All Things Spring!pinnaclesportsview.com/files/2011AprilPinnacle.pdf · Page 2 April 2011

All Things Spring!

April 2011 ~ Volume 6 Number 4April 2011 ~ Volume 6 Number 4

Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach

Randy Sanders enters his sixth season at Kentucky

UK Football Blue-White Game

Baseball and Softball

Basketball Allstars

Track and Field

Tennis and more!

www.pinnaclesportsview.com (606) 246-0230

Page 2 WWW.PINNACLESPORTSVIEW.COM April 2011

BLUE-WHITE GAME: (Above Left) 1st string QB Morgan Newton (6-4 235 JR Carmel, IN) completed 23 of 44 with 1 intercepted for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns despite having

several receivers drop passes in the game. (Above Center) TE Tyler Robinson (6-3 254 SO Friendsville, TN) had 11 catches for 80 yards and 1 TD last season. (Top Right) CoShik

Williams (5-9 182 JR TB Hiram, GA) was the feature back for the victorious Blue team. Williams is in a battle with Raymond Sanders for the 1st Team TB position. (Bottom Right)

Middlesboro’s Kenny Roark, a former Kentucky team captain, was part of a group of former players that were in attendance for UK’s Spring Game. Pinnacle Photos / John Engle

April 2011 WWW.PINNACLESPORTSVIEW.COM Page 3

Matt Smith

6-4 297 JR

Jake Lanefski

6-4, 283, Sr-3L

Sam Simpson

6-4, 284, So-Sq

C RG RTLGLT

WR

TE

TB

WR

FB

Raymond Sanders

5-8 198 Soph.

CoShik Williams

5-9 182 JR

Brandon Gainer

5-11 203 RS FR

Andrew Joseph

5-10, 231, So-Sq

QB

Morgan Newton

6-4, 235, Jr-2L

Maxwell Smith

6-4, 225, Fr-HS

Larry Warford

6-3, 340, Jr-2L

Dave Ulinski

6-5, 324, Jr-1L

Billy Joe Murphy

6-6, 306, Sr-3L

Trevino Woods

6-5, 291, Jr-1L

Tyler Robinson

6-3, 254, So-1L

or

Anthony Kendrick

6-3, 261, So-1L

Nick Melillo

6-2, 228, Sr-2L

Jordan Aumiller

6-4, 228, So-1L

Stuart Hines

6-4, 296, Sr-3L

Kevin Mitchell

6-6, 310, So-1L

Chandler Burden

6-4, 300, Sr-3L

Teven Eatmon-Nared

6-7, 325, Fr-RS

Matt Roark

6-5, 215, Sr-3L

Brian Adams

6-4, 223, So-1L

Aaron Boyd

6-4, 220, Jr-1L

Gene McCaskill

6-0, 192, Jr-2L

La’Rod King

6-4, 204, Jr-2L

E.J. Field

6-1, 195, Jr-1L

STARTERS LOST

RT Brad Durham

WR Randall Cobb

WR Chris Matthews

QB Mike Hartline

TB Derrick Locke

DT DEDTDE

Ronnie Sneed

6-2, 230, Sr-3L

Avery Williamson,

6-1, 223, So-1L

Mister Cobble

6-0, 338, So-Sq

Antwane Glenn

6-3, 273, Sr-1L

Patrick Ligon

6-4, 249, So-Sq

Mark Crawford

6-1, 324, Sr-2L

Taylor Wyndham

6-4, 250, Jr-2L

Mike Douglas

6-4, 253, Fr-RS

Justin Henderson

6-3, 229, Fr-RS

Luke McDermott

6-1, 265, Sr-1L

Donte Rumph

6-3, 300, So-1L

Collins Ukwu

6-5, 255, Jr-2L

Nermin Delic

6-5, 265, So-1L

Alvin Davis, 6-4,

254, Fr-RS

Tristian Johnson

6-1, 270, So-1L

STARTERS LOST

DT Ricky Lumpkin

DE DeQuin Evans

MLBDanny Trevathan

6-1, 230, Sr-3L

Jewell Ratliff

6-1, 242, So-1L

Ridge Wilson

6-3, 238, Jr-2L

Qua Huzzie

5-10, 219, So-1LCB

Martavius Neloms

6-1, 184, Jr-2L

Cartier Rice

5-10, 181, Jr-2

Jerrell Priester

5-9, 175, So-1L

CB

Randall Burden

6-0, 170, Sr-3L

Anthony Mosley

6-0, 176, Sr-2L

Mikie Benton

5-11, 189, Jr-1L

FS

Mychal Bailey

6-0, 186, Sr-1L

Josh Gibbs

5-10, 201, Sr-1L

Taiedo Smith

6-0, 184, Sr-3L

SS

Winston Guy

6-1, 210, Sr-3L

Dakotah Tyler

5-11, 194, So-1L

SLBWLB

Kentucky’s Spring Practice Offensive Depth Chart

Kentucky’s Spring Practice Defensive Depth Chart

PUNTER

Ryan Tydlacka

6-1, 185, Sr-3L

88 Joe Mansour

6-2, 188, So-1L

LONG SNAPPER

59 Jon Thomas

5-11, 237 , Sr-Sq

SPECIALISTS

Top 11 Tacklers Return

Kentucky fielded its most

inexperienced defensive

unit in 20 years in the 2010

season. The positive for

the coming season is that

the top 11 tacklers return

from that youthful unit.

Linebacker Danny Tre-

vathan and safety Winston

Guy each topped the cen-

tury mark last season with

144 and 106 tackles, re-

spectively. The additional

top stoppers returning are

linebacker Ronnie Sneed

(61 tackles), safety Mychal

Bailey (58), cornerback

Martavius Neloms (55),

cornerback Randall Bur-

den (36), cornerback An-

thony Mosley (34),

linebacker Ridge Wilson

(30), end Taylor Wyndham

(27), end Collins Ukwu

(26) and tackle Mark

Crawford (24).

Rebuilding the Offense

UK’s offense must replace some of the most productive offensive players in

Kentucky history, quarterback Mike Hartline, wide receivers Randall Cobb and

Chris Matthews, and running back Derrick Locke.

Hartline threw for 3,178 yards last year, Cobb set the Southeastern Conference

single-season record for all-purpose yardage, Matthews tied for the league lead

in touchdown catches and Locke rushed for 2,618 yards in his career. All four

earned various All-SEC honors and Cobb was a first-team All-American.

To put it in perspective, UK’s returning players account for only 22 percent

of last year’s rushing yardage, 7.5 percent of the passing yardage and 31.1 per-

cent of the receiving yardage.

On the bright side on offense, four starters return in the O-line, tackle Chan-

dler Burden, guards Stuart Hines and Paul Warford and center Matt Smith. The

expected new starter at right tackle is senior Billy Joe Murphy, who has signif-

icant experience in his career.

Kentucky Football 2011

Sept. 1 Western Kentucky @ Nashville

Sept 10 Central Michigan Home

Sept. 17 Louisville Home

Sept. 24 Florida Home

Oct. 1 LSU Baton Rouge

Oct. 8 South Carolina Columbia

Oct. 15 Open

Oct. 22 Jacksonville State Home

Oct. 29 Mississippi State Home

Nov. 5 Ole Miss Home

Nov. 12 Vandy Nashville

Nov. 19 Georgia Athens

Nov. 26 Tennessee Home

PLACEKICKERSCraig McIntosh

6-0, 208, Jr-2L

Joe Mansour

6-2, 188, So-1L

by Ira D. Combs, Director/ColumnistTri State Sports Media Service, Inc.

Another spring football

season is behind the gridiron

Cats, yet very few questions

were answered concerning

this falls edition of UK foot-

ball. At least that's what most

of the vast Diehard UK foot-

ball fan base thinks according

to the responses posted on

most internet sites , chat lines

, etc. after the spring game.

You can add yours truly to

that list as well .

However, UK football

coach "Joker" Phillips stood

tall and straight faced in the Wildcat Den

minutes after the Cats spring football Blue -

White game concluded and was quoted as

saying " I expect this team to stay in the SEC

football title chase this coming fall longer

than it's ever been since I’ve been at UK

when I come on board with Rich Brooks sev-

eral years ago " .

With that being said, I understand that

today’s college football coach must use the

media at times to build confidence in his

troops . But that's a mighty bold statement

for a head coach to make in his second year

when he just posted the schools first losing

season in five years , graduated it's best quar-

terback and running back, and lost it's best

overall football player thru an early entry to

the NFL.

All that, then looking straight ahead at a

2011 schedule that has his first three SEC

games against Florida, LSU, and South Car-

olina, with the latter two being in Tiger Sta-

dium and Williams Brice Stadium .

I'm thinking, exactly how does he meet that

“staying in the SEC race longer” objective?

Ahh , it just hit me! He was thinking, the

Cats will run the table with the three non

conference games in September to build con-

fidence, then slip by their SEC lower level

brothers in Mississippi (since they are both

at home this year). And then, in what has be-

come the annual “Remember November”

campaign, whip Vanderbilt and it's new sac-

rificial coach, then sneak up on another over-

hyped Georgia team then .............. Dare I say

it? Yes, break the Vol Streak.

Sounds like a plan. A familiar plan. But

when will it ever come true? I’m betting it’s

not this fall.

Other Football News & Notes

I didn't see any of red shirt freshman

phenom Brandon Gainer during the Blue -

White Scrimmage . Gainer came on campus

last year as a prized recruit out of the ex-

tremely talented south Florida

area with glowing stats as a

RB but was ask to set out due

to Derrick Locke being set to

be the feature back and Fr. all

purpose back Raymond

Sanders being groomed for

backup duty responsibilities

for Locke.

One would think with his rep-

utation coming on campus

and Locke graduating that his

name would surface in some

capacity by the end of the

spring .

No one I talked to Saturday in the media,

who has been around Nutter Center all

spring, had a clue . Hopefully this column

will bring a response from someone inside

the program .

Reportedly "Joker's" former UK team-

mate and close friend Mark Higgs who was

Gainer's asst. coach in Florida hand deliv-

ered Gainer to Phillips and UK thru a tough

and lengthy recruiting process . I'm betting

Gainer nor Higgs expected the present sce-

nario coming out of his red shirt season and

his first spring game .

Since our last column the UK - WKU

game scenario has been finalized . Official

date is (Thurs.) September 1st and kickoff is

set for 7:00 P.M. with ESPNU providing

live national TV coverage and according to

the new contract that UK signed with WKU

the Hilltoppers will host the game in

Nashville at LP Field which is the home of

the NFL Tennessee Titans .

With the change in date from Saturday

to a week night Thursday, I'm wondering

how much that will affect the travel plans of

Big Blue Nation and WKU's fan base as well

. Not to mention UK will play Vanderbilt

later on in the season in Nashville and let's

not forget the fact that UK has played at LP

Field for a couple bowl games in recent

years as well .

Throw in the economy and a live TV telecast

to overcome . Ouch !!!!

It will be the season opener but I'm bet-

ting that WKU would be thrilled with a

crowd of 40,000 to 45,000 .

Coach Cal & the Big Blue Nation are

Waiting On NBA Decisions

Let's give Coach Cal a high five for swaying

Doron Lamb back to the Joe B. Hall Wildcat

Lodge and Rupp Arena for another year .

Can't help but think it's a win win situation

for both individuals .

Now on to step two with Brandon

Knight , Terrence Jones, and Deandre Lig-

gins (yes Deandre Liggins) officially enter-

ing their name into the pool for NBA

evaluations .

It says here that step three will result in

Knight and Jones ending up as two NBA lot-

tery picks in the June draft. I sure hope they

don't get burnt later on with an extended

lockout .

That leaves us with the final step of what

has become the annual UK basketball off

season dilemma on who will wear the Blue

and White next season .

Where does Liggins’ career path go?

That's a bigger mystery to me than any sce-

nario you can paint for Knight, Jones, or Josh

Harrellson for that matter

Don't know who Liggins is taking advice

from these days, but then again how many

out there thought Daniel Orton would be

drafted in the 1st round last year when the

season ended? Not me .

Don't go the defensive route either trying

to explain or defend his NBA aspirations.

Name me one defensive player that any

NBA franchise has drafted in past years for

that sole reason who was under 7' tall .

If Liggins is truly wanting to earn money

for his new fatherhood responsibilities my

advice is head to Europe, otherwise stay in

school for your senior year . Something tells

me he nor his new baby will want for food

or clothing this coming winter .

That corner / wing shot he hit inside the

last minute against North Carolina that put

UK in this years Final Four should provide

many opportunities for him to curb any

hunger pains for many years . Now don't go

down that road of UK players getting free

meals from Lexington restaurants . I'm think-

ing coupons you know those type that the

students occasionally obtain thru various ad-

vertising sources . He is a student - athlete.

At least that's what our friends from the

NCAA calls them .

Personal Note

This column officially ends our fifth year of

covering UK basketball & football as well as

KHSAA football and basketball for our Tri

State Sports Media Service . It's been a blast

and Harold and I are already making plans

for some additions to our website as well as

maybe taking a crack at a new yearbook type

publication on basketball .

While it's possibly been the best five years

of my adult life I have my 40th high school

reunion coming up in a few weeks before our

next column and I'm dreading it immensely.

Yes , 40 years ago , remember when Dan

Issel , Mike Pratt , and Mike Casey had the

Cats # 1 and were finishing up their sterling

careers under the leadership of Adolph Rupp

and when Pete Rose & Johnny Bench were

starting a dynasty called The Big Red Ma-

chine and yours truly was a svelt 169 lb. 5'

10" point guard for the Dilce Combs "Pan-

thers" .

I know what some of you who haven't

known me all those years are thinking but I

do have a high school yearbook and a few

photos to prove it .

Life's been a ball I have no complaints , I've

been blessed more than I deserve . Hopefully

, we'll all have a few more special Wildcat

victories going down that glory road that

Coach Rupp started back in the 40's .

For more coverage of UK as well as in-

formation on KHSAA basketball and foot-

ball you can visit us online at

www.combsbrothersonkysports.com


Spring football practice is over at UK, but several questions remain!


Rivals.com ranks UK’s recruits among nation’s best

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Rivals.com recruiting service has released their final recruiting rank-

ings of the season and once again Kentucky can be found near the top quite a bit.

All four Kentucky signees rank in the top 25 and three in top 10.

Rivals ranked Chicago native Anthony Davis as the No. 2 overall prospect, while Michael

Gilchrist, of Somerdale, N.J., is right behind Davis at the No. 3 position.

Indianapolis, Ind., native Marquis Teague is fifth according to the recruiting service and

Kyle Wiltjer, from Portland, Ore., ranks 22nd.

All four players are five-star recruits according to Rivals.

UK Men’s Basketball leads nation in attendanceWildcats lead attendance figures for 15th time in 16 years

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Just as fans routinely pack Rupp Arena to watch the Wildcats play,

Kentucky annually leads the nation in average attendance. The NCAA’s recently compiled

attendance figures from this past season reveal that in 2010-11, for the 15th time in 16 years,

UK’s average crowd of 23,603 led all of Division I men’s basketball.

It marks the 23rd time in the 35-year history of Rupp Arena that Kentucky has had the

top attendance figure. A total of 354,046 fans passed through the turnstiles in downtown

Lexington for 15 Wildcat games during the 2010-11 season. Syracuse, with an average crowd

of 22,312, was second, followed by Louisville (21,832), North Carolina (19,144) and Ten-

nessee (18,952).

Nationally, 25.1 million attended Division I men’s games last season, an average of

5,025 per game. The Southeastern Conference was third among all conferences in average

attendance, drawing 11,187 fans, behind only the Big Ten’s 12,826 average and the Big

East’s 11,323 average.

Kentucky Basketball NotesBecomes UK’s highest selection since 2003

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former University of

Kentucky football great Randall Cobb was

selected by the Green Bay Packers in the

second round of the 2011 National Football

League Draft on Friday night in Radio City

Music Hall in New York City.

Cobb becomes Kentucky’s highest se-

lection since 2003 when defensive tackle

Dewayne Robertson was taken in the first

round by the New York Jets. Cobb will join

another former Wildcat, punter Tim Mas-

thay, on the team that won the 2011 Super

Bowl.

Cobb, who gave up his senior season of

eligibility to enter the draft, played wide re-

ceiver, quarterback, punt returner, kickoff re-

turner and placekick holder during his three

seasons with the Wildcats. He earned first-

team All-America honors in 2010 from The

Associated Press, ESPN.com and SportsIl-

lustrated.com. As a junior, Cobb caught 84

passes for 1,017 yards and seven touch-

downs while rushing for 424 yards and five

touchdowns, throwing three touchdown

passes and returning a punt for a TD. He

broke the Southeastern Conference single-

season record for all-purpose yardage by to-

taling 2,396 rushing, receiving and kick

return yards.

Despite playing only three seasons,

Cobb set the UK career touchdown record

with 37, including 22 rushing, 13 receiving

and two on punt returns. Cobb also exits

Kentucky ranked fourth all-time in all-pur-

pose yardage with 4,674 yards, fourth in ca-

reer scoring with 226 points, fifth in career

pass receptions with 144 and sixth in receiv-

ing yardage with 1,661.

During his time at Kentucky, Cobb was

a first-team All-Southeastern Conference

performer in 2009 and 2010, while also earn-

ing SEC All-Freshman team honors in 2008.

Cobb has a history of making clutch plays

after securing five game-winning, fourth-

quarter touchdowns during his career at UK

-- vs. Arkansas in 2008; vs. Louisville,

Auburn and Georgia in 2009; and vs. South

Carolina in 2010. Cobb also helped lead

Kentucky to three consecutive bowl games.

A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cobb

played his high school football at Alcoa

(Tenn.) High School. Alcoa won four-con-

secutive state championships during his time

there, including the last two with Cobb as the

starting quarterback.

Cobb drafted by Packers


13th REGION BOYS BASKETBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION

(13th RBBCA)

2010-11 REGULAR SEASON ALL-REGION TEAMS

Player of the Year and Coach of the Year1st TEAM ALL-REGION

PLAYER CLASS SCHOOL

Ben Madon Senior Bell County

Matthew Mitchell Senior Clay County

Josh Hildebrand Junior Barbourville

Jonathan Barger Junior Knox Central

Tyler Wagner Senior Lynn Camp

Travis Smith Junior Corbin

John Vernon Hooker Senior Clay County

Jordan Akins Senior Whitley County

Codi Roberts Senior Clay County

Jordan Fox Freshman Jackson County

Coy Likins Senior North Laurel

Travis Canady Senior Knox Central

Blake Sanders Sophomore South Laurel

Tyler Brewer Sophomore Harlan County

Lee Spencer Senior North Laurel

2nd TEAM ALL-REGION

PLAYER CLASS SCHOOL

Matt Taylor Senior Corbin

Phillip Ely Senior Harlan

Shawn Harris Senior Whitley County

Travis Beck Senior Barbourville

Kyle Lee Junior Bell County

Chris Begley Junior Harlan

Byron David Asher Sophomore Pineville

Cody Hendrickson Senior Pineville

Tanner Lefevers Junior Bell County

Adam Gay Senior Clay County

Okey Egeruoh Senior Oneida Baptist Institute

Brody Freeman Senior Corbin

Aaron Petrey Senior Whitley County

Darrin Mills Junior Barbourville

Don Butcher Senior Whitley County

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ben Madon - Senior - Bell County High School

COACH OF THE YEAR

Dinky Phipps - Barbourville High School

The All-Region Teams, Player of The Year, & Coach of The Year were selected bythe 13th Region Boys Head Basketball Coaches.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

2010-11 BOYS BASKETBALL

COACHES ASSOCIATION

(13th RBBCA)

ALL-REGION SENIOR

ACADEMIC TEAMSeniors with 3.5 GPA or HIGHER

PLAYER SCHOOL

Garret Vaughn Barbourville

John Dudley Hilton Bell County

Matthew Mitchell Clay County

Codi Roberts Clay County

Brody Freeman Corbin

Hunter Sizemore Corbin

Matt Taylor Corbin

Taylor Jones Corbin

Phillip Ely Harlan

Brandon Taylor Harlan

Colby Nicholson Jackson County

Travis Canady Knox Central

Al Bangura Oneida Baptist

Dillon Tabor South Laurel

Chase Smith South Laurel

Don Butcher Whitley County

Jacob Harp Whitely County

Shawn Harris Whitley County

J P Payne Williamsburg

Travis Smith Williamsburg

Chris Lowrie Williamsburg

Brad Faulkner Williamsburg

SENIOR ALLSTARS

Matt Mitchell 6-2 G Clay Co.

Jordan Akins 5-10 G Whitley Co.

Tyler Wagner 6-7 F Lynn Camp

JV Hooker 6-4 G Clay Co.

Travis Canady 6-0 G Knox Central

Lee Spencer 6-5 F North Laurel

Matt Taylor 5-11 G Corbin

Okey Egeruoh 6-4 F OBI

Cody Hendrickson 5-7 G Pineville

Phillip Ely 5-10 G Harlan

Cody Likins 6-3 G North Laurel

Codi Roberts 6-2 G Clay Co.

Shawn Harris 6-4 F Whitley Co.

Travis Beck 6-0 G Barbourville

Don Butcher 5-9 G Whitley Co.

Dillon Tabor 6-5 F South Laurel

Ce Jay Jones 6-4 F Williamsburg

Brandon Hollingsworth 6-1 G Pineville

J.P. Payne 6-3 G Williamsburg

Chase Smith 6-0 G South Laurel

UNDERCLASS ALLSTARS

Aaron Petrey 6-5 Jr Whitley Co.

John Simpson 6-4 So. Pineville

Aaron Caldwell 6-3 So. Harlan Co.

Travis Smith 6-2 Jr. Corbin

Blake Sanders 5-8 So. South Laurel

Tyler Brewer 6-1 So. Harlan Co.

Kyle Lee 6-2 Jr. Bell Co.

Adam Duncan 5-11 Jr. Jackson Co.

Zack McGeorge 6-1 Jr. Clay Co.

Jeffrey Canady 6-1 So. Knox Central

T.J. Kelley 6-1 Jr. Knox Central

Byron David Asher 6-3 So. Pineville

Tobie Merida 6-7 So. Knox Central

Cameron Rancher 6-3 Jr. Middlesboro

Josh Hildebrand 6-3 Jr. Barbourville

Jordan Fox 6-0 Fr. Jackson Co.

Johnathan Barger 6-0 Jr. Knox Central

Chris Begley 6-1 Jr. Harlan

Tanner Lefevers 6-2 Jr. Bell Co.

Alex Sergent 6-0 So. Harlan Co.

Justin Fox 6-1 Jr. Jackson Co.

Chad Massingill 6-0 So. Harlan Co.

$4 - 30 Day Supply

$8 - 60 Day Supply

$10 - 90 Day Supply


Above, members of the 13th Region Boys Coaches’ Senior Academic Basketball Team.

Above right, 13th Region Boys Coaches 1st Team All Star squad and bottom right, members

of the 13th Region Coaches’ 2nd Team All Stars. (A list of the winners appears on the pre-

vious page)

In the two allstar games at Knox Central, the Underclassmen All Stars in dark jerseys de-

feated the white jerseys 82-81 in overtime. Pineville’s Byron Asher led the White with 18

points. Zack McGeorge of Clay County led the Dark Jerseys with 20.

In the Senior All Star Game the Black defeated the White 101-89. Lynn Camp’s Tyler Wag-

ner of the Black Team led all scorers with 29 points. Ce Jay Jones (Williamsburg) had 18

for the White.

Action photos from both games can be seen on our website www.pinnaclesportsview.com


Pineville’s Cody Hendrickson scores two of his seven points for the Black Team in the 13th

Region Boys’ Coaches All Star Game at Knox Central Pinnacle Photo / John Engle


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from the Barbourville Independent Board of EducationSuperintendent - Larry E. Warren

Board Chairman - Shirley F. Treadway

Vice Chairman - Kenneth Boggs

Board Members - Kenneth Cobb, Eddie Smith and Linda Johnson

Congratulations, Barbourville Lady Tigers!

2011 13th Region All A Classic Softball Champions

Front row, from L to R: Rebecca Bolinger, Caitlin Mills, Tia Pat-

terson, Shanda Middleton, Amber Johnson, Neysa Kelly, Bobbie

Jo Rudd, Lori Callebs, Brittney Gray, & Kristin Shupe.

Back row, from L to R: Statistician Kameron Jones, Assistant

Coach Mark Moran, Kristen Moran, Hannah Bingham, Alexis

Brown, Brandi Hembree, Morgan Sanborn, Raven Martin, Kori

Hammons, Michaela Rose, Wendi Hacker, Marisa Buttery, Head

Coach Brandon Simpson, Assistant Coach Bobbie Robinson.


You can find more photos and additional informa-

tion about the events in this issue on our website

at www.pinnaclesportsview.com

13th Region Softball

Won-Lost Records

based on the results of gamesagainst regional opponents that

were reported to the KHSAA TEAM W-L PCT.

Clay County 4-0 1.000

North Laurel 3-0 1.000

Bell County 8-2 .800

South Laurel 5-1 .833

Corbin 4-2 .666

Oneida Baptist 2-1 .666

Knox Central 7-4 .636

Whitley County 5-4 .571

Barbourville 7-7 .500

Harlan County 3-3 .500

Middlesboro 4-6 .400

Pineville 2-4 .333

Williamsburg 3-8 .272

Harlan 2-6 .250

Red Bird 0-2 .000

Jackson County 0-3 .000

Lynn Camp 0-6 .000

KHSAA State Tournament

June 9-11, 2011

Jack Fisher Park

Owensboro, KY

Region 13 plays Region 5

in first round action on

Thursday June 9th

(Top teams in Region 5 include

Central Hardin, Green County

and Adair County)

Pinnacle Sports View Staff Photos


HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Lincoln Memorial

University men's basketball head coach Josh

Schertz announced the signing of four stu-

dent-athletes for the upcoming 2011-12 sea-

son. The recruiting class includes two

transfers and 2 freshman who will join a

team that returns 4 starters and seven of its

top ten scorers from last season's 27-3 team

that won the South Atlantic Conference reg-

ular season and Conference Tournament

championships. The 2010-11 Railsplitters

finished ranked #10 nationally in the final

Division II poll after climbing as high as #5

in the country in February.

The biggest member of the recruiting

class is Jairocey Simpson, a 6'9" 290lbs cen-

ter from Detroit, MI by way of Pratt CC.

Simpson was ranked among the top 100 jun-

ior college players in the nation by JUCO

Junction and earned All-Jayhawk and All-

Region honors after averaging 15.4 points

and 7.1 rebounds per game. Simpson will

have two seasons of eligibility left beginning

in 2011-12. "Jairocey is incredibly nimble

and athletic for his size. He has great hands

and touch from both inside and out, and is a

high volume rebounder. We expect Jairocey

to be an immediate impact type of player,"

Coach Schertz said.

Also inking with the Railsplitters is Di-

vision 1 transfer Jake Troyli, a 6'10" 215lb

forward from St. Petersburg, FL who will be

transferring in from Presbyterian College in

Clinton, SC. Troyli was second on the Blue

Hose in scoring and rebounding as a sopho-

more, scoring 324 points and grabbing 124

rebounds, while leading the team in blocked

shots. In Big South play Troyli's numbers in-

creased as he averaged 12.0 points and 4.7

rebounds in league games. He scored a sea-

son high of 24 points in wins against High

Point University and Winthrop University. In

his freshman season Troyli led the Blue Hose

in rebounds with 161, shot blocks with 28,

while finishing second in scoring with 383

points. In two seasons at the Division I level,

Troyli has scored 707 points, grabbed 285

rebounds and blocked 53 shots. "Jake Troyli

is quite possibly the most skilled big man I

have ever coached," said Schertz. "He is a

tremendous shooter with deep three point

range, and shot 89% from the free throw line

this year. His ball handling, shooting, and

passing are perfect fits for a forward in our

system, and will give us a little different di-

mension than we have had in the past."

Coach Schertz and his staff didn't just

shore up the frontcourt as the Railsplitters

signed two freshman guards that will have

the opportunity to compete for major min-

utes right away.

Lorenza Ross is a 6'2" 185lb point guard

who led his Richmond Hills High School

team to a region championship this past sea-

son. The Savannah, GA native earned Re-

gion Player of the Year honors, while being

named to the Georgia All-State team. Ross

averaged a team leading 12.8 points per

game, while also leading the team in assists

with 4.4 and steals at 1.9 per game. Ross is a

two-time first team All-3AAA Region selec-

tion as well as being a two time Georgia

AAA All-State selection. "Lorenza is a

tremendous athlete who has a chance to be-

come the best point guard we have had here

at Lincoln Memorial during my tenure,"

Schertz said. "He has all of the physical tools

necessary to compete right away, and I be-

lieve he is emotionally mature enough to

handle the pressure of playing at a place with

such high expectations, even though he is

only 17 years old. Lorenza is a guy that

makes other players better, and I know our

returning players are looking forward to

playing with him."

The fourth member of the Class of 2011

is CJ Wakely, a 5'11" combo guard from

Alachua, Fl who led his Santa Fe High

School team to a 19-10 record in 2010-11.

Wakely was named First Team All-State and

was the Gainesville Sun Player of the Year

after averaging 29.0 points per game. He

also added 3.8 assists and 2.4 steals per

game. Wakely scored 40+ points on 3 sepa-

rate occasions, and ranked among the scor-

ing leaders in the state of Florida. Wakely

was named the Florida Athletic Coaches As-

sociation Class 3A North Central Florida

Player of the Year after both his junior and

senior seasons. Wakely finished his career at

Santa Fe High School with over 1,900 points

scored. "CJ is a young man that we are very

excited about adding to our program Schertz

said. Basketball is a game of makes and

misses, and CJ is a player that is a shot

maker. "CJ really wants to be as good as he

can be, and his combination of work ethic

and talent will give him an opportunity to be-

come an elite player at Lincoln Memorial

University."

Speaking about the Class of 2011 in general

Schertz said, "First I must give a tremendous

amount of credit to my staff. Recruiting is

extremely hard work and both Lance Egnatz

and Chris Cottrell really invested a lot of

time in helping to secure this group. Along

with that we have an incredible recruiting

team here at LMU that includes our players,

President Dr. Jim Dawson, Dr. Pete Debusk,

Dr. Gary Burchett, Ahleasha Hill, Athletic

Director Roger Vannoy, and of course our

fans who do a fantastic job of creating a lot

of positive energy and attitude in terms of

why players would want to come play here,

because of the atmosphere and environment

that they create in terms of our games, as

well as their positive attitude about the kind

of program we have here. We have been for-

tunate to attract four more quality guys with

good character who will be great teammates

and help us as we pursue our goals in 2011-

12."

LMU Men’s Basketball signs four for the 2011-12 recruiting season


HARROGATE, Tenn.he Lincoln Memo-

rial University athletics department officials

announced Monday afternoon the hiring of

Roger Hodge as the University's

new Head Women's Basketball

Coach. Hodge comes to the Lady

Railsplitter program from NCAA

Division I East Carolina Univer-

sity where he has served as assis-

tant since 2008. He is the fourth

person to be named head coach

of the storied program since Lin-

coln Memorial University joined

the NCAA in the early 1990's.

"Coach Hodge is a proven

winner who has been very suc-

cessful every place he has been,"

said LMU Athletics Director

Roger Vannoy. "Not only will he win and

win big here, he will also provide our stu-

dent-athletes with a family type atmosphere

and an experience that they will treasure for

the rest of their lives."

Before moving to East Carolina Univer-

sity as an assistant coach, Hodge served as

head coach at Armstrong Atlantic State Uni-

versity in Savannah, Georgia from 2000-

2008.

Throughout his tenure at AASU, his

teams achieved six winning seasons, includ-

ing three 20-win campaigns, one Peach Belt

Conference regular season championship,

one Peach Belt Conference Tournament title,

two NCAA Tournament appearances, one

Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year

award and one NCAA South Atlantic Region

Coach of the Year honor.

Prior to his collegiate coaching career at

Armstrong Atlantic, Hodge was Head Coach

at NCAA Division I Liberty University from

1997-2000 where his teams won three Big

South Conference regular season titles, three

Big South Conference Tournament champi-

onships and made in one NCAA Division I

tournament appearance.

Coach Hodge began his coaching career

on the high school level in West Virginia

where he served as assistant women's bas-

ketball coach at Summers County High

School in 1997 while taking his team to the

Class AA final four, Mercer Christian Acad-

emy in 1996 where he helped his team be-

come West Virginia Class A State

Champions and Hinton High School where

his teams captured West Virginia Class AA

state titles in 1988, 1992 and 1994, and were

West Virginia Class AA State-Runners-up in

1989 and competed in the Class AA final

four in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1997.

Coach Hodge brings to the Lady Rail-

splitter program a wealth of coaching expe-

rience that consists of a

250-135 overall record as both

an assistant and a head coach,

includes five NCAA Tourna-

ment appearances, four confer-

ence tournament

championships, four confer-

ence regular season titles and

four high school state champi-

onship titles.

"I am very thankful for the

opportunity to serve as head

women's basketball coach at

Lincoln Memorial University,"

said Hodge. "God has truly

blessed me beyond measure. From the mo-

ment I arrived on campus, I knew that I

wanted my family to be part of this environ-

ment. I appreciate Coach Vannoy entrusting

me with the leadership of the University's

basketball program. He is a class act and

there is no doubting his commitment to the

success of women's basketball and other

Railsplitter athletics programs. I feel hon-

ored to have the chance to work with him as

well as the rest of the athletics department. I

also want to thank the search committee for

spending time meeting with me. They were

an impressive group and have a tremendous

vision for the future of Lincoln Memorial

University athletics."

Coach Hodge takes over a Lady Rail-

splitter basketball program that finished the

2010-11 season with a 10-16 overall record

and a 5-13 conference mark while finishing

9th in the South Atlantic Conference regular

season standings.

"I cannot wait to get started with the job

of rebuilding LMU women's basketball,"

says Hodge. "My assistant Matt Acton and I

will work our hardest to give Railsplitter ath-

letics, Lincoln Memorial University and

Harrogate, Tennessee a women's basketball

program of which they can be proud of."

Coach Hodge will officially meet with

the returning members of the Lady Railsplit-

ter basketball team Monday afternoon at

3:00 p.m. Although the school year is nearly

over, he and his coaching staff are expected

to introduce and distribute off-season indi-

vidual workout programs for the summer to

those returning members, as well as to con-

tinue scouring the country for the missing

pieces to next year's LMU women's basket-

ball team.

LMU announces the hiring of Roger Hodge as

their new head women’s basketball coach


Last Saturday, instead of hunting or fish-

ing, I took a morning run with a friend. We

both were not feeling too good since we had

ran a little harder the day before, so we cut a

planned 8 mile run down to 7.

I had also just joined my wife

and daughter in a detox diet

the day before and was crav-

ing my jelly beans or some-

thing sweet really bad. It was

not a good morning.

After my run however, I

remembered that the local tri-

state youth choir was having a

fun run. I decided to drink a PowerAde (carb

free of course: stupid detox diet!) and head

over and join the fun. I thought I felt a little

better so I began another run. After 3 ½

miles, I was toast. And I was over 2 miles

from the finish line. In all my humility I

began to walk.

I watched person after person run by me.

What was worse was watching those who

only walked, brisk past me as well. What

was totally humbling was all of those young

people who felt the need to encourage the

old man with the “you can make it” Rocky

speech! I just smiled and went on. Well, what

I really wanted to say was “Hey you wrinkle

free, pimple infested, whippersnappers; I just

ran 10 ½ miles!” But no, I just smiled know-

ing that I was so close to dying that any extra

energy would add an ambulance ride to my

morning resume’.

What I did notice between fainting spells

was this – the guys and gals in front never

got the words of encouragement. It was those

of us who were struggling. (Ok, so I was the

only one struggling!) It seemed that those in

the lead were more apt to receive a

hint of jealousy or even an unabashed

desire to trip, turn an ankle, and limp

in like the rest of us. (But that wasn’t

me)

It has been said that if you’re not

the lead dog the view is always the

same. Because most of us are not the

lead dog we often draw the encourage-

ment to “keep on going” in spite of all

of the difficulties. The positive side of not

being the lead dog is that we don’t have the

responsibility to know which direction to go.

We can just follow those out front and if they

lead us wrong…….. well, its their fault. In

fact, that morning I never had to figure out

the path to take. I just had to follow those

who were ahead of me.

I wonder when was the last time you

gave a word of encouragement to someone

who is in front; someone who is setting the

pace or making sure you are pointed in the

right direction. It may be a boss, pastor, or

even a friend who is clearing new ground so

you don’t have to. It may seem like they

don’t need it and that your words would

make little difference. Try it. Not only will

your support lift him or her up, it will also

breathe new life into you as you move into

your position as the lead dog.

www.outdoortruths.org

Outdoor Truthsby Randy Reese

Retired Football CoachOver the years I developed an acronym

to help get my philosophy ingrained in the

minds of my players. It has become a way

of life for me. I gave my players or had them

make their own "PR1DE" cards that they had

to carry with them at all times. I would

check periodically and they had to show

them to me. When I see some of my players

from time, even today they will pull out their

PR1DE card and show it to me. Although

the Bible says that pride is in itself very dan-

gerous, it also tells us that if we must boast

we need to boast in the Lord. Over the next

few weeks I will try to explain what each let-

ter represented as we closed every practice

and every game with this cheer. Give me a

P, give me an R, give me a 1, give me a D,

give me an E...what do you have? What do

you have? What do you have? And with

each question the players would yell a re-

sounding PR1DE.

"P" stands for positive attitude. It is not

likely that you will ever be successful think-

ing that you will not be successful. But if

you have been everything but successful,

how do you gain that perspective on things?

Believe it or not it is confidence. But if you

are just terrible and can't win for losing, how

do you gain confidence. First you work your

butt off, to the point that you believe you are

working harder than your opponent. Meas-

ure your progress against yourself not some-

one else. You begin to believe you deserve

to win. Of course you don't deserve any-

thing, but you begin to believe that you do.

Secondly, you put your faith in the Lord. I

really believe that God gives everyone a

chance to win. We may or may not take ad-

vantage of that opporunity. I can remember

blowouts where my chances for victory

were pretty slim, but by and large the oppor-

tunity for victory was always there.

Matthew 21:22 says, "And all things,

whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you

will recieve." Okay, all I have to do is to

pray to win and it will just happen. Didn't

say that. One, by asking in prayer, we are

assuming you are on Jesus Christ's team to

start with. Secondly, you have to believe that

God will answer that prayer in the affirma-

tive, and that is likely only to happen if you

pray that prayer knowing that it is what God

wants you to pray. The scriptures speak of

the Holy Spirit guiding us in our prayer, ask-

ing and praising. You pray according to

what you believe God wants you to pray. Do

not pray to win, pray for the opportunity to

win that God will be glorified through your

efforts, giving Him all the glory for every-

thing that is accomplished.

How much more POSITIVE could you

be about your life than to know that God is

Lord of every step and is guiding you though

the good and the bad times, and that He will

be glorified because of your actions? Maybe

you need to pray to make His team, and if

you are on His team pray for guidance to be

placed on the first team. Listen, I have read

the playbook and I know that His team wins.

God Bless.

Editor’s Note: Randy Reese is a retiredcoach and educator. He is one of the mostsuccesful coaches to ever coach in Kentucky,having won three state football champi-onships. He was Kentucky Coach of the Yearin 1975. This is part one in a series of arti-cles that Coach Reese shared with Ken-tucky’s high school football coaches througha list server that enables them to exchangeinformation. He is kind enough to allow usto share them with you. Part Two:Responsi-bility, will run next month.

PR1DE


Knox Central April 28, 2011 Pinnacle Photos / Ray Welch


13th Region Baseball

Won-Lost Records

based on results reported to theKHSAA of games against

regional opponents

TEAM W-L PCT.

Clay County 8-0 1.000

Harlan County 8-1 .888

North Laurel 5-1 .833

Middlesboro 10-4 .714

Jackson County 3-2 .600

Oneida Baptist 3-2 .600

Knox Central 7-5 .583

Corbin 7-6 .538

Whitley County 6-6 .500

Pineville 4-4 .500

Barbourville 6-7 .461

South Laurel 4-6 .400

Bell County 4-6 .400

Williamsburg 5-10 .333

Harlan 2-11 .166

Red Bird 0-5 .000

Lynn Camp 0-6 .000

Kentucky National Insurance

KHSAA State Tournament

June 13-18, 2011

Whitaker Park

Lexington, KY

Region 13 plays Region 7

in first round action on

Monday June 13th

(Top teams in Region 7 include

Eastern, Louisville-Christian

Academy and Jeffersontown)

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