Volume 2, Issue 5
TITLETIME Baseball, Softball districts Region 1 middle school soccer Lady Mustangs tennis earns sixth straight
Post 68 Legion Baseball Schedule
Local soccer players, coach train in Germany
— Page 5
— Page 14
LYON COUNTY Champions against Drugs
Informed teens make better decisions. Talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol.
Your Home for Lyon County Lyons and Lady Lyons Basketball, Marshall County Marshals and Lady Marshals Soccer, University of Louisville Football and Basketball and NASCAR!
June 2019 • Page 3
14
Doom’s Day | Page 4
Long-time Lyon County Athletic Director Jeff Doom was recognized in May.
Post 68 Schedule | Page 5
6
Lyon County’s Post 68 will open their season June 7.
Region 1 Tennis | Page 19
McCracken County earned a sixth regional girls tennis team title in May.
20
Student Signings | Page 26 From Gabe Board in Lyon County to Mayfield’s Connor Guthrie, May was signing time for several area standout athletes.
Sports Briefs | Page 30
St. Mary welcomes a new soccer coach, while Paducah Tilghman picks up tennis wins.
The Back Page | Page 31
Transition from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day marks reminder about those special folks who often serve as first coaches.
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Page 4 • June 2019
(Above) Jeff Doom accepts a plaque recognizing him as the KHSADA District 2 Athletic Director of the Year. (Left) Doom celebrates during a lighter moment with his Lady Lyons basketball team.
— Above photo furnished; photo at left by Jody Norwood
Doom’s Day Long-time Lyon County Athletic Director honored
8
8 12
4
Lyon County’s Jeff Doom has another feather in his cap.
Doom was recognized last month as the 2019 District 2 Athletic Director of the Year. The award was presented by the Kentucky High School Athletic Director Association at their annual conferences in Louisville, according to a statement by Lyon County Schools. For sports fans, Doom has been a fixture in western Kentucky athletics since beginning his teaching career in the late 1980s. Doom announced his resignation from the post as athletic director in late May, but still serves as Lyon County High School’s Dean of Student Affairs, is the Lady Lyons basketball coach and runs a bus route for the district. He has also coached boys and girls basketball and softball.
June 2019 • Page 5
American Legion Post 68 baseball season starts June 7 American Legion Post 68 will look to build on last year’s success as they open their season June 7. The team out of Lyon County won the 2018 state tournament in dramatic fashion over Owensboro 9-8, scoring all of their runs in the final frame. This year, the Aces will host not only the senior tournament, but also the junior event at Lee S. Jones Park in Eddyville. Their 2019 schedule is below.
June Games
July Games
POST 68 DATE June June June June June June June June June June June June June June June June
7 8 9 13 14 15 16 20 21 22 23 24 27 28 29 30
TEAM Senior Senior Senior Senior Senior Senior Senior Junior Senior JR/SR Senior Junior Junior Senior Senior Senior
OPPONENT
Gallitin, Tenn. at Evansville, Indiana at Newburg, Indiana Chapple Allen Invitational Chapple Allen Invitational Chapple Allen Invitational Chapple Allen Invitational at Owensboro Cape Girardeau, Mo. at Oldham County at Funkhauser, Indiana at Cape Girardeau, Mo. Owensboro Evansville, Indiana at Rockport, Indiana Newburg, Indiana
DATE TEAM July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July July
4 5 7 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 26 27
Senior Senior Senior Junior Senior Senior Senior Junior Junior Junior Junior Senior Senior Senior Senior Senior
OPPONENT
at Columbia, Tenn. at Columbia, Tenn. Funkhauser, Indiana at Owensboro at Gallatin, Tenn. at Shelbyville at Cape Girardeau, Mo. Junior State Tournament Junior State Tournament Junior State Tournament Junior State Tournament Senior State Tournament Senior State Tournament Senior State Tournament Senior State Tournament Senior State Tournament
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District Diamonds Baseball and softball district tournaments are in the books for the five western-most Kentucky divisions. A few powerhouses rolled to expected title victories, while elsewhere underdogs battled into extra innings. On the following pages are recaps of each game in the 2019 baseball and softball district tournaments for the lakes area.
On this Page: Gracen Wynn and coach Billy Ray Coursey in the Fifth District title game • Lyon County
June 2019 • Page 7
First District Baseball GAME ONE | At Fulton City, Carlisle County put on a hitting show against Fulton County, taking an 18-1 win in the opening round of the First District Baseball Tournament in five innings. It was the biggest win margin by the Comets all season. Likewise, it was the Pilots’ biggest loss. Carlisle advanced to the final round.
GAME TWO | At host Fulton City, Hickman County’s Falcons advanced in the First District Baseball Tournament with a 10-0 win. The Bulldogs struggled at the plate all afternoon and were held without a hit in the contest. Fulton City pitchers Cade Malray and Drew Malray held back the Falcons for four innings.
Championship | Carlisle County gave Hickman it’s only district loss during the regular season. The Comets came close to repeating that feat in the First District championship game, but not close enough. Hickman County won the title 3-2 with Walker McClanahan hitting a home run.
First District Softball GAME ONE | First Region All A champion Hickman County carried an 8-0 district record into postseason play May 20. It showed as they defeated Fulton City 15-0. Jacy Rushing was perfect in the shutout, throwing six strikes for Hickman while giving up no hits.
GAME TWO | Against Fulton County, Carlisle County’s Lady Comets notched 19 runs in a lop-sided 19-4 contest. It was the closest of the three meetings between the two teams this year, with Carlisle winning 20-0 and 15-0 in a mid-season double header.
Second District Baseball
Championship | Hickman County took the First District Title 12-2 in five innings against Carlisle County. Bella Batts hit a home run as she went 2-for-4 from the plate with four runs driven in. Jacey Rushing struck out nine batters while throwing 82 pitches and giving up four hits.
Second District Softball
GAME ONE | Paducah TIlghman defeated St. Mary by 10 runs or more during each of their regular season meetings. That didn’t change in post-season play, as the Tornado swept the Vikings 10-0 in the Second District Baseball Tournament.
GAME ONE | St. Mary lost by a single run during their last meeting of the regular season with Paducah Tilghman, giving the Lady Vikings some hope. But on May 20 in the Second District Tournament, Tilghman got ahead early, winning 8-1.
CHAMPIONSHIP | McCracken County swept Paducah Tilghman in both their meetings this season, but only just, winning each game by one run. In the Second District title game, the Mustangs turned four hits into two runs. Logan Verble earned an RBI and led McCracken’s bats, going 1-for-3 from the plate. Dylan Schneider threw eight strikes and gave up just three hits for the Mustangs.
CHAMPIONSHIP | Home runs by Ally Hutchins, Loren Shelton and Ariel Fox fueled a 14-5 win for McCracken County over Paducah Tilghman in the Second District championship game. Hutchins had four RBIs, while Fox added three. Cristin Ware, Chesleigh Pugh, Rosie Minter, Emma Massey and Bailey Clark all earned runs for Tilghman.
5Ariel Fox • McCracken County
Page 8 • June 2019
Photo courtesy of Jimmy Palmer
Lane Hobbs • Graves County 5
Third District Baseball
Third District Softball
CHAMPIONSHIP | Graves County jumped out to an early lead with four runs in the first inning and eventually claimed the Third District title 12-2 over Mayfield. Dawson Dowdy was 2-for-3 for Graves, driving in four runs. Taylor Goodwin and Brandon Richards earned two RBIs each.
CHAMPIONSHIP | Despite the lopsided finale, Graves County trailed early against Ballard Memorial following the first inning. But five runs in the third set up an 11-2 blowout to give the Lady Eagles the Third District crown. Bailey Wimsatt struck out five batters in four innings.
GAME ONE | Tied at 6-all in the bottom of the eighth inning, Mayfield used a walk, a single and a bunt by Dominic Thomas to take a 7-6 decision over Ballard Memorial in the opening round of the Third District Baseball Tournament on May 20.
GAME ONE | The Lady Bombers put together four runs across the fifth and sixth innings to break a 4-4 tie against Mayfield in the opening round of the Third District Softball Tournament on May 20. Ballard won the game 8-4.
Where Athletes trAin
June 2019 • Page 9
5Layne Pea, Cayson Conner (catching) and Presley Jezik • Marshall County
Fourth District Baseball Fourth District Softball GAME ONE | Calloway County earned nine hits in a 6-2 win over Murray in the opening round of the Fourth District Baseball Tournament, led by Alex Boyd and Karsen Starks who had two hits apiece. Ellis Stubblefield earned the win on the mound for the Lakers, giving up three hits over four and two-thirds innings, while striking out five. Hunter Utley and Sam Snow had RBIs for the Tigers.
CHAMPIONSHIP | Marshall County slid into the championship round thanks to spotless 4-0 regular season record against district foes. Playing at Murray, the Marshals used a three-run fourth and a three-run sixth to fuel a 5-2 decision over Calloway County for the district title. Riley Harris earned the win for Marshall County on the mound. He pitched all seven innings, allowing six hits and two runs while striking out seven Laker batters.
GAME ONE | Marshall County outscored Christian Fellowship 38-0 during two regular season meetings. The Lady Eagles broke the streak in the Fourth District Tournament as Zailey McClain earned an RBI, but fell 13-1. Cayson Conner earned four RBIs for the Lady Marshals.
GAME TWO | Adison Hicks earned four RBIs as part of a 3-for-4 performance at the plate that put Calloway County over Murray 6-5 in the Fourth District Softball Tournament on May 20. Caitlyn Powers struck out five batters in five innings for the Lady Lakers.
CHAMPIONSHIP | Gabbi Lovett threw five strikes across four innings as Marshall County strolled to a 4-1 decision over Fourth District tournament hosts Calloway County. Gracey Murt struck out two across three innings. Combined, the Lady Marshal pitchers allowed just five hits. Kinley Edwards, Sarenna Tomassi, Presley Jezik, Savannah Hairgrove and Charley Pursley each had hits in the contest. Jezik earned Marshall County’s lone RBI. As a team, Marshall County earned six hits and committed no errors.
5Lauren Wring • Livingston
Fifth District Softball
5Kaelyn Conger • Lyon County
GAME ONE | Kaelyn Conger and Gracen Wynn earned two RBIs apiece as the Lady Lyons defeated host Livingston Central 6-2 in the Fifth District Softball Tournament’s opening round May 20.
GAME TWO | Tied at 2-all through the first seven innings of their Fifth District tournament run, the Lady Wildcats rallied in the bottom of the eighth inning to keep their season alive.
Conger used a double to drive in Calista Collins in the first inning. Livingston Central kept the score from climbing until the third inning when Tori Schenk hit a single. She was followed by Collins, who was walked for the second time in the game. Schenk scored during Conger’s at bat, taking a 2-0 lead. Nellie Walker singled to bring Collins home and advance Conger to third in time for a two-run single by Wynn. Up 5-0, the Lady Cardinals fielded the final two outs of the stanza.
The Lady Rockets used two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 2-1 lead. Crittenden’s advantage would stand until the sixth as Rylee Hendricks stole home to tie the game. In extra innings, Ashlyn Hicks scored on an infield error to give Crittenden back the lead.
Coursey scored Lyon’s final run in the sixth to advance.
But the Lady Wildcats wouldn’t be denied. In the home half of the eighth, Julia Rhone doubled to get on base, replaced by courtesy runner Abby Terrell. Terrell made her way to third, eventually scoring on an infield error to tie the game again. With the bases loaded, senior Autumn Durham singled to score, securing the Lady Wildcats a trip to the championship game.
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June 2019 • Page 11
5Emmie Smith • Crittenden County
5Hannah Colbert • Trigg County
Fifth District Softball
CHAMPIONSHIP | Lyon County remained patient through eight innings on May 21 as they waited for an opening in Trigg County’s defense. Calista Collins found it in the extra frame, smashing a home run that would serve as the only score in the 2019 Fifth District Softball Tournament’s championship game. The match came down to a defensive standoff between Lyon and Trigg counties. For the Lady Lyons, Kaelyn Conger did the bulk of the heavy lifting, throwing a no hitter and striking out eight batters across 101 pitches. For the Lady Wildcats, Hannah Colbert struck out nine batters on 137 pitches. Colbert gave up six hits all night to a team known for knocking the ball deep. For the night, Collins couldn’t have done much better. She was 3-for-3 from the plate with the eighth inning blast over the center field fence. Gracen Wynn was 2-for-3 in the win. Rachel Coursey also had a hit. With the win, the Lady Lyons earned their third district title in four seasons and an easier road through the Second Region.
Page 12 • June 2019
5Christian O’Daniel tags Andrew Williamson • Lyon County versus Trigg County
Fifth District Baseball
GAME ONE | Lyon County steadily scored throughout the opening round of the Fifth District Baseball Tournament on May 20 in an 11-1 win over Trigg County. Lyon scored two runs in the first and third innings and three in the second and fourth to go along with a single score in the fifth. Gunnar Bingham led Lyon, hitting 3-of-4 from the plate and earning three RBIs. Travis Yancy also drove in three runs, going 2-for-3. Aidan Rush earned two RBIs, while Christian O’Daniel picked up one.
GAME TWO | Crittenden County used a four-run sixth inning to take a 5-3 victory over host Livingston Central on May 20 in the Fifth District Baseball Tournament. The Rockets trailed 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning when Logan Bailey singled to score two runs. Peyton Riley scored Bailey as the next batter up for the final run of the game. Riley struck out 10 batters across four innings, but gave up seven hits for Crittenden County.
CHAMPIONSHIP | Gabe Board opened the Fifth District’s championship game with a home run in the first inning and closed it six innings later as he fielded a shot by Crittenden County’s Gabe Mott. In between, his Lyons put together nine hits in the 7-0 win. Board’s home run was the first score of the opening stanza, but it would not be the last. Jackson Shoulders and Travis Yancy were walked following the big hit. Aidan Rush joined them on base after hitting a line drive to center field. Shoulders scored on a passed ball, while courtesy runner Jacob Peek came in on a sacrifice fly by Brody Williams. Jake Klueppel singled to score Rush for the fourth and final run before the Rockets ended the inning. Up 4-0, the Lyons settled into a groove through the remainder of the contest, earning runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings. The Rockets, meanwhile, struggled to get on base as Yancy and Austin Long had solid performances from on high. Yancy struck out seven batters across six innings, giving up five hits.
6Brody Williams, Gabe Board and Travis Yancy • Lyon County
June 2019 • Page 13
Lyon County swept the baseball and softball Fifth District tournaments.
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Page 14 • June 2019
Breaking Down
WALLS By Jody Norwood
Photos Courtesy Kentucky Youth Soccer
Paducah Tilghman coach, local players take part in Olympic Development training at Die Gelbe Wand
It was a learning experience for players and coaches alike, looking to break down preconceptions about the sport for young Americans and build up new ideas for seasoned coaches. There’s some poetry in that experience coming at a place called Die Gelbe Wand (The Yellow Wall).
Guell, known as coach Tico to most of his players, is part of the Kentucky Olympic Development coaching staff. Now in his third year with the program, Guell stays busy with teaching the sport, both at club level and as head coach for Paducah Tilghman High School’s girls soccer team. With ODP, he served as an assistant coach his first two years, picking up additional roles along the way and eventually becoming head coach for the 2001 boys team. This year he was named head coach for the 2006 boys and served as an assistant on the 2003 team’s recent trip abroad.
Several weeks removed from bratwurst and Brussels sprouts on a cool rainy day in May closer to home, he still smiles talking about the trip. There are a handful of other reasons for him to be jovial as earlier in the day
Pumas Futbol Club — the program he and friend Gerardo “Chile” Herrera have built up in recent years — earned a slew of wins at Kentucky’s Village Cup, one of the highest levels of organized competition for U11 and U12 club teams in the state. The event brings together clubs from across the Commonwealth, hundreds of players with different skills and styles working together. In many ways — Guell says — it’s much like ODP, which mixes When you together kids who may have never get thrown played on the same team and asks them to take on the best in their age into the cage group.
‘‘
“It’s really fun to see how differwith lions and ent kids from different clubs can get together and play so well,” Guell said. have to figure “But it’s funny how club is different out how to than ODP. You have a player who is center forward for his club team — get out, that’s getting all the scores — and all the sudden for ODP he’s playing center good. back because that’s how it fits for his characteristics, his level, his blueprint —Armando Guell as a player. That’s why we have all the training: to get players comfortable playing positions they may never have before. It’s a learning experience for them as much as for us.”
‘‘
There are 4,502 miles of Bluegrass, rolling countryside and ocean between Paducah, Kentucky and Dortmund, Germany. It’s nearly a day-long journey by bus, escalator and plane from the Commonwealth’s rural western corner to Germany’s eighth largest city. Armando Guell — along with a handful of local players — made the trek to represent Kentucky in international youth soccer games against teams from Germany and Holland in April.
Originally, Herrera was also supposed to make the trek.
June 2019 • Page 15
Coach Armando Guell (center) with Olympic Development Program players Riley Skinner (right) and Josh King. The three — who are also all members of Pumas Futbol Club — traveled to Germany in March to take part in international games. “At the beginning of the season they select the coaches to go to Germany,” Guell said. “They selected Chile to go over there with the other coaches. Out of all the ODP coaching staff, they select just a few.” Herrera opted not to go this trip, with another coach taking his spot. In December, growing interest in taking both a 2003 girls and boys team led to an invitation for Guell to join as an assistant to Mike Dickey. Currently the Kentucky Fire Juniors technical director, Dickey is a former U.S. National
Team head coach for the U14, U15, and U17 Women’s National teams. According to the Kentucky Fire Juniors, “there are currently over 80 players in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) that have played under Coach Dickey. That impressive total also includes 9 members of U.S. Women’s National team that represented the United States in the Rio 2016 Olympics.” Guell commended the man with more than 10 State Cup Championships under his belt.
“I was really blessed to work with him for a week in Germany and for months before getting prepared,” Guell said. Two players from Pumas — Riley Skinner with the 2002’s and Josh King with the 2003’s — also went on the trip, each selected from state-wide player pools. All the participants made their way to Louisville March 28, then flew to Atlanta for a stopover before heading to Düsseldorf.
(Continued on next page)
Page 16 • June 2019
Continued from previous page From Düsseldorf, the teams traveled to Dortmund, where the boys visited Signal Iduna Park and had the opportunity to spend some time at the team store of Borussia Dortmund, the home team. Because of how the training and travel schedules worked out during the week, the boys were able to spend time in downtown Dortmund and visiting area landmarks like the German Football Museum. They took time out of two-a-day practices to visit a local grocery store and stopped in at a few local restaurants.
The local culture took getting used to for some, such as carbonated water in place of the less bubbly tap-type and traditional meals that included heaps of mashed potatoes, pork, sausages, meatballs, Brussels sprouts and fish.
boys lost their first international match 4-1 against [German team] SV Brackel. The first half was very sluggish as the players struggled with fitness and fatigue. Adjustments were made in the second half and the team played better. They pressed high and controlled the midfield better creating multiple chances but could not capitalize on them. The team maintained a 4-3-3 formation the entire game and was able to control the game with adjustments made in the second half. Overall, Coach Marcel was satisfied with the second half play as the boys were able to put into practice the adjustments that were made.
“Everything over there is soccer related,” Guell said. “In Dortmund, everything is [in team colors] black and yellow. Everything. It’s insane. The cars, the stickers, everything. I was really happy the kids were able to experience that part of soccer culture that we don’t have here.
“The 2003 Kentucky boys ODP team earned a positive result in their first German International match against SV Brackel. They competed against a German team which consisted of boys born in both 2002 and 2003. Kentucky ODP was scored on by a penalty kick in the first ten minutes. They responded by scoring 5 goals in the 15th, 30th, 43rd, 49th and 52nd minutes. The final score was Kentucky ODP 5 SV Brackel 2. Kentucky ODP had superior ball movement throughout the match and defensively did not give their opponent time on the ball. Coach [Dickey] said it was an “overall outstanding effort by our team.”’
The boys teams trained for three days before finally playing their first games on April 1. According to an account of events recorded by Kentucky ODP: “The 2002
“That was kind of a treat,” Guell said. “They were able to see how — even though their countries are right next to each other — their styles are completely different. It was really neat to see that.”
But most of the trip revolved around soccer.
“It was pretty neat to see everybody representing Kentucky in an ODP uniform. The people from Germany were really nice. Almost all of them spoke English, too.”
Both boys teams played opponents from Germany, then bussed to Holland to play a team there.
June 2019 • Page 17
Guell said the German style was very techni-
“You can tell how at a very young age they work with coordination with and without the ball so that by the time they’ve matured, it’s [easier]. Everybody is an athlete.” The Holland team, meanwhile, was much more physical.
Kentucky players were also able to watch pro games. On the second day, ODP players watched Borussia Dortmund take on Wolfsburg at Signal Iduna Park, which packs about 82,000 fans (roughly 18,000 more people than the entire population of McCracken County) inside 75,347 square feet of concrete, steel and sweat. The facility is the largest soccer venue in Germany, with a fan section dubbed Die Gelbe Wand which holds about 25,000 fans. When everyone in the section wears yellow, it gives visitors an imposing impression; for BVB, it’s like having an entire city behind you. On the field, the Kentucky teams had success. By the end of the trip, the 2003 boys and 2002 girls finished with all W’s, a first for Kentucky ODP.
“This 2003 boys team we brought is amazing,” Guell said. “Out of that team, I think there were about three or four players that professional clubs in Germany got their information to figure out something for them in the future. It was unreal. “They got to experience first-hand that you
never know who is outside watching. They were having so much fun that they didn’t realize that there were different coaches asking [about them].”
‘‘
The coach shared in learning along with his players. “We go over there to learn,” Guell said. “[Training] was right there with all the academy coaches from BVB Dortmund. It was good to learn their philosophies, their coaching styles. Educational-wise, that was the best part. When you get thrown into the cage with lions and have to figure out how to get out, that’s good.”
In that cul-
‘‘
cal.
ture, [soccer] is all they do,
that’s all they breathe.
—Armando Guell
Guell said he was honored to be invited out of so many talented Kentucky ODP coaches, and plans to utilize what he learned. “I’m always trying to implement everything I’m learning to try and bring it to [Pumas Futbol Club]. We’re trying to make this club bigger but in the slowest and fastest way possible to do it properly. Growing pains are something we deal with every season. In west Kentucky it’s not easy. It’s not easy to find coaches or parents that are willing to travel as much as we do.”
(Continued on next page)
Page 18 • June 2019
At right, the view from the top at a Borussia Dortmund game in Germany for Kentucky ODP players (above). Continued from previous page Guell hoped the Kentuckians who went took away the personality of the players they faced. “Every single player on every team we played against, every one of them is playing for a professional spot,” Guell said. “You can tell how even the subs are leaving everything out there. In that culture, that’s all they do, that’s all they breathe. That dedication, I hope [our players] take that away. Sometimes I think they take it for granted. They forget how easy their parents make it for them, to be able to travel as much as they do. A lot of the kids we played in Germany, it’s not the same.” Hopefully, that appreciation, education and dedication will be infectious with teammates back in the Bluegrass state, Guell said. For more on Kentucky’s ODP program or a recap of the trip, visit online at http://www.kysoccer.net/programs/odp/
June 2019 • Page 19
McCracken earns sixth girls regional tennis title
SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE COMING! You asked, we listened. Due to overwhelming interest in copies of West Kentucky Sports, we will begin offering subscriptions with our JULY issue. Features, photos and more delivered to your mailbox. Can you still get FREE copies? Yup, that won’t change thanks to the generosity and support of local businesses. FREE copies will continue to be distributed each month throughout western Kentucky.
McCracken County’s girls tennis team celebrates with their sixth consecutive regional title.
— Photo furnished McCracken County netters were strong in the First Region Tennis Tournament held at the Larry Heflin Tennis Complex in Lone Oak in mid-May.
The Mustangs earned both individual and doubles titles, along with the girl’s team championship. It was the Lady Mustangs’ sixth consecutive regional title. In a rematch of the 2018 championships, Danni Poat and Shelby Puryear earned a thirdstraight First Region doubles title, while Sophia Shiben earned a second First Region singles title.
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Graves County finished behind Mayfield for the boys team championship. Marshall and Calloway counties also fielded strong competitors throughout the competition.
Mailing Address:______________________
Boy’s singles: Davis Rowton (Paducah Tilghman) defeated Haron Hale (Graves County) 6-0, 6-0
City: ________________________________
Results are as follows:
Girl’s singles: Sophia Shiben (McCracken County) defeated Lili Smith (McCracken County) 6-0, 6-2
Boy’s doubles: Isaac Carrico/Brady Ellegood (Graves County) defeated Tate Puckett/Kobe Morris (Mayfield) 6-0, 6-1 Girl’s doubles: Danni Poat/Shelby Puryear (McCracken County) defeated Isabella McKinney/Emily Dew (McCracken County) 6-0, 6-0 Teams
Girl’s Champion: McCracken County; runner-up: Mayfield Boy’s Champion: Mayfield; runner-up: Graves County
Sportsmanship Awards: Laken Shultz, Graves County; Kaleb Willie, Marshall County.
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Page 20 • June 2019
2019
Middle School Boys Districts St. Mary’s Vikings went undefeated during the regular season, and looked poised to continue that streak, defeating Paducah Middle School in the opening round of the First District Middle School Soccer Tournament. Reidland’s Greyhounds had other plans, taking the title with a late goal for the 1-0 win. In the Second District, Graves County defeated Caldwell County 1-0, while Marshall County Blue used a penalty shootout to beat Calloway County.
FInirst Region regional action, St. Mary went on to battle Marshall County’s Blue Team, with Josh Kuntz hitting a late shot to tie the game 2-all and force overtime. Marshall County took the contest in penalty kicks. In the final game of the tournament, Marshall County, got behind Graves County early. The Eagles hung on to win the First Region 1-0.
June 2019 • Page 21
Page 22 • June 2019
2019
Middle School Girls Districts
In the opening rounds of the First District girls middle school soccer tournament, St. Mary’s Lady Vikings carried an undefeated season into postseason play. The streak continued, defeating Heath and Reidland to eventually claim the title. In the Second District, South Marshall defeated Calloway County while Graves County’s Lady Eagles earned a 2-1 win over Caldwell County. The tournament eventually came down to the two Marshall County teams. For the first time in 2019, North Marshall defeated their fellow orange and blue team, taking the title 1-0.
FSouth irst Region Marshall wasn’t done with their season. In regional action the two Marshall County teams battled through familiar opponents until once again squaring off. This time South Marshall came away with the 1-0 win, taking the title.
June 2019 • Page 23
FIRST REGION
Champions
Graves County Middle School
FIRST REGION
Champions
South Marshall Middle School
Page 26 • June 2019
TRAVIS CRAYNE
Lindsey Wilson College
Lyon County High School was led in scoring by Travis Crane during the 2018 soccer campaign. Crayne notched 17 goals and was one of only four Lyons to play all 18 games. Crayne said the school was a good fit for him.
MAY
Student Signings
GABE BOARD
Lindsey Wilson College
A multi-sport athlete for Lyon County, Gabe Board opted to play baseball at the collegiate level. Board signed to play close to home at Lindsey Wilson College. A team leader in recent years, Board said Lindsey Wilson was a good fit for him and that he hopes to be able to contribute as the team needs.
Bobby Cummins
1280 Ferguson Road Princeton, KY 42445
(270)963-0699
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June 2019 • Page 27
MEAGAN HAYDEN Spalding University
Meagan Hayden was the First McCracken County High School player to reach 1,000 points (all points at MCHS) and helped lead the Lady Mustangs to a 28-0 district record in basketball. She was named to All District and All Purchase teams.
DARIUS CAIN
Eastern Kentucky University
A 2-year varsity starter, Darius Cain led the Mustangs football team in sacks his junior year and was named a team captain in 2018. He was also named defensive MVP for the Kentucky Bluegrass All-Star Team.
LIZABETH LEVINSON
Embry Riddle University Lizabeth Levinson qualified and ran at State in 300 meter hurdles and 4x100 meter relay. She continued to build on her success each year, placing 5th at State in 100 meter hurdles and 10th in 300 meter hurdles.
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Page 28 • June 2019
CHASE CHAMBERS
Thomas More University
Chase Chambers will continue his football career at Thomas More University in Crestview Hills. was a 4-year member of the Marshall County football team and a contributor on the varsity level in his junior and senior seasons for the Marshals. Chase is the son of Brien and Melonie Chambers.
SETH JANIEC
Pikeville University
Two sport athlete Seth Janiec will continue his education and soccer career at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn. Freed-Hardeman is a member of the American Midwest Conference and is an NAIA school. He was joined by parents Linda and Jason, Freed-Hardeman coach Jason Elliott, and brothers Sean and Luke.
June 2019 • Page 29
Celebrating
125 Years of
Community Banking CONNOR GUTHRIE Bethel University
Connor Guthrie helped lead Mayfield’s Cardinals to the state Sweet Sixteen his senior year as he averaged 15.7 points per game. He finished his career with 310 three-point baskets and 1,729 career points. He signed in May to join the Bethel Wildcats.
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• Local People • Local Decisions • Local Investment A’MARIAN PATTERSON Pikeville University
Paducah Tilghman High School senior A’marian Patterson signed a track and field scholarship with Pikeville University in a signing ceremony held at PTHS on May 2.Patterson is a two sport athlete. He was a lineman for PT football and throws the discus in track and field. Patterson was named to the Paducah Sun All Purchase football team two years.
• Local Commitment
Page 30 • June 2019
West Kentucky Area Sports Briefs
Mayfield High School hosted the areas first ever Class A Tennis Tournament. Featuring players from Ballard Memorial, Community Christian Academy, Christian Fellowship School, Mayfield High, Murray High and St. Mary, the twoday tournament consisted of a total of 32 players in boys and girls, singles and doubles. Winners were as follows: Boys Doubles: 1st Place Kobe Morris/Tate Puckett (Mayfield) 2nd Place Carter Allen/John Smetana (Murray) 3rd Place Parth Patel/Jacob Adams (Ballard) Boys Singles: 1st Place Addicus Hughes (CCA) 2nd Place Rex Roof (St. Mary) 3rd Place Cooper Allen (Murray) Girls Singles: 1st Place Kiya Morris (Mayfield) 2nd Place Aya Iwasaki (Ballard) 3rd Place Kyra Jones (Murray) Girls Doubles: 1st Place Megan Null/Molly Null (Mayfield) 2nd Place Emily Kinsey/Lily Vanover (Murray) 3rd Place Leah Taylor/Claire Whitaker (Murray) The Preston Cope Foundation’s inaugural Whiffle Ball Tournament was held in mid-May. The tournament was held in conjunction with the Preston Cope Classic at Marshall County High School. Both events served as fundraisers for the Preston Cope Memorial Scholarship. About 21 teams signed up for the whiffle ball tournament, raising more than $6,500 in scholarship funds. The Classic, meanwhile, rasied nearly $1,300. Marshall County, Crittenden County, Graves County, Carlisle County and Mayfield baseball teams took part. Cope, a former Marshall County baseball standout, was killed during the 2018 shooting at Marshall County along with classmate Bailey Holt.
Paducah Tilghman High School athletic director and assistant principal Kris Durfee will be moving to Paducah Middle School to serve as assistant principal and its first full time athletic director as of July 1. According to Wayne Walden, district information officer, Superintendent Donald Shively said the goal of moving Durfee from PTHS to PMS is to use his experience at Paducah Tilghman to build a similar leadership structure and approach to athletics and extracurriculars that has been implemented with good results at Paducah Tilghman. “As we assess our district and look for ways to improve both our academic and extracurricular opportunities for students, we recognized the need for strategic alignment between the middle school and the high school in arts, athletics, and academics.”
St. Mary High School has named Andrew Leonard the new high school girls soccer coach. Leonard is a familiar face to many St. Mary students. He coached the 2019 middle school girls soccer team to an undefeated regular season and eventual District Champions. Leonard brings a great deal of experience as a coach and player to the high school team. He played soccer for Joppa High School and collegiately at Blackburn College. He has coached soccer players of all ages. Before coaching at St. Mary, he served as the Massac County Boys High School Coach.
THE BACK PAGE
By Jody Norwood | Editor The start of summer marks the celebration of Mother’s Day in May (if you’re reading this, it’s not too late to give her a belated gift, try a gift subscription to the publication in your hands) and Father’s Day in June (we’ll leave the same shameless plug of a gift subscription out). Both of these days — or hopefully at least one of them —are something worth celebrating, particularly for those playing sports. Moms and dads are often our first coaches.
They’re the ones who carved out an hour after a long day of work to teach you how to throw a baseball. They swapped days off just to make your soccer game, even though it meant working for two weeks without a break and you spent most of the game on the bench. They took bologna sandwiches to work every day for two months so you could play travel ball. After working a 12-hour shift, they popped popcorn and filled sodas inside a concession stand with no air conditioning during the JV game. Those sacrifices are common these days for parents providing opportunities for the ones they love. And for the really lucky ones — even if their parents weren’t able to do the above — they taught them the important values the best coaches try to instill: unity, honesty, sacrifice, devotion and dedication. •••
Head scratcher: There is a ton of talent among Fifth District softball players, as witnessed during both the 2019 season and postseason tournament. Not to take away from any of the All-District award winners announced May 21, but the system may need some fine-tuning. Through the regular season, Lyon County’s Allye Culp pitched 20 innings, only giving up 13 hits and three runs to go along with striking out 18 batters in district tilts, rising up as one of the Fifth’s most dominant pitchers. Despite the performances, Culp wasn’t among recipients. Huh?
•••
Looking ahead: Missed a moment from the 2018-2019 year? Wondering what the stories that made headlines were? Don’t worry!
West Kentucky Sports will recap the top sporting moments in the 2018-2019 school year in our July issue. The same issue will also include Legion ball, students features and more. •••
Special thanks: To Marley Norwood for the photo above to go along with this space. She also did pretty well capturing the Fifth District Softball tournament, too.
June 2019 • Page 31
CALENDAR of EVENTS
June 10 Kentucky Lake Goalkeeper Academy will take place June 10-13. From 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. nightly, coaches Savana Smothers and Karen Carmack will work with technical skills for keepers of all levels. This is the first year for the event. Players will be divided into categories based on age and experience. Registration forms are available on the academy’s Facebook page. JUNE 15 Marshall County Schools will hold their 2019-2020 sports physicals on June 15 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the high school. A $15 fee per student will be collected. Checks may be made payable to the Marshall County Health Department. This will be the only sports physical date scheduled for the upcoming school year. JUNE 17 Marshall County Soccer Association will host a Summer Camp June 17-19 at Mike Miller Park. The camps will work to improve skills, work ethic, provide opportunities to make new friends. JULY 11 Coach Bronagh Kerins will offer a girls only training camp on July 11, 18 and 25 at Bee Creek fields in Murray. The camp is open to girls 9-12 years of age. Camp is from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and costs $10 per session. Kerins will also offer camps for boys of the same ages at the same locations on July 8, 15 and 22.
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