PTown Dad

The Sun said it was a 5-point game at half. That must’ve been a brutal 2nd half for the Cardinals!

Yes I would definitely say you are correct. I think they can get it fixed but it may be awhile. Their outside shooting is not very good right now.

I’m interested to see how Murray does tonight hosting the Marshals. They’ve been really impressive in their wins but this is a massive step up in competition from the last 4 games. Can the Tigers keep it interesting?

Let's start with some Tiers. I reserve the right to change these from week to week: Tier 1 - McCracken & Marshall - if these teams stay healthy I don't think teams from the lower Tiers will beat them. Tier 2 - Graves & Calloway - A slight separation from Tier 3 here. Tier 3 - Mayfield, St. Mary, Carlisle, Murray, Tilghman - I'm keeping the Tornado in this one for now. Tier 4 - Everyone else. Key games this week: Tues - Marshall at Murray (PTown Dad's Game of the Week), Mayfield at McCracken, Tilghman at Calloway (Section 1 2A quarterfinal), Ballard Mem at Hickman Thursday - Crittnden at St. Mary (beginning of St. Mary Classic) Friday - Murray at Calloway Here are this week's rankings: 1. McCracken Co. (4-0) - W 71-66 (OT) at Marshall, W 75-68 DuPont Manual The game at Marshall lived up to it's hype. Matthew Langhi for Marshall hit a buzzer-beater three to force the game into OT, but the Mustangs were too much in the Overtime. How about 31 points for Miles Woodfork! Garrett Miller also chipped in 18 points. This team has so many weapons. Will they lose a First Region game this season? 2. Marshall Co. (4-1) - W 81-54 vs Calloway, L 66-71 vs McCracken, W 78-56 Northwest (TN) It looks like on offense this team will be a three-headed monster. Langhi could average more than 30 this season. Neyland Jezik is really shooting the ball very well from downtown. Ryan Stokes does most of his damage in the lane. I look for the Marshals to keep cruising. 3. Graves Co. (3-2) - W 64-63 vs Calloway, W 39-30 vs St. Mary, L 58-77 West Creek (TN) The Eagles have four guards averaging double figures, and remember that they have not lost to a Kentucky team yet this season. And yes, I did confirm that the game against the Vikings did go for all four quarters. 4. Calloway Co. (3-3) - L 63-64 at Graves, L 43-58 West Creek (TN), L 59-67 Obion Central (TN) The Lakers hung around the whole game at Graves but couldn't pull out the win. Luke Armstrong had 22 points and 15 boards in that game. The Friday game is the Crosstown Classic - will the Lakers take care of business at home? 5. Mayfield (2-1) - W 80-28 vs Fulton City Senior guard Owen Byrd is leading the way for the Cardinals, and he's averaging 19 ppg. On Tuesday they travel to McCracken, and I think they have the pieces to keep that game interesting. These Cardinals have two Freshmen in Morris and Eubanks who are contributing quite a bit. 6. St. Mary (2-3) - W 60-58 (OT) at Ballard Mem., L 30-39 at Graves The Vikings trailed late at Ballard, but then freshman Griffin Mayes took over the game. He finished with 19 points in that contest. They host their holiday tournament this week and I think they have a good chance of coming out on top. 7. Carlisle Co. (4-2) - L 54-81 at Marshall, W 59-33 at Hickman, W 84-49 vs University School of Jackson (TN) Wyatt Rickard is averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Comets. And if Riherds kept blocks I would assume that he is also averaging a few of those a game too. 8. Murray (4-1) - W 96-22 vs Fulton City, W 93-33 vs Fulton Co., W 93-36 The Tigers margin in their four wins is averaging more than 60 points! That's extremely impressive even though the opponents haven't been much to deal with. We will find out a lot more about the Tigers this week as they take on the Marshals on Tuesday and then the Lakers on Friday. 9. Paducah Tilghman (0-4) - L 47-65 vs Henderson, L 50-68 at Carbondale (IL), L 65-74 Apollo Who put together Coach Davis' first-year schedule? Beelzebub? They started at Carlisle in a game where Rickard was dominant. Then they hosted Henderson County who looks like they have simply reloaded since their regional title last season. Then they traveled to perennial Illinois power Carbondale. Then they battled a tough Apollo team with another dominant big man. I look for PT to take care of business against CCA, and then they will have a good barometer game when they travel to Calloway for their 2A quarterfinal game. 10. Ballard Memorial (1-2) - L 58-60 vs St. Mary, W 45-43 vs CFS Ike Miller had 20 points and 10 boards in their quality win against Christian Fellowship. 11. Christian Fellowship (5-2) - Team Grigg! Elijah is scoring 24 points per game. 12. Hickman Co. (3-2) - Ny Irons is averaging 18 and 8. Will this be the other team that comes out of the 1st District? 13. Fulton Co. (1-4) - Nice win over CCA by 35! 14. Community Christian Academy (1-5) - Two Sophomores - Jonah Anderson and Brandon DeJarnett - lead the team in scoring. 15. Fulton City (0-5) - The Bulldogs travel to Carlisle on Tuesday. I always like to see what others think. What would you change in these rankings.

Can someone tell me what’s going on with Madisonville this season. I saw they had a pretty big home loss to Caldwell this week. Such a great program historically. Did they lose some players to neighboring schools?

I’ve got some bad news in that the McCracken at Marshall game will not be on YouTube tonight. I saw something where the Marshall Media Arts team has a conflict tonight. Bummer - they do a very good job. Listened to Mr. Region 1’s (B. York) podcast yesterday and his rankings were 1-McCracken, 2-Marshall, 3-Graves, 4-Calloway, 5-Murray. He said that Carlisle, St. Mary and Mayfield were right there near the 4/5 also.

The 1st Region has a Holiday Treat for you on Thursday night. The #1 Mustangs travel to Reed Conder to take on the #2 Marshals! I think I give a slight edge to the Mustangs based on their balanced scoring attack, but Matthew Langhi is a force to be reckoned with. Reed Conder is one of the nicest gyms in Western Kentucky. But, if you can't make the trip I'm pretty sure that Marshall will stream the game on YouTube. The game is Thursday night at 7:30 CST. I'm already struggling with my rankings 4 through 9. Could the number 9 team knock off #4? I think they could! There will be lots of movement in this range of rankings this season. Key games this week: Monday - Murray at UHA Tuesday - Carlisle at Marshall, Calloway at Graves, Henderson Co. at Tilghman, St. Mary at Ballard Mem. Thursday - McCracken at Marshall (PTown Dad's Game of the Week) Friday - St. Mary at Graves, Carlisle at Hickman Saturday - Marshall vs DuPont Manual Here are my rankings: 1. McCracken Co. (2-0) - W 101-27 vs CCA, W 78-58 Fairdale I brainstormed to try and think of any weakness for the Mustangs but I couldn't come up with any. Maybe not enough balls for everyone to shoot? This team is very balanced, but will most likely be led in scoring by Woodfork. Jackson Klope is already averaging double figures in rebounds. So many notable players on this team! 2. Marshall Co. (2-0) - W 65-47 vs Sterlington (LA), W 81-42 vs Clinton Co. Is it too early to discuss Matthew Langhi for Mr. Basketball? Do they give that award to Juniors? I think he will most likely average around 30 ppg this year. He has some nice complementary players around him too. Ryan Stokes does so much for this team that does not show up on Riherds. Jezik is a solid shooter. Can they keep the game close against the Mustangs on Thursday? I think it will be interesting. 3. Graves Co. (1-1) - L 55-72 McEachern (GA), W 63-61 Hopkinsville The Eagles have a solid four-guard lineup, which is led by Ty Cavette. I think they will miss Waller some, but we shall see how much. I think they should get the two wins at home this week, but both the Lakers and Vikings have tough teams. 4. Calloway Co. (2-0) - W 69-65 at St. Mary, W 62-60 vs LEAD Academy (TN) Every year I underestimate a team in my preseason rankings and this year I think it was the Lakers. They lost a lot of production from last season but it seems they just reloaded. The Lakers had a very nice road win on the Holy Hardwood. Luke Armstrong is a matchup problem for opposing teams. He's 6-5 and he's strong and he can score from about anywhere. The Vikings defense had to pay so much attention to him that their shooters got some nice looks. 5. Mayfield (1-1) - W 90-61 vs Fulton Co., L 55-56 Hopkinsville I think the jury is still out on this Cardinals team but they have a nice balance of veterans and youth. They always schedule somewhat light early in the year and this season is no exception. 6. St. Mary (1-2) - L 65-69 vs Calloway, W 59-54 at Carlisle, L 57-81 Atherton Tough loss to begin the season, but the win at Carlisle was pretty impressive! How about Freshman Jack Griffith scoring 22 points in the game against the Comets. I really think the Vikings need some guys to step up beyond Mayes, Nichols and Puckett, and Griffith is someone that they need to make an impact. Griffin Mayes is worth the price of admission! I may have already told you - he's one of the top Freshmen in KY. 7. Carlisle Co. (2-1) - L 54-59 vs St. Mary, W 74-59 vs PT, W 62-42 Robinson (IL) I feel like the Comets should be higher than this, but I don't know what to do about that. The loss to the Vikings surprised me but I think they had some foul trouble and the Vikings shot the lights out. I can see why Wyatt Rickard has some Division 1 offers. He's 6-9 and he blocks and alters lots of shots. He can shoot the 3 and he handles the ball pretty well for his size. This Comets team has a very impressive Junior class. 8. Murray (0-1) - L 64-84 at Lyon Co. The Tigers hung with Lyon for three quarters before the Lions pulled away. It appears that Murray will be without the services of QB Wyatt Robbins this season since he was injured in the 3A semifinal game. I hate it very much for that young man. This team will be the Mitchell and Harris show this year and they are more than capable of winning some games. 9. Tilghman (0-1) - L 59-74 at Carlisle The Tornado is currently missing some key guys and we will have to wait and see what happens there. But no worries - this team still has lots of athletic guards. Can the Tornado knock off some Region 1 teams this season? Absolutely! They have a tough home test against Henderson on Tuesday night. 10. Hickman Co. (3-0) - W 68-53 vs Trigg Co., W 65-43 vs S. Fulton (TN), W 69-37 vs. Crittenden Co. What a great start by the Cardinals! I think I saw it was their first win over Trigg County in 13 tries. It looks like we might see this team at CFSB for the regional tournament! 11. Christian Fellowship (3-1) - Elijah Grigg can really score the basketball! 12. Ballard Memorial (0-1) - A slow start for the Bombers but they get a shot at the Vikings on Tuesday night. At home! 13. Community Christian Acad. (0-4) - This team is pretty young and they have some players. DeJarnett can light up the scoreboard. 14. Fulton Co. (0-2) - The battle of the Fultons comes up early in January. Who you got? 15. Fulton City (0-1) - It would be great if this team could avoid the four seed in District 1.

I’m pretty sure Murray’s QB Robbins is out for this game. I’m judging by the pep rally pic in the Sun - he has a full leg brace and is on crutches. I think it’s the coach’s son who will be the QB. A freshman I believe. Tough first game at QB!

Does anybody know if WR Cam Wade for PT is a junior or a senior? I swear I’ve seen it both ways. Wondering if he’ll be back next year for the Tornado.

I’m a PT guy but I’m going to give some props both ways. #6 for the Cougars had a Helle of a game! #1 can fly! I think their QB is pretty good too. Don’t think any of those guys are seniors too. They’ll be very good next year. For PT it seemed like #88 Orozco was in the backfield a lot! I’m also very impressed with Isaac James. He’s only a sophomore. Do y’all think he could play at the next level? I’m not sure how tall he will be so I’m not sure he could LB in college.

2 out of 3 ain’t bad! -Meat Loaf

Mayfield to Paducah is 30 minutes. Murray to Paducah is 50 minutes. I assume Mayfield to Murray is pretty darn close.

I saw the Region 1 Coaches Poll that the Courier Journal did: 1-McCracken, 2-Marshall, 3-Graves, 4-St. Mary, 5-Carlisle, 6-Murray, 7-Mayfield, 8-Calloway, 9-PT, 10-Ballard I believe all rankings that I have seen have the Mustangs at #1. And they’ve also all had the same three teams at the top although I saw one list with Graves at #2. Four through nine have been all over the place and this is the first list I’ve seen with Tilghman. I like St. Mary a lot and their top 3-4 are as talented as any in the region. The question mark I have with them is what is the rest of the roster like? They also are very young but Mayes is the real deal.

The first 2 rounds were on the PT Athletics YouTube channel I assume this will be the same.

I only know a few key offensive guys for Mayfield. How big is the loss of Torres? Does he play in the secondary? This time of year it’s so tough to lose key guys.

PT of course needs to take care of business first (Logan’s win over Etown was impressive!). But it looks like PT will be on the road for the semis. PT would need two of Boyle, Franklin and Highlands to lose in order to host the semi. I could maybe see Cov Cath knocking off Boyle. I just don’t see Franklin or Highlands losing these games at home.

I believe that the 3 transfers are from Meridian and they followed Coach Davis to PT. I think that either one or two of them will be starters. I think what you’ll see from PT is a lot of up-tempo pressing. They’ll probably give up some easy baskets here and there but they’ll hopefully get a lot of transition buckets too.

Is FS the double handoff team? I hadn’t seen that much but one team ran that like 15 times on PT.

I am assuming that PT’s 2nd string RB, Mason Copeland, is out for this game. He had been running well - sort of the Lightning to Wilson’s thunder. But I think PT has several options to pivot to. You might see McPike back there some. Crumble? Any chance at Issac James getting carries?

I always like to know what you guys think! I most likely have Mayfield higher than what others have predicted. The second team out of the 2nd District will be very interesting. I think that the Vikings have a more talented young core, but the Tornado will have plenty of quality depth.

Let’s start out by talking Tiers: Tier 1 - McCracken, Marshall and Graves - I think a very good chance the region champ is one of these three teams. Tier 2 - the teams ranked 4 through 9 below. I had a lot of trouble ordering these teams and I think you’ll see a lot of movement within them this year. Tier 3 - everyone else. The Bombers are the best of this tier but I think these teams are a notch below Tier 2. Here are PTown Dad’s Preseason Rankings. 1. McCracken Co (14-14) - let’s forget about last season! This mustangs team is loaded. The big matchup problem to me is Jackson Klope. He’s a strong 6-5 and handles the ball very well. Might have some double doubles this season. Miles Woodfork has transferred across town after averaging better than 20 ppg the last two years. His lefty floater is automatic. There’s almost too many “role players” to mention. Garrett Miller, Aaron Adams, Jay Martin. Others too! No holes in this team and I think they have the best chance at Rupp. 2. Marshall Co (29-3). For me Matthew Langhi is both the best Region 1 prospect and also the one who’s most likely to be the PoY. They lose three very good players who scored in double figures but you know the Marshals will have others coming up. Ryan Stokes is one of those players who does everything well except shoot and score. He’s an outstanding point guard. This team will be the class of the 4th District. 3. Graves Co. (19-10). This junior class has been talked about for a while and for good reason. Ty Cavette is not a prolific shooter but he can get to the rim with ease. Rayon Mathis, Bodie V and they add Caden Fulcher as a transfer. I’m hearing the Eagles fans are quite happy with the hiring of long-time assistant Matthew Kimbler. I think this team will be in the Top 3 for the majority of the year. 4. Mayfield (21-10) I’m higher on this team than others are and one of the main reasons is Owen Byrd. He’s a smart player who can drive it and also shoot it. Malik Kirby and Ashton Flint also return and they are solid athletes. This team has good size and also a very good young core. That’s why I have them at #4 5. Carlisle County (14-17). Another highly touted prospect is 6-9 Wyatt Rickard. I know he has at least one D1 offer and he’s going to get more. They have some pretty solid guards too and surprise, surprise - they should win the 1st District. 6. St. Mary (23-9). If you get a chance to watch Griffin Mayes then you need to take advantage of it! He’s one of the best Freshmen in Ky and I look for him to lead the Vikings in scoring. They have also added a transfer from the 2nd Region in Jacobi Nichols who is looking to have a breakout year. Andrew Puckett can score and Ashton Spurr will provide size and rebounding. Who else will step up for these young Vikings? They should be a fun team to watch. 7. Paducah Tilghman (17-12). The David Davis tenure begins and I was a little surprised to see the Tornado left off some Top 10 lists. I guess I get it - there’s a lot of unknowns for the Mystery Tornado this season. The one known commodity is Avery Thompson - he defends well and can rebound and I think he’s a borderline Top 10 player in this region. There are 3 transfers from Illinois who I think will contribute. They’ll be a fast, athletic team and they may surprise some teams this year. Full Disclosure - my son, PTown Son, plays on this team. He’s not a prominent player as of yet but I thought I should let yall know this. 8. Murray (9-19) Does KY have an All Rec-Specs Team? They really should and Maddox Mitchell would be on it. He has good size and can shoot it. Harris Moore is another scorer that you need to keep your eye on. The Tigers are now led by Collin Doss and he is a young, energetic coach that the Tigers fans are excited about. 9. Calloway Co (31-4). It feels strange to drop the defending champs to nine but the loss of Butler and Finley were so huge. And that’s not all they lost. Luke Armstrong might end up leading the region in scoring. Also Ace Stricklin transfers in from across town and this dude can fly! 10. Ballard Mem (18-11). The Jace Birney Bombers career is now over and the young man had a great one! This Bombers team always seems to be solid and Ike Miller looks to lead the way this year. 11. Christian Fellowship (14-16). Elijah Grigg leads the way and he’s a big-time scorer. A solid senior class for these Eagles. 12. Fulton County (9-14). The Pilots were the other District 1 team to make it to the CFSB Center last year and they return some scoring. Zayden Kinney can knock down the 3 ball. 13. Hickman Co (8-20). Cam Cartwright takes over as coach and he was a star guard for the Mustangs several years back. I think this team could surprise some people with this new coaching staff. 14. Community Christian (17-12). The Warriors have a solid sophomore class led by Dejarnett and Anderson. Dejarnett can really shoot. 15. Fulton City (3-26). Only one way to go and that’s up. Both youngsters Jackson and Wilson scored in double figures last year.

I think it’s worth mentioning that Coach Love’s defense has been lights out the last few weeks. I know Taylor Co was missing some key guys but how many first downs did they have? Maybe 3? The Sun said they had 60 yards of total offense. I think the D Line has stepped up and the LBs are playing very well too. Also the secondary! Yes I think the Offensive pass game has struggled but hopefully the Defense keeps them rolling on.

From Coach’s quotes in the Sun - they wanted to try some QB run game. They just ran a bunch of zone read and QB sweeps. The RB did a lot of blocking. He said that Stone Crowe will be the QB next week and I guess they will just go with Thompson if they want a change of pace.

The guy in the white hat looked like Santa Claus.

I saw the Kentucky State University band is playing halftime. Interesting!!!