Washington High School senior Tanner Lemaster, left, who signed earlier in the day to attend the University of Kentucky, came to Miami Trace High School senior Andrew Guthrie’s (right) signing with Campbell University Wednesday evening, Dec. 21, 2022. The two seniors are friends and have competed not only against each other on the high school football field and basketball court, but have played on the same youth teams growing up.
Chris Hoppes | Record-Herald
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 was a historic day in Fayette County sports.
Perhaps for the first time ever, both Washington High School and Miami Trace High School had a student-athlete sign to attend and play football for a Division I college on the same day.
Tanner Lemaster of Washington High School signed with the University of Kentucky Wildcats and Andrew Guthrie of Miami Trace High School signed with Campbell University, home of the Fighting Camels, located in North Carolina.
Turns out the two stand-out athletes, while rivals in high school, are friends and have known each other and played sports on the same teams for many years.
Lemaster had his signing in the lobby outside the gymnasium at Washington High School Wednesday afternoon and Guthrie signed his letter of intent at a gathering of family and friends at the Rusty Keg Wednesday evening.
Lemaster dropped by Guthrie’s signing to wish him well.
“Pretty much we first met when we were playing coach-pitch baseball when we were like 8-years-old,” Lemaster said. “We started playing travel basketball together.
“Andrew and I played basketball together for five or six years, maybe a little longer,” Lemaster said. “We played travel baseball together all the way up until he stopped playing baseball which, I think was right before high school. But, we played all the way up until then.
“We played basketball from about the same age,” Lemaster said. “We played basketball together a long time. We played Pony League football back when the teams were mixed (with Miami Trace and Washington school kids playing on the same teams).
“We’ve just played sports together our whole lives and we became really good friends out of that,” Lemaster said. “He’s one of my better friends and we’ve been pretty close. I think he’s a good dude.”
“We’ve played either with or against each other as far as my memory goes back,” Guthrie said. “We’ve had a great friendship playing basketball, football and baseball, any sport. We’d all play it together and we’d hang out all the time. So, we have a great friendship and a great bond.”
As for the two friends signing Division I letters of intent on the same day, Guthrie said, “I think it’s a big opportunity for both of us to put Washington Court House on the map for itself and for us to play at the next level, as well.”
