From the cheap seats: A few thoughts as I settle into sports

This week’s edition of The News Journal marks my third week covering sports.

It has been an exciting time with high school football in the midst of the playoffs.

Being a Wednesday paper, my goal has been not to spend a lot of time recapping the past week’s games. Instead, I try to focus on the upcoming games and what our local teams could expect from opposing teams.

I know Trevor Sherman liked to make predictions.

I will freely admit that, at this point, I don’t know enough about who is who and what is what in high school football to make an intelligent argument for or against one team or another. So, I’m going to my gut.

Hopefully, based on what I learn from our area basketball coaches and see on the court, I will be prepared to do that if/when basketball season begins in January.

One team has reached the final four, but it will be a tough road as Williamsburg must make the long bus ride to Louisville for a matchup against Kentucky Country Day in the Class A playoffs.

A win there will send the Yellow Jackets on to Kroger Field on December 18 to face the winner of the Paintsville/Newport Central Catholic game for the state championship.

The Bearcats are 9-1 on the season and 7-0 against Class A opponents.

While Kentucky Country Day has defeated Class 6A Bullitt East, Williamsburg’s scheduled included early season matchups against Somerset and Lexington Christian.

Neither Williamsburg nor Kentucky Country Day has been tested yet in the playoffs.

It is more a gut feeling, but despite the bus ride and need to stop Eric Dickerson or one of his cohorts, from running all over the field, the Yellow Jackets will find a way to come away with the victory.

Despite loading up the schedule with the likes of northern Kentucky powerhouse Beechwood, defending Class 2A state champion Somerset, a solid Class 6A opponent Dixie Heights, and a loaded district schedule that included Wayne County, Knox Central and Lincoln County, Corbin could not avoid the trip to Johnson Central.

A three-hour bus trip is not the best way to prepare for a do-or-die game against the defending Class 4A state champions. While Coach Tom Greer said his team wasn’t affected by it, the Redhounds were down 14-0 at the half, and 21-0 at one point. Losing 28-14 is not much consolation to the Redhounds, but considering no other opponent managed to hold the Golden Eagles under 30, Corbin has several positives to take from this game and the entire 2020 season.

Coach Tom Greer will be losing 16 seniors from a team that finished 8-2, but has new talent coming up from the eighth-grade team that won the Division II state title.

In addition to the district games against Wayne, Knox and Lincoln, Greer said the 2021 schedule will include Whitley County, Pulaski County and four other opponents that have yet to be determined.

Take heart Redhounds faithful. Even better days are ahead.