Well, the high school football season is less than one month away and we at KPGFootball certainly couldn’t be any more excited. There is a lot going on including some offers which have been extended to some players who are part of the KPGFootball family. Without any further fanfare, here are the News and Notes from the Kentucky Gridiron…
J’lin Powell to Christian County…
First of all, I want to make a comment on some additional transfer news from around the world of Kentucky high school football. Among the things about the cross-town high school (Christian County) I most admire is the Colonel fans stridently believing, year after year, they will go 15-0 and win a State Football Championship. It reminds me of the people in Danville, Kentucky, just minus the on-field success. The Colonels haven’t actually won a Championship since 1984 and both Danville and Boyle County regularly win Championships. Incidentally, Danville and Boyle County both won 2A and 3A State Football Championships (respectively) just this past year. There are a lot of Colonel fans whom have expressed amazement and dismay at my excluding them from my preseason, Class 5A, top-10 poll. I have submitted my poll to the AP on behalf of KPGFootball for inclusion in the AP, preseason poll which won’t be out until August. Sure, the Colonels have lost 21 of its 22 positional starters from off last year’s team by either graduation or transfer; but hey, they have scored a transfer QB in J’lin Powell from Clarksville Northeast and, as one fan told me over the phone, he is better than Kolbe Langhi. I think Powell better prove himself better than Donta Abren first, and that doesn’t figure to be any cakewalk.
First of all, let’s cool our jets on the he’s better than Kolbe Langhi business. From my sources in Clarksville, J’lin Powell is a talented athlete who, provided he stayed around, was getting the keys to the offense as soon as 2019 prospect, Heath Williams, graduated. That aside, Powell, in 2 years on the Clarksville NE roster (from what I was told, the following information was provided the Board by the Powells), has yet to complete a pass as Williams‘ back-up, throw a single TD, gain a single yard from scrimmage, or win a single game. Kolbe Langhi won 34 football games as the starting QB at CCHS, threw for over 9,000 passing yards, threw more than 90 career TD passes, and left school the All-time leader in wins, passing yards, and career TD passes. So what you’re telling me, Christian County fans, is that your career best in three key categories would have been third string on Clarksville Northeast‘s 2017, 7-4 football team? As the character GOB from Arrested Development would say, C’mon!
Congratulations to some Fan Faves…
Cadiz, Kentucky has a radio station, WKDZ, which counts Hopkinsville in its listening area, and they have an online sports publication which does a very good job covering local sports under the name YourSportsEdge.com. They just conducted a Fan Faves poll in various Fall, Winter, and Spring Sports for the best area athlete in each of the particular sports. Now, the winners were heavily bent toward Trigg County High School, which the likelihood of there being a strong local contingency voting for their Wildcat favorites is both plausible and expected. There were some football players voted Fan Faves in both football and other sports in which they participated and we want to attempt to give them additional kudos here…
Best Male Track &Field athlete…Tayshawn Barker (2020), HHS; Runner-up, Jevon Leavell (2020), HHS; Best Powerlifter...William Long (2021), HHS; Best in Football…Tyson Bush (2018), Trigg County; Runner-up, Cory Trice (2018, Purdue Signee), CCHS. We at KPGFootball would like to congratulate all those nominated and YourSportEdge.com on a first class administered event which drew votes and lively commentary from across the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky. If you would like to see the winners across the many different sports, to include a listing and overview of the nominees and why they were nominated, we will herein provide you a link.
Alijah Watts joins HHS Football squad;
Hopkinsville High School has had one of Kentucky’s highest regarded 2021 prospects in basketball join the football team in 6-2, 180 pound PG/SG, Alijah Watts. Watts is a silky smooth athlete with dynamic vertical explosion and tremendous length who is considered one of the premier backcourt prospects in the Bluegrass according to many pundits who rank such things. Watts isn’t a stranger to football, though he did sit out his freshman year to focus on making HHS’ varsity first-string (which he did). Watts played both ways in middle school slotted at both WR/S. Yesterday, in Watts’ first scrimmage type action, though it was helmets only, Watts lept high into the air and pick-off a Jay Bland pass thrown, over the middle, while working the first team offense agains the defense. If his basketball athleticism and explosiveness can translate the football field, there will not be a better or longer athlete either split out offensively or in the defensive back four in District 1, Class 4A than Alijah.
Some offers have been extended…
Yesterday, before HHS took the practice field, Eastern Illinois called the head coach’s office and offered a full scholarship to 2019, 6-0, 185 pound WR/DB Ellis Dunn. Dunn brings a physicality to where ever he aligns which is striking and awe-inspiring. EIU will be in a dog-fight to the very finish if it hopes to sign this prospect whose stock is rising like a launched rocket. Dagen Rash (Class of 2019) from Belfry keeps stock-piling offers as he has been offered by every single service Academy, all three of whom play FBS football, which is CFB’s highest level. Rash has also been offered by West Virginia State University and just visited Carson-Newman College. It will be difficult to imagine a scenario where the C-N Mossy Creek boys don’t pull the trigger and offer the boy from Pond Creek. We also continue to monitor the activity around Kentucky’s top rated Center prospect, also a Pond Creek native in Class of 2020, Ethan Big E Wolford. Wolford is holding several offers right now, including some Division 1 offers who want to formerly announce when he gets on campus as part of an official visit week-end this Fall. There’s no hurry here as Wolford hasn’t played a down of football as a high school junior yet.
Well, fans and enthusiasts, that’s about all from the Gridiron for now. Until we meet again, this is Fletcher Long, reporting for KPGFootball reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!
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