I thought I would beat Mr. Network to the punch. :woot:

 

Who would be the All Time Best 3 players in the history of Lincoln County Football?

 

Here Goes:

 

1. Jeremy Simpson. Mr. Football. Enough said.

 

2. Michael Penman. I would have no problem if some thought he was the best ever. He was a stud RB on that '88 team that went undefeated until they lost to the Blue Tornado in the State Semi-Finals of AAA. Nice career at EKU.

 

3. Ronnie Wilkerson. QB for the Patriots from '77 to '79. He was a great athlete and QB. He could rifle a pass while going down on his back. It's a shame he didn't take advantage of his chances at EKU when he went there.

 

 

A lot of others that I'd like to hear from Mr. Network about. Where do others fall in the discussion?

 

Donnelle Smith, Jeff McGill, Steve Coleman (nice career at EKU but don't recall him being that dominant in High School), and probably a lot more I'm missing right now.

Cant' go wrong with those 3.

 

A few for consideration, Eric Givens 79-81 and Jason Todd (believe around 88).

Where does J Smith come into play? I was always told he was one of the best QBs to play at Lincoln County.

what about Brandon Smith,played in the late 90's,played at Missouri/W.K.U.

All good names but I can't get far enough away from it to be objective. However, I could give you a Top 100, in no particular order if you wanted.

 

However, if I HAD to pick a #1, I would most likely go with Ronnie Wilkerson (1976-79). He had a ton of athletic ability and was a game changer in every sport he played. He had a good surrounding cast in 1979 but other than that, he didn't have much else to work with. If I HAD to pick a #2, it would probably be Kenny Phoenix. A GREAT high school football player.

 

As to the two running backs you listed, I'm think Braxston Miller was as good as both of them. He rushed for 1,500 yards in 2006, with a higher per-carry average than Jeremy Simpson had in winning Mr. Football in 1993. He split carries with Trent Calhoun who had 1,300 yards. Braxston was listed as 6'0" on the roster but was probably only 5'10". In the Sweet Sixteen game at Rupp Arena that following spring, he was playing center for the Patriots when he got the ball under the basket, went straight up off both feet and dunked the ball. He played football at WKU.

 

LCHS has had six 1,000 yard season rushers

 

3,044 (1993) Jeremy Simpson

2,330 (1988) Mike Penman

1,496 (2006) Braxston Miller

1,424 (1995) Aaron Simpson

1,308 (2006) Trent Calhoun

1,107 (1995) David Francis

 

Mike Penman was 13 yards short of 1,000 yards in 1987, a short season for him. Also, Donnell Smith and Mike McGuffy both barely missed 1,000 yards in 1981.

 

LCHS has had three 1,000 yards season passers

 

1,837 (2007) Levi Rogers

1,492 (1982) Scott Montgomery

1,086 (1985) Tevin McElroy

 

 

Eric Givens (78-81) was mentioned. He played at Louisville as did his brother, Kelvin (86-89). Kelvin Givens was recruited nationally (Nebraska, USC, etc.) as a defensive back before deciding on Louisville.

 

Jason Todd (84-87) played quarterback and safety. He wound up as a punter at UK. As good as Jason was a football, he was a better high school basketball player.

 

Brandon Smith (96-99) was a man-child. He was a big-time defensive end.

All good names but I can't get far enough away from it to be objective. However, I could give you a Top 100, in no particular order if you wanted.

 

However, if I HAD to pick a #1, I would most likely go with Ronnie Wilkerson (1976-79). He had a ton of athletic ability and was a game changer in every sport he played. He had a good surrounding cast in 1979 but other than that, he didn't have much else to work with. If I HAD to pick a #2, it would probably be Kenny Phoenix. A GREAT high school football player.

 

As to the two running backs you listed, I'm think Braxston Miller was as good as both of them. He rushed for 1,500 yards in 2006, with a higher per-carry average than Jeremy Simpson had in winning Mr. Football in 1993. He split carries with Trent Calhoun who had 1,300 yards. Braxston was listed as 6'0" on the roster but was probably only 5'10". In the Sweet Sixteen game at Rupp Arena that following spring, he was playing center for the Patriots when he got the ball under the basket, went straight up off both feet and dunked the ball. He played football at WKU.

 

LCHS has had six 1,000 yard season rushers

 

3,044 (1993) Jeremy Simpson

2,330 (1988) Mike Penman

1,496 (2006) Braxston Miller

1,424 (1995) Aaron Simpson

1,308 (2006) Trent Calhoun

1,107 (1995) David Francis

 

Mike Penman was 13 yards short of 1,000 yards in 1987, a short season for him. Also, Donnell Smith and Mike McGuffy both barely missed 1,000 yards in 1981.

 

LCHS has had three 1,000 yards season passers

 

1,837 (2007) Levi Rogers

1,492 (1982) Scott Montgomery

1,086 (1985) Tevin McElroy

 

 

Eric Givens (78-81) was mentioned. He played at Louisville as did his brother, Kelvin (86-89). Kelvin Givens was recruited nationally (Nebraska, USC, etc.) as a defensive back before deciding on Louisville.

 

Jason Todd (84-87) played quarterback and safety. He wound up as a punter at UK. As good as Jason was a football, he was a better high school basketball player.

 

Brandon Smith (96-99) was a man-child. He was a big-time defensive end.

 

Can't believe I forgot Kenny Phoenix. But which number would he wear? :lol2: (inside memory)

 

Nice list. I can't believe Ronnie didn't have a 1,000 yd passing year. I knew Snookie liked the run but thought he slung it more with Ronnie.

The Patriots have never thrown the ball much. Scott Montgomery threw a ton of passes in the flats to Kenny Phoenix and Kevin "Big K" Alcorn. They both took a lot of those 80-plus yards for touchdowns. That's really why he had so many passing yards.

 

I remember Larry Phillips saying, "When you throw the ball, only three things can happen and two of those are bad."

 

When Donald Wooldridge was the coach (79-82), we ran almost every play out of the full-house backfield. Sometimes there would be a split end and slot-back. The majority of plays were 22 and 48 counters (guards pulling) and quick pitches (tackle pulling). Wooldridge liked small, fast linemen. With our fast running backs, it was more about angles and making a seam than steamrolling people. With Larry Phillips' teams (84-90), it was all about big, beefy linemen who got a big push at the line of scrimmage. Michael Penman, was fast, strong and had great balance and vision but he had the best offensive line to run behind that the school ever produced. Larry Phillips built that team in the weightroom and it showed. They just lined up and out-muscled the opponents....except for the Tornado.