The Kentucky Lake Ski Nuts dominated in the course of the 2022 Kentucky State Water Ski Championships at Twin Oaks Lakes in Paducah. The Ski Nuts hosted the occasion this previous weekend, with six native skiers capturing medals.
Roughly 25 skiers from across the state competed within the occasion within the slalom, methods, and leaping classes.
Mallory Williams, Austin Collins, Carl Marquess, Pat Coomes, Joe Burkhead, and Errol Bryant introduced residence medals of their respective divisions.
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Williams, 15, skied in her third state championship, swept Ladies 4 slalom, methods, and leaping, and completed in first place for all three occasions.
Collins skied in Males 1 and took first place within the methods occasion.
Marquess and Coomes competed by snowboarding in Males 7.
Marquess took residence the gold in slalom and methods and completed second in leaping to provide him second general within the division.
Coomes gained in leaping and completed second in methods and slalom to snag the gold general within the Males 7 division.
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Burkhead skied within the Males 8 and took residence first place in leaping.
The Paducah native completed second in methods and slalom.
He took residence second place within the division.
Bryant swept each of his occasions within the Males 9 division. The Beechmont native positioned first in slalom and methods to seize the general trophy.
All the above skiers at the moment are certified to ski within the Southern Area Water Ski Championships (a qualifying competitors for the U.S. Nationals), which might be held at Lymanland Ski Lake in Tuscaloosa, AL, in two weeks.
Kentucky was able to get the week one victory over Southern Miss in a football game that ended right after halftime due to weather. Brock Vandagriff and the entire Kentucky offense looked excellent in this game, and of course, the defense was elite, as everyone expected heading into the season.
Now, the Kentucky Wildcats will face a more challenging test as the South Carolina Gamecocks come to Lexington. South Carolina was barely able to edge out Old Dominion 23-19 in Columbia, so this team can’t feel all that confident heading into their week two matchup with Kentucky. In the win over ODU, the Gamecocks ran the football 56 times, including 22 rushing attempts from their quarterback, LaNorris Sellers. The dual-threat quarterback had 68 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
Top to bottom, the running game for South Carolina was solid, as Raheim Sanders had 88 yards and a score. Kentucky needs to be ready for a lot of rushing attempts next week when the Gamecocks are in town.
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Wildcats a 70% chance to take down the Gamecocks at home, and the line for the game opened up at 7.5 points in favor of the Wildcats.
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If Kentucky is able to get the big win over South Carolina this week it sets up a massive matchup with the #1 Georgia Bulldogs coming to town. For Kentucky to reach the next level as a football program, Mark Stoops has to get a win over the Georgia Bulldogs, and they will have a chance to do just that in Kroger Field on September 14th.
Brock Vandagriff has been waiting his whole life for the chance to start in a college football game. Ahead of this momentous occasion, he had a feeling he would not be able to sleep. Once he finally arrived in the team locker room, he was ready to roll, but the quarterback had to wait, and wait, and wait.
Kentucky’s season-opening game was delayed for more than two hours before the Cats finally kicked off against the Golden Eagles. During those two hours, Big Blue Nation was getting rowdy in the stands, ready to cheer on the Wildcats. Vandagriff was prepared to hit the field but had to remain patient. Once he started throwing the ball, we learned that patience is one of his strengths.
“It was kind of the first time I’ve ever had any monster delay like this. It’s definitely different,” the quarterback said after midnight on Sunday morning.
“There were several times where we’re getting up, putting our shoulder pads on, getting ready to walk out. ‘Naw, you gotta go back.’ It happened two or three times. Then finally, people just took off their shoulder pads and were laying on the ground. It’s definitely different, trying to get mentally ready three different times. But at the end of the day, both teams had to do it.”
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Despite the circumstances, the Kentucky Wildcats had no other choice but to stay locked in and mentally prepared.
“It’s a game. It’s a game, right? Right. The record’s on the line, right? Stay locked in. Ball is ball,” said Jamon Dumas-Johnson. “We were going to stay out here till midnight to play if we had to.”
Patience Turns Into Production
Kentucky’s patience paid off. It took no time for Dumas-Johnson to pop. He picked off a pass on his second play in a Kentucky uniform. Vandagriff and the Kentucky offense did not immediately settle in, but once they found a rhythm, they were Brocking and rolling. Vandagriff completed 12-of-18 passes for 169 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He also used his legs to move the chains, rushing for 35 yards.
“He played like I thought he would, and he’s not perfect, and none of our team is,” said Mark Stoops. “But I think there’s a lot to build on that. We all know that the challenge is going to step up starting this week, but I really like what I saw.”
Patience eventually produced points as Vandagriff kept plays alive with his legs before dialing up balls down the field. The offense was hitting another gear in the third quarter when he connected with Ja’Mori Maclin for a 46-yard gain. His final pass of the day was a touchdown to Jordan Dingle, the final play from scrimmage before lightning prematurely ended the game.
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Late Night is an Early Wake Up Call for Vandagriff
The initial lightning delay lasted longer than the 1:43 that Kentucky actually spent on the field against Southern Miss. Stoops was pleased with his team’s limited performance and proud of their composure through the lengthy distraction. Now it’s time to get some rest and move on to next week’s matchup with South Carolina.
“We’ll make the most of it and I’m proud of our guys. We got to get back to work. We got a league game next week, so we’ve got to get some sleep. It’s late for these guys getting out of here. They got to get home and try to get some sleep. I’m sure they’re going to go right home and get to bed,” Stoops joked.
Stoops doesn’t have to worry about his quarterback. After a rough night of sleep, Vandagriff was ready to exhale and unwind following his first collegiate start.
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“It’s gonna be tough waking up for church tomorrow,” said Vandagriff. “Last night wasn’t the best night’s sleep, but that’s normal at this point. But obviously this is way past my bedtime, even on a normal night. It’ll be rough waking up for church, but we’ll be there.”
Why Wilson Berry will be Kentucky football’s punter for the season opener
Kentucky football special teams coach Jay Boulware talked to the media after practice on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. Boulware said Wilson Berry will be the punter for Saturday’s opener against Southern Miss. Aidan Laros is also challenging for the job.
McClatchy – Lexington Herald-Leader
LEXINGTON — Story lines abound for Kentucky football heading into Saturday’s 2024 opener against Southern Miss.
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Brock Vandagriff, a transfer from Georgia, will make his first-ever start as a collegian after winning the Wildcats’ starting quarterback job. Bush Hamdan is in Game 1 as UK’s offensive coordinator. And Kentucky coach Mark Stoops acknowledged earlier this week he hasn’t forgotten the last time Southern Miss came to town: The Golden Eagles rallied from a 25-point deficit to hand the Wildcats a 44-35 loss in the 2016 opener.
Watch Kentucky football vs Southern Miss live on Fubo (free trial)
Despite all the focus on the UK offense with Hamdan and Vandagriff making their debuts Saturday, it’s the defense that might make this fall a special one for the program. Led by sixth-year coordinator Brad White, the defense returns 10 starters from last season. None more important than Deone Walker, a likely first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft.
After reaching a bowl every year since 2016 (though the 2021 season’s Citrus Bowl appearance has been vacated due to NCAA violations), Kentucky hopes to take the next step this fall and work its way into College Football Playoff contention in the first season of the 12-team format.
That journey begins Saturday night at Kroger Field.
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Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
Time: 7:45 p.m.
Location: Kroger Field
TV channel: SEC Network
Streaming: Fubo (free trial)
Radio: UK Sports Network (840 AM in Louisvillel 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington)
Kentucky vs. Southern Miss will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network. Tom Hart and Jordan Rodgers will call the game from the booth at Kroger Field, with Cole Cubelic reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Series record: Kentucky leads, 3-1
Kentucky’s last win: 2017 (24-17)
Southern Miss’ last win: 2016 (44-35)
Kentucky 34, Southern Miss 10: The Golden Eagles added numerous players from power conferences via the transfer portal during the offseason. Those additions won’t be nearly enough to send Kentucky to a season-opening loss, however, as coach Mark Stoops and Co. begin the 2024 campaign 1-0.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday:
Spread: Kentucky is a 24 ½-point favorite at home
Over/under: 50
Moneyline: Kentucky, -5000; Southern Miss, +1800
Kentucky has its share of players dealing with injuries. Presumed starting running back Chip Trayanum is out with a hand injury. A trio of UK defensive linemen (Josaih Hayes, Tavion Gadson and Darrion Henry-Young) are out indefinitely. Kentucky offensive lineman Courtland Ford also will miss an extended period of time.
The high is 94 degrees with thunderstorms and an 92% chance of rain in the forecast.
Aug. 31: Southern Miss ∣ 7:45 p.m.
Sept. 7: South Carolina ∣ 3:30 p.m
Sept. 14: Georgia ∣ 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 21: Ohio ∣ 12:45 p.m.
Sept. 28: at Ole Miss ∣ Noon
Oct. 12: Vanderbilt
Oct. 19: at Florida
Oct. 26: Auburn
Nov. 2: at Tennessee
Nov. 16: Murray State ∣ 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 23: at Texas
Nov. 30: Louisville
Record: 0-0
Buy Kentucky football tickets this season with StubHub
Aug. 31: at Kentucky
Sept. 7: Southeastern Louisiana
Sept. 14: USF
Sept. 21: at Jacksonville State
Oct. 5: Louisiana
Oct. 12: at Louisiana Monroe
Oct. 19: Arkansas State
Oct. 26: at James Madison
Nov. 9: Marshall
Nov. 16: at Texas State
Nov. 23: South Alabama
Nov. 30: at Troy
Record: 0-0
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.