Landon Young, Ray Zuberer to receive Wah Wah Jones award

Landon Young of Lafayette and Ray Zuberer of Owensboro Catholic were named co-recipients of the third annual Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones Award by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation on Friday.

The award, presented to players who demonstrate excellence in multiple sports, will be presented to both individuals during the Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball awards ceremony on March 15 at the Lexington Center.

Young, a U.S. Army All-American, has signed to play football at the University of Kentucky and was a key figure on both the offensive and defensive lines as Lafayette made its run to the Class 6A state football championship game. He’s a two-time defending track-and-field discus throw champion in Class 3A and won a state shot-put championship as a sophomore. After years of trying, the senior finally added a state heavyweight wrestling title to his athletic résumé last month. He also boasts a 4.3 GPA in the classroom.

Zuberer threw for more than 7,000 yards and 102 touchdowns in two seasons as the quarterback for the Aces, but has signed to play baseball at Western Kentucky University. Entering the 2016 season he leads the current Aces in nearly every statistical category, including hits (116), batting average (.416) and stolen bases (47).

He averages 12.1 points for the basketball team, which is 20-9 and will vie for a spot in the 3rd Region finals against Breckinridge County on Saturday. “The best thing about my athletic career has been being around my teammates, coaches, teachers, students and the OCHS fan base,” Zuberer said in a news release.

Wah Wah Jones, for whom the honor is named, was a two-sport All-American while playing on the basketball and football teams at UK. He won a gold medal as part of the U.S. basketball team in the 1948 Olympics and played in the NBA. He pitched for the UK baseball team and was a member of the school’s track-and-field squad.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 10:41 AM with the headline "Landon Young, Ray Zuberer to receive Wah Wah Jones award."