By JAMES BROWN
GLASGOW — Glasgow Middle School’s eighth grade football team will host a football state tournament game Saturday at Glasgow High School.
The eighth grade Scotties face Meece Middle School of Somerset at 3 p.m in the first round of the second annual Kentucky Middle School Football Association state tournament. The seventh grade team plays Monday at Meade County at 4:30 p.m. central.
The KYMSFA was formed by a group of middle school football coaches. “The KYMSFA is being formed to provide an organization through which we as middle school football coaches can work together with mutual respect and cooperation to improve middle school football in the Commonwealth,” is stated on the KYMSFA Web site at www.kymiddleschoolfootball.com.
Jeremy Bass, coach at Spencer County Middle School and vice president of the organization, said the group began with four coaches in the winter of the 2007-08 school year who wanted an organization that would serve to regulate and promote middle school football.
“The membership has literally tripled in the last year and a half,” Bass said. “Last year, there were eight seventh-grade teams and eight eighth-grade teams. We’ve grown from 16 total teams last year to 42 teams this year.”
This is the second year of the middle school state tournament. Bluegrass Middle School in Elizabethtown defeated Bell County 22-16 to win the first eighth-grade title game. Bowling Green Junior High defeated Corbin for the seventh-grade championship.
This year, with the addition of many more schools than from the inaugural season, the eighth grade tournament is divided into Division 1 for larger schools and Division 2 for smaller schools. Glasgow, which joined in March, competes in the second division. The seventh grade still has only one division.
Bass said the eighth grade divisions are based on male student enrollment.
Brackets are established for the three tournaments based on travel considerations with the effort being to not force teams to travel more than two hours. The semifinals and finals will be played Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at Lexington Catholic High School.
Not all middle schools choose to participate in the KYMSFA, Bass said, and those that do don’t automatically make the playoffs. Teams must meet certain criteria in order to qualify, such as finished the season with a .500 or better record and they had to have played against a schedule of quality teams.
“They can’t just play against Bubba Middle School three times and make it,” Bass said. “Just because a team is a (KYMSFA) member doesn’t mean they automatically qualify for state tournament.”
Assistant principal Scott Jones said Glasgow Middle School joined the organization in order to showcase the talented football players it has had in recent years.
This year’s eighth grade team is undefeated and has won its 10 games by an average of 35 points. The seventh grade, which finished the regular season 5-5, also qualified for its tournament by having a .500 or better record.
GMS Eighth Grade Team (10-0)
Aug. 8 - Glasgow 50, Bardstown 6
Aug. 11 - Glasgow 68, Caverna 0
Aug. 18 - Glasgow 8, Barren Co. 2
Aug. 27 - Glasgow 46, Grayson Co. 0
Aug. 29 - Glasgow 14, Corbin 8
Sept. 1 - Glasgow 42, Monroe Co. 0
Sept. 3 - Glasgow 40, Drakes Creek 8
Sept. 17 - Glasgow 48, Metcalfe Co. 0
Sept. 29 - Glasgow 30, Russellville 8
Oct. 1 - Glasgow 36, Edmonson Co. 0
Oct. 17 - vs. Meece MS at 3 p.m. at GHS
GMS Seventh Grade Team (5-5)
Aug. 8 - Glasgow 7, Bardstown 0
Aug.11 - Glasgow 7, Caverna 0
Aug. 18 - Glasgow 12, Barren Co. 14
Aug. 27 - Glasgow 6, Grayson Co. 30
Aug. 29 - Glasgow 6, Corbin 38
Sept. 1 - Glasgow 14, Monroe Co. 28
Sept. 3 - Glasgow 6, Drakes Creek 30
Sept. 17 - Glasgow 7, Metcalfe Co. 0
Sept. 29 - Glasgow 20, Russellville 19
Oct. 1 - Glasgow 7, Edmonson Co. 0
Oct. 19 - at Meade MS at 4:30 p.m.
