Our region has a connection to the college football playoffs. Garin Justice, a graduate of Gilbert High School, is an assistant coach for Southern Methodist University (SMU), which will be in the 12-team postseason playoffs.
At the time I write this column, the Mustangs were in line to win the ACC championship and are ranked in the top 12 in the country.
Justice was a standout 3-sport athlete at Gilbert back in the early 1990s. He went on to play football for West Virginia University under former coach Rich Rodriguez. Justice was a standout offensive lineman for the Mountaineers.
As a player, Justice was a three-year starting offensive tackle for WVU and served as team captain in 2005 for a Mountaineer squad that went 11-1, defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and ranked No. 5 in the season-ending AP Poll. He earned All-Big East honors and was a Sporting News Second Team All-American for his efforts. Justice also was the Big East Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
He was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the UNLV Rebels, the Miami Hurricanes and former head coach of the Concord Mountain Lions located in Athens, West Virginia. He is currently serving as the offensive line and assistant head coach with SMU.
Justice is also on the list for becoming a head coach at a couple of other colleges.
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It is that time of year when the local teams that are doing well in the playoffs in football bleed over into basketball season.
There is much excitement by the Tug Valley fans for the No. 1 ranked Class A football team. They are now headed to the semi-finals. Coach Hady Ford and his staff have done a great job building the football program into a potential state championship team.
Several Tug Valley athletes play on both the football and basketball squads. Thus, with the success of the Panthers football team, those players will get a late start on the hardwood.
Tug Valley won the Class A basketball title in the Mountain State last March in Charleston.
Local fans can get their belly full of high school and middle school hoops. With both the girls’ and boys’ basketball programs playing at the same time, the local gymnasiums are crowded.
Of course college teams are already playing basketball. However, football will continue with bowl games and the playoffs.
It is a fun time for fans who love hoops. Get out and support your local scholar-athletes and schools.
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The debate continues on transgender athletes nationwide. This has not happened locally yet – however, it is just a matter of time.
I am a firm believer that biological males should not play in girls’ sports. It is just not fair, and there are other issues.
They should not be allowed in the girls’ dressing rooms or bathrooms.
If they are not talented enough to make the boys’ teams, then they need to practice more and try harder. But saying that they “identify” as a female to play against the girls in any sport is just wrong.
I would not want my daughter or granddaughters having to play against males.
Most recently, a transgender volleyball player for San Jose State University has caused a lot of controversy in the Mountain West Conference. His eligibility has even gone to court hearings. Four schools even forfeited rather than play against SJSU and the controversial player.
It is my opinion that female athletes can get hurt, and it just is not fair for these young women to have to compete against biological males.
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In another sports note that happened over the Thanksgiving weekend, West Virginia University fired head football coach Neal Brown. That made a lot of Mountaineer fans happy. Brown, a Kentucky native, had been at WVU for six years. He never got the program back to national prominence. His teams were mediocre at best, and that just doesn’t get it with the rabid fan base.
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Something else happened a couple of weekends ago concerning Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden. After saying he would not interfere with his son’s legal issues, the current president pardoned his son. That really should come as no surprise, but it shows that Joe Biden lied about the situation.
It makes you wonder if there were any other issues he and his administration has lied about.
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Let us end on a positive note. Many communities throughout the region have sponsored Christmas parades, tree lightings and other holiday festivities. Many officials and volunteers put in a lot of hard work on these events. Get out and support those small towns and businesses.
Until next time.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)