Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Kentucky associate football coach Vince Marrow’s nephew, John McCrear, was on Woodford County’s 8th Region championship basketball team that reached the state semifinals.

Woodford’s athletics director and football coach is former UK defensive lineman Dennis Johnson, who earned all-Southeastern Conference honors at Kentucky before playing in the NFL.

Johnson’s son, Jasper, is a top basketball 25 player in his recruiting class and had an impressive opening session at the Nike EYBL in Atlanta last weekend.

Marrow has observed Dennis Johnson as a coach and administrator. He’s been impressed.

“I am going to be honest. This is probably an understatement,” Marrow said. “Dennis has done a really good job. Not only has he done it with the football program but as the AD he has rallied all types of sports there.

“The diversity they have and what they have done in all sports is impressive. I really think Dennis would be a great addition to any college coaching staff. I don’t even know if he would have any interest, but this business is all about relationships, and he’s great with relationships.

“He’s an amazing coach and person who is making a huge difference in high school sports. But I have no doubt he could do the same thing at the college level.”

Johnson received the Woodford County Distinguished Citizen Award presented to individual community leaders who provide outstanding civic service to their community’s adults and /or youth last week. The Woodford Boy Scouts select award winners but do not have to be Boy Scout volunteers.

Instead, award winners need to personify what the Boy Scouts stand for and this is what was said when Johnson received his award:

“Coach Dennis Johnson exemplifies all of the values and traits of a great citizen, living his life with the dedication and desire of treating our community like family, leading by example and being a mentor for those in need of direction. Always being there to lend a helping hand and listen when no else is. The bedrock of kindness and all that is good in the world.”