CORBIN —
By John Stepp For The Times-Tribune
The Whitley County Colonels are known for two things: running the football and playing one of the toughest schedules in the mountains. This week, when they take on the Bell County Bobcats, they will continue doing both of those things.
Despite having an inexperienced team, Coach Jim Black feels the competition his squad will face each week will only better prepare them for a difficult upcoming district schedule.
“When you get into district play, every game is difficult,” said Black. “We feel like if we can get our kids used to playing in district-type games, then when the real game comes, they will know what to expect.”
The formula worked well for the Colonels last season, who lost three of their four out of district games last season, including a 34-7 loss to the Bobcats. Whitley County will look to avenge their loss to Bell County, but know it will be a tall task.
“Bell County is like they always are. They are big, strong and fast. They are one of the more physical teams we will play,” said Black. “We have to get a team effort this week. We have to execute on offense and defense. They are difficult to contain, so we have to do a good job on both sides of the ball.”
Whitley County will feature the same triple option attack that has helped the Colonels be successful in recent seasons. Quarterback Travis Inman will hand the ball off to a slew of running backs, including Cody Bramlett, Cody Bowling, Jordan Singleton, and Jordan Chute. The stable of backs enables the Colonels to stay fresh on offense and wear down the opposing defense.
“We have some good running backs. Bramlett led us in rushing last season at fullback, and Jordan Singleton, Jordan Chute and Cody Bowling are good runners,” said Black.
No matter the outcome of the game this week, the Colonels will not allow it to determine what kind of season they will have. With a loss, the Colonels will look to improve and make a run in the playoffs like last season. With a win, Whitley County will continue to build upon their success for the same end result — improving each week.
“We don’t worry about wins and losses right now. Our focus is not to come in and try to go man-for-man with Bell County. Our focus is to improve each week,” said Black. “If we lose, hopefully we can get better and see the things we need to work on. If we win, then I think we will be able to tell that we have improved.”
Local Sports
Whitley ready to travel to Log Mountain
- Local Sports
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Cards stand ground
It took a team effort, but South Laurel was able to make the big play late to defeat Harlan County, 5-4, and advance to the semifinals of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament.
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Moving on
It wasn’t easy, but North Laurel managed to sneak by Corbin, 2-1, during the first round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament Monday.
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Lady Cards slip past Clay County
James Burns’ South Laurel Lady Cardinals continued a recurring theme in the first round of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament — scoring runs with two outs and nobody on.
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Bell eliminates Knox Central
Bell County built a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning against Knox Central in first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament Monday, but still needed a leaping catch by centerfielder Alisha Russell to seal the deal on the Lady Bobcats’ win over the Lady Panthers.
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Errors lead to Barbourville’s 15-0 loss to Harlan County
A crucial error in the second inning led to five unearned runs for Harlan County, as the Lady Black Bears cruised to an easy 15-0 win over Barbourville in four innings Monday during first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament.
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Knox Central puts up fight before losing to Middlesboro, 6-2
Middlesboro’s Nick Capps took care of business and managed to hold off Knox Central, 6-2, to advance to the second round of the 13th Region Baseball Tournament Monday.
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North runs win streak to 19 games
The North Laurel Lady Jaguars were clicking on all cylinders Monday during first round action of the 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament as they defeated Corbin in five innings, 12-0.
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Tigers drop 10-2 decision
Clay County was forced to put the ball on the ground, but once they did they were able to get going as they defeated Barbourville, 10-2, during the first round of the 13th Region Tournament Monday.
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Who really are the favorites this year?
Corbin and North Laurel High Schools’ first round match-ups in both the 13th Region Baseball Tournament and 13th Region Fastpitch Tournament will highlight Monday’s first round action.
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Fantastic Finish
Brandon Hillard’s Knox Central Panthers almost pulled off a shocker before falling to rival Barbourville, 7-6, in the finals of the 51st District title game Thursday.
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