Glasgow’s Bowles commits to Louisville

GLASGOW – Hunter Bowles was confident with his decision, and he wanted to make sure everyone else was too.

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound senior tight end announced Wednesday morning in the Glasgow High School library that he has verbally committed to the University of Louisville.

After sliding on a Cardinals hat, Bowles beamed while taking pictures, asking family and friends to put up the Louisville “L” hand sign in each photo.

He selected Louisville over Kentucky and Marshall.

“Louisville is really needing tight ends,” Bowles said. “It’s nothing against Kentucky or anybody else, but I went to Louisville and felt like a family member there. It was almost like going to see your uncle, your cousins or your grandpa or something like that. It was a good home feeling.

“Since day one, it’s been Louisville and Kentucky. I followed my heart to Louisville.”

Glasgow senior TE Hunter Bowles

Bowles mentioned several times that Louisville’s need at tight end was a major factor in his decision, as were the Cardinals’ facilities and head coach, Charlie Strong.

He’s the 15th confirmed commitment in Louisville’s 2012 class and the only tight end in that group, according to Rivals.com.

Bowles, rated a 2-star prospect by Rivals, has caught 11 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown this season. He had 349 receiving yards and six scores as a junior.

He can’t officially sign with Louisville until college football’s National Signing Day in February.

The Scotties, now ranked third in Class 3A by the Associated Press, play Clinton County on Friday.

Video of Bowles’ full announcement is available above.

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On a side note, Glasgow coach Rick Wood mentioned to me that several Scotties are garnering attention from colleges.

I wrote a blog post a few days ago that said senior running back Jalen Sublett had interest from Murray State, Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee-Martin.

Wood said Wednesday that receiver Lajuan Smith and quarterback Parker Cash have also received interest from those same three schools, and the two have some visits in the works.

Thoughts from Region 3 boys’ golf tourney

Now that both local high school region golf tournaments are complete, I thought I’d take a quick look back, mainly at the one I covered – the Region 3 Boys’ Tournament.

Just a few notes from Monday’s action:

South Warren’s Jared Brown tees off Monday during the Region 3 Boys’ Golf Tournament at Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park in Burkesville. Brown finished third overall and led the Spartans with a 73. Miranda Pederson/Daily News

— There were definitely a few surprises in terms of team finishes, and they were all teams performing better than expected. Allen County-Scottsville finished fourth with a 321 team total.

Barren County was third with a 319, and Greenwood fired a 329 – it’s best score of the season.

I talked to the Gators’ Tyler Jones, who shot a 79. He said the team has a fourth-grader and a seventh-grader, and that their progress has been huge this year.

— Next, Franklin-Simpson’s Nick Fuqua is a strong, strong player. Fuqua won the individual title with a 70, beating Clinton County’s Sawyer Stalcup by one stroke.

Fuqua went 3-under-par through four holes and cruised the rest of the way.

“I was just glad to get through it,” Fuqua said. “This place is hard. My main focus was to hit fairways, and I set little goals and met them. It was good.”

Fuqua, a senior, said he wants to play college golf and hopes next week’s state championship can help him gain a little more exposure.

Keep in mind that Fuqua’s brother, Matt, played at Western Kentucky.

— The moment of the day was provided by Glasgow’s Cameron Branham.

The Scotties finished second as a team, and they needed a par by Branham on the 18th hole to clinch a spot at state.

As Branham walked up to the green, he said two teammates told him that he needed a par or birdie. For the first time all day, things became hushed around the final hole.

The senior decided to hug a 25-foot up near the hole instead of really trying to make it, then tapped in for par and fist-pumped to a round of applause.

“It feels amazing,” Branham said. “I’m a senior, and you’ve been out here for 12 years trying to get to state. The first chance you get, you’ve got to take advantage of it.”

— South Warren showed that it’s capable of doing big things at state when it gets consistent scores from the whole lineup.

Everyone expected Spartans senior Drake Duncan to lead the way, but sophomore Jared Brown actually led South Warren with a 73.

Seventh-grader C.J. Jones had an 80, and Chad Krebs added a 78.

“I think that’s what separates the good teams from the really, really good teams,” South Warren coach Alan Frank said. “You have to have that depth, so that your (No. 3) and (No. 4) guys can cover up for your top guys. But our top guys played great today, which was nice to go along with what we got on the back end.”

The boys’ state tournament takes place Oct. 4 and 5 at Bowling Green Country Club, where South Warren has finished second in two invitationals this year.

Tee times begin next Tuesday at 7 a.m., although specific tee times haven’t been assigned to each team or player yet. That’s expected to happen later this week.

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As far as the girls go, the Daily News’ Micheal Compton was out covering the Region 4 tournament today at Indian Hills Country Club.

Based off his Tweets, Green County won the team title, while Glasgow finished second.

South Warren’s Jackie Van Meter was medalist. Micheal will have a full recap of that tournament in Wednesday’s Daily News.

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I’ll be covering Logan County-Greenwood volleyball tonight, which pits two of the top teams in Region 4 against each other.

Tomorrow, I’ll cover Glasgow tight end Hunter Bowles’ college announcement, as well as some Greenwood girls’ soccer.

Glasgow RB Sublett receiving interest

Glasgow senior running back Jalen Sublett

Much of the attention for the Glasgow Scotties this week is on senior tight end Hunter Bowles, who will announce his college decision Wednesday.

Bowles is expected to verbally commit to Louisville or Kentucky, although he also has scholarship offers from Murray State and Marshall.

But Glasgow senior running back Jalen Sublett has also been a force for the undefeated Scotties.

Sublett has rushed for 921 yards and 13 touchdowns in six games this season. He’s averaged more than 150 yards per game and nearly 8 yards per carry.

Sublett has racked up 431 of those yards in the last two games, rushing for 198 yards against Monroe County and 233 against Somerset.

Glasgow coach Rick Wood said Sublett has received interest from Murray State, Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee-Martin.

Glasgow’s Bowles to announce college decision Wednesday

UPDATE: Glasgow coach Rick Wood confirmed by email Tuesday morning that Bowles does in fact have a scholarship offer from Louisville. Wood mentioned UK, UofL and Marshall, in that order.

I’ll be in Glasgow tomorrow morning to report on Bowles’ commitment, and I’ll pass along updates as we learn the senior’s decision.

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Glasgow senior TE Hunter Bowles

The initial reports came out yesterday, but it looks like Glasgow senior tight end Hunter Bowles will announce his college decision Wednesday morning at Glasgow High School.

Bowles announced his … umm … announcement on his Facebook page Saturday, and Scout.com has since reported the same.

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Bowles is expected to give his verbal to either Louisville or Kentucky. He’s visited both schools in recent weeks, although his confirmed scholarship offers are from Kentucky, Marshall and Murray State.

Bowles is rated a 2-star prospect by Rivals.

The Scotties are off to a 6-0 start this season, including a 14-7 win over Somerset on Friday.

Two WKU targets commit elsewhere

Just a couple quick updates on Lady Topper recruiting.

Two players that WKU had been actively recruiting made commitments elsewhere today.

South Oldham guard Jasmine Whitfield gave a verbal to Cincinnati, the senior announced Saturday on her Twitter account.

“Made the biggest decision of my life this morning,” Whitfield Tweeted. “I verbally committed to the University of Cincinnati this morning#SoBlessed#BigEastBound”

Whitfield averaged 20.9 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Lady Dragons last season.

The Courier-Journal’s Jody Demling previously reported that Whitfield had narrowed her decision to Cincinnati, Western Kentucky, Mississippi State, Eastern Kentucky and Mississippi.

Also, Alexis Alexander from Alpharetta (Ga.) High School chose Charlotte today, according to women’s basketball recruiting outlet HoopGurlz.

Alexander was believed to have some interest from WKU, although I was never able to reach her to see how serious it was.

The 6-foot Alexander played for Chattahoochee (Ga.) High School as a junior, but Chattahoochee coach Haaris Quraishy told me earlier this month that Alexander transferred this school year.

She’s rated a 3-star prospect by HoopGurlz.

WKU has two confirmed verbal commitments for the 2012 class – Jeffersonville (Ind.) forward Jalynn McClain and Green County guard Micah Jones.

South Warren football earns first win in program history

After the final buzzer sounded Friday night at South Warren, the student section rushed the field.

Players danced in a circle with their classmates. Coach Mark Nelson rushed at his huddled players, bringing loud screams from the group.

Finally, the Spartans have their win.

South Warren (1-5) got two 68-yard rushing touchdowns by Joel Iyiegbunnie and two punt return TDs by Patrick Barnett, leading the Spartans to a 40-14 rout of Caverna, the first victory for the first-year varsity program.

For more on the historic win, see Saturday’s Daily News. It’s pretty cool to be able to look back someday and say I covered South Warren’s first win.

Videos of the celebration and Nelson’s comments are available below.

 

Jeffersonville (Ind.) senior Jalynn McClain talks ACL injury, WKU commitment

It’s all about a positive outlook for Jalynn McClain.

The senior forward at Jeffersonville (Ind.) averaged 15.6 points and six rebounds as a junior and has verbally committed to Western Kentucky, but there’s still a long road ahead.

After giving her commitment to the Lady Toppers at the end of June, the 6-foot McClain suffered an ACL tear in her knee in July.

The minimum timeframe for return from such an injury is typically six months, and McClain said she’s hoping for a similar timeline with strong rehab.

She talked Monday about the difficult journey back to the court, having just left the gym from a workout.

“I’m just trying to movitate my team and build up our confidence,” McClain said. “At the same time, I’m trying to get ready for Western. Depending on how everything goes, I should be back in January, but I’m in therapy right now.

“It’s hard, but I try to be positive about it. Everything happens for a reason.”

McClain was a key piece for a Jeffersonville squad that went 28-2 last season and won the Class 4A Indiana state championship. She shot 56 percent from the field, but said she was working to improve her outside shot before her injury.

“I’m very strong and aggressive,” McClain said. “My main strength would probably be rebounding. One thing I’d like to work on is playing outside. I’ve played outside, but I’d like to get more comfortable out there.”

McClain, who said she’s not certain yet if she’ll officially commit in the November early signing period, will be visited Tuesday by WKU coach Mary Taylor Cowles.

Her relationship with Cowles has been one of the most pleasant parts of her recruitment, McClain said, along with the program’s location.

“One thing that really attracted me was the way Coach Cowles is with the girls and the team,” she said. “Another thing was that it’s not far away. It’s far enough from home, but I still want my family to come see me play.

“On that visit, I felt at home. They were all nice, welcomed me and made me feel comfortable.”

McClain is the second confirmed verbal commitment in WKU’s 2012 recruiting class.

Green County’s Micah Jones also committed in the spring. Jones has also dealt with a knee injury, missing her junior season with an ACL tear.

VIDEO: Glasgow 49, Monroe County 28

Someone had to score on the Scotties at some point.

Glasgow improved to 5-0 with a 49-28 win at home over Monroe County on Friday, surrendering its first touchdown on defense all season in the process.

In fact, the Scotties gave up four scores and 319 yards of offense to the Falcons.

But while Glasgow coach Rick Wood said things could have gone better, he also said he’s not surprised Monroe County put up a fight.

When I asked Wood about Glasgow making it to its fifth game before giving up anything on defense, he said his team needs to quit worrying about stats and outside hype.

Instead, the Scotties want to keep improving and build around their playmakers. Running back Jalen Sublett had 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Parker Cash had four total touchdowns.

They’ll travel to Somerset at 7 p.m. Friday.

Watch video of Wood after Glasgow’s latest win:

 

Glasgow vs. Monroe County, 7 p.m. tonight

Hope everyone’s Friday afternoon is going well as the weekend nears.

Tonight, I’m headed to Glasgow High School as the Scotties host Monroe County.

It’ll my first in-person look at a Glasgow squad that has started the season 4-0 and outscored its opponents 160-7.

The Scotties recorded blowouts in their first three games before grinding out a 14-0 win over Allen County-Scottsville last week.

Meanwhile, Monroe County enters at 2-2, fresh off a 13-6 win against Barren County. The Falcons have been led by running back Corey Shirley, who’s rushed for 407 yards and seven touchdowns.

Glasgow’s rushing attack is spearheaded by senior Jalen Sublett. Senior quarterback Parker Cash has also had a strong year, connecting often with receiver Lajuan Smith.

Tight end Hunter Bowles has also picked up some media attention lately. The 6-foot-6 senior recently gained scholarship offers from Louisville and Kentucky, adding to his offers from Marshall and Murray State.

I’ll have some live updates from the game, which as always, you can get by following @zach_greenwell or @bgpreps on Twitter.

The BG Preps account should also have updates from Bowling Green-Owensboro, Greenwood-Logan County, South Warren-Edmonson County, Warren Central-Barren County, and Russellville-Todd County Central.

No. 2 Bowling Green 3, No. 12 Greenwood 1

Bowling Green's Grant Sims (right) celebrates after scoring a goal during Thursday's game against Greenwood. Bowling Green beat Greenwood 3-1. Alex Slitz/Daily News

A few thoughts about last night’s Greenwood-Bowling Green boys’ soccer match:

First, it was a pretty darn good atmosphere in The Swamp last night. Both schools brought solid student sections, creating an environment you don’t see a lot at high school soccer matches.

“I love it,” Greenwood coach Scott Gural said. “I wish we had fans like this at all the big games. Bowling Green and Greenwood both have high reputations around the state and bring in quality teams to play against.

“Soccer has come a long way in Kentucky, and it’s nice to see fans coming out and realizing how hard these guys are working.”

For those that missed my last post, even though the match didn’t carry any district implications, it was huge on paper, pitting the No. 2 team in the state (BG) against the No. 12 team (Greenwood).

One quote I thought was very telling came from Gators junior Nedin Zukanovic, who happened to score his 19th goal of the season last night.

Zukanovic seemed to suggest that even though Greenwood is off to a 9-3-1 start, it learned just how far it needs to come Thursday.

“We tried to bounce back, but it was kind of late at that point,” he said. “We need to step it up. We just saw how good they are, so we need to step it up.”

Bowling Green's Exodus Bargblor (right) collides with Greenwood goalkeeper Mitch O'Kelly during Thursday's game at Greenwood. Bowling Green beat Greenwood 3-1. Alex Slitz/Daily News

Bowling Green has been very solid so far this season. The Purples don’t have stats available, but I’d be willing to bet that the scoring distribution is about as balanced as you’ll see.

It seems like I’ve covered somebody different scoring every match. Last night’s new face was Kevin May, who fired a free kick from almost midfield and soared it into the Greenwood net. Grant Sims also had two BG goals.

Chances are good that these two teams will meet again in the Region 4 Tournament. Gural said Greenwood’s biggest objective before then is finding an “aggressive mentality.”

For the Purples, they just want to keep the same mentality that’s worked all season.

” … I think everyone on the field knows that this isn’t the one that matters,” Bowling Green coach Craig Widener said. “We don’t want this to be the best result of our season.”

I’ll have more results and reaction from the match in Friday’s Daily News.