LOOKING BACK

 A few years ago I felt the Redhounds football program was going to slide down hill if they did not begin scheduling better non-district opponents.

Last year the schedule was very demanding and the Redhounds met the challenge and played a better brand of football.

This season has much the same schedule and the Redhounds are facing teams like 6A Clark County, 2A power Lexington Christian and 6A Lexington Tates Creek to this point of the season.

The games have been very intense and although the Redhounds have lost two of these games, the coaches and players have learned from the experiences.

Coach Steve Jewell and his staff put together an excellent game plan against Tates Creek Friday by controlling the pace of the game, but Tates Creek was able to win, 21-14.

As the season rolls along the young Redhounds are gaining in confidence. The thing that must be kept in mind is the youth of this year’s team.

Matt Jewell has certainly given the senior leadership as he runs with as much determination as any back I have seen this year.

Brian Nantz had a really outstanding game. Nantz, a sophomore, took advantage of his opportunity to play by rushing for critical yardage.

Friday night the Redhounds will get another major test as they travel to Danville to take on a very good Admiral team.

Back through the years this has been an excellent rivalry. These two teams have played big games with as much as the state championship at stake.

I feel with each game the Redhounds will gain in confidence and will be ready for Bell County and Wayne County. I believe Wayne County is the sleeper in the district this year.

I picked Kentucky to beat Louisville. With that said, is it any wonder why I finish last each year in our office competition.

I wish Joker Phillips could turn it around at Kentucky, but he is playing against a stacked deck. Everyone in the SEC with the possible exception of Vanderbilt is able to recruit more talented prospects than Coach Phillips and his staff.

It makes you wonder how in the mid-sixties the Wildcats Rodger Bird, Doug Davis, Rick Norton, Sam Ball, Rick Kestner and Larry Siepel were high draft picks by the NFL. They all had successful careers.

This year everyone was very excited to be able to sign Patrick Towles of Fort Thomas Highlands. Towles led Highlands to three consecutive state championships and 38 wins in 39 games.

It would appear he would be ready to lend immediate help to the Wildcats.

Clayton Taylor told me last week that his grandson, Trent Taylor, has committed to Louisiana Tech. Trent’s dad is a former Redhound and Western Kentucky University standout.

The Cincinnati Reds are in a very good position as they enter the last month of play. It has been unbelievable that a team with no one hitting .300 in the every day lineup can maintain a ten-game lead in their division.

Joey Votto has been out with an injury for about a month, and the Reds increased their lead. I know this pleases my buddy Paul Jones, as he is their biggest fan. It seems like someone different steps up each day as the wins keep mounting.