Jim Mashek

TYSON HELTON’S WESTERN SQUAD BECOMES BOWL ELIGIBLE

I’ve had plenty of long days at Western Kentucky University.

A lot of them involved academics, especially my freshman year.

Even more of them involved parties, particularly after I pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

And then, also as a freshman, I practiced with the Hilltoppers football team but took a redshirt year. Went to practice every day. Took a lot of head slaps, which were legal in the ’70s, from bad-ass defensive end Keith Tandy. Didn’t get to play in the games, however, and I quit after my freshman year.

Only thing I ever quit in my life.

But when I became a sportswriter, two years and change after graduating from WKU, I learned some survival techniques. Picked up a sports scribbler scam or two. Hustled for stringing work to make a little extra cash. I know how to work pretty fast and my fingers can fly all over the keyboard if necessary.

So it was, on Saturday, after covering the Bowling Green-South Warren playoff game at BGHS, I spent the day at WKU, first the football game at Houchens-Smith Stadium, and then the basketball tilt next door at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Now, when I was on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I covered a Jefferson Pilot game at Ole Miss — 11:37 a.m. kickoff, Central time, mind you — and actually wrote a game story before getting on the road for the 90-mile drive to Starkville, and a non-conference game against BYU at Mississippi State’s Scott Field/Davis Wade Stadium.

Got there for the second quarter.

So this double play was easy. And the Hilltoppers made it easy to pull it off.

First, WKU quarterback Austin Reed passed for 377 yards and three touchdowns, in the football team’s 45-10 thumping of Rice University. The Hilltoppers also forced six turnovers, four interceptions and a couple fumbles. I’ve been fighting a little bronchitis the last few days, so I kept my time in the chilly WKU press box to a minimum. Took a few photos. Made it to the postgame interview session.

Western improved to 7-4 overall and became bowl eligible. Tyson Helton, the ‘Toppers coach, was pleased with his team’s performance. They brought two offensive players, and then two defensive players, to the press conference in the WKU team meeting room. Mi amigo Jared MacDonald of the Bowling Green Daily News let me know he was moving on to cover West Virginia University athletics for a chain of newspapers in that fine neighboring state.

I told him we had to break some bread before he split.

Then Jared told me he’d see me at the basketball game, and it was pretty much more of the same.

Western Kentucky coach Rick Stansbury used his bench extensively, and the Hilltoppers buried visiting Kentucky State 127-61. Jamarion Sharp, the 7-foot-6 WKU center, blocked some shots. Luke Frampton hit some bombs from 3-point land. Daymion McKnight is still a tough customer, at both ends of the floor.

But Stansbury’s brought in some additional talent, through the transfer portal, and he’s got the kind of depth he’s never had in his previous six seasons as the Hilltoppers’ head coach.

I covered Rick’s teams at Mississippi State, during my 18 years on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and I know he’s excited about this team.

He has reason to be.

Anyway, it has been kind of a long day. I’ll be writing more conventional stories in the morning. Dave Chappelle is hosting “Saturday Night Live,” and I’m definitely looking forward to “Weekend Update” with Michael Che and Colin Jost, in the aftermath of the mid-term elections.

So this will have to do, y’all, until I can get the Starbucks going in the A.M., as well as some breakfast before “Meet The Press.”

It’s like I say, you can take the boy out of D.C., but you can’t take D.C. outta the boy.

Stick to sports?

Y’all know me better than that.

Anyway, we’ve got three teams from South Central Kentucky still alive in the KHSAA football playoffs. I covered Bowling Green High School’s impressive 34-0 victory over archrival South Warren on Friday night, and the Purples (10-2 overall) will play host to South Oldham (8-4) next Friday.

Logan County eliminated Hopkinsville High School 21-7 on Friday night, so the Cougars (11-1) will be at home again next Friday when they square off with Louisville’s Central High School. And another Class 4A squad, the unbeaten Warren East Raiders, took care of business with a 28-17 victory over Madisonville-North Hopkins.

Warren East will scrap with Franklin County (7-5) in a regional championship game on Friday night.

Anyway, I’m chillin’ like a villain, on Saturday night at the hacienda. I’ll be writing about both WKU athletics events in the morning. And Piper, I’m sure, will be watching me hack away at the computer.

Thanks for reading.