Although a couple of key pieces fell into place last week, the puzzle that has been created among the original SKY League teams this spring still
has a lot of slots left to be filled. That provides ample opportunity for those of us armchair quarterbacks to try to guess who's going to be doing
what where.
The SKY League is pretty big now. It may even be a conference instead of a league. For decades, though, the four area schools which had been
dominant in football since the 30s and 40 were the entirety of SKY. It was Russellville, Bowling Green, Franklin-Simpson and Glasgow—three independent
city schools and one which was the focal point of the entire county. The schools were also members of the vast Western Kentucky Conference in football,
but the fall and spring sports were centered on winning SKY championships.
Last fall, football was very good among the original SKY schools. Bowling Green won the state Class 5A championship, Franklin-Simpson was state
runner-up in 4A, and Glasgow finished second in the state in 2A. Russellville was also in the playoffs before losing to eventual state finalist
Mayfield, which is in the same 1A District as the Panthers.
Basketball went well, too, with Bowling Green winning the boys regional and Glasgow the girls regional. The Lady Purples and Scotties were
regional semifinalists in their gender divisions. The Russellville boys won their district and the Lady Panthers were district runner-up.
Similar results may happen next year, but much of it will be under different leadership. It's difficult to remember a year
in which this many key positions in these four schools have come open at the same time. Consider these position changes/openings:
Russellville
will have a new principal, athletic director, boys basketball coach, and baseball coach.
Franklin-Simpson
will be led by a new principal, athletic director, football coach and boys basketball coach.
Glasgow
will have a new athletic director and possibly a new boys basketball coach.
Bowling Green
sports will be under the oversight of a new athletic director. As a result, the Purples could have a new football coach.
Looking at them individually:
Russellville
John Myers has been promoted to the central office after four years as RHS principal and the previous four years as assistant
principal/athletic director. He will continue as the Panthers' highly successful football coach.
Phil Todd has said he is retiring as athletic director and a key aide to Myers. Todd, a three-sport standout at RHS in the 70s who was MVP
of the Dream Team for RHS football and first-team Dream Team in Russellville/Logan County basketball, coached Panther basketball from 1992-2004,
winning three regional championships in five regional finals berths. Two of those teams reached consecutive Final Fours in the state tournament. He
also has been a valuable member of the football coaching staff most of the years that have followed since he graduated from Austin Peay State
University as an All-OVC tight end.
Dennis Pardue resigned as boys basketball coach after eight seasons in which he guided the Panthers to the regional tournament each year.
His Panthers upset Logan County in this year's district finals. If he stays at RHS, Pardue, who is also the boys and girls golf coach, could possibly
become athletic director, but it's likely other schools will be interested in having him as their basketball coach.
Lou Kendall is retiring from teaching and coaching after 30 years in the Russellville system. He has been an assistant football and
basketball coach, but he is best known as a Hall of Fame baseball coach who has put together a string of remarkable regular season records. His teams
have won four district championships and made it to the regional finals twice. (
See a more complete story about Kendall in March Sports Articles.)
The naming of Kim McDaniel, an 18-year veteran of the RHS school system, as Myers' successor as principal should start the ball
rolling on filling some of these slots.
A number of people have applied for the basketball job, including former Panther greats Otis Key, who has professional basketball playing
and coaching experience, and Nelson Cundiff, who has a great deal of coaching experience, including successful stints as a head coach.
A name that keeps popping up is an eye-opener. It's possible that the new Panther boys coach could be Tim Riley, the most successful coach
in Fourth Region history during a phenomenal run at Warren Central. He left that position last year to become assistant women's coach at his alma
mater, Western Kentucky University, but when Mary Taylor Cowles was fired after a long run as Lady Toppers coach, her successor, Michelle Clark-Heard, brought in her own staff, instead of retaining Riley and
Cam Whittaker.
Riley tells The LoJo he is not interested in teaching in the classroom anymore but would consider an administrative position. Serving as
AD/assistant principal at RHS or over the sixth-eighth grade segment of the school population might just fit that description.
Also, it might be wise to keep this in mind: Although Phil Todd's retirement announcement has been published, it's possible he could be the
Panthers' next coach if Myers and McDaniel determine that no teaching slot is available for a new faculty member. Phil says he's tired and his back
hurts a lot, but it's been painful at times watching him fantasize in the bleachers about how he would coach some of the teams that have followed his
resignation.
There's an abundance of talent returning next year—not as much as Phil had on his four straight regional finalist teams or as Pardue did on his
first RHS team that featured future NCAA players T.C. Thomason and Orlondo Woolridge or the 2007 team that included Jerrel Mayo, Jordan Hinton, Tyler Meacham, Josh Kennedy and Justin Rust, but the 2013 team won't have to go up against a Warren Central
powerhouse coached by Tim Riley. (There's that name again. Either Todd or Riley coached the regional championship team eight of nine years between
1998 and 2007.)
Meanwhile, the most logical successor for Kendall as baseball coach would be Meacham, one of this best-ever pitchers. Tyler has his degree
and his teaching certificate and is already on the school staff. He was an assistant basketball coach under Purdue this year and is an assistant
baseball coach, too.
Franklin-Simpson
Tim Schlosser has been named principal and is relinquishing his roles as football coach and athletic director. F-S has a student population
about three times the size of Russellville, so it would be too big a job to be principal and football coach of a Class 4A school. He has been a coach
for 22 years, 18 at F-S including 14 as head coach. His record as head coach was 108-59, He has been assistant principal and athletic director for 10
years, serving until seven principals as the school has undergone many changes. Retired Greenwood principal Mark Davis is now serving as interim
principal after Pat Vejr was reassigned following the high school being ruled one of the state's lowest achievers by the state department of
education.
The LoJo
speculated several months ago that Schlosser would resign from coaching, and that former WKU head football coach David Elson, who was defensive
coordinator for the Wildcats in last year's memorable season, could succeed him. That possibility ended when Elson took a major college job as New
Mexico State's defensive coordinator.
The same thing could hold true for Franklin as RHS, naming a football coach who is also athletic director. That could attract some big name
candidates. Some current Franklin-Simpson students have told me, however, that they believe the new football coach will come from Schlosser's
assistants.
Lex Lindsey surprised many of us when he resigned recently as boys basketball coach after a year in that position following a highly
successful stint as girls basketball coach. His Lady Cats teams went 208-43 and won six 13th District and four 4th Region championships in eight
seasons. He had two Final 4 teams at state, one of which reached the finals. Lindsey coached the F-S boys this year, and they struggled to a 12-17
record. He wants to devote more time to his family following the recent death of his dad, former coach/administrator
Jim Lindsey.
The same situation could be true in boys basketball with a combination athletic director/basketball coach being chosen. (Should I mention Riley
again?) On Lindsey's staff is former Russellville head girls coach Stephen Guthrie, who was also with him while he was coaching girls. The
status of the likable Defray Holts is also uncertain. He coached with David Clark for several years before Clark retired from coaching a
year ago. The talent pool in the F-S basketball program from top to bottom is said to be at one of its lowest levels in memory, with the exception of
rising senior Tanner Clark and Holts' son Jordan, a freshman.
Although Logan County High School graduate Josh Matthews indicated in midseason that he was not planning to return as the Lady Cats coach
next year, he apparently has decided to stay. He is the son of former Lady Panther coach Bob Matthews, who served as an assistant this year to
Josh The younger Matthews is a former head college coach.
Glasgow
Jeff Hall¸
who is best known as one of the stars of the University of Louisville's 1986 national championship basketball team, is being promoted to athletic
director next year. The Daily News reports that he will not coach the Scotties next year unless there are no faculty openings for a boys
basketball coach. Then he has reportedly agreed to coach one more season until a suitable replacement can be found with a teaching opening to match.
Certainly entrenched in their jobs if they want to continue in them are football coach Rick Wood, whose team won their first 14 games
before losing to Covington Holy Cross in the state championship game, and Justin Stinson, the former LCHS assistant coach who led the Lady
Scotties to their first-ever regional title.
Bowling Green
Monroe Joyner
is retiring after a long and distinguished service at athletic director at BGH. It's a good year to be going out. The Purples have won a state football
championship, the girls soccer team won the region and reached the third round at state, the boys basketball team won the region, the boys soccer team
won their first 19 matches before losing 1-0 in overtime in the regional finals, Coach Dee Wilkins' (formerly the outstanding RHS swim coach)
Lady Purples finished ninth in the state and his boys were 10th, and the two-time defending regional champion girls basketball team was one
of the best in the region again.
Joyner is the son of Auburn native Joyce Drake Joyner¸ a sister of Jean Drake Riley. That makes him a first cousin of Tim Riley.
Kevin Wallace, who is one of the winningest coaches active in Kentucky football, tells The LoJo he has a decision to make. He can
become the BGH athletic director, but he will have to give up coaching football. He may take that step. Going out as a state champion is a great way to
tie the bow on a spectacular career.
If he vacates the BGH football job, it will be one of the most sought-after positions in the state. Administrative support for Bowling Green
football is virtually without parallel.
With all these changes in SKY League leadership imminent, the announcements of the next few weeks should be most interesting. Check The LoJo often for updates.