D Wolf

Does Tilghman Pride (or anyone) know if everything got worked out for the eligibility of the two transfers from Chattanooga? I assume there would not be any issues, but with transferring basically 10 days ago I didn't know how quickly those things got worked out. I believe that Carter (C4!) will play on Saturday, but I did not know for certain. Can anyone confirm?

I can vouch for the quality of Cardiologists in Paducah. Just through hearsay.

Presenting this without any commentary... https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/aug/02/brainerd-4-star-athlete-martels-carter-jr/ Ok a little - seems like quite a solid transfer! Lots of quality scholarship offers.

Cool to see 3 KY teams on there! I believe PT is at 812. At least I think so.

As to the state titles - I drove past their football stadium today: 43 Track (boys & Girls) 4 Football 2 Golf 2 Cross Country 1 Wrestling (last year) 3 Baseball - they are counting their 2A Titles in 2021 & 2022. Is that cheating? I don't know. Maybe not.

43 state titles in track. 4 in football. I don’t think they have any in basketball. I think mainly golf and cross country have the others. Not sure about baseball?

Yes that’s correct J White graduated. I spoke to a member of the PT coaching staff and they are not very concerned. They basically said that they feel like PT will always have RB talent no matter what.

I heard through the grapevine that Malachi Rider is transferring to a school in Missouri. I don’t know the details about why he is transferring. A big loss for the Tornado as he was a big back for them (but injured for much of last season). Does anyone know who will be the next RB up for PT?

I don't know any details, but it is my understanding that he is moving back to where he began high school. That is a loss because he was one of their top scorers and shooters. I struggled on whether to put Calloway or Murray at the top ranking - it was a difficult choice for me. Ultimately I went with the Tigers.

First - congrats to the Warren Central Dragons! What a great season of basketball! I thought I'd give a "Way Too Early" Top 10 for Region 1. I think that Murray and Calloway most definitely have the most experience returning, and rankings 3 through 10 have a lot of unknowns. Feel free to respond with any thoughts that you have. Here's my Too Early Rankings: 1. Murray (22-9) - the Tigers played two-thirds of the year without Whitaker, and they played pretty good. They have a lot of guys returning with experience! 2. Calloway Co. (21-10) - the Lakers did not finish the season like they wanted to, but they have the best current Sophomore trio returning in Finley, Butler and Lockhart. Remember that this is a team that almost won the state 2A Championship. 3. McCracken Co. (28-6) - they lose 6 or their 8 top scorers, but let's be honest - this program has the ability to reload each year. Miller and Klope are the two players who have significant varsity experience. 4. Graves Co. (11-20) - It looks like they only lose one key senior, and this team was much better than it's 11-20 record. It feels like this program is on the upswing. 5. Mayfield (26-6) - Two key losses in their big men from this last year. However, they still have some returning guards who are very good. 6. Paducah Tilghman (21-11) - The losses of Powell and Shaw will hurt quite a bit. Current Freshman Miles Woodfork is a name to watch over the next few years. Also Josh Campbell - very athletic! 7. Carlisle Co. (17-15) - I don't think they lose anybody from a team who made the Region 1 semifinals. This is also a program that seems to be on the rise with some solid youth. 8. St. Mary (14-17) - A sleeper team for sure because they return three quality Sophomores in Sims, Mikel and Haas. Will this be the year that the Vikings make it out of the 2nd District? Quality depth is a question mark. 9. Marshall Co. (20-11) - I badly underestimated the Marshals this season. Am I doing it again??? Staples is a good returning player, but they lose a lot of senior production. Also, very tough district matchups against the Tigers and Lakers. 10. Ballard Co. (20-11) - Watch out for Jace Birney again next season. Should be another fun year in the 1st Region! D Wolf.

Hi it's D Wolf from the 1st Region. I don't know anything about Elizabethtown, but I thought it might be good if I told you about some of the Mustangs' top players. These are in order starting with the top scorers: Jack McCune - 6-4 Senior. 18 ppg, 7.4 rpg. This was the Purchase Area Region 1 Player of the Year and I don't think it was close. One of the Region 1 coaches called McCune a "matchup problem" and I totally agree. He can dominate smaller defenders down low, and if you put a bigger/slower defender on him he can drive the ball very well too. He shot 41% from 3, and he makes about 1.5 3s per game. An all-around solid player. Ian Hart - 6-6 Senior. 12 ppg, 6 rpg. He's 6-6 but he's really primarily a jump shooter from when I watched him (didn't see him do much in the post). Shoots 37% from 3, and made about one per game. A very good defender. Riherds doesn't include blocks stats, but I think he had quite a few of them this season. Hart has had some injury issues both this year and last, but I believe he is totally healthy right now. Carson Purvis - 6-1 Senior. 11 ppg, 42% from 3. A shooter. I might should just stop there. He's a very good shooter, and if you help off of him then he's going to knock down jump shots. Connor Miller - 5-11 Junior. 9 ppg, 4 rpg. Unfortunately I did not get to see him play this year, but I have heard that he is very good. He battled a lower-leg injury this season, but I believe he is healthy now. Miller shoots 37% from 3 and makes about one per game. Jack Bradley - 5-11 Senior. 5 ppg. He's an excellent ball handler and also a very good perimeter defender. Doesn't shoot it like Purvis does, but he still can make outside shots at a decent clip. Jackson Klope - 6-5 Freshman. 5 ppg, 5 rpg. Not your average Freshman because he has excellent size. For the longest time the KHSAA roster said he was 5-7 (some sort of practical joke I assume). Klope is tough to keep off the boards! There are times when McCracken has McCune, Hart, and Klope on the floor together and with 6-4, 6-6, 6-5 - that's good size for a high school team. Hopefully that will let you know what you're looking at. Both Venable and Bridges also give them some energy off the bench and they typically will rotate 8 players. It's important to note that 6 of their top 8 scorers are Seniors (a veteran team!) I have a feeling it will be a great game. What an awesome time of the year!

Welcome to March Madness! How about those Mayfield Cardinals!!! Murray had handily beaten them earlier in the season, but Mayfield kept yesterday's semifinals close and caught the Tigers in the 4th quarter. Today's game with Mayfield and McCracken County I believe will once again be a low scoring affair. Neither of these teams like to push the pace at all. Key Players for Mayfield: *Sam Stone, 6-4 Senior - scores 11 points a game with 6 rebounds *Nolan Fulton, 6-4 Senior - scores 11 points a game with 5 rebounds *Owen Webb, 5-9 Soph. scores 9 points a game. Averages two 3s per game. Shoots 38% from 3 *Brajone Dabney, 5-10 Junior. scores 8 points per game Key Players for McCracken Co. *Jack McCune, 6-4 Senior. Region 1 Player of the Year. Scores 18 points a game with 7 rebounds. Shoots 40% from 3 with 1.5 makes per game *Carson Purvis, 6-1 Senior. scores 11 points a game. Makes almost 2 3s per game shooting 43% from deep *Ian Hart, 6-6 Senior. Scores 12 points a game with 6 rebounds. A shot blocker. McCracken easily won the previous matchup 55-37, but this Cardinals team is playing much better - they have improved as the season went on and they have won 12 games straight. Game is at 2:30 and should be a good one. I think that McCracken is a slight favorite, but Mayfield is hot right now, and I think they can keep the game close.

Games start at 1 today at Murray State. Honestly it’s looking like it will be a rubber match of the 1st Region finals (the Tigers won the matchup last year and the Mustangs won in 2021). Mayfield is the more likely of the other two teams to prevent the Murray/McCracken matchup. #1 Murray vs #3 Mayfield - Murray won the December matchup between these 2 by a score of 57-39 and that was before the return of Grant Whitaker. But remember that Mayfield has won 11 games straight. This one may be the first team to 30 wins as both teams seem to like to play at a slow pace. I was impressed with how big the Tigers are - even their guards have size. I think the Tigers are a clear favorite in this one. #2 McCracken Co. vs #7 Carlisle Co. - the Comets benefited from a good draw and upset Graves Co on Thursday. I think that the Mustangs will be too much for them and Carlisle will need a big day from Zack Grogan to keep it close. I think that Region 1 Player of the Year Jack McCune and the Mustangs will win this one, and perhaps by a big margin. Should be fun! The winners face off on Sunday afternoon.

I have a feeling that the Mustangs get the win tonight. I think that Hart makes a big difference with his size and defense. Probably will be a close one though!

JP - do you know if Conner Miller will be available for the Marshall game Thursday? He did not play in the District finals, but I had heard they were trying to heal him up for regionals.

Tilghman finished 2nd in the 3A in 2021. They narrowly lost to Belfry in the championship. Then last year they lost to CAL 30-24 in the quarterfinals, and they had the ball twice with a chance to win the game. CAL went on to win their final two games by scores of 50-7 and 38-0. Tilghman returns their QB, their 1st string RB, and several WRs from that team, but they do have some holes to fill on their lines of scrimmage and defense. I honestly don't know much about 4A and I realize it will be a big step up for Tilghman. However, I think next year's team may be even better than the previous two teams. I agree that it looks like a very tough district and the jump to 4A is a big one.

First, here's what happened this week in the districts: 1st District - Semis - Carlisle Co. W 75-40 vs Fulton City, Hickman Co. W 79-52 vs Fulton Co. Championship - Carlisle Co W 69-54 vs Hickman Co. 2nd District - Semis - McCracken Co. W 87-48 vs CCA, Tilghman W 85-57 vs St. Mary Championship - McCracken Co. W 53-42 vs Tilghman 3rd District - Semi - Graves Co. W 55-52 vs Ballard Mem. Championship - Mayfield W 47-37 vs Graves Co. 4th District - Semis - Murray W 83-52 vs CFS, Marshall Co. W 58-53 vs Calloway Co. Championship - Murray W 60-57 vs Marshall Co. I really believe that Murray and McCracken have separated themselves from the rest of the 1st Region. Can they be beaten by one of the other six teams? Absolutely! But I think most people are expecting a repeat of the Tigers and Mustangs in the finals (luckily they are on opposite sides of the draw). Here are my rankings of the 8 remaining teams. 1. Murray (21-8) 2. McCracken (26-5) 3. Mayfield (24-5) 4. Paducah Tilghman (21-10) 5. Marshall Co. (20-10) 6. Graves Co. (11-19) 7. Carlisle Co. (16-14) 8. Hickman Co. (14-15) The quarterfinals are Wednesday and Thursday and here is my preview of those games (using the above rankings). #1 Murray vs #4 Tilghman - Wednesday at 6. This is one of the more intriguing quarterfinal games. Tilghman had a lot of trouble with McCracken's size and the Tigers are also blessed with quite a bit of length. These two teams were scheduled to play this season but Mother Nature interfered with some inclement weather. I was looking over Murray's scoring and they have six players who average between 7 and 12 points per game - Whitaker, English, Watson, Wilson, Carmen, and May. Tilghman's guard duo of Powell and Shaw will have to be really special for the Tornado to win this one, and I look for the Tigers to advance to the semifinals. #3 Mayfield vs #8 Hickman Co. - Wednesday 2nd game. Mayfield is peaking at the right time and I don't think they will have much trouble with the Falcons. Sam Stone scored 17 and Nolan Fulton chipped in 14 in the Cardinals win over the Eagles for the 3rd District Championship. #2 McCracken Co. vs #5 Marshall Co. - Thursday at 6. Another very interesting quarterfinal as the Marshals were only one of two Region 1 teams to defeat the Mustangs this year (the other was Murray). Two things are important to note. First - the Mustangs' loss to the Marshals was on the road. Second - Ian Hart did not play in the first game between these two and he's a very important player for the Mustangs. I think this will be a very close game, but I expect the Mustangs to come out on top. Wade Moore has really been scoring lately for the Marshals, and I think if he gets hot then there's some upset potential here. #6 Graves Co. vs #7 Carlisle Co. - Thursday 2nd game. A good draw for the Eagles as they beat the Comets 70-39 just a couple weeks ago. I think the Eagles are the clear favorite in this one. Don't forget that the Comets have a very young team and I look for them to be a true regional contender in the next couple years.

It looks like English played last night in the 4th District finals. You are correct - McCracken and Murray are the cream of the crop in the 1st Region but I think at least 3 other teams have a shot at the title.

We have a change at the top with Murray going to McCracken and pulling off the road victory. This week and next should be very exciting. Here are the district matchups: 1st District - hosted by Carlisle County. Championship is Friday Mon - #1 Carlisle Co. vs #4 Fulton City Tues - #2 Hickman Co. vs #3 Hickman Co. 2nd District - hosted by McCracken County. Championship is Thursday Mon - #1 McCracken Co. vs #4 CCA Tues - #2 Tilghman vs #3 St. Mary 3rd District - hosted by Mayfield. Championship is Thursday Tues - #2 Graves Co. vs #3 Ballard Mem. 4th District - hosted by Marshall County. Championship is Thursday Mon - #1 Murray vs #4 CFS Tues - #2 Marshall Co. vs #3 Calloway Co. (Region 1 Game of the Week!) Here are my rankings: 1. Murray (19-8) - W 71-33 vs Fulton Co., W 44-41 at McCracken Co., W 78-57 vs Carlisle Co. Great road win at McCracken on Tuesday night. Grant Whitaker led the way with 16 points in that game, and Drew May chipped in 15. The Tigers are 7-1 since Whitaker's return with the only loss to Evangel Christian in the All A State Tourney. I don't expect them to have much trouble with CFS, and they are a definite favorite to win the 4th District. 2. McCracken Co. (24-5) - L 41-44 vs Murray First - congrats to Jack McCune on KABC Region 1 Player of the Year. Well deserved! I really believe that Murray and McCracken are in a tier above the rest of the 1st Region. I'm not saying that none of the other teams have a shot at the 1st Region title. I'm simply saying that Murray and McCracken are the two top favorites. The Mustangs lost the 2nd District finals to Tilghman last year and I know they are looking to prevent that from happening this Thursday night. 3. Paducah Tilghman (20-9) - L 50-53 (OT) at University Heights, W 61-58 at Caldwell Co. Tilghman had better not sleep on the Vikings on Tuesday night. Assuming they can pull that one out - they will need to do a better job on McCune. He averaged 27 points per game in the two wins over the Tornado. 4. Mayfield (23-5) - W 48-46 at Calloway Co., W 55-30 vs Livingston Central The Cardinals seem to be peaking at the right time, and I look for them to win the 3rd District title. I expected this team to get better as the season progressed, and it looks like that is what they are doing. 5. Marshall Co. (19-9) - L 63-70 at Webster Co. The Marshals host the 4th District tourney, and is that the difference that gets them to regionals? They beat the Lakers last week, and I look for this one to go down to the wire. That's why it's my 1st Region Game of the Week! 6. Calloway Co. (21-9) - W 88-70 at Ballard Mem., L 46-48 vs Mayfield I keep going back and forth on who I expect to win in the 4th District semi-finals. Could Eli Finley be the difference? He's averaging 21 PPG for the Lakers. 7. Graves Co. (10-18) - W 70-39 vs Carlisle Co. This is another team that seems to be playing it's best basketball, and I wouldn't want to play them in the 1st round of the regional tourney. 8. Ballard Memorial (20-10) - L 70-88 vs Calloway Co., W 83-42 vs Fulton City, W 79-68 at Trigg Co. Two games against the Eagles and two buzzer-beater losses. It's hard to beat a good team three times in a season, and could it be the Bombers who represent the 3rd District instead of Graves? 9. St. Mary (14-16) - W 68-53 vs Crittenden Co., W 95-69 at CFS, W 86-51 vs Fort Campbell The Vikings have two excellent Sophomores in Luke Sims and Owen Mikel. I look for them to jump up the rankings next season. And if they get hot on Tuesday night it could be a tight one against Tilghman. 10. Carlisle Co. (14-14) L 39-70 at Graves Co., L 57-78 at Murray The Comets host the 1st District Tourney and I think they are the favorite. 11. Community Christian Acad. (18-11) - Awesome season! They set a CCA record for most wins in a season. 12. Fulton Co. (11-11) 13. Hickman Co. (13-14) 14. Christian Fellowship School (6-22) 15. Fulton City (3-22)

This is very good to see - thank you Jackson Purchase!

I know that Tilghman went on a 12-2 run to close the game, and the margin was around 15-20 during some of the 2nd half. Powell for Tilghman did not play in some of the 1st half but returned in the 2nd half. I think he got poked in the eye.

The 4th District finished with Murray, Calloway and Marshall all tied at 4-2. All three of the teams split with each other. I don't know how it was decided, but Murray has the 1 seed (will play Christian Fellowship) and Marshall and Calloway have the 2/3 seeds. It's a shame that one of those two teams will not make the 1st Region Tourney as I have both as Top 5 teams in the region. If there's one District semifinal to watch or follow - the Calloway at Marshall matchup would be the one for me. Key Games this Week: Mon - Calloway Co. at Ballard Mem. Tues - Murray at McCracken Co. (1st Region Game of the Week), Mayfield at Calloway Co., Tilghman at Univ. Heights, Carlisle Co. at Graves Co. Thurs - Murray at Carlisle Co. Here are my rankings: 1. McCracken Co. (24-4) - W 58-38 vs Calloway Co., W 65-44 vs Graves Co., L 52-63 Christian Co. Are the Mustangs late-night partying hard on Friday nights before games against the 2nd Region? Christian Co. is a very good team, but I did not expect the Mustangs to lose that one. However, I still have McCracken as the region's top-ranked team after an impressive win over Calloway and also a pretty easy win over Graves on Senior Night. 2. Murray (16-8) - W 63-50 vs Marshall Co., W 79-55 vs Camden Central (TN), W 84-39 at CFS I have decided to evaluate this Tigers team only since Whitaker has returned and they have passed all of the tests so far. We will get a chance to see where they are when they travel to McCracken on Valentine's Day. If you haven't decided where to take your date yet - how about a basketball game featuring the 1st and 2nd ranked teams in the First Region (then Applebee's of course). 3. Paducah Tilghman (19-8) - W 78-62 vs St. Mary, L 59-68 at Warren Central Both Mian Shaw and Jayvion Powell got their 1,000th point this season. This 1/2 punch is a very effective one, and I think both of these players will be All Region. It would be great if the Tornado could develop a reliable 3rd scorer and there are several candidates. They have an interesting test this week at University Heights before district play begins. 4. Calloway Co. (20-8) - L 38-58 at McCracken Co., L 67-76 at Marshall Co. This Lakers team was rolling around the time of the 2A State Championship. A win over DeSales and then a narrow OT loss to Lexington Catholic. Since then they have had some struggles, and it's important to remember that three of their main players are Sophomores. I still think the Lakers have the talent to win the First Region title, and I think it's just a matter of if they can string together a couple of solid wins. 5. Marshall Co. (19-8) - L 50-63 at Murray, W 76-67 vs Calloway Co. I believe that the Marshals host this year's 4th District tourney, and that will be a great opportunity for them to hopefully punch their ticket to the 1st Region tourney. I think that first-year coach Donohoo is one of the favorites for 1st Region Coach of the Year. 6. Mayfield (21-5) - W 69-50 at Carlisle Co., W 78-21 vs Cairo (IL), W 72-44 Union Co. I have the Cardinals ranked 6th, but there is honestly not much separation between teams four through six in these rankings. They are the clear favorite in the 3rd District tourney. 7. Graves Co. (9-18) W 62-60 vs Ballard Mem. (OT), L 44-65 at McCracken Co. Two games against the Bombers and two buzzer-beater wins! I've said this before, but I will again - this team is much better than their 9-18 record. 8. Ballard Memorial (18-9) - L 60-62 (OT) at Graves Co., W 64-57 vs. St. Mary The Bombers will get a third shot at the Eagles, and maybe the third time is the charm. It's obvious that there is not much separation between these two teams. 9. St. Mary (11-16) - L 62-78 at Tilghman, W 72-53 vs Fulton Co., L 57-64 at Ballard Mem., L 49-50 Muhlenberg Co. This is another team that has a very talented Sophomore class. I look for the Vikings to move up these rankings next season. And the Tornado better not look past them in the 2nd district tournament. 10. Carlisle Co. (14-12) - L 50-69 vs Mayfield, W 76-46 at Liv. Central, W 77-68 vs Fulton Co., W 73-65 Crittenden Co. The Comets win over Fulton Co secured them the #1 seed in the 1st District. 11. Comm. Christian Academy (16-11) 12. Hickman Co. (11-14) 13. Fulton Co. (10-9) 14. Christian Fellowship (6-19) 15. Fulton City (3-19)

I saw on Twitter that Murray is the 1 seed but I am not sure how this was determined. Perhaps - Mascot that would most likely win in an Octagon???

It looks like the 4th District has ended in a 3-way tie at the top. Each of Calloway, Marshall and Murray split with each other. Do any of y’all know how these 3-way ties are broken? The #1 seed will be a really big deal!

Murray is back! Great win at Calloway! Key games this week: Tues - Calloway Co. at McCracken Co. (Region 1 Game of the Week), Marshall Co. at Murray, St. Mary at Tilghman, Mayfield at Carlisle Co. Fri - Graves Co. at McCracken Co., Calloway Co. at Marshall Co., Fulton Co. at Carlisle Co. Sat - Tilghman at Warren Central Here are my rankings: 1. McCracken Co. (22-3) - W 61-50 at Tilghman, L 39-47 Henderson Co. I'm giving the Mustangs a pass for their loss against Henderson - it is my understanding that they had some players out nursing some nagging injuries (nothing serious though I believe). Tilghman could not guard Jack McCune on Friday night. He had 28 points on 10 for 13 shooting. When Tilghman had a big on him - he would easily drive and make a layup. When Tilghman put a guard on him then he went to the block and posted up for an easy bucket. McCune is an excellent outside shooter too, and that's why I believe he will end up being the 1st Region Player of the Year. Tilghman led that game for most of the first 3 quarters, and then McCune took over late. 2. Murray (13-8) - W 42-41 at Calloway Co. Grant Whitaker has returned and Murray got a very nice road win this week. If you'll remember - I had Murray as 1st in my preseason rankings, but missing Whitaker really hurt them early in the season. I think they are one of the best teams in the Region upon his return. 3. Calloway Co. (19-6) - L 41-42 vs Murray, W 60-37 vs St. Mary Tough loss to Murray but then a nice bounce-back to easily defeat the Vikings. The Lakers get a shot at the Mustangs on Tuesday and I made that my 1st Region Game of the Week. If Finley and Butler get hot then I think the Lakers have a chance in that game. Then on Friday the Lakers travel to Marshall, and that's a tough place to play. 4. Paducah Tilghman (18-7) - L 61-50 vs McCracken Co., W 70-65 vs Marshall Co. As I mentioned above - Tilghman needs to do a better job guarding Jack McCune, but that's much easier said than done. The Tornado had an 11-point lead in the 3rd quarter before McCune took over the game. An excellent win the next night to sweep the Marshals on the season. Tilghman heads to Warren Central on Saturday - what a test! 5. Mayfield (18-5) - W 47-39 vs Graves Co., W 83-58 at Crittenden County The Cardinals won the Battle of the Birds in a close one. That means that the Cardinals will get the one seed in the 3rd District and will get to avoid Ballard or Graves in the semifinals. 6. Marshall Co. (18-7) - W 62-20 vs CFS, L 65-70 at Tilghman Who will get the #1 seed in the 4th District? Your guess is as good as mine as all of Marshall, Calloway and Murray have pretty similar district records right now. The Marshals will host the Lakers on Friday in a very important district game. 7. Graves Co. (8-17) - L 39-47 at Mayfield Lately the Eagles have had some very close games in the 1st Region, but just can't seem to pull out the wins. I still think this is a very dangerous team that I would not qant to play in the first round of the Region 1 tournament. 8. Carlisle Co. (11-11) - W 83-76 vs Ballard Mem., L 55-62 at CCA A nice home win against the Bombers followed up by a tough loss to Comm. Chirstian Academy. Friday night is a key 1st District game as the Comets host Fulton County. 9. Ballard Mem. (17-8) - L 76-83 at Carlisle Co. This Bombers team really scores a lot of points! Jace Birney is averaging 19 points per game this season. 10. St. Mary (10-13) - L 37-60 at Calloway Earlier in the year the Vikings gave Tilghman all they wanted before Tilghman pulled out the narrow win in the end. Can the Vikings spoil Tilghman's Senior Night on Tuesday? 11. Hickman Co. (8-14) 12. Fulton Co. (10-7) 13. Community Chirstian Acad. (13-11) 14. Christian Fellowship (5-16) 15. Fulton City (3-16)