Tel Tel Long wins the @1776Bank Revolutionary Player of the Week! @TelTel_Long @GHSGatorFball @minguabeefjerky @HopkinsCentral @evans02_mike @_CoachManning @KyHighFootball @MaxPreps @sfitz_840whas

’24 RB leading Gators to the ‘Promised Land’

Holy Cow has Long burst onto the western Kentucky football scene. He is being recruited by an entire host of schools not the least of which is Wake Forrest’s “Demon Deacons.” Long showed what was the source of all the fuss this past Friday night in a huge sectional matchup with Logan County, one of the premier programs on the western end of Kentucky in the 4A classification. The Gators have a murderer’s row finish. They will need all hands on deck. Don’t forget to tell Tel Tel!

HB Lyon, Senior Scout, KPGFootball

Bowling Green, KY: There is no better time than the present to anoint another Independence Bank Player of the Week. Independence Bank is proud to sponsor a weekly article highlighting players in the areas where Independence Bank flourishes who embody the same type of revolutionary service to their respective football teams which has made Independence Bank unique and special in the banking industry.

Independence Bank has a goal of achieving everyday excellence, and this week we are focusing on a player whose performance exceeded expectations in week two and who will be vitally important to Trojans’ success in 2023. Today, we are focusing on Class of 2024,RB, Tel Tel Long, from Bowling Green, Kentucky’s Greenwood High School. 

Tel Tel Long’s Greenwood High is located just down the road from three Bowling Green, Kentucky area branches. There is the branch we are featuring today, Freedom Square, located on 1950 Scottsville Road; there is the one on 2415 Nashville Road; and then there is the one in Williamsburg Square on 877 Fairview Road.

Get on by and visit the most rapidly growing bank in the commonwealth of Kentucky, Independence Bank. Independence Bank has started a revolution in the banking industry.

We can remember when Greenwood High struggled to win games in the 5A classification’s second district. The team was 4-8 in Chris Seabolt’s last season (2017) and 2-9 in William Howard’s first year at the helm (2018).

They have done nothing but get better since. The team was 5-6 in ’19, 6-3 in the pandemic shortened ’20, 7-4 in ’21, 9-3 in ’22, and stand at 3-1, so far in ’23, with wins over Hopkinsville, Warren East, and Logan County and a misstep to an Owensboro Catholic team no one else has yet deciphered.

The play of guys like Tel Tel Long (’24, RB, No. 9) has a lot to do with the success the program is experiencing. We will be perfectly honest here, we didn’t see Greenwood traveling to Russellville, Kentucky and winning the Logan County game. Not with the way Coach Adler has had those boys playing.

Long went off in that game, hence this recognition today. Long carried the football 23-times for 186-yards on the night, averaging 8.1-yards a carry. Long scored a rushing TD, caught a pass, was tied for first on the team in scoring, and contributed five (5)-tackles on defense and a TFL.

Here is a guy on a 5A roster just bringing it in multiple phases. That isn’t seen too often above the 3A classification. Once you get up to the 4A level or higher, most of those teams prefer to platoon.

Long is 5’11,” and weighs 180-pounds. He lists on the roster as a running-back, fullback, wide-receiver, and a safety. With the exception of FB, he can play any of those positions in college.

We don’t have a GPA on this prospect. However, we can’t help but notice Wake Forrest is keeping close tabs. Last time I checked, gaining admission to Wake Forrest, athlete or not, took a little more book-sense than possessed by the “average bear.”

In other words, this kid has to be killing it academically. He darn sure is turning heads on the gridiron.

Greenwood has a “murderer’s row” finish on the ’23 docket still to go. The Gators play South Warren (4-0, No. 2 in 5A, AP), Bowling Green (2-2, No. 3 in 5A, AP), and Union County (4-0, No. 8 in 3A, AP) among the final six.

One has to figure the Gators will be favored over Ohio County, Franklin-Simpson, and Warren Central, (the other three games) so six-wins very likely. Winning any one of the games between South Warren, BGHS, or Union, with what the Gators have done to date, will put Greenwood on the “hot team’s list” once the playoffs commence.

Congratulations to Tel Tel Long for his Revolutionary Play in the early part of the season which has earned him this week’s recognition from the fastest growing bank in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, your friends at Independence Bank.

This is Fletcher W. Long, reporting for Kentucky Prep Gridiron and reminding you that WE’RE JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!