The football season is nearing an end. The race for the national collegiate championship is down to two teams. The NFL regular season ended Sunday. High school football concluded Thanksgiving weekend.
There definitely have been some negatives. The Tennessee Titans are the worst team in the NFL. Kentucky finished the last half of the season as the worst team in the Southeastern Conference. The Logan County Cougars have the longest losing streak in the state.
Still, the positives have made this a football season to remember. Consider these developments:
Number 1, the Russellville Panthers won their first Class A regional championship in 23 years. They also matched that 1992 team with 11 wins. They got to play nine games at home, winning seven of them. Their last victory, against Bethlehem in the regional finals, was the 500th in the 81 seasons of Russellville football.
According to the Voice of the Panthers, John Brett Reynolds, they had the 10th highest rushing total in state history with 4,926 yards, almost three miles. Their 66 rushing touchdowns were ninth in state history. Their 559 rushing yards against Todd Central tied them with themselves for the 20th best in state history. (The 2014 Panthers had that same impressive total against Louisville Holy Cross. This year’s team also had a 554-yard total against Fulton City for 22nd place.)
Senior Josh Bigbee, who was district player of the year and honorable mention all-state, set a rushing yardage record during the Coach John Myers Era with 1,531 yards on 132 carries (11.6 yards per carry) for 15 touchdowns. He rushed for over 100 yards in eight of the 14 games. He total over 250 more rushing yards than the second highest total in the Myers Era, which was set by Desmon Quarles last year
Junior M.J. Jones set a rushing touchdown record in the Myers Era with 19. He finished with 1,228 yards on 94 totes (13.1). The previous high in rushing touchdowns during Myers’ 12 seasons at the helm was shared by the Quarles brothers, D.J. and Desmon, with 18 each.
This was the sixth time that Myers has coached the Panthers to a regional championship game, including three in a row.
In the Myers Era, this was the third time a team has won 10 or more games. Additionally, this team had the most rushing yards in a season and the most points scored in a season (619) in the Myers Era.
In the process, Myers won his 99th game as the Panther coach, averaging over eight victories per season.
2) Football teams and players from the past were honored.
First came the Clash of the Alumni Cats in the spring. Grown men—some of them not only grown but also greatly expanded in comparison with their high school physiques—played about three hours of full-contact football. It was fun for those who played and full stands of fans from both Logan County and Russellville high schools at Rhea Stadium. This was a very special evening and raised significant funding for both schools’ football programs.
During that day and night, many people were introduced to the outgoing (maybe over-pouring) personality of Reggie Gough.
Greg Owens, who spends a goodly portion of his waking hours devising plans and putting them in action for honoring former Russellville athletes, followed up his three-month celebration of the 75th year of Rhea Stadium football in 2014 with activities at four regular season home games. Great teams from 1950, 1970, 1980 and 1990 were the honorees this year.
That 1990 team was also honored during the state Class A championship game in Bowling Green on the 25th anniversary of their winning that title.
Owens also spearheaded the creation and construction of Panther Park, which consists of a monument and bricks dedicated to the memory of deceased Panthers or to the honor of the living who have been part of Russellville football over the decades.
Built by former Panther great Billy Costello, it not only is beautiful but was a great fund raiser for RHS football.
Owens also started his own Facebook newsletter for Russellville sports history called the R Club and has announced his plans next year to honor the state runner-up teams of 1966 and ’68 and to honor the 1984 team that stayed unbeaten until the state semifinals.
Additionally, the two inductees into the Russellville Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame were football players during their years at RHS. Michael Morris was more successful in basketball, and Andre Morris had a super collegiate and adult career in track, but they also were good football players.
Two members of the inaugural class of the Logan County Cougar Foundation Hall of Fame were football players both in high school and later on. Joseph Jefferson became the highest NFL draft pick in WKU history and a starter for the Indianapolis Colts while Terry Clayton won a national award while playing for UK.
3) Excitement abounds in LCHS football about the selection of former Cougar star Todd Adler as the program’s new head coach. Players and parents who have been associated with the middle school program while he has been its coach highly praise him. His team won a state playoff game. And he brings unmatched enthusiasm into what is undoubtedly a very difficult job, but one he’s ready to tackle head-on.
4) Former Cougar quarterback Adam Clark had a very successful year in coaching the Hopkinsville Tigers to the championship of Logan County’s Class 4A district. This was the fifth year that the Auburn native has been head coach at the school which was one of the most powerful in Kentucky—really in the state—for several decades.
His friends were worried about his job security when his first team in 2011 went winless in Class 5A, but he rewarded those who believed in him by going 10-2 this year, including a win over Warren Central in the playoffs before falling to Franklin-Simpson in the second round.
5) Former LCHS multi-sport standout Landon Stratton was repeatedly honored for his punting while playing for the Murray State Racers. Landon didn’t even punt in high school. He was the placekicker for Cougar teams that rarely got close enough to the goal posts for him to attempt field goals.
Stratton is the all-time leading scorer for Cougar Soccer and was a starter on the basketball team.
Meanwhile former Murray State coach Frank Beamer ended a marvelous coaching career by leading Virginia Tech to yet another bowl victory.
6) Area teams South Warren and Bowling Green won state football championships. Coach Brandon Smith’s Spartans and Coach Kevin Wallace’s Purples were both favored to win their classes all season, and they didn’t disappoint.
The South Warren quarterback was junior Ryder Litten, the son of former Russellville athlete Jeff Litten. The Litten family owned the bowling alley here.
Noah Pillow, grandson of Jocille Pillow of Russellville, had an outstanding season for an unexpectedly good Greenwood team this year. He is the son of former state champion Panther lineman Stewart Pillow.
7) The Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers had one of the best football seasons in the nation. Coach Jeff Brohm’s team went undefeated in Conference USA, won the conference championship game, and then blew out former WKU Coach Willie Taggart’s South Florida Bulls to finish 12-2.
Quarterback Brandon Doughty had another phenomenal season, as his statistics attest.
The best news of all is that Brohm has said no thanks to the college and professional teams interested in his putting his offensive prowess to work for them. He wants to build on what he’s started in Bowling Green.
My guess is that Brohm is waiting to succeed his mentor, former Topper coach Bobby Petrino, at Louisville.
Meanwhile U of L didn’t have as good a season as Cardinal fans have come to expect, but the Cardinals did finish 8-5 and in the Music City Bowl handed Texas A&M the only loss an SEC West team suffered.
All five of the Cardinals’ losses were to bowl teams. One of their three-point losses was to Clemson, which has one more game left—against Alabama in the national championship game. Another three-point loss was to Houston, which beat Florida State with ease in one bowl
We have several University of Tennessee fans in our midst, and they have reason to be proud of their Vols, who appear on the verge of returning to national prominence under Coach Butch Jones.
8) Although the Titans were in a class by themselves (kindergarten) in the NFL, there were some bright moments.
Romeo Crennel is the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, who won the pitiful (or is the correct word pitiable?) American South. Romeo is a former WKU lineman who was a teammate of Jerry Humble, Brad Watson and Toby Nichols of Russellville on The Hill. He spoke to the Panthers the week of a big game a few years ago, coming to R’ville as the guest of General Humble.
Romeo appears to be one of those coaches who is a great coordinator but not a great head coach. (I offer the names Mike Munchak and Joker Phillips as prime examples.)
Also in the NFL, Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville quarterbacked the Minnesota Vikings to the championship of the National North, culminating in a win over the previously powerful Packers Sunday night.
Teddy has led his team to a home game in the playoffs while fellow 2014 rookie QBs Blake Bortles, Derek Carr and some guy named Johnny Manziel are still looking for a 17th game. Actually, Johnny Football needs to be looking for a team after blowing all the chances Cleveland has given him.
And the Titans have improved their stock. Last year they only had the number two pick in the draft. This year they possess the number one pick. No doubt, they earned them both.