Small Town News

Staples expecting 6A district to be competitive

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Muhlenberg County High School head coach Josh Staples looks for the Class 6A district to once again by very competitive." Every team in the district has a number of returning starters from last season. Henderson is coming off a solid 2009 season and is the defending district champs. They are big, physical, and fast. Three things that usually brings success on the field. Graves County is a solid football team that relies on the running game and a strong defense. Statistically, they were near the top in many 6A defensive categories."

Henderson won the district last year with an undefeated record, while Graves County was second. Apollo took third and the Mustangs were fourth with a 2-3 record. Their wins came over Marshall County and Daviess County.

"Marshall County is looking to turn the page with a new coach and a new system. They are a physical team that relies on a balanced attack. Daviess County returns a number of players off of last seasons team that was very good defensively. Apollo wants to build on the success of last season. They finished last season with one of their better records in recent years. The district this year will be a fight to the finish."

District play begins Friday night with the opening game of the season when Muhlenberg County travels to Owensboro Apollo.

KEY LOSSES

The Mustangs lost several key players off last year's squad. They included:

--Aaron Johnson, a senior quarterback and defensive back. "He could do just about anything we needed," said Staples. "We lost a leader on both sides of ball."

--Curtis McGehee, a senior defensive end and fullback. "He was everywhere we needed him to be. Overall, he was a hard-nosed football player."

--Thad Cartwright, a senior offensive and defensive lineman. "He was one of our smarter kids."

--Brandon Stoudemire, a senior runningback and linebacker. "He was very versatile."

--Charlie' Caston, a junior runningback, who transferred to Butler County for his senior season.

SIX HOME GAMES

They say there's no place like home, and the Mustangs will be playing most of their home contests this fall in the friendly confines of Muhlenberg South Middle School. "One good thing about the season is that we will have six home football games this year. As a result of the late scheduling due to consolidation, we were forced into a schedule that only had us playing four home games last season."

Outside of the five district games, the schedule will once again consist of Grayson County (9-2 last season and finished tied for the 5A district championship), Edmonson County, McLean County, Breckinridge County and Hancock County.

The Mustangs won their final two regular season games in 2009 with wins over Daviess County and Breckinridge County, outscoring the two opponents by a combined score of 41-7.

LOOK TO IMPROVE

With a season behind them, the Mustangs are hoping to see improvement in several areas this fall.

"This season we are looking to improve on everything from last year. Last season was filled with mixed emotions. The players handled everything very well and seemed to work well through anything that was thrown at them. It is always tough not having facilities that other programs already have, but we have managed to push through with some success."

"One good thing about the season is that we will have six home football games this year. As a result of the late scheduling due to consolidation, we were forced into a schedule that only had us playing four home games last season.

Josh Staples"



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© 2011 The Times-Argus Central City, Kentucky. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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