Next week the Purples travel to Dalton, GA for one of the most competitive 7on7 tourneys in this part of the country. As you will read, the Purples will have many new faces on the field. If anyone in the Bluegrass wants to beat them (IMO), it better be this year.

 

Front end of Purples schedule is pretty tough. Looking forward to seeing not only new faces but how our coaching staff can work with these kids.

 

Looking forward to August!

 

 

Southeastern 7-on-7 Preview: Bowling Green Purples

 

By Tony Maluso

 

[email protected]

 

A veteran team at the Southeastern 7 on 7 Championships, Bowling Green High School out of Kentucky is back as an even more decorated program.

 

Last fall the Purples compiled a 15-0 mark en route to its fifth state championship in the past six season and their second straight. They'll go into this season riding a 27 game winning streak.

 

But to keep with its winning ways, Bowling Green will have to rely on a new group of personnel.

 

"Offensively we're going to be almost totally new," Bowling Green coach Kevin Wallace said of his group that returns just three starters. "The only person that's coming back that had significant playing time would be Ziyon Kenner who was a slot receiver for us. He's a really good player. He'll be a key part of our offense."

 

Kenner last season caught 42 passes for 669 yards with five touchdowns. He's attracted offers from Division I college programs Eastern Michigan, Austin Peay and UT-Martin.

 

Nash Hightower looks to get a more prominent role in the offense this season after catching 11 passes for 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Beyond that, the players that will fill several key roles are yet to be determined.

 

"I don't think we're really set at wide receiver and I don't think were really set on tight end," Wallace said. "Spring in Kentucky is difficult because you conflict with track and baseball, and you don't necessarily see all your kids. We really haven't gotten an opportunity to look at everyone we need to look at to fill those positions."

 

When it comes to using the 7-on-7 to determine starting jobs, Wallace said "it's a start, but your not going to put things in stone at this point."

 

Someone the Bowling Green coaches have got a look at is running back Vito Tisdale, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound rising sophomore that despite just coming into a starting role, has already collected college offers from high-profile schools including Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisville.

 

"He's going to, in all likelihood, be one of the top recruits in the class of 2020," Wallace said. "He's already got SEC, ACC and Big Ten offers and he's not even into his sophomore year yet. He's an exceptional talent.

 

Bowling Green will also have a new quarterback this fall as Beau Buchanan, a 6-foot-3 170 pound junior looks to be the frontrunner for the job. Wallace said he has the talent to earn college offers once he shows what he can do at the position.

 

Defensively, Wallace returns four starters but feels the team is solid at linebacker with a group led by Justice Dingle, a four-star recruit with offers from Georgia Tech, Virginia, Tennessee, Purdue and Louisville among others. Also back is J'son Beason who had 53 solo tackles and 21 assisted tackles last year.

 

Bowling Green's secondary, however, will feature mostly new faces.

 

"They'll all be young, the only one returning starter is Davis Tomblinson," Wallace said. "We like our corners and feel like we got pretty good depth. We think that's a decent group that just needs to get some experience."

Good luck to the Purples down in GA. :thumb:

I've heard they have some work to do on the O-line, how's that going?

It seems as if every two years the Purples has to reload (which has worked out great!). This upcoming season is no different but perhaps this will be the biggest "reload" year they have had in a while. I know a few years ago they had lost a ton of seniors but had a lot of young guns (one of which was future Mr. Football in Caruthers) in waiting. Many will not feel too sorry for this seasons Purples as they have a Small college upcoming senior in Ziyon Kenner (speedster) as well as a solid 4 star in Justice Dingle, who will be the man on defense on the roster. Add to those two, probably the highest recruit the Purples has had to date in sophomore, Vito Tisdale (as a Frosh, not even as a starting running back) he still managed to have 7 scores. None the less, the Purples will still have 15 new helmets on the gridiron come August.

 

Hoping the win streak can stay in tact. I think this potentially can be Coach Wallace's greatest coaching season to date. Yes, he has a small handful of great high school players to work with but if they can pull off another 15 game season, I think it would be a no brainer for him to be tabbed as the coach of the year.

 

Teams will try to slow down little Vito (I am predicting him still to a 1,000+ rushing year for him - even with teams keying on him along with him only playing in probably 5 4th quarters in regular season due to the score). The key to BGHS success will be found in their QB, Beau BuCANNON. Coaches are high on him. Great arm strength for a tall, skinny kid. If he has a above average first year - look out.

Having Kenner and Dingle really help lessen the blow from what could have been a bigger rebuilding job. I've been watching Tisdale since his middle school days, and the kid is the real deal. I think BG will be fine defensively since the Purples scheme is based on speed, which BG will still have plenty of. The season will come down to how the new QB can perform. Having a QB that can keep a defense honest is the difference between being a good team, and having the "next level" success. OHS has been missing that component for a few years and it's cost the Devils when they play BG. Tisdale will get his because he's that good, but the passing game will be crucial to the Purples success. Also, you have to wonder if BG will get any new transfers in. Without Dingle and Kenner, this season would be even more of a challenge.

 

And you're right Purple Nation, nobody is going to feel sorry for BG, lol. I'm just hoping that Owensboro can parlay the middle school success against BG into some varsity wins at some point.

Good hearing from you devils58. Good luck to you guys this year. Blessed to have Dingle and Kenner for sure. I know many across state have raised eyebrows anytime a transfer comes in but remember, before any kid (any sport) can suit up they have to jump through KHSAA hoops to make it reality. Easy for posters on this site to point finger but I trust KHSAA will do their due diligence.

 

Very true with BuCANNON. He has some huge shoes to fill. Clark Payne (IMO) is 2nd best QB in Purples history. His accuracy and minimal on field mistakes were record breaking. Beau is very talented and seems to be a winner. Our O line is basically new BUT these new starting linemen have lots of JV experience and has some size to them. Coach Wallace will very rarely get out coached and IMO his offensive scheme is second to none. Like you say, Beau will be determining factor.

 

Tisdale perhaps can be highest rated player in Bluegrass history. Before people think I am on Purple koolaide overdose, consider this. He has not only been invited and played in US Army all American bowl his 7th, 8th and Freshman year but he has excelled. There are tons of player rankings out there (take with grain of salt) but according to the FBU all American ranking he was 2nd in America in his class. Safe to say he is top 50 recruit for 2020 class across the board. What is so interesting about him is his ranking currently is due to his defensive efforts. This season will be his first starting as a RB since he was an 8th grader (in 8th grade he had 2,100 yards rushing). I am certainly not the coach but I would allow Vito to play Defense the 3 or 4 games in regular season the games we need him. Will be very fun to watch.

 

Again, good luck this season!

I'm not saying BG is recruiting. I actually think their success is making them a magnet for kids to want to be a part of. They see the success on the field or court, and kids want to come be a part of that. It's like when Highlands had it rolling. Those kids didn't all live in Fort Thomas, but the success of the Birds drew kids from the NKY area. I don't blame the kids and families at all. As an OHS guy, I just simply want us to raise our game to be able to get over the hump and bring that ship back to Owensboro. I may have a rivalry dislike for the Purps and Birds, but I respect how they elevated their game to get to the championship level.

 

Lots of people don't realize how good Clark Payne was. He was the difference maker in the OHS-BG playoff game last year. I believe BG scored 4 times on 3rd and long via the pass. Payne was legit.

 

Tisdale will probably be a top 10 or top 20 player nationally in his senior year. He basically already is ranked that high for his class. Tisdale and OHS' IMonte Owsley are very similar athletically, but Tisdale has the size advantage which is what colleges covet. It's hard to beat 6'2 190 lbs as a sophomore lol.

 

Anyway, good luck to you guys (like ya'll need it lol). Maybe we can finally make ya'll sweat a little this year. :thumb:

Highlands almost never had more than 3-4 out of 100 players from out of the city, doubt if BG does either. As devil stated, success brings interest from others wanting to be part of that success.

Thanks guys. I know you all are not accusing.

 

Looking forward to season.