I'm still no Joey Fosko when it comes to area football, but give me some time. I believe I've figured out where every school in the region is located, so now I can concentrate on Xs and Os and the names in the game. Right? Let's hope so.
Today I profiled Class 3A District 1 football where Paducah Tilghman is the only local team on the docket. There's no doubt the Tornado will once again be at the top, but who takes the runner-up spot is in question.
Union County looks to be strong once again after finishing second in the district last year. Webster County could be strong; I couldn't get a hold of coach Andy Corbin to find out.
Coach Nick Eckert at Union County hopes the coaching change will benefit the competition, not the Tornado. The district knows little of new Tornado coach Randy Wyatt, but remembers Perry Thomas well.
"I think the new coaching situation is going to help them a little bit," Eckert said. "Perry was an outstanding coach there. He’s going to be hard to replace. He did a lot with their kids."
Thomas was 76-35 for the Tornado in seven years, leading last year's team to the Final Four, falling to eventual champion Louisville Central on a last second field goal. Thomas is now the head coach at Campbellsville University.
Wyatt spent time under Thomas as the offensive coordinator, but most recently focused his attention on the duties of head boys track coach. He was also a standout athlete at Tilghman as a youngster.
With Wyatt's characteristic swagger unchecked, teams in the district will at least find the Tornado motivated and excited to play.
---Marshall Enoch at McLean County is trying to build the program, one step at a time. Numbers are improving and the program now has freshmen and junior varsity teams. Enoch also went down to the elementary teams, begging coaches to teach the basic fundamentals of blocking, tackling and hitting. The strategy paid off with the elementary teams competing for championships in Owensboro, something that has never happened before.
---Josh Staples is now the head coach at Muhlenberg South after serving as the team's offensive coordinator. Staples is trying to bring a community buzz back to the program and is working on building. The team just wants to make it to the playoffs, which hasn't happened since 1995.
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Somebody out there who knows the student numbers at our local schools please respond. I thought I read somewhere where Tilghman has 800+ students and they are 3A but Lone Oak has 750+ students and they are 4A??? Does anyone know if this is true?
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