Two of Daviess County’s finest on the gridiron recently took the next step in their athletic and academic careers, as Cole Buch committed to Lindsey Wilson and Jack Ball committed to Centre College.
Cole Burch
Burch has been a two-sport athlete at Daviess County, initially focusing on basketball—where he’s earned honors as an all-district member—before Head Coach Matt Brannon convinced him to join the team for his junior year. He stepped into the role of tight end and linebacker, grabbing 149 receiving yards and four touchdowns while securing 34 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Having faced multiple injuries over the past two years, Burch is excited to get healthy and take the next step after signing to play football with Lindsey Wilson.
“It’s definitely a weight off the shoulders,” Burch said. “It’s been a long time coming. I’m excited to go to Lindsey and see all the things that I will get to in the next chapter of my life. It feels good. I feel confident and I’m just thankful that I have this opportunity.”
Having averaged 13.6 ppg and 7.9 rpg in his junior year that he played just an 18 games and was recognized as one of the best players in the district, Burch will tell first that this isn’t the path he initially thought he’d be on when it came to college athletics.
“I knew I wanted to be a college athlete, but I thought it was going to be on a basketball court,” Burch said. “But then I just kind of fell in love with football again. I never expected that I would be playing college football, but I’m so excited.”
That’s what Lindsey Wilson was recruiting him for initially, but they stayed in contact when Burch’s focus turned to the gridiron. That along with great academics and a homey campus was what ultimately sold the senior Panther on joining the program.
“I like how it’s secluded and small,” Burch said. “I want to major in psychology and stuff. Lindsey’s Wilson’s psychology program is one of the best in the state, so that definitely played a part [in my decision]. I know I’m going to get a good education. There’s not very many distractions in Columbia, Kentucky, so I know I can get the job done on the football field and in the classroom.”
Burch went on to thank his teammates as well as the coaching staff, noting that without his Panthers family he wouldn’t have been able to achieve his dream of competing at the collegiate level.
“All my coaches,” Burch said. “All the strength training. I don’t think I could’ve done it anywhere else that wasn’t Daviess County. They’ve given me so much support on the court and on the football field. Having such supportive coaches, it’s something I’ll cherish forever, because without them I definitely would not have been able to accomplish anything I have.”
Daviess County boys basketball Head Coach Neil Hayden was one of the coaches that supported him regardless of what sport he was in and he said that Lindsey Wilson and Daviess County High School couldn’t ask for a better representative of what a student-athlete should be.
“He is a student athlete and when he decided to play football he became a two-sport athlete,” Hayden said. “There were days when they had workouts Thursday mornings I believe, he would come in the afternoons with us. He did not take days off and he is somebody that cares about his teammates, that cares about winning and that cares about this school.”
Jack Ball
Ball played a dual role on offense for the Panthers for the majority of the season, sharing snaps with junior quarterback Lake Wilson. In that role he passed for 709 yards and six touchdowns on 39-72 passing, while also being the team’s second-leading rusher with 309 yards and eight touchdowns on 89 carries.
And when Ball wasn’t dicing up defenses, he was on that side of the ball himself as a linebacker with a total of 69 tackles on the season. He’ll be taking those talents to Centre College following graduation, joining a program that has prioritized him throughout the recruiting process.
“It feels good,” Ball said. “I feel a lot of relief… It really kind of picked up a little bit more as the season progressed and then Centre kind of just took it over. They put a lot of effort into recruiting me and they really made it known that they wanted me. They sent letters and even came to the school a couple times.”
Ball is excited to get to work, mentioning that they have top-notch athletics and is excited to use the new facilities with a team that he said seems like a family. Having become so close to his teammates and coaches this season, he knows just how important that is.
Quindarius Wallace is one of the many coaches that Ball has a tight bond with, one who at the senior two-way player’s signing said that he loves him as a person off the field and that Centre is very lucky to have him be a part of the program.
“One thing that people don’t understand about Jack is his commitment to excellence,” Wallace said. “We throw that phrase around a lot, but I think Jack is truly committed to whatever process he’s a part of and he performs at an extremely high level… He’s been a top-notch leader for us by his actions. Vocally not so much, but by his actions and the way he comes to work everyday, it’s incredible.”
Jack and Cole both will be dearly missed within Daviess County athletics, but football Head Coach Matt Brannon said that they’ve left a legacy behind by leading by example. It’s something he said that he’ll always cherish and is excited to see what they do at the collegiate level.
“I am blessed to have had these two young men in my life for the last four years…” Brannon said. “Not just these two, but all of our senior class—those guys standing back there. It’s such a special group of young men and it’s probably the closest group of seniors I’ve ever had since I’ve been a coach.”
