West Kentucky Sports January 2020

Volume 3, Issue 1

Hoop Fest Recap — Page 4

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— Page 20

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January 2020 • Page 3

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KHSAA Announces 2020 Hall | Page 16 A Marshall County native is among inductees to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s 2020 Hall of Fame.

Road Ahead | Page 20

Lady Lyons Callista Collins and Sydney Melton have announced their plans to continue their softball careers beyond high school. The juniors made their announcements in late fall.

20/20 in 2020 | Page 26

It’s easy to tell the stories that have already happened. West Kentucky Sports takes a look at the headlines that are going to happen in 2020.

(But probably not).

Senior Signings | Page 28 Raychel Mathis, Alli Douglas and others highlight signings from around the area through late November and December.

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Page 4 • January 2020

Looking back at Marshall County’s

HOOP FEST For four nights in December, Marshall County High School hosted some of the country’s elite talent during 2019’s Hoop Fest.

Headliners like Julian Newman, Moussa Cisse, Jalen Green and Marshall County’s own Zion Harmon, attracted a number of collegiate scouts, including University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari and Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.

Local standouts from western Kentucky also got a chance to display their talents, with teams from Murray High School, Madisonville-North Hopkins, Lyon County and Graves County taking part.

The event served as a chance for local charities and groups to raise funds.

Several high school clubs and civic clubs set up booths for food and memorabilia throughout the Reed Conder Gymnasium.

On the next several pages are a wrap up of each session from this year’s event.

SESSION 1

January 2020 • Page 5

December 5 was a good one for two First Region girls programs during the opening night of Hoop Fest.

Graves County’s won 41-27 over Massac County, Illinois, while Marshall County cruised to a 70-49 decision over Russellville. University of Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari was in attendance. Calipari had an eye on Lausanne Collegiate prospect Moussa Cisse, according to Vaughts Views.

Cisse, a 7-footer, is considered a top-10 recruit with offers from the University of Connecticut, Memphis, UCLA, Virginia and Kentucky.

For the Lady Eagles, Raychel Mathis notched 15 points in the win, including seven as part of the team’s 14-1 fourth quarter. Callie Jackson earned six points during the run for Graves County, finishing with 10 on the night.

It was a late separation as the two teams had stayed within a basket for most of the night. The Lady Patriots and Lady Eagles each held a fourpoint advantage only once during the first three frames.

The Lady Marshals, meanwhile, steadily pulled away from the Lady Panthers, leading by seven at the end of the first quarter and as much as 12 in the second. Halle Langhi led the effort with 21 points, followed by Presley Jezik (14), and Cayson Conner (12).

(Continued on next page)

The Lusanne-Callaway game (above) attracted University of Kentucky head Coach John Calipari (below, center) to Hoop Fest.

Page 6 • January 2020

Continued from previous page Jezik and Layne Pea led Marshall County’s long range attack, each one notching a trio of treys. Mia Teague and Jada Driver also notched buckets from behind the arch.

For the night, Pea had nine points, while Driver added six.

With the wins, both teams move to 2-0 on the season.

Earlier in the night, Graves County’s boys fell 57-39 to Massac, Illinois. In the opening night’s finale, Callaway, Mississippi, bested Lausanne Collegiate 65-44.

Clockwise from left: Lady Marshals Presley Jezik (14), Halle Langhi (42) and Jada Driver (3). Above: Raychel Mathis fro Graves County.

SESSION 2

January 2020 • Page 7

In the opening game of the night, Orangeville Prep converted a 34-38 halftime lead into a 55-50 win over Dream City Christian. The second game of the night was even closer, with Ali Dibba leading Central Pointe Christian over Trinity International.

For local fans, the third game of the night was the one they’d been anticipating. But it probably wasn’t the result they were hoping for.

Against Madisonville-North Hopkins, host Marshall County took an early lead as Tyler Powell hit 1-of-2 free throws in the opening minute. Maroon Kenny White — the game’s MVP — answered with a pair of 3-point buckets to jump out to a 6-1 advantage.

Junior Zion Harmon entered the game with 5:56 remaining in the first quarter, earning his first bucket about 40 seconds later. Bryce Flatt scored with 4:44 remaining as the Marshals climbed back into the contest. Marshall tied the game at 9-all with 3:23 remaining on a jumper by Harmon, finally regaining the lead 12-11 after Harmon went 3-for-3 from the free throw line with 2:30 to go in the opening stanza.

Marshall steadily built on their advantage through the second quarter, taking a 31-23 lead into the half.

(Continued on next page)

Jalen Green of Prolific Prep drives to the basket during the second night of Marshall County’s 2019 Hoop Fest.

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Page 8 • January 2020 Continued from previous page Marshall’s largest lead came in the opening minute of the third quarter when a Tyler Stokes basket made it 35-25. But a lack of rebounding caught up to the Marshals in the second half of the frame as the Maroons went on a 22-5 scoring spree, taking a 47-40 advantage into the final frame.

The Maroons held onto the lead through the final quarter, winning 67-57.

For the night, Harmon led the Marshall attack with 37 points. Stokes earned seven for the Marshals, followed by Powell (5).

Kaden Driver, Flatt and Brady Miller had two points apiece.

In the night’s fourth game, Prolific Prep of California won 75-71 over Our Saviour Lutheran. Prolific Prep was led by Jalen Green.

Green, a 6-foot-5-inch guard, has reportedly drawn interest from Memphis, Oregon, USC and Florida State.

Rounding out the action was John Hardin with an 81-44 win over University Heights Academy.

At left, Tyler Stokes wins the tip off for Marshall County. Above, Marshal Zion Harmon drains a trey. Opposite page: Jay Nimmo eyes the crowd following a Marshall County time out.

January 2020 • Page 9

WHERE THE MARSHALS TRAIN

Page 10 • January 2020

SESSION

Trailing in rebounds in the first half, Marshall County fell behind Prodigy Prep early during the third night of Hoop Fest, eventually falling 84-76 despite being within a point midway through the fourth quarter.

Marshall County opened the game with a 3-point basket by Tyler Powell. It would set the theme of the night, with the two teams combining for 30 shots from outside the arch. A third of those came from Prolific’s Emmanel Maldonado, who set a new Hoop Fest record with 10 3-point baskets.

Maldonado started his run midway through the first quarter, giving Prodigy a 7-3 advantage. Tyler Stokes hit a free throw 22 seconds later, but Maldonado fired back with another trey at the four minute mark.

Zion Harmon cut the lead to 10-6 10 seconds later with a bucket, adding four more points before the end of the quarter as Marshall County trailed 18-10.

Zion Harmon (above) and Bryce Flatt (below) for Marshall County.

Jay Nimmo opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and Stokes added another point from the stripe, but back-to-back treys

by Maldonado gave Prodigy its first double digit lead of the night, 24-14. Prodigy would continue to maintain an advantage for more of the night until a basket by Stokes a another Nimmo 3-pointer cut the lead to a single point with 4:44 remaining as the Marshals trailed 62-61. Prodigy pushed back to a four-point lead until the five-minute mark when Harmon went 2-for-2 from the line, Marshall trailing 69-67. Prodigy responded with three’s by Maldonado and Julian Newman, hanging on to win the contest 84-76.

Defensively, Marshall held standout Newman to a scoreless first half. Newman missed on seven attempts under the basket and five more from long range. He redeemed himself some in the second half, hitting 3-of-4 outside the arch, and 4-for-4 from the stripe, but scoreless under the net.

Newman finished the night with 13 points, while Maldonado had 34, hitting 10-of-17 3-pointers.

For Marshall, Harmon led the way with 33 points, hitting 4-of-11 from 3-point range. Stokes provided Marshall County’s inside attack, accounting for the bulk of his 16 points. Powell was 3-for-5 on treys,

THREE

January 2020 • Page 11

earning 11 points on the night.

Bryce Flatt had four points for Marshall. Nimmo and Kaden Driver each earned a pair of 3-pointers.

Earlier in the day, the Lady Marshals finished their Hoop Fest by rallying to defeat Anna-Jonesboro, Illinois, sweeping this year’s event.

Marshall won the game after a 40-40 at the end of regulation, defeating the Lady Wildcats 54-42 in overtime.

Marshall’s scoring opened with 3-points baskets by Presley Jezik and Cayson Conner. Halle Langhi added four points to extend the lead 10-6. But the Lady Wildcats rallied to lead at the end of the first quarter, and each team scored nine points through the second quarter.

Conner lifted Marshall County with six of their eight points in the third quarter, and the hosts held Anna-Jonesboro to two points in the final frame to force overtime.

Conner hit a bucket, a free throw and used a steal to give Marshall the 45-40 advantage in extra play.

Marshall continued to build on their lead, leading by 12 points when the clock expired.

Conner and Langhi had 19 points and nine rebounds each to lead the rally and keep their winning record intact.

Other games during the third session included Central Pointe Christian winning 72-64 over Arizona Compass, Prolific Prep 68-58 over Orangeville Prep, Our Savior Lutheran 83-75 over Dream City Christian, Briarcrest Christian 7870 over Male, Madisonville-North Hopkins 72-62 over McCracken County and Curie 82-75 over Callaway.

Cayson Conner (above) and Layne Pea (below) for Marshall County.

Page 12 • January 2020

SESSION 4

A Gunnar Bingham steal and bucket gave Lyon County an early lead against Murray during the fourth session of Marshall County’s Hoop Fest on Sunday, but the Tigers slowly built a lead through the first quarter, eventually taking the contest 73-55.

Grant Whitaker hit 2-of-3 from the line and sank a trey to give Murray the 5-2 lead.

Kade Blackburn tied things up with a long range basket of his own to tie the game a 5-all. The two teams tied again at seven, with Lyon reclaiming the lead on back-toback buckets by Jackson Shoulders and Bingham. But the Tigers went on an 11-2 tear, finishing the first quarter with a 2718 lead.

The Tigers built on the lead, taking a 50-31 advantage into the break.

Above, Luke Gilbert drives to the basket for Lyon County. Below, Lyon Kade Blackburn unleashes a 3-pointer.

Despite the setback, Lyon maintained a good rhythm with Travis Perry drawing the double team and finding Shoulders open inside the key. Shoulders led Lyon on the night with 15 points, most of those coming off passes from Perry. Bingham and Perry had nine points each, followed

by Jackson Reddick (six), Brady Shoulders (five), Corey Cissell (four), Blackburn (three), Luke Gilbert (two), and Jeremiah Wilkerson (two).

Murry was led by Gabe Taylor with 22. Joining him in double digit scoring was Whitaker (17) and Darius Duffy (17).

With the win, Murray improved to 2-0, while the Lyons fell to 2-2.

The remaining games of the final 2019 Hoop Fest session included talent from across the country.

St. Louis Christian defeated Trinity International 75-69. Jordan Nesbitt led the effort with 29 points. Naishen Nix had 36 points for Trinity International in the loss.

Prodigy Prep fended off Tennessee Prep 80-76, thanks to another big game for Maldonado. The new single game Hoop Fest 3-point record holder had 27 points in the win to go along with teammate Milan Harrison’s 29 marks.

Rounding out the games, Arizona Compass defeated Aspire Academy 74-40.

January 2020 • Page 13

Above, Travis Perry lines up a shot for Lyon County against Murray. Above left, Gunnar Bingham puts up two. At left, Jack Reddick drives into the paint.

Diamonds are forever

Page 16 • January 2020

Marshall alum among inductees to KHSAA Hall of Fame Staff Report The Kentucky High School Athletic Association will induct its Class of 2020 into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame presented by Roberts Insurance on Saturday, May 30, 2020, at the Embassy Suites Lexington. This year’s 12-member class will be the 33rd inducted into the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame, and consists of former high school coaches, athletes, officials, administrators, and contributors. The Class of 2020 will also be recognized during the semifinals of the 2020 Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16. The induction of the 12-member Class of 2020 will bring the total number of honorees in the Hall of Fame to 491.

This year’s class will include a pair of western Kentucky standouts: University Heights Academy’s Greg Buckner and Marshall County High School’s track star Adriane Diamond Travis.

Nominations for the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame are always welcome and can be submitted by filling out the online form available at http://bit.ly/2K6vrUX. Inductees are listed below in alphabetical order.

CHARLIE ADKINS (Coach / Paintsville) – Charlie Adkins coached baseball in the 15th Region for 34 years, amassing a career record of 805-293 with 20 district and 14 region titles, along with a state runner-up finish and one state championship.

Adkins began coaching at Johnson Central in 1969 before moving on to Paintsville, where he spent the next 33 years. He guided the Tigers to five semifinal appearances in the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament, finishing as runner-up in 1989 after falling to Lafayette, 11-4, in the championship game. The Tigers bounced back the following year and defeated Tates Creek, 10-4, at UK’s Shively Field to capture the school’s first baseball state championship in 1990.

GREG BUCKNER (Athlete / University Heights) – Greg Buckner helped University Heights to the 1992 KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen State Championship before a stellar four years at Clemson University led to a 10-year NBA career. As a sophomore, Buckner chipped in nine points in the championship game of the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen to help the Blazers defeat Lexington Catholic, 59-57, at Freedom Hall. He earned First Team All-State honors as a senior after averaging 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game. Buckner went on to star at Clemson from 1994-98, where he played in 122-consecutive games and led the Tigers in scoring all four years. The 1995 ACC Rookie of the Year, Buckner finished fourth in career points scored at Clemson.

He was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks and spent 10 years in the league, ending his professional career with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008-09.

He was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

DONNIS BUTCHER (Athlete / Meade Memorial) – A fiveyear letterman at Meade Memorial from 1951-55, Donnis Butcher scored 2,400 career points on his way to earning three All-District and two All-Region honors, along with 1st Team All-State accolades in 1955. Meade Memorial won a pair of 59th District Championships during his career and enjoyed a perfect 27-0 record in 1955 before losing in the 15th Region finals. Butcher went on to star at Pikeville College, scoring 2,073 career points before being selected in the 7th Round of the 1961 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks.

He played two seasons for the Knicks and two seasons for the Detroit Pistons, scoring 1,696 points with 821 rebounds and 585 assists over 279 career NBA games. He was named head coach of the Pistons on March 8, 1967, and compiled a career record of 52-60 as head coach. Butcher, who went on to enjoy a long career with Converse, was inducted into the Pikeville College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.

JOEY COUCH (Athlete / Paintsville) – An outstanding multisport student-athlete at Paintsville, Joey Couch was a four-year starter for the football team on both offense and defense, and a four-year starter on the basketball team for head coach Bill Mike Runyon. On the gridiron, Couch totaled over 2,000 rushing yards with close to 40 touchdowns, while making 300 solo tackles. His efforts helped head coach Walter Brugh’s squad to an appearance in the 1985 1A State Championship Game, where the Tigers suffered a 14-6 loss to Crittenden County at Cardinal Stadium.

On the hardwood, Couch was part of a phenomenal run that saw Paintsville make three-consecutive trips to the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen by winning three-straight 15th Region titles.

The Tigers advanced to the semifinals at the 1987 Sweet 16 before falling to Ballard, 61-54, with Couch earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. He scored 2,034 points during his basketball career while grabbing 1,024 rebounds. He became the first player in Kentucky history to play in both the Kentucky vs. Indiana All-Star Basketball and Football games, with Couch earning defensive MVP honors in football. He went on to play football at the University of Kentucky, where he was selected as defensive captain as a senior while earning All-SEC and pre-season All-America accolades and finished his career with the second-most tackles by a noseguard in school history.

Page 18 • January 2020

January 2020 • Page 17

KHSAA announces 2020 Hall of Fame inductees Continued from previous page

GARY DEARBORN (Contributor / Harrison County & Pendleton County) – A longtime educator, Gary Dearborn spent 24 of his 38 years in the 10th Region as an administrator working with athletics. A strong advocate for gender equity, Dearborn initiated changes at Harrison County to bring girls’ athletics on par with the boys’ programs. He was one of the first in the state to establish equal pay stipends for girls’ and boys’ coaches and insisted that both programs were equitable in terms of uniforms, prime date scheduling, facility usage, and locker room assignments.

In 1998, he volunteered Harrison County HS to be the site of the first KHSAA Title IX Audit. His changes in district policy were commended by the committee and other schools replicated the procedures in their own districts. A former President and twoterm member of the KHSAA Board of Control, Dearborn chaired the Board’s statewide basketball realignment committee, guiding a task that had not been reviewed in 37 years. In 2014, Dearborn was inducted into the 10th Region Basketball Hall of Fame.

SAM HARP (Coach / Danville) – One of the most successful football coaches in KHSAA history, Sam Harp guided Danville HS to seven KHSAA state football championships and 10 championship game appearances during his time with the Admirals. He finished his coaching career with a record of 326-106, which ranked fifth all-time when he retired in 2012. Harp led the Admirals to 27-consecutive playoff appearances, with 19 district and 16 region championships, while compiling an 82-21 record in the post-

season. Danville captured its first state title under Harp’s watch in 1989, as the Admirals defeated Mayfield, 7-3, at Cardinal Stadium.

From 1991-93, the Admirals put together a 42-game win streak, a run which included two more 2A State titles in 1991 and 1992, with both championships coming over Mayfield.

A five-time Kentucky Coach of the Year honoree, Harp was a two-time finalist for National Coach of the Year honors and one of the founders of the Kentucky Football Coaches Association. He was previously inducted into the Hall of Fame at both Danville and Franklin County High School.

ROBERT JOE “BOB” LYNCH (Athlete / Ashland Blazer) – A three-sport athlete at Ashland Blazer, Bob Lynch helped lead the Tomcats to three-consecutive KHSAA State Baseball Championships and ended his pitching career with a sterling 27-2 record.

As a sophomore in 1966, Lynch threw a four-hit complete game in the state title game as Ashland defeated Shelby County, 2-1, and capped off a perfect 25-0 season.

He compiled a 10-2 record the following year, with both of his losses coming by a 1-0 final score, and won two games in the state tournament to help the Tomcats repeat as state champions, capped off by a 7-2 victory over Fort Knox in the title game. Lynch posted a perfect 11-0 mark as a senior and recorded two victories in the state tournament, including the 1-0, 10-inning victory over Southern in the state championship game, as the Tomcats completed their three-peat. He went 5-0 across six appearances during those three state tournaments, with a 0.00 earned run

(Continued on next page)

Page 18 • January 2020

KHSAA announces 2020 Hall of Fame inductees (Continued on next page) average (allowing only two unearned runs) with 42 strikeouts against four walks over 30 innings pitched. A two-time player of the year in Kentucky, he ended his baseball career with a 27-2 record and a 0.42 ERA. On the hardwood, Lynch totaled 1,277 points from 1966-1968 and helped the Tomcats to a 16th Region Championship and a spot in the Boys’ Sweet 16 in 1966. In Track and Field, Lynch contributed to a record-setting performance for the regional champion 880-relay team and a fourth-place finish at the state meet. He went on to play at the University of Alabama, where he lettered in baseball and was a three-year letterman on the basketball team (1969-72).

SHARAE MANSFIELD (Athlete / DuPont Manual) – The 1997 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Kentucky, ShaRae Mansfield averaged 18 points per game as a senior to lead DuPont Manual to a 26-3 record while receiving Third Team All-America accolades from Parade Magazine. A preseason Second Team All-America selection by Street & Smith in 1996, Mansfield helped the Lady Crimsons to a runner-up finish in the 7th region as a junior by averaging 20.1 points and 11.5 rebounds with 145 blocks en route to her first of two-straight All-State nods from the Louisville Courier-Journal.

She went on to play at Western Kentucky University, where she helped lead the Lady Toppers to 88 victories during her four seasons (1997-01), including NCAA Tournament appearances in 1998 and 2000. Mansfield totaled 1,804 points and 1,000 rebounds during her collegiate career, making her just the second player in program history to top 1,000 in both categories. She was selected by the Houston Comets in the 3rd Round of the 2001 WNBA Draft and transitioned to coaching after injuries slowed her professional career. In 2007, Mansfield was inducted into the DuPont Manual Hall of Fame.

BOB STACEY (Coach & Official / Boyd County) – A longtime track & field and cross country coach at Boyd County HS, Bob Stacey guided the Lady Lions to 25 regional championships, two cross country state runner-up finishes, and one 3A girls’ track and field state title from 1975-2000. The Lady Lions’ track and field program produced 13 team and 62 individual region championships under Stacey’s watch, with 12 individual and relay state titles and one girls’ 3A Team State Championship in 1980.

His Boyd County cross country teams produced 12 team and 15 individual regional championships, with two state runner-up team finishes (1983 and 1986) and one individual 3A state title courtesy of Paula Kelly in 1987. Stacey was named KTCCCA girls’ cross country Coach of the Year in 1983 and received KHSCA girls’ track & field Coach of the Year accolades in 1980 and 1986.

Stacey served as an assistant track/cross country coach at Morehead State for four years (2000-04) before returning to the high school ranks as head track and field coach at Fairview (2005-06, 2013) where he added one regional team title and five

individual Class A state championships. In addition to coaching, Stacey has been an official in track and cross country for more than 40 years, mentoring many young track officials along the way. He was inducted into the KTCCA Hall of Fame in 1991 and is also a member of the Hall of Fame for both Fairview HS and Boyd County Girls’ Track.

BART RISON (Coach & Official / Montgomery County) – Bart Rison amassed nearly 900 wins across 40 seasons as a head coach in boys’ basketball and softball, totaling 20 district and eight regional championships. As a basketball coach, Rison compiled a 505-269 overall record, with 12 District titles, five Regional runner-up finishes and one Regional Championship, which was the first-ever for Montgomery County. The Indians put together 13 20-win seasons under Rison’s watch and made the school’s first appearance in the Boys’ Sweet 16® in 1995 following a 99-92 victory over Mason County in the 10th Region Championship game. Montgomery County advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sweet 16 with a 78-71 overtime victory against Paintsville before falling to eventual state runner-up Pleasure Ridge Park.

A two-time KABC 10th Region Coach of the Year (1995 and 2002), Rison got his start in coaching at Estill County in 1981 where he went 81-59 across five seasons before moving on to Montgomery County. On the softball diamond, Rison guided Montgomery County to 387 wins against 137 losses across 14 seasons, with eight District titles and seven Region championships and was a finalist for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year award in 2016. A highly regarded official, Rison began umpiring baseball games in 1983.

He is a member of numerous Hall of Fames including the Kentucky HS Baseball Coaches Association (as an umpire), 10th Region Basketball Coaches Association, NHSACA, KY Fast Pitch and

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January 2020 • Page 19

KHSAA announces 2020 Hall of Fame inductees the Central Kentucky Umpire Association.

CHRISSY ROBERTS (Athlete / Eminence) – Chrissy Roberts rewrote the girls’ basketball record book at Eminence High School during her playing days, earning First Team All-State and All-America accolades while leading the school to its first and only district title. She was picked to play in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Game and received a full ride to the University of Kentucky. After two years at UK, Roberts transferred to Eastern Kentucky, where she led the Lady Colonels to two OVC regular-season titles, an OVC Tournament title, and a berth in the NCAA and WNIT Tournaments.

As a junior in 1996-97, she led the nation in three-point shooting at 48.8 percent, winning both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Edward S. Steitz Award and the AT&T Long Distance Award. Roberts averaged 15.2 points per game and shot 45.9 percent from three-point range as a senior the following season to garner OVC Player of the Year honors and Kodak All-America Honorable Mention accolades. Roberts transitioned to coaching after her playing career ended, and spent 11 seasons as EKU’s head coach (2008-19). She was inducted into the EKU Athletics HOF in 2007.

ADRIANE DIAMOND TRAVIS (Athlete / Marshall County) – A seven-time individual 3A track and field state champion at Marshall County HS, Adriane Diamond Travis captured fourstraight state titles in the 400 meters to go along with three state championships in the 200 meters. Diamond Travis claimed the state title in both the 200 and 400 meters at the 1980 and 1981 3A State Meet. She picked up her third-straight state title in the 400 meters as a junior in 1982 but was bested in the 200 meters.

She closed out her prep career by taking both titles at the 1983 3A State Meet and won the 400 meters in a state-record time of 55.50 seconds – a mark that stood until 2013.

She went on to compete at Indiana University where she was a three-time All-American and totaled 17 Big Ten individual and relay championships in both indoor and outdoor track. During the 1985-86 season, Diamond Travis was a part of Indiana’s indoor national championship relay team in the 4×440. In January of 1987, she posted a time of 1:10.18 in the 500 meters, which was the fastest time in the world at that point by a female. Following her senior season, Diamond Travis participated in the 1988 Olympic Trials. She was inducted into the KTCCA Hall of Fame in 2012 and is also a member of the Marshall County HS Hall of Fame.

For more information on the Hall of Fame, visit https://khsaa.org/special-programs/dawahareskhsaa-hall-of-fame/.

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COLLEGE BOUND Lady Lyon juniors Callista Collins (top) & Sydney Melton (left) announce plans to join Scarlett Knights, Redhawks

January 2020 • Page 21

Within a week of each announcement, two of Lyon County’s most courted softball players released their college plans.

With their junior seasons set to start in a few months, Callista Collins and Sydney Melton made the announcements via social media during the Thanksgiving holiday week. Collins is set to play at Rutgers University, while Melton will stay a little closer to home, playing for Southeast Missouri State.

Melton is an All-Region catcher known for her mix of athleticism on defense and consistency at the plate. She hit. 432 as a sophomore with eight home runs and 33 RBIs, including 10 doubles with only four strike outs in 128 plate appearances.

She joins fellow Lady Lyon junior Calista Collins in choosing a college prior to the start of the season. Collins committed to Rutgers earlier this month.

She will be joining a SEMO team that was 46-18 last year, winning the OVC Championship.

Collins, meanwhile, will become a Scarlett Knight.

The short stop earned First Team Class A All-State honors after hitting .566 as a sophomore and leading the state for most of the year in home runs with 15 home runs. She drove in 54 runs for Lyon County and ranked in the state in multiple hitting categories.

Rutgers finished 29-26 last year, ending their season in the Big 10 Tournament.

Collins and Melton are part of a loaded Lady Lyons team expected to have several more signings to come in the next two years.

(Continued on next page)

Page 22 • January 2020

Continued from previous page Last year the Lady Lyons went 26-13, claiming their third Fifth District championship in five year. Lyon fell to Madisonville-North Hopkins in the Second Region tournament, and also competed in the All A State Tournament.

Lyon County is slated to open the 2020 campaign on March 16 at Union County. It kicks off a slate of early road games which includes Murray (March 17), Madisonville-North Hopkins (March 19) and Trigg County (March 24).

The Lady Lyons will also take part in Meade County’s Mighty March Matchup on March 21.

Lyon County’s first home game will be March 26 against Calloway County. The Lady Lakers were runners up last season in the Fourth District championship.

Christmas along Broadway

Pumas Futbol Club took part in the Paducah Christmas Parade in December. It was the first year for the club to take part in the annual event, which included more than 120 entries. The parade started around Nineteenth Street and concluded at the riverfront, running along Broadway.

Page 26 • January 2020 Player, parent and even school official interactions with referees got so bad in the last few years that the Kentucky High School Athletic Association began imploring everyone to tone things down.

The organization had good reason.

From school officials locking referees out of the dressing room (and preventing them from retrieving their belongings) to coaches physically assaulting stripes, things were getting a little pout of hand across the Commonwealth.

As a result, older officials are retiring faster than new ones can get their stripes.

Attention to the problem helped. Some.

Games are a little quieter, referees are putting up with less grief and there’s been a surge of younger whistle blowers.

That trend of sunny dispositions continues in 2020, when headlines read:

Ref stops game, thanks fan for complimenting his mother For years the Kentucky High School Athletic Association — the organization responsible for overseeing and regulating high school sports in the Commonwealth — has doubled down on doub le talk that ‘anyone can be a champion.’

Leadership generally tries to silence criticism of small private schools recruiting players by noting that those institutions only win about half the titles. They’ve also resisted any talks of going to a sizebased class system, which wouldn’t be doing small public schools much of a favor lumping them in with those tuition-based titans. But at least it would bring some legitimacy back to state titles.

Mind bogglingly, KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett even bragged on how expanding football to include more classes had increased interest and number of participants... while holding the line that a similar move for other sports would diminish their championships.

In 2020, the KHSAA shocks the world, not by announcing class systems, but by stating:

KHSAA: “Parity is a myth, kids prefer playing stacked teams.”

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January 2020 • Page 27 Football has been in the spotlight in recent years as attention to injuries grows. Broken bones, concussions and worse are all too common.

Schools around the country have field tested prototype helmets and minor rule changes have looked to lessen severity of injuries. Time will tell if it’s doing any real good.

Nobody wants to look at the simple solution: leave the pads and helmets in the locker room. There’s a reason rugby players don’t launch themselves like human harpoons. Because it hurts when you smash your face into someone else’s. Unfortunately, the player protection gear is what accounts for much of the style that leads to injuries.

In 2020, schools continue the trend of doing everything else by announcing:

0/20

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Schools look to prevent injuries by wrapping players in bubble wrap

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Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner made headlines in 2019 when he said he some day University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari would some day enter politics. Pastner took it a step further, speculating Calipari could even run for president. That’s President of the United States, to be clear.

Not President of the Local Board of Education or President of the Walter McCarthy Fan Club.

But Calipari will shock basketball fans and voters alike when, in 2020, citing the cutthroat nature of both college sports and politics, the headlines read:

Calipari announces exit, plans two-step on Dancing With The Stars Every year in college basketball a small school picks up steam, beats opponents they weren’t supposed to and makes that David-and-Goliath type run through the postseason. Murray State University had that last year with Ja Morant.

It’s easy to understand why, with the sophomore setting an NCAA record for averaging at least 20 points and 10 assists per game.

As a result, Murray State has a healthy heap of events themed around the alumnus now playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. In 2020, the school takes it one step further with:

MSU to drop ‘Racers’ moniker, re-brand as Murray State Morants

Page 28 • January 2020

Graves County’s Raychel Mathis will play D1 soccer at Murray State University. Mathis led the 2019 Lady Eagles with 20 goals and seven assists. As a junior, Mathis was second in team scoring with 29 goals while earning 34 assists.

Student Signings

West Kentucky Sports features college announcements, letter of intent signings and program disclosures as available. Got one planned?

Email us at wkysports@gmail.com. Notice on we’ve missed? Use the same email address to submit photos, player information, current high school, attended and college info.

Two Calloway County Lady Lakers signed their Letters of Intent to play in December. Soccer standout Zoe Stom (right) will hit the pitch at Freed Hardeman University next summer, while Charlee Settle (above) will play basketball just down the street at Murray State University.

January 2020 • Page 29

From left: Noelle Meals, Kolton Reeves, Wes Grogan, Alli Douglas and Jessica Stephens.

In December, McCracken County High School recognized the following seniors for their accomplishments and signing college scholarships: Alli Douglas John A. Logan College - Softball KHSAA Academic First Team All State – 3 years 2016 State Runner-Up 2016 and 2017 Regional Champions 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 District Champions 2019 West Junior All Star 2019 All District Team 2019 All Purchase Team Played Varsity all four years Jessica Stephens Bellarmine University - Golf 7 Year Varsity Participant

2015 Region Team Runner-Up 2016 Region Team Champions 2017 8th Place at Regionals 2018 Region Team Runner-Up and Individual Runner-Up 2018 Region One Co-Player of the Year/All Region Team 2019 Region Team Runner-Up and Individual Runner-Up 2019 4th Place Individual at State 2019 All Region Team Wes Grogan Morehead State University Cross Country/Track 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 KHSAA Academic All State 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 All Area Team 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 All Region First Team

2019 All State Team Noelle Meals Murray State University Precision Rifle 5 Time Junior Olympic Qualifier 2 Time USA Shooting Kentucky State Champion in both Air Rifle and Smallbore Kolton Reeves Thomas Moore University - Football 3 Year Starter 2018 and 2019 West Kentucky All Conference Team 2018 KHSAA Academic All State Honorable Mention 4 Year Member of the McCracken County Baseball Team Senior Season Stats: 104 Tackles, 4 Int’s, 1 pick-six, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 TFL

Page 30 • January 2020

West Kentucky Area Sports Briefs

UK Healthcare Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine has expanded its corporate partnership with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association with a four-year agreement to become the title sponsor of the Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl State Football Championships. UK Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, which has been a long-time partner of the Association, provides top of the line sports medicine and athletic training services at all KHSAA Championship events in the Lexington area. UK Healthcare and UK Ortho’s increased corporate support elevates it to Platinum Level partner status with the Association, on par with Whitaker Bank and Spalding, the two existing Platinum Level partners. The arrangement also includes naming rights for the 2019 UK Orthopaedics/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl through the 2022 championships.

Area archers took part in a fundraiser for the Bailey Holt Nursing School Scholarship at Marshall County High School in December. Holt, a 15-yearold student when she was killed at Marshall County High School in January 2018, wanted to be a labor room delivery nurse. The scholarship was established in her honor to benefit aspiring nursing students.

Murray State University officials are inviting alumnus to celebrate with Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies at they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday, Jan. 17. Racer fans who purchase tickets before the deadline will receive a limited edition Murray State and Memphis Grizzlies co-branded hat, plus the opportunity to watch the Grizzlies during pregame warm-ups in the lower bowl of FedEx Forum! Ticket packages start at just $25. Deadline to purchase is Friday, Jan. 10.

Fans are invited to join fellow Racers before the game to take in the sights and sounds of “Grind City.” There will be special MSUAA pregame festivities at the Jerry Lee Lewis Honky Tonk Cafe on world-famous Beale Street from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Food and drinks will be dutch treat. The Dalzell, South Carolina native and son of former basketball player Tee Morant, Ja brought national attention to MSU, earning firstteam all-conference honors in the Ohio Valley Conference as a freshman. He was selected second overall by the Grizzlies in the 2019 NBA draft.

Dean Hood is the new head coach for the Murray State football program. Hood, becomes MSU’s 19th head coach. Currently, Hood is special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Kentucky. During his time in Lexington, the Wildcats accomplished one of the program’s most successful three-year stints, to include three consecutive bowl games and a 10-win season in 2018, just the fourth in program history. As head coach at Eastern Kentucky from 2008-15, Coach Hood was the winningest coach in the OVC with a record of 44-19 (.698) in eight seasons, including three FCS playoff appearances and a pair of OVC championships.

EKU produced 10 All-Americans, two OVC Players of the Year and one OVC Freshman of the Year. Additionally, Coach Hood mentored 26 first-team all-conference performers and multiple players who advanced to the National Football League. In Hood’s eight seasons as head coach at EKU, the program performed well academically, producing 18 OVC Academic Medal of Honor winners. In his first two stints as an assistant coach at EKU (1994-96 & 1997-98), Hood worked under legendary coach Roy Kidd, helping guide EKU to two OVC championships and two FCS Tournament appearances. Hood also led a highly-effective, nation-best defensive unit for seven seasons at Wake Forest (2001-07), earning the school’s first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 36 years. He began his career at Fairmont (W.Va.) in 1987 and experienced stops with Colgate (1989), Glenville State (W.Va.) (1990-93), Ohio (1999-00) and Charlotte (2016).

January 2020 • Page 31

THE BACK PAGE

By Jody Norwood | Editor

My daughter is one of about 1.5 million female youth soccer players in the U.S.

I’m no exception to the list of parents who are probably overly proud of their kid for taking part in an activity. If you want to kill a half hour, just ask most parents what their child is up to. You’ll most likely elicit a half hour ramble about the tournament last weekend, a recital coming up or how many hours have been spent preparing for an exhibition.

So when someone pulls the pin on that conversational hand grenade, it usually comes up that my daughter plays on a boys team.

Which is nothing exceptional. With a lack of interested girls the right age in some sports, it’s not uncommon to find female athletes competing on the same team with males. Or all-female teams entered in male divisions because there isn’t one of their gender.

And it usually results in the question “Aren’t you worried she’ll get hurt?”

Or the statement: “That’s not fair to the boys to make them hold back.”

Well, to the first, no.

Soccer, like any sports, comes with some risks. It’s one of the safer sports out there, provided players are playing fair. Fouls aren’t restricted to one gender. Girls can be just as aggressive as boys in that regard.

And to the second, it shouldn’t. If they’re playing by the rules, it doesn’t really matter what they do. Fair play is fair play. If it means they won’t shove as much or go for an ankle, then those are things they shouldn’t really be doing anyway.

But the reality is, boys tend to be bigger, stronger and faster, at least after the middle school years. And, to me, that’s a good thing for her to play against. The better a player’s opponent, the harder she has to work. And that’s not a bad thing.

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