D Wolf

Honestly, if I were to rank based on teams that I thought had the best chance to cut down the nets in March - I believe that I would put the Lakers in the #1 spot. But I think my rankings should be about performance so far this year, and the Lakers are not the same without Eli Finley, and I hear he should return in a week or two. I really struggled this week to rank teams one through six - a disappointing loss by the Murray Tigers dropped them down a few notches. Key games this week: Tues - Marshall at Murray, Mayfield at McCracken, St. Mary at Tilghman Fri - Murray at Calloway (BG Preps Region 1 Game of the Week), McCracken at Marshall, Ballard at Graves Sat - St. Mary at McCracken, Tilghman at Ballard Here are my rankings: 1. McCracken Co. (4-1) - W 57-51 at Hopkinsville, W 71-67 vs UHA, W 51-45 Memphis East (TN) The Mustangs went 3-0 this week, and the win over UHA handed them the Blazers their first loss of the year. Connor Miller is having an impressive start to his season - he was scoreless at halftime against Hoptown, and came out and scored 19 in the 2nd half. Jackson Klope is averaging 13 points and 12 boards per game. There are two talented Freshmen who are playing significant minutes for the Mustangs - Jay Martin and Caden Fulcher. The Friday night matchup at Marshall will be a tricky one! 2. Graves Co. (3-1) - W 40-37 vs Calloway Co., W 52-47 at Marshall Co. A very impressive week for the Eagles which included a road win at the Marshals, who were rolling at the time. Junior Braden Waller has been a pleasant surprise so far this season averaging 15 & 6. 3. Calloway Co. (2-2) - L 37-40 at Graves Co., W 77-76 Christ Presbyterian (TN) Will Eli Finley be back in time for Friday's Crosstown Classic? There are some good games this week, but this was a no-brainer for the BG Preps 1st Region Game of the Week. As I mentioned above, I think that the Lakers are one of the main favorites to win the regional tourney, but they need to get healthy first and get Finley back in the mix. 4. Murray (3-2) - L 49-68 at UHA, W 60-44 vs Ballard Mem., L 41-63 Montgomery Bell Academy I did not get to see the game, but the 19-point loss at UHA was disappointing. However, I think it's possible that this game was more competitive than the final score indicated. The Tigers only really lost two key players from last year's team in terms of scoring - Senior Whitaker and transfer K. Watson. The loss to UHA is only one game, and the Tigers have some opportunities this week to get a couple statement wins. Can they come out with two statement wins over the Marshals and the Lakers? 5. Paducah Tilghman (2-2) - L 58-60 vs Henderson Co., L 60-74 vs Christian Co., W 48-47 vs Triad (IL) Two losses this week for the Tornado against strong 2nd Region teams - Henderson and Christian. Other than 6'4" Omari Williams - the Tornado is lacking in size and I think that might hurt them against bigger teams. Ahmad Wilkins is really shooting the ball well, and Tilghman has four players averaging double figures - Wilkins, Williams, Miles Woodfork and Josh Campbell. 6. Marshall Co. (4-1) W 68-36 vs Carlisle Co., L 47-52 vs Graves Co. I had penciled in the Marshals into one of my top two or three spots, but then the home loss to the Eagles. However, the start by this team has still been very impressive. I had thought that this team would only be Andy Staples, but Tommy Robertson and Freshman Matthew Langhi have really stepped up to help with the scoring load. The Marshals play Murray and McCracken this week and honestly going 1-1 would be a solid week for them. I'm anticipating that Reed Conder Gym will be rocking Friday night when the Mustangs come to town. 7. Carlisle Co. (2-2) L 36-68 at Marshall Co., W 71-32 at Hickman Co. It's looking more and more like the Comets should run the table in the 1st District - I'm really not sure right now which of the others looks to be the runner-up. The Comets will be dangerous come tourney time because they have a lot of young talent that should get better and better. 8. Ballard Memorial (1-2) - W 81-74 (OT) vs St. Mary, L 44-60 at Murray Jace Birney scored 44 points in the win over the Vikings! He can really fill it up. Right now it's a tough call for me as to who is second-best in the 3rd District. I think the games between the Bombers and Cardinals will be very tight. 9. St. Mary (3-2) L 74-81 (OT) at Ballard, W 80-76 Camden Central (TN) The scoring competition between Luke Sims and Owen Mikel is neck and neck right now - Sims is averaging 23.8 and Mikel is averaging 23.6. The talent gap between the Vikings and Tornado is not that much right now, and if Sims and Mikel get hot in a game against Tilghman then I could see the Vikings coming away with an upset. 10. Mayfield (1-1) W 82-27 at Fulton City, L 57-65 Millington Central I look for the Cardinals to make their way up these rankings in the next few weeks. I honestly just don't know much about them right now. They've got a chance on Tuesday to make a name for themselves by giving the Mustangs all they want. 11. Fulton Co. (1-5) 12. Fulton City (1-5) 13. CCA (1-4) 14. CFS (3-3) 15. Hickman Co. (0-4)

After careful thought and consideration, I have re-done my three tiers. I reserve the right to change these early and often: Tier 1 - Murray and Calloway. Any Region 1 teams beating these two (when healthy) would be a considerable upset. Tier 2 - Teams 3 through 8. McCracken, Graves, PT, Marshall, Carlisle, St. Mary. Yes, there is a different between the talent level at #3 McCracken versus #8 St. Mary, but it's probably less than you think. I look for these teams to beat up on each other, and I imagine these rankings will change a lot. Tier 3 - Everybody else. Although I am not sure how Mayfield will be this year. Key Games this week: Tues - Murray at UHA, Calloway at Graves, McCracken at Hopkinsville, Henderson Co. at Tilghman, Carlisle at Marshall, St. Mary at Ballard Mem. Thurs - UHA at McCracken Co. Fri - Graves Co. at Marshall Co. (BG Preps 1st Region Game of the Week!), Ballard Mem. at Murray, Christian Co. at Tilghman Sat - Lots of teams participating in the Ken-Tenn Classic including Calloway (host), Murray, McCracken, Marshall, St. Mary Here are my rankings: 1. Murray (2-0) - W 99-38 vs Fulton Co, W 77-49 vs Parkview (GA). As I said in my Region 1 preview - this team has a lot of quality depth, and also quite a bit of size. Their game at UHA on Tuesday will be their first decent test of the year. 2. Calloway Co. (1-1) - W 70-51 vs Hopkins Co. Central, L 54-75 Bowling Green I have heard that Eli Finley is out with an injury and I hope that he will return to action soon. He is most definitely one of the favorites for Region 1 PoY. If Finley cannot play at Graves on Tuesday then I think that could be an exciting matchup. If anyone has any news on Finley please respond - I hope it's nothing serious. 3. McCracken Co. (1-1) - W 92-37 vs CCA, L 46-64 New Madrid Co Central (Mo.) The two cornerstones of this team will be Connor Miller and Jackson Klope. It seems that the very talented Jay Martin will be the Mustangs' point guard. Beyond that I think there are very many spots in the rotation that are up for grabs. The Mustangs have very talented and deep Freshman and Sophomore classes. 4. Graves Co. (1-1) - W 64-29 vs Hickman Co., L 62-71 Parkview, GA Braden Waller led the Eagles with 18 points in their opener. I've got Graves in my GOTW as they travel to the Marshals. That will be a good one! 5. Paducah Tilghman (1-0) - W 72-62 at Carlisle Co. Nice win for the Tornado travelling to the Comets. They will go as Woodfork and Williams go. But the Tornado also has a lot of depth in their guard position - Josh Campbell, Ahmad Wilkins, Jamie Harris. This is a very athletic team and I look for them to stay around the Top 5 all season. 6. Marshall Co. (3-0) - W 85-55 vs Crittenden Co., W 70-57 vs Goodpasture (TN), W 77-43 vs Madisonville This team has started out impressively. Forgive me that I forgot about Freshman Matthew Langhi when doing my preview. He's tall and he can really shoot it. Does that sound familiar? It should. 7. Carlisle Co. (1-1) - W 71-65 vs St. Mary, L 62-72 vs Tilghman I really think that both the Senior and Freshman classes are very strong for the Comets and they are most definitely the frontrunner for the 1st District championship. Senior Zack Grogan is scoring 16 points per game. 8. St. Mary (2-1) - W 74-40 at Fulton City, L 65-71 at Carlisle Co., W 66-15 vs Hickman Co. Luke Sims and Mikel Owen will shoulder most of the scoring load for the Vikings this year. They are scoring 23 and 20 points per game respectively. 9. Mayfield (0-0) Congrats to the Mayfield football team for their 13th (13!!!) state title! As in most years it will take a little while for this Cardinals basketball team to get going. I was upset to hear that Dabney will not be playing this year for the Cardinals (thank you Sweet16). Not sure if this team is worthy of the Tier 2 or not - we shall see. 10. Ballard Memorial (0-1) L 43-70 at UHA. This team always has a shot if Jace Birney gets hot. 11. Hickman Co. (0-2) 12. Fulton City (1-2) 13. CCA (1-2) 14. CFS (1-2) 15. Fulton Co. (0-3)

I apologize for raining on the Cards’ parade but I need to ask if they will be down some next year? They lose Cartwright, Starks, Biggers, Dumas. And I think another key WR. Will they still be a state title contender in 2024? Such an awesome program so maybe there is talent waiting in the wings.

This will surprise the heck out of you but in 2014 they were runner up. They lost by a TD to Pulaski. Other than that I do not know of another deep run. You’re going to look it up on Riherds to verify aren’t you? I don’t blame you.

I think I may be in the minority (although in my mind it’s extremely close). Do you all have Calloway or Murray as your preseason #1?

Great game by Cov Cath and good luck in the championship! I count 6 starters lost by PT. 2 WRs, 1 OL, 2 DBs, 1 LB. Those were all very good players but PT will be loaded once again next year. There’s a lot of talent in their current 8th and 9th grade classes who will begin making an impact.

Yes it’s 94.3 in Paducah. And you can get it online too

I really like Tilghman Pride’s tiers but I would make one small change. Tier 1 - Murray and Calloway Tier 2 - McCracken and Graves Tier 3 - Teams 5 - 10. Not much separating these teams. I think that the Mustangs are a big wild card . Only Miller and Klope have played significant minutes at the varsity level. But this team always has loads of talent.

I’m being nosy but does anyone have the details as to how a home team can stream during the playoffs? Like how much do they have to pay the KHSAA?

Avi Starks went down early in the 2nd half with an ankle and it looked pretty bad - he couldn’t put any weight on it. He is PT’s leading receiver but they have several more excellent WRs. C4 has a ton of speed, LaFont seems to catch everything, and Campbell and Perry are very athletic. A Soph Brown came in after Starks was out and had two really nice catches. How is Cov Cath’s secondary? PT lines up with 4 WRs pretty much every play.

PT needs to take care of business tomorrow and I think they will. Someone check me, but I think these are the three scenarios for next weekend. -Scenario 1 - both Cov Cath and Franklin Co win. PT #4 at Cov Cath #1 -Scenario 2 - one of Cov Cath or Franklin Co loses. PT #3 at the winner of Boyle/Corbin. -Scenario 3 - both Cov Cath and Franklin Co lose. PT #2 hosts #3 Johnson Central. Scenario 3 is obviously best although unlikely. Is Scenario 1 and a trip to Cov Cath better than playing the Boyle/Corbin winner?

Chelsea Ladd is an excellent sportswriter for the Paducah Sun and she compiled a Coaches Poll. I’ve now seen a couple rankings that have Calloway in 1st. It was a tough call for me but I chose Murray. The Poll: 1-Calloway, 2-Murray, 3-Graves, 4-McCracken, 5-Tilghman, 6-Marshall, 7-Carlisle, 8-St. Mary, 9-Mayfield, 10-Ballard. Player rankings from the Sun Poll: 1-Butler (Calloway), 2-Finley (Calloway), 3-Miller(McCracken), 4-Birney(Ballard), 5-English (Murray), 6-Pigg (Graves), 7-Staples (Marshshall), 8-Woodfork (PT), 9-Sims (St. Mary), 10-Klope (McCracken) Pretty good poll!

I did a "Way too Early" Top 10 shortly after last season and I have only made a couple minor adjustments since then. In my opinion, the top two teams of Murray and Calloway are clearly first and second in either order. I went with the Murray Tigers as my first ranking, and that's mainly because of the quality depth that the Tigers possess. Honestly, teams 3 through 10 all have quite a few question marks, and I believe that any of these teams could beat each other on any given night. Here are my preseason rankings: 1. Murray (22-9). Key Losses - Grant Whitaker (13 PPG), Kobe Watson (10 PPG). If you will recall, the Tigers played the majority of last season without Whitaker and they did very well. Lincoln English (11 PPG, 5 Reb) is in the running for Region 1 POY, and Collin Wilson (10 PPG) and Z Carman (8 PPG, 9 Reb) are two of the other more experienced players for the Tigers. 2. Calloway Co. (21-10) - Key Losses - Aiden Clinton (10 PPG) The Lakers have two standout players in Eli Finley (21 PPG, 5 Reb) and Jonah Butler (12 PPG, 10 Reb). I think that both of these players will also be contenders for Region 1 POY, and I honestly think that Finley is probably the preseason favorite. Other than Conner Lockhart (10 PPG) I do not think that the Lakers have the same quality depth as the Murray Tigers do. I know one thing for sure - the Crosstown Classics will be quite electric this season! 3. McCracken Co. (28-6). Key Losses - Jack McCune (18 PPG, 7 Reb), Ian Hart (12 PPG, 6 Reb), Carson Purvis (11 PPG) McCune, Hart, and Purvis are big losses for the Mustangs, and they actually lose six of their top eight scorers. The main reason that I gave them this 3rd ranking is that they have been the cream of the crop for the 1st Region for a while now, and this is a school that is always going to have a lot of basketball talent. The only two returning players that I am familiar with are Conner Miller (9 PPG) and Jackson Klope (5 PPG and 5 Reb). Freshman Jay Martin is a name that you will get to know soon and I could see him being a big contributor as a Freshman. 4. Graves Co. (11-20). Key Losses - Cole Mills (10 PPG) The Eagles were better than their 11-20 record last year and they only lose one key player. The trio of Lukas Pigg, Braden Waller, and Briley VeuCasovic will be the leaders this year for the Eagles. I think they are the favorites for the 3rd District and I look for them to have a big improvement in their record this year. 5. Paducah Tilghman (21-11). Key Losses - Jayvion Powell (18 PPG), Mian Shaw (16 PPG, 6 Reb) Powell and Shaw are very big losses for the Tornado, and they will have a lot of scoring production to replace. One player who will most likely step up is Miles Woodfork - he scored 7 points per game last year as a Freshman and he will need to pick up a lot more of the scoring load for the Tornado this year. The two Seniors to watch are Jamie Harris (6 PPG) and big man Omari Williams. Another name to watch is a WR for the football team - Josh Campbell. Keep in mind that the Tornado could have a slow start to the season if their football team makes a big run as three or more key players also play on the gridiron. 6. Carlisle Co. (17-15). Key Losses - None The Comets have their entire team back and it is possible that this will be the first 1st District team to challenge for a region title in many years. The Senior trio of Carter Barnett (14 PPG), Zack Grogan (13 PPG) and Keaton Arnold (12 PPG) will lead the way this season. 7. Mayfield (26-6). Key Losses - Sam Stone (11 PPG, 7 Reb), Nolan Fulton (11 PPG, 5 Reb) The Cardinals will have losses of the two big men in Stone and Fulton. Brajone Dabney (8 PPG, 4 Reb) should be the leader for the Cardinals. This also is a team that sometimes will start slow due to a deep run by their football team. 8. St. Mary (14-17). Key Losses - Daniel Willett (8 PPG, 5 Rebs) This is a sleeper team and I wonder if I should have them higher on this ranking. The Vikings have a Junior trio of Luke Sims (14 PPG), Mikel Owen (13 PPG), Brett Haas (9 PPG) and they also have several Seniors who will provide some depth. I think the clashes between the Vikings and the Tornado will be very interesting this year! 9. Marshall Co. (20-11). Key Losses - Wade Moore (13 PPG), Trey Wall (7 PPG), Hunter Wallace (6 PPG) Many people (including me) under-estimated the Marshals last year and is it possible that I am doing that again this year? Alex Staples (9 PPG) should lead the scoring for the Marshals and Logan Parker (5 PPG, 5 Reb) is another player to watch. Unfortunately for the Marshals I think it will be quite an uphill climb to make the Region tourney with Murray and Calloway having such strong rosters. 10. Ballard Co. (20-11). Key Losses - Kam English (10 PPG) If you're playing the Bombers you'd better guard Jace Birney. He scored 20 points per game last season. Could these Bombers make it out of the 3rd District? I think it's possible. 11. Community Christian Acad. (18-12) 12. Hickman Co. (14-16) 13. Fulton Co. (11-12) 14. Christian Fellowship (6-23) 15. Fulton City (3-23) What do you think of my rankings? Please let me know what you'd change. D Wolf

Is there any truth to the Warren East coaches taunting the PT players before their game? I didn’t know if anyone could verify that.

Marshall’s soccer programs are very good and I swear some years their soccer roster is bigger than the football roster.

Z Carman is 6’6” and led the Tigers with 9 rebounds per game last season. That’s gotta be hard to stop!

Breaking bad news… no catfish sandwiches tonight.

Last matchup between these 2 was in October of 2008, and ACS actually won that one 28-10. PT won the previous 3 matchups in 2007, 2002 and 2001.

That part about Mustangs wrapping up their 2A District 1 schedule made me chuckle inside. Thanks very much for that.

TilghmanPride - I sure hope you get to feeling better too! I really like it when you’re at these games

TilghmanPride - do you happen to know the status of M Carter Jr (C4) for this game? I thought he just had leg cramps but I believe he went back to the locker room in the 4th quarter.

As to the Gridiron Glory Top 10 (voted on by area coaches): PT had #10 - Daniels (OL), #6 - Ragsdale (DB), #5 - James (QB) Mayfield had #8 - Cartwright (QB), #4 - Biggers (WR/DB), #3 - Dabney (WR/DB), #1 - Starks (RB) Pretty crazy that PT and Mayfield had 7 of the Top 10 players. And of course M Carter Jr. wasn't considered for this since he is a transfer in.

TilghmanPride - does PT have any other notable injuries other than Mooney? Is D Ragsdale healthy? I think he got banged up a little against the Mustangs.

I do not know what they are doing for practice this week. The Paducah schools are building a Head Start building that has a gym and indoor turf that will serve a dual purpose of recreation for the Head Start kids and also a practice facility. The original plan was for it to be ready by August 2023 (start of school) but there have been some construction delays (something about electrical supplies or something). Now the opening date is expected to be January. I don't know if the athletic facility will open before January but it does not look ready yet. I also don't really know how big we're talking here. I've seen some drawings, but I am not sure how much of a football field it will have. Surely not an entire football field, but I guess big enough where they can hold some football practice in there.

I heard through the grapevine that PT will be missing one of its very good linebackers. It is one of the Mooney brothers - I believe it is Chris. He is out for around 6 weeks, but at least is not out for the entire season.