LOOKING BACK

 As the heat and haze of summer rolls in, my thoughts drift back to the late fifties when the local high school football teams were conditioning for the upcoming season.

This was before the term “heat index” was an area of concern for the high school coaching staffs of Southeastern Kentucky. I used to go by and watch the Redhounds as they labored beneath the searing afternoon sun, and occasionally I would go by and watch the Wildcats of Lynn Camp as their young warriors prepared for the upcoming season.

It was on one such day as the Wildcat coach was putting his troops through the grueling steps of conditioning that I noticed a big strong looking kid whose uniform was soaked with perspiration.

Harold Reedy stood about 6’1” or 6’2” and weighed about 210 pounds and ran like a locomotive.

Reedy was a blonde headed young man with a ready smile, which might mislead you as far as his ferocity on the football field.

Harold would run the football 30 to 40 times a game and always kept the Wildcats in the game.

The Wildcats have a had history of hard running backs down through the years such as Jack Martin, Oval Merritt and Jimmy Farmer.

Harold Reedy was also in the company of the elite group of names listed above. We lost Harold earlier this year, but I will always remember the big kid on a summer afternoon in a sweat soaked uniform that could really run the football.

NASCAR

Well, the big NASCAR race is over, and I understand Kyle Busch won. I know very little about NASCAR so I cannot comment on the race itself, but I was proud of Corbin’s connection, which dates back to 1954. That includes local personalities like Eddie Poynter, Bub King, Dick Vermillion, Paul Jones and local historian Allen Disney.

One bit of information that has been overlooked is that Miss NIBROC of 1954, Irene Martin, now Irene Karr, planted a big kiss on Lee Petty as a bonus on his $1000 winnings.

Sizemore new NL coach

I understand Brad Sizemore has been named head basketball coach at North Laurel High School. I find that a little surprising in that Sizemore had been an assistant at South Laurel before leaving two years ago to take the head coaching job at Garrard County. Many people expected South Laurel to acquire the services of Sizemore, but it did not happen.

Once again I would like to point out that opportunity knocks. South Laurel is in a position to upgrade their program by hiring a proven winner to lead them back to prominence.

Nearly complete

It seems as if it has taken an eternity but the construction on the entrance to Gilliam Gym at Corbin High School is nearly complete, and it looks great. It is remarkable that they could do so much in such a small area.

At the risk of sounding negative, I must say that the reserved seating section for season ticket holders leaves a lot to be desired. In comparison to other schools seating, our seating appears cheap and uncomfortable.