Kentucky
'We know exactly the heart of this team': Kentucky's offense will continue to fight down the final stretch
Kentucky’s 2024 season has not gone as planned. The Wildcats only have three wins in nine outings with a 0-4 record in SEC games at Kroger Field. This team has lost outright as a betting favorite four times but has also gone toe-to-toe with top-15 teams three times, including a road win over Ole Miss that continues to look better. Injuries are piling up, and two more games against top-20 foes remain on the schedule.
It’s been a tough year for Kentucky. Leaving the bye week, the Wildcats will host FCS Murray State in the penultimate home game of the season. The offense will be looking to build off some of the good things accomplished in the last outing against top-10 Tennessee.
“I think we know exactly the heart of this team and the fight of this team. Again, I think they played extremely hard. We’re probably a couple plays away from getting that one done. A work in progress, obviously. Constant state of improvement,” Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said on Tuesday. “I thought there was a lot of good things in that game. We, just from a consistency standpoint, have gotta get that stuff done to finish a game.”
“The focus is on us playing good football and continuing to find the identity.”
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That identity is beginning to include some younger players as Malachi Wood, Jamarion Wilcox, and Hardley Gilmore IV have all stepped into bigger roles in recent weeks. Kentucky is not ready for a full-on youth movement as the goal is to give the team the best chance to win football games on Saturdays, but it’s clear the coaching staff is willing to try something different. True freshman quarterback Cutter Boley received a ton of reps with the first unit last week and is expected to get extended game action on Saturday.
Kentucky is looking for answers and attempting to fix all the mistakes plaguing the offense all season. However, this is a group that has not quit yet. The Wildcats have continued to go back to work and are fighting through this tough slump.
“I’ve been super fortunate of this group. I really have. I mean they are out there today ready to get back to work just like they have been all year,” Hamdan said. “I’ve been appreciative of those guys and their buy-in, and I think it speaks volumes of the culture of this program.”
How strong is that culture? We got a positive answer with how Kentucky performed against Tennessee. Will that effort translate into the last three weeks of the season after another bye week? Stay tuned.
Kentucky
Kentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Pick 3 Evening winning numbers for March 1, 2026
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Sunday, March 1, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
03-07-16-32, Cash Ball: 25
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 4-5-5
Midday: 3-1-4
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 3-8-0-2
Midday: 6-2-3-9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
10-11-12-35-56, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
Kentucky
Woman dies in head-on collision in Bullitt County
Kentucky State Police is investigating after a Shepherdsville woman died Feb. 28 in a two-vehicle crash in Bullitt County.
A preliminary investigation shows the crash, which occurred at 7:34 p.m. at the intersection of KY 44 East and Watergate Drive, began when the passenger-side tires of a Toyota Tacoma heading westbound on KY 44 East dropped off the right side of the roadway and onto a steep shoulder, Master Trooper Bryan Washer said in a statement March 1.
The teenage driver “overcorrected, causing the vehicle to cross the centerline into the eastbound lane and into the path of a Ford Escape.”
Due to a head-on collision, the Ford Escape went down a small embankment and overturned on its roof before coming to rest, Washer said. The driver of the Ford Escape, Sarah Weisman, 27, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bullitt County Coroner’s Office. The driver of the Toyota Tacoma was not injured from the crash.
Trooper Scott Wheatley and Detective Brad Holloman of the State Police conducted the initial investigation into the crash, Washer said. Holloman continues to investigate.
Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@usatodayco.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter
Kentucky
Three NKY girls wrestlers win titles, including a third for Emma Moore
LEXINGTON, KY – The Kentucky High School Athletic Association has sponsored a girls state tournament for three seasons.
That’s three seasons of wrestling over the dirt at Alltech Arena at Kentucky Horse Park
That’s three seasons of the girls having their own day to crown winners and placers.
And three seasons of Emma Moore climbing up the podium, taking her place as a Kentucky state champion.
Moore, a Walton-Verona senior who said she picked up the sport once the KHSAA started sanctioning, has gone 12-0 in her three trips to state with eight pins and a tech fall on the record.
“I feel great,” Moore said of ending her preps career on top again. “I feel like I made a lot of growth season and I’m really proud of what I was able to accomplish.”
Moore won the all-Northern Kentucky state final at 107 pounds, besting Ryle eighth grader Peyton Brinkman, 13-5. Moore beat Brinkman with a 17-1 tech fall in the regional championship, but had to battle with Brinkman for three complete periods in the state final.
“I felt like she was better at stopping my attacks today,” Moore said. “But, I just make sure to get to my offense and wrestle like myself.”
Brinkman was one of three Brinkmans to place at the state tournament. While younger sister finished as runner-up, older twin brothers and Ryle sophomores Aiden and Bryant placed second and fifth respectively.
Moore’s championship was the 14th in Walton-Verona history. Of those 14, three came from Emma, two came from brother Spencer and two more came from brother Ryan.
Highlands junior Emma Hood grinds out 152-pound championship
Emma Hood had a 3-0 lead in the 152-pound KHSAA state final and just around a minute needed to hold on to win her first championship.
When opponent Bralyn Maynard of Prestonsburg tried to get out of Hood’s grasp, she bent Hood’s leg sideways at the knee, causing Hood to immediately react to the injury. Hood’s injury time ticked away before she hopped up, ready to continue on.
With the knee barking, Maynard scored a quick reversal and cut Hood’s lead to 3-2. For 44 seconds, Hood had Maynard wrestling on top, but unable to score any more points.
“That last minute was just pure fight or flight,” Hood said. “After the knee, adrenaline kinda kicks in and I really couldn’t feel it at all for the last minute of the match.
“She gets the reversal with about 46 seconds left. The whole time I’m replaying how it felt last year to lose to her and making sure that didn’t happen again.”
Hood was a runner-up last year, losing to Maynard by a pin in the match’s final seconds. The championship was the fourth state placement for Hood, who also placed fifth in 2024 and eighth in the Kentucky Wrestling Coaches Association girls tournament in 2023 that ran before KHSAA sanctioned a tournament.
With the win, Hood became the first wrestler in Highlands history ‒ boy or girl ‒ to win a KHSAA wrestling championship.
Cooper freshman Aaliyah Svec finishes off undefeated season
Aaliyah Svec’s freshman season is one that will hard to improve on, but she’s up for the challenge.
Svec’s first season as a high schooler saw her go 19-0 for the year, claiming Kentucky’s 138-pound state championship. She didn’t even wrestle a full-length match in the postseason, going 8-0 across the regional and state tournaments with six pins and a pair of tech falls.
One of those pins came in the 138-pound final as Svec pinned North Hardin’s Payton Perry in the third period while Svec was already sitting with an 8-2 lead.
“It’s absolutely wild,” Svec said. “I never thought I would be here. I’ve grown up doing this sport and I’m just so, so grateful for these opportunities.”
Like Hood, Svec’s championship was also historic for Cooper as she also became the first wrestling state champion ‒boy or girl ‒ in the program’s history.
Northern Kentucky girls wrestling state placers
107 – 1. Emma Moore (Walton-Verona), 2. Peyton Brinkman (Ryle); 114 – 6. Leah Boggs (Campbell County); 138 – 1. Aaliyah Svec (Cooper), 6. Preslee Steiber (Ryle); 152 – 1. Emma Hood (Highlands), 7. Devon Banks, Simon Kenton; 165 – 5. McAyla Steffen (Campbell County); 235 – 6. Fanta Mariko, Cooper.
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