Dean Manning

I have seen girls out on the high school football field. I don’t remember the exact team, but the center was a girl. It wasn’t a local team, but she hung right in there with the boys. The majority of times that I have seen girls on the football field has been as the place kicker. Extra points can be one of the most adventurous plays in high school football so I don’t blame coaches for finding the best kicker they can no matter their biology. Too many games have been decided on a made or missed extra point. With the addition of Corbin’s wrestling team, I have seen the girls mix it...

I know there is a reason why the schools in the area of Kentucky located in Jackson, Clay, Laurel, Whitley, Knox, Bell and Harlan counties make up the 13th Region. As Tom Hanks’ character, Jim Lovell, famously, told his wife in the blockbuster movie, “Apollo 13” when she asked why his mission had to be 13, “It comes after 12.” The Pulaski County schools along with McCreary Central are among the schools in the 12th Region. So, with the region numbers starting in western Kentucky, our schools get to be in unlucky 13. Maybe the Kentucky High School Athletic Association should give our sports teams a break and let some other group of...

I have a rescue dog at home that is part Shih Tzu and, we are pretty sure, part terrier. Maggy looks like a black Shih Tzu. Shih Tzus are cute. Every dog lover loves a Shih Tzu. But, several years ago, one person in the parking lot at The Arena almost experienced one part of Maggy that is more terrier than Shih Tzu when he approached our car as my wife, Sharon, waited for me to come out from taking pictures at a concert. Maggy has some serious teeth that will take a serious bite out of someone. They say it is not the size of the dog in the fight but the...

The girls’ basketball district tournaments are under way. The girls wrestling tournament was held Monday. Spring sports, including softball, along with tennis and track for both the boys and girls will begin in just a few weeks. Corbin’s Lady Redhounds, Whitley County’s Lady Colonels and Williamsburg’s Lady Jackets were or will be participating in the majority. Williamsburg doesn’t offer wrestling. Tradition in high schools across Kentucky has been to add “Lady” to the mascot when referring to the girls’ teams. However, if you look at the logos used for the teams, they are, with few exceptions, the same as the traditional logo. It is time to either drop the lady part of the...

I’m going to start out this week up in the cheap seats by giving a shout out to Corbin Basketball Coach Tony Pietrowski who set the school record for most coaching wins in the program’s history as the Redhounds defeated Whitley County Friday night. Pietrowski notched win 442 at Corbin. An impressive feat considering the way coaches at all levels now change schools so often. Pietrowski in basketball, Williamsburg Football Coach Jerry Herron and Whitley County Baseball Coach Jeremy Shope are prime examples of the success a program can have if the powers that be will pick a coach and let them do the job. I was among a sizeable crowd that came...

There are more than 2,500 high school students between Corbin, Whitley County and Williamsburg. There are 35,000 people living in Whitley County. So why are the high school gyms so sparsely populated during basketball games? Granted, despite the stereotype, not everyone in Kentucky is a fan of basketball. Still others don’t have a connection to any of the three schools. Of course, there is COVID–19. But it is sad to see these kids playing in front of limited crowds. I was at South Laurel Friday night for the boys/girls doubleheader against Whitley County and have to say, despite both Cardinals teams being among the top in the 13th Region, the gym was far...

Thursday will mark four weeks since my wife of 17 years, Sharon Woods Manning, died suddenly. While Sharon had a large number of friends and associates from her 26 years working for the state, I always thought of my own network as fairly small. From the moment I put the word out on Facebook and contacted my News Journal family, I began receiving messages with condolences and prayers from so many in the community. Government officials, first responders from local law enforcement and fire departments and others in the community reached out. There were many of you that took time to come to the visitation or funeral for either myself, my in-laws Brenda...

Friday night brought a promising year in local high school football to a screeching halt as Corbin and Williamsburg both lost. From the time the season kicked off, Coach Tom Greer’s Redhounds appeared to be a team on a mission to make it to Lexington, despite Class 4A being loaded with talent. Greer did everything possible to prepare the Redhounds for a playoff run.  The schedule was pretty solid, beginning with Christ School out of North Carolina and continuing with the likes of Franklin County, Pulaski County, and Class 6A Simon Kenton. I still believe the annual game against Whitley County should be removed until Coach Zeke Eier has a couple of years...

While I was covering the Corbin Lady Redhounds’ state volleyball tournament game against Montgomery County, I noticed that there were fans and then there were spectators. Almost everyone in Gilliam Gymnasium that night was cheering for Corbin or Montgomery County, except for the little boy who was more interested in rolling his truck around the floor in the upper section. In fairness, it was a cool truck. In the section of bleachers right behind the Lady Redhounds’ bench was a sea of students, many of them fellow athletes, decked out in red. And it wasn’t just red t-shirts. There were red towels similar to the “Terrible Towels” that Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans wave. At least...

I’m going to give the Kentucky High School Athletic Association a lot of credit when it comes to disseminating information. Football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, baseball and softball scores on the KHSAA.org website are updated quickly and readily available when the media or Joe or Jane fan need or want them. Their people are also very good about answering questions, including things like what happened in the Williamsburg/Pineville football game that saw Williamsburg go from touchdown to first-down and goal from near midfield, or as Jackets’ radio announcer Stan Lovett called it, “Halfway to Gatliff.” But when it comes to some other sports, whose results don’t just involve a final score, the website...