News and Notes from the Gridiron…

We have begun featuring, here on KPGFootball, a weekly variety of shorter stories in one combined article about football news from around the coverage area. These articles feature snippets of information for the football enthusiasts which we consider, without a doubt, of interest to the Kentucky high school and middle school football fanatics, such as we. So, without further adieu, here we go with the News and Notes from the Gridiron

Don’t ask Todd Hood at Rossview High School for lottery numbers…

Well, there is one story I found humorous, but my buddy, head coach Todd Hood, found much less humorous than I. I just published an article naming Quitman The Hitman Kincaid the Meeks and Meeks Montgomery County Player of the Week. Quitman Kincaid, who played SS/OLB for Rossview last year, is drawing all kinds of Division I attention from colleges desiring his future services. It appears the most recent offer is from UT-Chatanooga. Well, I usually try to tweet to the athlete a copy of the article talking about his greatness simultaenously with the publishing of the same. Most athletes have their Twitter addresses where a simple Google search will reveal it. There was a Twitter address of @Quitman15 but this was for a stud football player in Ocala, Florida. I thought to myself, Hmmm, what are the odds there are two stud, 6-2, 190 pound SS/OLB’s, both named Quitman Kincaid but living in totally different parts of the country? In talking with Coach Hood this morning, I learned it’s the same kid, Kincaid has moved to Ocala, Florida. If you are keeping score, that is now two D-1 locks, Fred Orr (RB, now at Clarksville NE) and Kincaid, both of whom have transferred out of Rossview this offseason. Do you have any idea how many high school teams NEVER have two D-1 locks on the team, much less two who leave during the same offseason? Talk about unlucky…

From the weight room

There have been some really impressive lifts coming from offseason strength and conditioning programs around the area. At last evening’s Clarksville High School Lift-A-Thon, corner-back Joshua Watch bench pressed 300 pounds. Joshua is 6-0 and weighs approximately 180 pounds. At Hopkinsville High School, the Tigers just tested deadlift and the results were just sick! Denarius Red Barnes and Keysean Pork Chop Palmer both pulled 550 pounds, with Red pulling the number easily and then just missing 580 on his last attempt. Freshman William Long pulled 515 pounds, making his numbers this offseason just ridiculous. In this offseason alone, freshman William Long has benched 365 pounds, floor pressed 335 pounds, back-squatted 525 pounds, power-cleaned 250 pounds, and inclined pressed 285 pounds. Someone who has had, maybe, an even more impressive offseason than Long is QB Javier Jay BlandThe rising junior from HHS has hang cleaned 235, power cleaned 255, back squatted 405 (easily), and pulled 500 pounds. Bland weighs 170. Eric Grubbs also pulled over 500 pounds on dead-lift day with several other lifters right around the number. Grubbs has back squatted 470 pounds and front squatted 420 pounds with a power-clean around 260. We saw a 500 pound back-squat in the last week or so from Connor Huff of Rossview High School to go along with the above numbers.

From the recruiting trail…

Congratulations to former Kentucky Future Star Shawn’kel Knight Goff from Louisville Doss High School for being offered by the University of Kentucky. Knight-Goff is a 6-3 210 pound, pass-rush specialist, who is also an outstanding basketball player. He has been called by Tom Lemming with @LemmingReport a 4 star talent and, last year, playing for Phillip Hawkins, now at Apollo, he registered 50 tackles and recovered a fumble while, on offense; catching 4 passes for 124 receiving yards and running the football 8 times for 96 yards on the other side of the ball. Doss, under Hawkins, finished 8-4 last year in the 5A classification. In other news, Belfry‘s Derek Rash has set visits with both the Naval and West Point Military Academies. Now these school square off in a yearly Army-Navy game which is the most storied rivalry in college football. They are presently squaring off for the services of Kentucky’s top guard in the 2019 class. Belfry has also had Austin Kyle Lawson offered by UVA-Wise’s Coach Kevin Acciani who recruits both Kentucky and Maryland for the football program. It has been quiet, for at least this week, for Belfry’s Center, Ethan Wolford, who, with Lawson and Rash, form the nucleus of the best offensive front in Kentucky. Marshall is likely to pull the trigger on Wolford at any moment and Wolford is scheduled to work out for UT-Martin and UT-Chattanooga in Maryville, Tennessee the first two weeks of June. Congratulations to Hopkinsville High School‘s Jaime Cooper-Roman who has pulled an offer from Kentucky Wesleyan. Jaime is an outside LB, safety prospect, coming off injury reserve. Cooper-Roman was the Tigers’ best defensive player, last year, before succumbing to injury in the 4th game of the season. Cooper-Roman has D-1 frame at 6-2, 205 pounds and, as he progresses along and satisfies other schools he is 100% healthy, he will pull a lot more offers. Another prospect at HHS pulling a ton of interest is Ja’Torian Dillard. Like Jaime, he needs to satisfy college coaches he is back to pre-injury form, but the 5-8 185 pound running back, with 4.53 forty speed, has been fully released from the IR. Dillard is also a 2019 prospect, like Cooper-Roman.

Coming off injury…

Mumford, Dillard

The Tigers from HHS have welcomed back to the active roster three HUGE senior football players, all three of whom are serious college prospects. Offensive interior lineman, Keone Mumford, has been medically cleared. Mumford is a 6-2, 260 pounder with long arms, tons of strength, and really good feet he developed on the hardwood. I told him, one-day, that if he didn’t play college football with his frame and attributes it will be because he just didn’t want it. Jaime Cooper-Roman and Ja’Torion Dillard have both been fully cleared from off the IR and have both rejoined the Tiger’s active roster. This brings the roster up to full strength. Should the Tigers stay healthy, they will be heard from in the 4A Classification next year, you can count on that!

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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About Fletcher Long 1446 Articles
Two-time winner of Kentucky Press Association awards for excellence in writing and reporting news stories while Managing Editor of the Jackson (KY) Times-Voice

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