LOOKING BACK

 The Corbin football Redhounds put the finishing touches on the regular season schedule by beating the Harlan Green Dragons 28-14 on a rain-soaked field last Friday evening.

The skies were overcast, but there was one star that shined very bright and that was Brady Foley, as the rugged young man ran for 347 yards.

Brady has enjoyed an outstanding career as a Redhound and now will lead the ‘Hounds against Henry County in the first-round of the playoffs on Friday evening.

The first round of high school football playoffs seldom if ever produce competitive games, but I suppose it is a source of additional revenue.

 UK Blue

If you watched the Blue-White basketball scrimmage last Wednesday evening you had to be impressed with the awesome amount of talent that was on display. While it is true there was little defense in evidence, the athleticism, the shooting touch, the strength and speed were very impressive. The University of Kentucky basketball program under Coach John Calipari will reach a new plateau this season. All the parts are in place, athletes, experience and talent and a coaching staff second to none. There is always a concern of injuries, but even with that, the depth is there this year.

Surely that was not Saint Bobby Knight that I read about recently that committed a NCAA violation by contacting one of his sons (Pat Knight) recruits illegally. Coach Pat Knight is now the head coach at Lamar in Texas.

 High School roundball

I received a copy of The Cats Pause Kentucky Yearbook. The high school section broke down the boys state basketball teams region by region. Sportswriter John Henson rated his top 10 teams in the 13^th region like this. 1. Harlan Co., 2. Knox Central 3, Bell Co., 4, Clay Co., 5, Barbourville, 6. Corbin, 7, South Laurel, 8, North Laurel, 9, Jackson Co. and 10. Middlesboro.

Henson’s choice as player of the year in the 13^th region is Travis Smith of Corbin.

I agree Harlan County is probably the favorite to win the region, although the contenders may not be how I would rate them. I feel Travis Smith is definitely the best player in the region.

Zach McGeorge of Clay County should have been among the top 10 players in the region, but was left off Henson’s list.

By March I expect the list of teams and players will be much differently arranged.

 Game Six

Baseball got a shot in the arm last week with an exciting World Series. Game six between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals had to be one of the most exciting games ever. It was not pretty with all the errors and missed plays, but clutch hits turned the game into a classic that would rival game six of the Cincinnati Reds-Boston Red Sox series of 1975.

 Happy Birthday Paul

My friend, Paul Jones said it was the best game he has ever seen, and he has seen more than a few, We had a little birthday gathering for Paul Friday night, but the Fire Marshall would not allow us to light the candles for fear of a fire hazard.

 UK woes

Poor ole Joker Phillips, he just doesn’t get it. Seeking positive comments with regard to true freshman Maxwell Smith’s performance against Mississippi State on Saturday. Coach Phillips responding by saying “We gave him some (easy) five yard outs”.

Coach Phillips also alleged young Smith was not focused in practice, and must be able to separate himself in practice in order to win a starting position. I feel Morgan Newton separated himself in the other direction on Saturday.

I also feel Mitch Barnhart should consider separating himself from Joker Phillips.