Columns Sports

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the special 2016 football preview section of the August 17 edition of the News Journal: Last year I predicted that Whitley County would defeat Corbin in the opening week of the 2015 high school football season. I was wrong. This year I am going with the Redhounds, but you know what? I feel like there is a decent chance that I may be wrong again. Let me explain… I think that Corbin has to be considered the favorites coming into this matchup for a few reasons, but mainly it’s because they are returning most of their big playmakers on both sides of the ball....

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the August 17 edition of the News Journal: Last Thursday night I, like many others, was blindsided by the news that the Forest Lanes bowling alley in Corbin would soon be closing its doors for good. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, can you imagine this town without Forest Lanes? Wow… I rarely ever bowl myself, but I know many folks who do. Not to mention, I have covered our local school bowlers for the past three years. To think about how many people this unfortunate situation is going to affect truly breaks my heart. It may not seem like a huge deal to...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the July 27 edition of the News Journal... This past weekend I had an awesome experience at the University of Cincinnati when my wife and I went to see Ohio’s newest pro soccer team – FC Cincinnati. In their inaugural season, FCC has already made quite an impact in the United Soccer League (USL). They currently sit near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, and on Saturday they defeated Louisville City 2-0 to become the recipients of the first-ever “River Cities Cup,” which will become an annual competition between these two rival clubs. Louisville came out on top of their first meeting with Cincy,...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the July 20 edition of the News Journal: Pardon me just one moment while I get on my high horse. Okay, now that I’m all saddled up are you ready for a rant? Good. Here we go… It never ceases to amaze me how people act at Little League baseball games every summer, and this summer has been no exception. I can’t help but get downright angry sometimes when I see the things that I see and hear the things that I hear at games that are being played by nine and ten year-old children. Many of the Little League contests that I have been...

This portion of a From the Sidelines column appeared in the June 15, 2016 edition of the News Journal: When I heard the news a couple of weeks ago that Saint Catherine College would be closing its doors for good, the first thought that ran through my mind was, “What about the Wilson sisters?” In case you’re not aware, Kayla and Miranda Wilson, who are two of the best players to ever wear a Lady Hounds basketball uniform, have been playing at Saint Catherine for the past two years. The Wilson twins helped make history at CHS before graduating in 2014, leading the girls basketball team to back-to-back 13th Region championship...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the June 1, 2016 edition of the News Journal: On Saturday, Williamsburg High School freshman Selena Mattingly won two state championships at the KHSAA Class A track and field meet in Lexington. I was there, watching as she made winning the 1600-meter run look easy. I was also there when she raced ahead in the final moments of the 800-meter run, moving up in a hurry from second place to secure her second state title of the day. Mattingly’s two victories at this year’s state championship meet was an amazing accomplishment. There is absolutely no doubt about that, but I want to talk for...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the May 25 edition of the News Journal: In 2014, Garner Chandler, Cole Shelton, Abe Barnes, Ben Phillips, Cade Cooney, Cameron Allen, Boston Hardesty, Jacob Gardner, Ethan Wine, Zac Hash and Caden Worley were about to lead the Corbin 11-12 year-old Little League All-Stars team to an appearance in the state championship tournament. Now, nearly two years later, those players, along with teammates Nick Yeager, Caleb VanNorstran, Quinton Botner, Josh Werner, JT Moore, Zac Young, Cole Hicks, Cody Cox, Peyton Addison, Nic Osborne, Matthew Creekmore, Eli Campbell and Josh Oliver, have brought the Corbin Middle School baseball team to a new level of success. In...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the April 13, 2016 edition of the News Journal: On Sunday, I drove over to Monticello and spent the afternoon shooting pictures of the Corbin “Reelin’ Redhounds” bass fishing team in action on Lake Cumberland. It still amazes me that high schoolers can now win state championships and earn college scholarships through their involvement in activities such as fishing and archery. It’s really cool, but why stop there? There are plenty of other activities that would make excellent additions to the ever-growing list of officially sanctioned sports in our state. How about go-kart racing? There are several legit kart racing leagues and clubs out...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the April 6 edition of the News Journal: Before this past week I was not aware of the name Freddie Maggard, but I have become very familiar with the Kentucky high school basketball legend since he passed away Sunday at Baptist Health Corbin after succumbing to pneumonia and heart failure. He was 78-years-old. Maggard was a member of the Carr Creek Indians (Knott County) basketball team that won a state championship in 1956. He hit the last second shot that that gave his team the win over Central City in the quarterfinal round, and he hit another last second shot to give them a...

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the March 16, 2016 edition of the News Journal: I was having a discussion with Whitley County tennis Head Coach David Halcomb last week about the upcoming season, and he brought something to my attention that I was not aware of. Beginning in 2016, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association has decided to change the process for determining regional and state team champions. High school tennis players have the chance each year of advancing to state as either a singles competitor, or as part of a doubles duo. In addition to that, if the team as a whole performs well enough in their qualifying...