Football Team

LEXINGTON -  Miles Simpson isn't a veteran, but might as well be considered one of Kentucky's leaders on defense going into fall camp. Although a sophomore, Simpson has already caught the attention of Kentucky football coach Joker Phillips, who has likes the way Simpson has caught on to the team's defensive schemes and has “deemed” Simpson as one of the “leaders on this football team right now.” “Miles Simpson is now one of the leaders of...

LEXINGTON¿ - Joker Phillips is excited about his football team. Before anyone could get the first question in during Kentucky's annual Media Day Friday at Commonwealth Stadium, Phillips took it upon himself to list the reasons why he can't wait to begin his third season as coach of the Wildcats. For starters, Phillips has a roster stocked with leaders - a list Phillips said has blossomed in the past eight months. “We have sat down and talked about who we thought were some of our leaders, and since January, that list has grown,” he said.

Football - The George Rogers Clark varsity and freshmen football teams will open fall camp at 5 p.m. on July 16. All players are required to have an up-dated physical. - The Clark Middle School football team will begin voluntary conditioning for students in grades 6-8 from 6 until 7:30 p.m. July 16-27 behind the school. A physical is required before working out with the team. - The Clark Middle School football team will have sign-ups 6-7:30 p.m. July 27, 30 and 31 behind the school.

West Jessamine running back Romando Tatum made his college selection late last month by signing with Alderson-Broaddus. “It was a long decision, and I feel like it was the right choice,” Tatum said. “The campus environment just felt right. It felt like a place to call home.” Tatum walks into a unique situation at AB as the Battlers don't yet have a football team - in fact, ground-breaking on a stadium just occurred in April. Tatum's first year on campus will be spent on the Battlers club football team playing a variety of teams.

Just in time for Mother's Day, the tough guys at Boyle County High School made their mothers proud by posing in the T-shirts the team will be selling all season to raise money to help local people who are fighting cancer. “It was their idea,” proud team mom and leader of the Quarterback Club, Debbie Sabastian, said. Her son, Cody, along with teammates Justin Roution, Levi McKinney and Keegan Kendrick came up with the idea after seeing a similar, successful fundraising effort by one of their own to help an aunt who was struggling with the added expenses of daily life after receiving a diagnosis.

George Rogers Clark senior Dominic VanCleve was honored for his ability to overcome adversity this week. VanCleve, a starting guard on the Cardinals' 10th¿Region championship squad and a cornerback on the football team, was named to the Tom Leach “All-Resilient Team” this week. The award, sponsored by Kentucky National Guard, honors “high school male and female athletes who overcome adversity on their path to success.” Approximately a year ago, VanCleve's brother was shot and killed after an intruder broke into his family's home.

LEXINGTON¿ - Naturally, Isaiah Burrus dreams about ending his high school track and field career in grand fashion by taking home a third straight Class AA boys 400-meter dash title. That feat, the Mercer County senior said, does not put any added pressure on him. But the Titans' sprint star would love to bring his teammates along for the ride next month. “I just know that if I do what I've got to do, I can three-peat. It would kind of be a bummer if I didn't, but my main goal is to get the team championship,”¿Burrus said.

LEXINGTON - As Kentucky is trying to find ways to better utilize its tight ends during spring practice by incorporating different route concepts, junior Jordan Aumiller is trying to find ways to regain the playing time he lost last year. You remember Aumiller. He was a two-sport standout at Boyle County and played five different positions on the football team his senior year. He came to Kentucky as a linebacker, but was redshirted in 2009 and then moved to tight end in spring practice.

Kentucky coach John Calipari knows the accolades his team have been hearing since it dismantled South Carolina on Saturday to continue a dominant three-game stretch that also included big wins over LSU¿and Tennessee. However, he also knows games tonight with Florida and Saturday at Vanderbilt are going to be much more difficult than any other Southeastern Conference games his team has faced this season. “I am going to talk to them today about let's make sure we are being humble and understand why we have been winning and where we have to take this to,” Calipari said Monday.