Chris Manning

Storm Warning: Central plans on unveiling a new scoring weapon in ’25 @HopkinsCentral, @_CoachManning, @evans02_mike, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans

June 5, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Blaze Whitaker is an accomplished soccer player. He has made All-State teams and All-Region teams in that sport where he stars on the varsity team as an “Attacking Midfielder.” I would say if there is a soccer player in the world who could transition to American Football, it would be the “Attacking Midfielder.” When in doubt, attack! Whitaker got seven games of run in ’24 as a sophomore and converted 12 of his 23 PAT attempts. We would like to see that conversion rate increase significantly as would the Storm coaching staff. That said, there is no reason to not expect significant improvement with more practice and more experience coupled with anatomical development. Enjoy this feature about a kid who plays an important phase of football often overlooked.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Waylon Carter looking for some extended PT and production in multiple phases next season @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball, @HopkinsCentral, @CountyMustangs

May 29, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

You could just about define this kid after burying his mom in seventh grade. Approximately five hours after her service, Carter took the field against Union County and scored four (4) TDs. You talk about tough. You talk about clutch. This is a kid who has faced down adversity and spat in its eye. Carter had a solid sophomore season. Carter had a hand full of carries, caught a pass, played on several coverage units, and logged 25-tackles and half a sack in only seven (7) games of PT. This is a kid looking to start every game. We believe he will have that chance in ’25 and going off of what he has before done, the chances are he will make the most of it. Enjoy this feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Conner Miles is looking to lead @HopkinsCentral, @_CoachManning, @evans02_mike, @scott_khristian, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

May 22, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Connor Miles, a ’27 DE for the Storm, looks to have all the right measurements to thrive where slotted. Mile is a DE. Miles is 6’5″ tall. Miles weighs a slight, but thickening as he lifts and conditions, 215-pounds. Miles played some his sophomore year and did well when presented with opportunity. Coach Manning believes both Miles and Aaron Wells are growing into roles on his team. That means we should see much more from this prospect over the next couple of years than we have the first two. Big, tall, lengthy kids can take longer to develop. However, when they finally arrive… Enjoy the article and be careful out there; looks like a Storm is brewing!

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Remembering Central’s great Defensive Coordinator, Bob Louden @HopkinsCentral, @CountyMustangs, @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @_CoachManning, @KyHighFootball, @khsaafootball

May 14, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

If you want some debate in your life, put a list on social media. We have a funny anecdote we will tell you about a guy who published a list of the “5 best LBers in Louisville” and included an 8th-grader from Oldham County. If you see me out somewhere, come up, and I will tell it to you. We put up a list of the best DCs in KHSAA history. It got over 15,000 “views” on Twitter/X. We left off Bob Loudon and probably shouldn’t have. To make it up to Coach Loudon, we are featuring him in this edition of “Storm Warning.” Enjoy the feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Connor Miles, ’28 DE, looks to be setting into a role @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @HopkinsCentral, @_CoachManning, @evans02_mike

May 8, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

What can we tell you about Connor Miles? We can tell you he got three (3) games of run as a sophomore on the varsity. We can tell you he is putting in the work this offseason. We can tell you his coach tells us he is ready to assume a roll on the ’25 roster as a regular and (perhaps) a leader. We can tell you he may be a two-way guy this coming Fall. All of the above aside, Miles finished 5th in Kentucky in powerlifting at one of the sport’s toughest classes (220-pounds). We feel that says a ton (pardon the pun). Enjoy this feature about a kid you might not have know about prior.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Aaron Wells proved at the KY Powerlifting Meet he will be difficult for Storm opponents this coming season @bigassfans, @minguabeefjerky, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @HopkinsCentral, @_CoachManning, @evans02_mike

May 1, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Wells played in a single game in ’24. However, the 6’2,” 300-plus-pounder in the 2027 graduating class proved the old Stanislavski adage about there being no small parts, just small actors is true even in football. Wells is coming off a third place finish at the Kentucky Powerlifting Meet in the Super Heavyweight Division and the young NG is expected to play along the OL this season in addition to his defensive role. This is a guy readying for a prominent role in ’25, a leading role, and he is putting in the type offseason a young player should looking for that type of varsity PT. Enjoy the feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: No one is feeding this Khristian to the lions, Scott is preparing for a huge senior season on Morton’s Gap @HopkinsCentral, @_CoachManning, @evans02_mike, @scott_khristian, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball

April 24, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

In latin the practice was know as Damnatio ad bestias, losely translated “Condemnation to beats.” You would know it as throwing “Christians to the Lions” and it was a form of capital punishment where the condemned person was killed by wild animals, usually lions or other big cat. No one is practicing this today, but the vernacular of “Throwing (one) to the lions” has modern day usage usually akin to a young player being thrust into action earlier than a coach would like. Well, no one is throwing this particular “Khristian” anywhere. This guy plans on making a real impact his senior season on Morton’s Gap and then sliding somewhere for some college football. The way he is built, don’t bet against him.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Former Maroon and Murray State Racer matriculates to Morton’s Gap to join up with the Storm @HCCHS_Football, @jordanv89292975, @CountyMustangs, @khsaafootball, @KyHighFootball, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans

April 10, 2025 Fletcher Long 1

Jordan Vaughn was a player we covered regularly when the ’20 OL was owning defenders around Madisonville North-Hopkins. Now the OL coach, who played for Murray State in college, is moving from the OL coach at South Hopkins (Coach Logan) up to the varsity program at Central. The lines of scrimmage are where championships are both won and lost. Central is bringing in a “big gun” in the hopes he provides the edge the program needs to take its next step. Enjoy the feature.

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Colleges finding the way to Morton’s Gap to scout talent. @evans02_mike, @Meloishim3, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @ChiefSmoke10, @_CoachManning, @SylasGunn, @carlos_mason52, @HopkinsCentral, @CountyMustangs

March 27, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

Manning has been doing a fine job developing talent colleges want to recruit and sign. Centre College, who has been red, smoking hot on the trail this offseason, stopped by Morton’s Gap to see a certain player on whom the Colonels have set its sights. We think we know who, but could be wrong. In any event, things are going swimmingly as the recruiting interest would certainly indicate. Enjoy the article and be careful out there; looks like a Storm is brewing!

Friday Night Fletch

Storm Warning: Mike Evans Former QB and Former Assistant Coach at Central among the best to ever play on Morton’s Gap @evans02_mike, @Meloishim3, @minguabeefjerky, @bigassfans, @ChiefSmoke10, @_CoachManning, @SylasGunn, @carlos_mason52, @HopkinsCentral

February 20, 2025 Fletcher Long 0

We have been hitting the history of the game we love better than any other this offseason pretty hard. Thing is, if we don’t do this then who will? We are telling you about players, coaches, and events which are such a rich part of the fabric of the KHSAA that they deserve to be told, they deserve preservation. This is another of those today. Today, we highlight a guy who is among the best QBs to ever grace the playing service on Morton’s Gap. Ladies and gentlemen…the great Mike Evans.

Friday Night Fletch.