with two St. John’s commits in Posh Alexander and Dylan Wusu, along with other prospects like Jaquan Sanders and Max Amadasun.

The Crew

The Crew return to Hoopfest this year as one of the top teams in the country. Their long list of talent includes: No. 3 Jalen Green, No. 19 Nimari Burnett, No. 43 Frank Anselem, No. 82 Saba Gigiberia, and Illinois commit Coleman Hawkins.

Gigiberia is a 7-foot-1 inch senior center on a roster averaging 6-foot-6-inches, while Green is considered one of the country’s top recruits with visits to UK, Memphis, Auburn and Oregon.

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Page 10 • December 2019

L yon C ounty

Lyons

In 2019, Lyon County finished with a 21-10 record and their first Fifth District title in two seasons. It was also one of the few times then head coach Jeff Emberey had started a seventh grader, Travis Perry.

A year later, the now eighth grader’s father, Ryan Perry, has taken the helm of the team as they look to build on their success.

As a seventh grader, Perry led the team in scoring, earning 638 points. The tally included 75 buckets from outside the arc and 159-of198 free throw attempts for an 80 percent accuracy.

This year’s squad also features a talented junior class of Kade Blackburn, Corey Cissell, Clay Haines and Trey Hawkins.

Blackburn had 245 points for Lyon County last season while Hawkins saw valuable minutes and notched 48. Sophomore Jackson Shoulders was second in team scoring with 387 points and led the team in rebounding (231).

5Travis Perry • Lyon County Lyons

Speaking of rebounding, the Lyons will be looking for help in that aspect of the game. After Shoulders, Lyon graduated the next three highest rebounders, with Perry rounding out the fifth spot, pulling in 89 boards.

Lyon will take on Murray Dec. 8.

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5Charvelle McCallister • Murray Tigers

M urray

Tigers

The Tigers will make their fourth straight appearance this year at Hoopfest. They return freshman Grant Whitaker and seniors Hunter Utley, Darius Duffy, and Tommy Waldrop, along with junior Charvelle McCallister and sophomore Trey Boggess.

Utley led the Tigers last season with 337 points. Waldrop earned 127 for Murray, while McCallister notched 84 and Boggess 72. Duffy also saw quality time, earning 75 for Murray.

The Tigers enter Hoop Fest as the reigning Fourth District champions after defeating Marshall County 59-46 in last year’s title game. They won their opener in the First Region, but ultimately fell to McCracken County, finishing the season 16-13 overall.

Page 12 • December 2019

A rizona C ompass

Dragons

Another newcomer to Hoopfest is the Arizona Compass Prep Dragons. Their talented roster includes sharpshooting Northern Colorado commit Xavier DuSell, and top-ranked juniors No. 43 Josh Primo, No. 58 Frankie Collins, and No. 82 Maxwell Lewis. During the offseason, USAToday picked the school as one to keep an eye nationally for the quality coaching and high level of talent.

D ream C ity C hristian

Eagles

First year program Dream City Christian of Arizona will make their Hoopfest debut this year. They’re another loaded team with No. 27 senior MarJon Beauchamp, a 6-foot-6-inch wing, No. 36 junior Arthur Kaluma, and the Martinez brothers, Jhaylon (UNLV commit) and Ra’Shjon.

Thunder

Chargers

The Trinity International Thunder of Las Vegas, Nevada, make their first Hoopfest appearance this December. They are led by No. 11 senior and UCLA commit Daishen Nix, Dennis Cash, and Jan Madi Njock.

The Callaway Chargers of Jackson, Mississippi, return to Hoopfest for a pair of big matchups Friday and Saturday.

They are led by No. 26 ranked guard Daeshun Ruffin and also feature Keiveon Hunt, Johnathan Crumley and Jordan Brister.

Callaway has a history of success with six state titles in the program’s history.

Blazers University Heights returns to Hoopfest for their fourth straight appearance.

They features juniors KJ Crump, DJ Quarles, and Alijah Watts.

UHA went 30-5 last season, winning the Eighth District’s title before falling in the championship round to Madisonville-North Hopkins.

T rinity I nternational

C all away , M ississippi

U niversity H eights

Much of the team’s success centered around Dekeyvan Tandy, who was in the running for Mr. Basketball Kentucky and signed with Xavier. Tandy earned 926 of the Blazers’ 2,142 points.

Drew McGowan, second in scoring with 534 points, was also lost to graduation.

With 224 points last year, KJ Crump leads returning scorers.

L as anne C ollegiate

Lynx

The Lausanne Collegiate Lynx of Memphis, Tennessee, will make their second Hoopfest appearance Dec. 5.

They feature 6-foot-9-inch junior Moussa Cisse, who already has offers from Connecticut and Pittsburgh. Other players to watch are Johnathan Burnett, and Jalen Bo Montgomery.

December 2019 • Page 13

R ussellville J ohn H ardin

Bulldogs

John Hardin, the reigning back to back Region Five champs, will be making their first Hoopfest appearance. They return starters Preston Murrell, Trevon Harris, and Alex Matthews.

Last season the Bulldogs won 34 consecutive games, marching through opponents until finally falling in the KHSAA state tournament. Matthews led the team in scoring during the run, earning 614 points. He also pulled in 375 rebounds.

Lady Panthers

The Russellville Lady Panthers will be making their first ever Hoopfest appearance when they take on the host, Marshall County, Thursday night.

M adisonville N orth H opkins

Maroons

Madisonville-North Hopkins returns to Hoopfest for their fourth straight appearance. The boys play Friday night, followed by a girl/boy doubleheader Saturday. The boys are the reigning Region 2 champs and feature Ksuan Casey and Kenny White.

C entral P ointe C hristian (K issimmee , F lorida )

White Tigers

The Central Pointe Christian White Tigers make their Hoopfest debut, playing Friday and Saturday. They include top prospects Victor Rosa, Ramses Melendez, and Jonathan Aybar.

Page 14 • December 2019

Getting Prepared

Former coach helping college-bound students get ready for next step Over the summer, Greg Vincent — a long-time coach at several area baseball programs — announced he was retiring from his role as a skipper to pursue other interests. Now, Vincent has taken a step toward his next endeavor.

Vincent is putting his network and knowledge to work doing part of the role he enjoyed as a skipper: helping student athletes find a place to continue their careers.

“Since [I retired] I’ve had three people call me in western Kentucky — baseball, softball and volleyball — and I’ve already got them going. They’ve already got offers,” Vincent said. “

There’s a one-time fee, which Vincent says is nominal compared to what most recruiting services charge. The cost covers guiding the family through the process of trying to find a program that fits them best, along with helping them prepare to apply for scholarships and student aide.

“We feel like we can save people anywhere from $200 to $4,000 [compared

to recruiting services],” Vincent said.

“We can help people out. They’re going to have to pay out the wazoo for college anyway; why pay someone $2,000 or $4,000 for something they don’t need?”

It’s familiar ground for Vincent. He’s helped his players for year find a place to play, along with money for their education.

A key part of the process is working with athletes to prepare them academically. Athletic scholarships — like any financial aid — only cover a portion of the cost of education. Even the near mythical near-full ride scholarships (typically only found at a handful of National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I or Division II schools, and even then only for programs with lots of national interest) don’t always cover all the cost of an education.

There’s tuition.

There are books.

There’s food (and for student athletes, that usually means following a specially designed meal plan).

There’s transportation costs.

‘‘

Most people

wait until the end

of

[to

apply

senior

their year

‘‘

By Jody Norwood

for

scholar ships],

and you can’t do that.

—Greg Vincent

For the average college student — athlete or not — there are thousands of dollars required outside standard tuition costs. And with athletic scholarships averaging around $2,800 according to NCAA numbers, that leaves a lot of money for student athletes to come up with.

(Continued on page 16)

December 2019 • Page 15

2% 492,000 Annual estimated percentage of high school students earning an athletic scholarship*.

That’s around 160,000 recipients out of 8 million high school senior student athletes.

Out of an estimated 7.3 million student athletes eligible to play collegiately in 2017, there were 181,306 student-athletes receiving a sports scholarship. Out of the 7.3 million, about 492,000 of those seniors went on to become NCAA student althetes of some form, or about 6.7 percent of those eligible*. That’s 492,000 student athletes competing for a limited pool of schoarlship dollars across the country.

$2.9 BILLION

According to the National Collegiate Athletics Association, more than $2.9 billion in athletics scholarship moneis are awarded annually to more than 150,000 student-athletes.”* With 181,306 student athletes receiving a portion of those fundsin 2017, that’s an average of $15,995 per student. But those actual awards vary from several hundred dollars to the limited number of full ride scholarships at NCAA Division I schools, typically going to only a few sports with large national followings.

.3%

In the 2007-08 school year, only 0.3 percent of students enrolled at a four-year university received enough money to cover the full cost of attendance (tuition, books, lodging). * National Collegiate Athletics Association statistics

** 2011 Washington Post article *** “Secrets to Winning a Scholarship” by Mark Kantrowitz

.07%

The odds of gaining an athletic scholarship to play collegiately are about 0.7 percent for all students.**

Page 16 • December 2019

Taking the next step Continued from page 14 The National Center for Education Statistics tracks tuition costs going back to the mid-1980s. It shouldn’t be a surprise the costs of a degree have only gone up. In 1985, the cost of tuition, fees, room and board averaged between fouryear and two-year institutions (both public and private) was $4,885. In 2017, that same number was $23,091. Breaking out just private universities (from Harvard to Yale and all the non-Ivy League schools in between), those numbers climbed to $8,885 in 1985 versus $40,925 in 2017.

The NCES notes that those numbers adjusted for inflation saw overall increases of 31 percent at public nonprofit schools and 24 percent at private nonprofit schools.

Inflation aside, students looking for a four-year degree will have to find money from somewhere. For most students, that pile of money is a hodge podge of grants and loans.

Grants are available for anything from a student’s county of residence to parent’s employer. The trick is finding what is applicable to each individual and applying in time.

And for a few (about 2 percent, according to the NCAA), some of that money will come in the form of athletic scholarship dollars.

Taking the average and rounding up to nice round numbers, the NCAA found about 160,000 student athletes receive athletic scholarship money out of 8 million high school seniors. Out of an estimated 7.3 million student athletes eligible to play collegiately in 2017, there were 181,306 student-athletes receiving a sports scholarship. Out of the 7.3 million, about 492,000 of those seniors went on to become NCAA student athletes of some form, or about 6.7 percent of those eligible. That’s 492,000 student athletes competing for a slice of a $2.9 billion pie.

While the overall pile of scholarship money combined across schools is large, it averages out to less than $16,000 per student athlete each year, about a third of the average cost for a year at a private university. For an idea, according to the U.S. Department of Education, just the tuition to attend

5 Greg Vincent (right) Vanderbilt University down the road in Tennessee is $46,500 (which is about 68 percent higher than the national average for private non-profit schools). Sites like CollegeCalc.com put the total cost to attend Vandy at around $67,392.

For Commodores lucky enough to receive as much as the $16,000 average in athletic scholarship dollars, there’s still another $51,392 to come up with.

Vincent hopes his experience can help students find those dollars.

“There’s not that money out there [for athletics],” Vincent said. “We push the academic side of it in a big way, the ACT. We talk to them about all the other scholarships they can apply for. A lot of kids don’t know, but those grades their freshman year are critical.

“We can show them a sample of what an 18 [on the ACT] gets them, what a 24 gets them. You’ve got the bundle resources to get to that bottom line of tuition. Most people wait until the end of their senior year, and you can’t do that. You’ve got to be persistent.”

Those interested in his services may contact Vincent at coachgv24@gmail.com.

Echo Charlie’s Bayside Restaurant

Page 18 • November 2019

BIG

ORANGE MADNESS

December 2019 • Page 19

Marshall County Schools held Big Orange Madness in the Reed Conder Gymnasium on Nov. 15 to kick off the 2019-2020 basketball season. Fans were introduced to the high school and middle school backsetball teams, as well as cheerleaders and dance gteam members. Intra-squad scrimmages were held in addition to three-point shooting contests and other activities. Scenes from the night are featured on the following pages.

Page 20 • December 2019

December 2019 • Page 21

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December 2019 • Page 23

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December 2019 • Page 25

Signing Day Several area student athletes took part in the early National Signing Day for college-bound student athletes on Nov. 13. The regular period signing day will take place in February 2020. Athletes on the following pages took part in signings at their respective schools.

RILEY HARRIS

Southern Illinois Community College In a ceremony at Marshall County High School, Riley Harris signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Southeastern Illinois Community College . SIC is located in Harrisburg, Ill., Harris will play for Falcon’s Head Coach Jeremy Irlbeck.

Harris was a key member of the Marshals’ pitching staff in 2018 and will head into his senior season this spring as one of their leaders on the mound. For his career so far, Harris is 13-2 with 110 innings pitched, he has recorded 96 strikeouts and has a 2.53 earned run average. In his junior season, Harris was top 15 in the state in wins with a 9-1 record, pitching 66 innings with 65 strikeouts and 26 walks as well as a 2.33 ERA. Harris was selected to play in the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association State All-Star Game as a member of the West Team.

Harris was joined at his signing by family members, teammates, coaches and friends.

Falcon baseball players have gone on to play D-1 and D-2 ball at 4-year colleges; as well as those who have been drafted to play professional baseball, including three who played in MLB. Those include Corey Bailey (8 years), Jeff Keener (2 years), and BJ Huff (1 year).

Former head coach, Rich Hacker, became the third base coach for the St. Louis Cardinals under then manager Whitey Herzog

Page 26 • December 2019

CARMEN GUNN

Harding University The leading scorer for the Lady Marshals the last two seasons, Carmen Gunn signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her soccer career at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. She will play for Lady Bison head coach Dr. Greg Harris.

Gunn has been a vital part of the Marshall County Lady Marshals soccer program and the team’s three straight First

Region championships. Gunn led the team in scoring both her junior and senior seasons and finished her career as the third leading scorer in school history with 92 goals.

As a freshman and sophomore, Gunn was named to the All Region 2nd-Team and her junior and senior seasons, named to the All Region 1st-Team and this year was selected as the region’s Co-Most Valuable Player. She was named to the 2019 All-State 1st-Team and played in the Nov. 9

East-West All-Star game in Elizabethtown.

Gunn is known for her speed and strength and when combined with her grit and determination, leaves many defenders in her wake. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and a multisport athlete, playing basketball and is a member of the track team.

Gunn was joined at her signing by her brother Collin and sister Candice, along with family members, teammates, coaches and friends.

December 2019 • Page 27

JACKSON FRISTOE

Mississippi State University Paducah Tilghman High School senior Jackson Fristoe signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Mississippi State University at a signing ceremony held at PTHS on November 13.

Fristoe is ranked by Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report as the number one 2020 baseball player and right-handed pitcher in Kentucky. This past summer, Jackson was selected as one of 80 high school players in the country to participate in Major League Baseball and USA Baseball’s inaugural Prospect Development Pipeline League and was selected for Perfect Game National, East Coast Pro and Area Code Games.

This spring will be Fristoe’s sixth year on Paducah Tilghman’s varsity baseball team.

As a 7th grader, Fristoe had multiple varsity starts as a 2nd baseman and in 8th grade was a full-time varsity starter. He moved to 3rd base as a freshman, and received All-District honors with a .409 batting average and 29 RBIs.

Fristoe became a starting pitcher for PT as a sophomore with a fastball up to 91 MPH. He struck out 41 batters and hit 38 RBIs and three home runs, winning All-District, KHSBCA Sophomore All-Star and All Purchase.

As a junior, Fristoe was named to the All-District and All Purchase teams and was a KHSBCA Junior All Star. He was one of the team’s top performers

in hitting with 9 doubles, 6 triples, 3 homeruns and 36 RBIs. As a pitcher he averaged two strikeouts per inning with a fastball up to 95 MPH. “Jackson doesn’t act like someone who is one of the best players in the country,” said PTHS head baseball coach Tremayne Donald. “He works extremely hard on and off the field. He’s a hard-nosed competitor that wants to be the best at everything he does.”

Fristoe said he appreciated how welcome he and his family felt on their visit to Mississippi state.

“The biggest factor for me in choosing Mississippi State was the coaches,” said Fristoe. “Coach Lemonis and his staff treated me like I was already playing for them and made me feel like one of the guys when I visited.”

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Page 28 • December 2019

TYLER POWELL

Murray State University Tyler Powell has signed his National Letter of Intent to play golf at Murray State University. Powell has been a key member of the Marshall County golf team for the past four years, helping lead them to four straight appearances in the KHSAA State Golf Championships and this year at state, finished tied for 22nd.

Powell was named to the All-Region team three times and was the individual runner-up in the First Region Tournament on October 1 to help lead the Marshals to back-to-back regional titles. In his senior season, he had two top five and six top 10

tournament finishes.

During the 2018 season, Powell was the individual medalist at the Dawson Springs Invitational and Marshall County Invitational and runner-up in two other tournaments. He also had five top-five finishes and four top 10’s in 2018 and placed third in last season’s First Region Tournament as well as earning a selection to the KGCA All-State 2nd Team.

In his four-year high school career, Powell’s tournament average as a freshman was 81.9, as a sophomore it was 79.6, his junior year it was 73.8 and his senior season average was 74.8.

Powell is a member of the Marshall County boy’s basketball team and was

named to last season’s Fourth District and First Region All Tournament teams. Cat’s Pause magazine has ranked Powell the fourth best player in the region heading into the upcoming season. He comes into his senior season with 807 career points.

Powell was recently named to the KHSAA Academic All-State First-Team. He is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Interact Club and is a Leadership Student Mentor at MCHS. He has volunteered for Special Olympics, Marshall County Youth Basketball and the Kentucky Junior PGA.

His plans are to earn an RN degree at Murray State and pursue a career as a nurse anesthetist.

December 2019 • Page 29 McCracken County High School standout Grant Davis will continue his baseball career close to home. Davis took part in National Signing Day on Nov. 12 by declaring his intent to play for the Murray State Racers.

Highlights from his high school career are listed below.

Sophomore year:

34-9 Record, District Champions, Regional Champions, Final Four Appearance .292 Batting Average

.462 On Base Percentage 16 Runs Batted In

All State Academic Team Honorable Mention Junior Year:

33-8 Record, District Champions, Regional Champions, State Runners-Up .363 Batting Average

.481 On Base Percentage 27 Runs Batted In

All State Academic Team Honorable Mention

GRANT DAVIS

Murray State University

JACKSON SIVILLS

Murray State University JacksonSivillswillcontinuehisbasketballcareeratMurrayStateUniversity. Davis took part in National Signing Day on Nov. 12 at McCracken County High School. Sivills received 17 D-1 offers prior to his declaration.

Highlights from his high school career are listed below.

Junior Year

20 PPG; 8 rebounds per game

40% from 3 point line ; 50% FG

2019 All Purchase Region Team 2019 All District Team

Sophomore Year 13.2 PPG ; 8 rebounds per game

39% from 3 point line ; 52% FG

All-Time Scoring Leader at McCracken with 1270 points Most points in a Season 651 Averaged 20 points per game Most points in a game 32 vs Bowling Green on 12-17-19 2nd on the all time Rebounder list of 580 and should surpass that leader this season 2nd on the list of all time 3 pointers made with 121

Page 30 • December 2019

Pumas take gold Pumas Futbol Club had a strong showing during Murray Revolution’s Fall Classic in November, with several teams finishing as finalists and champions. Below are the club’s three championshiup teams (from top): the 06 Lady Pumas, 06 Pumas and 08 Pumas Black.

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December 2019 • Page 31

THE BACK PAGE

By Jody Norwood | Editor

With the close of our first full year of printing West Kentucky Sports, we’ve got a few changes planned for the upcoming year.

First up, the bad news: as of our January issue, the online copy of West Kentucky Sports will only be available for purchase. In the past, we’ve been fortunate enough to offer the online copy for free (or download-able for a small fee), but we will be unable to do that next year. Copies can be found online by logging onto Issuu.com and searching for West Kentucky Sports.

We will also drop the online Smugmug photo galleries.

Most of our users view the photos on social media, so it makes more sense to focus presenting them there instead of duplicating efforts by uploading them to the site.

The good news: thanks to our sponsors, West Kentucky Sports will still be made available in limited free print copies.

We will also continue offering mailed subscriptions for those who want to make sure they get a copy. A form can be found on page 11 in this month’s issue.

As always, we appreciate feedback and story suggestions.

The idea driving West Kentucky Sports was to provide coverage to teams, athletes and stories not garnering a lot of headlines.

That’s still true.

The only problem is, we don’t always know what’s going on if nobody tells us. So if you’ve got a story idea or know of a program or team that needs some recognition, send us an email to wkysports@gmail.com. Or give us a call at 270-703-0307.

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