The Cupboard is a little off the beaten path this week…..

The Cupboard is a little off the beaten path this week but something I felt needed to be said and made public.

I communicate with more coaches, assistant coaches, statisticians, you name it in a week’s time than I can even begin to imagine.

Everyone who knows anything about sports in Jackson County, knows baseball, basketball, and football have been the three top sports. Then along came soccer, wrestling, weightlifting, volleyball, track and field and the competition was growing.

Coaches are definitely not in it for the money, unless in those rare cases, they talk a good game and get chosen for three or four of the ‘smaller’ sports with supplements. I’m happy to say those are few and far between. We have had three teams competing in girls weightlifting this year. Two of those teams have had several meets and their coaches have been nothing short of phenomenal in making sure I had the information to me.

Marianna Coach Joy Hand and Sneads Coach Destiny Metzler could have not been any more conscientious and courteous in responding to my many texts/emails and without so much as a sigh. Trust me, coaches will tell you that I will drive them batty to get what I need from them.

Those two ladies are at the top of the mountain. Ryan Maloney is an assistant basketball coach at Malone. He doesn’t get settled in on the bus if it’s an away game before I’m in receipt of the books, the details, the standout plays (or lack of if that’s the case).

Joy Fountain is better known as Ms. Graceville. If it happens at Graceville School, she will be front and center to let me know about it, most especially the sporting side of it. She will walk the halls to get the books, the notes, whatever it takes for me to have the information I need, she makes sure I have it.

Tyler Wilson is the head coach of basket- ball and his team is going through some growing pains. Win, lose, or draw, he sends me copies of his books. Some coaches occasionally ask me why I put someone in there who scored four or five points in basketball games. It’s for the simple fact that they contributed.

I will end this Cupboard on a very positive note.

Last night two county teams played each other. As it would end up, the home team won all three games, girls varsity, boys j.v. and varsity. One team is struggling on the girls’ side and last night the boys j.v. and varsity struggled. That was very out of the ordinary. Either of the three games could have been very ugly but due to both sides being very well coached, everyone could hold their heads up today. They can meet the players at a restaurant tonight and hold their head high. That, folks is what sportsmanship is all about and that’s the way it is from Inside the Cupboard.