Darren Doyle, story and photo:
After suffering a loss last week to district opponent Metcalfe County, the Wildcats bounced back tonight with a win over Clinton County 44-6 in their first district win of the year. The win is the second one this season and something Head Coach Zach Vincent said was much needed after last week's 39-22 loss.

"These kids are capable of more than what they know," he said. "I told them today that 'guys, we played Metcalfe 1-1 in the third quarter with their starters and it should've been that way the whole entire time. And we gotta keep battling. And we told them, when you first come out, it's pedal to the metal--we're going."

And that's what they did as the Cats were able to get on the scoreboard early with help from running back Michael Mills, who led the way with 268* rushing yards on the night. Mills made it into the end zone with 5:14 in the first quarter on an 11-yard run and the Cats led 6-0.

The Bulldogs answered with a huge kickoff return for a 76-yard touchdown to tie the score at 6-6, but that's the only offensive threat Clinton County showed the Cats for the rest of the night. The Bulldogs were also plagued with penalty calls throughout the game.

Mills scored all 6 of the Wildcats' touchdowns, which included two runs over 50-yards. The Wildcats notched 378 total yards of rushing. Edmonson County had no passing yardage tonight. Despite the impressive yardage by the Wildcats, Coach Vincent credited the defense for getting the job done tonight.

"They did a great job, they shut them out," he said. He also noted that kids were playing play-by-play tonight and not thinking about a mistake that happened three plays ago.

Nolan Martin had 9 tackles for the Wildcats. 

The Wildcats are now 2-5 on the season and are off next week for fall break. Their next game is Friday, October 14th on the road at Green County for another district match.

*all stats are unofficial  

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
Last night, September 27, 2022, the Edmonson County Lady Cats traveled to Grayson County, where they took down the Lady Cougars in a 3-0 sweep.

In the first set, the Lady Cats got off to a bit of a bumpy start as they fell behind the Lady Cougars 11-6, forcing Head Coach Caitlin Caudill to call a timeout. Edmonson got the ball back and notched some much needed kills to tie it up at 11 each.

From there, the Lady Cats and the Lady Cougars fought point for point, when Edmonson finally took the set 27-25.

In set two, Edmonson got off to a rough start yet again, where Grayson jumped out to a commanding 15-6 lead. In recent years, getting behind this early seemed to doom the Lady Cats; however, Edmonson fought back with a 12-1 run, forcing a Grayson timeout with a Lady Cat 18-16 lead. After the timeout, the Lady Cats continued their scoring run with strong serves from Senior Rylee Laster, and kills and blocks from multiple players. This mixture rattled Grayson too much, and Edmonson took the set 25-19.

In the third and final set, Edmonson stayed ahead for almost the entire set, until the Lady Cougars tied things up at 23-23. The atmosphere was very intense as both teams again were fighting point for point. The Lady Cats won the set 27-25, and the three-set sweep over their District 12 rival.

"There is only one word that can describe the feeling after winning that game last night, which is amazing," said Coach Caitlin Caudill. "This is the first time we have been able to beat Grayson at Grayson County in 5 years. That 3-0 sweep proves that we are zoning in and preparing for this post season. I am so proud of all my girls. This is what a team win looks like."

The Lady Cats are now 14-10 on the season and are scheduled to take on Allen County at Allen County at 5:30 pm.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball brought some more hardware back to the gym on Saturday, September 24th after claiming first place in the SOKY Slam Silver Division, hosted by Allen County-Scottsville.

The Lady Cats went 3-2 on the day, losing to Apollo and Russell County, and winning over Allen Co., Franklin Simpson, and Warren Central.

Edmonson County started the day off in pool play, falling to Apollo to two sets (25-14, 25-8). They then took on Russell County for a more evenly-matched set. They fell in the first set (25-22), then took set two (25-18); however, they fell short in the final set (15-7).

After qualifying for the Silver Division, the Lady Cats were able to handle Franklin Simpson (25-10, 25-9), then Allen County Scottsville (25-21, 25-15), and finally Warren Central in two sets (25-15, 25-18).

They are now 13-9 on the season (2-4 in District 12) and are scheduled to take on Allen County Scottsville again tonight at home in JV/V/F matches starting at 5:30PM.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County fell to the Metcalfe County Hornets 39-22 tonight at Wildcat Field.

The Hornets struck first as speedy running back Michael Bennett scored on a 50-yard touchdown with 8:53 in the first quarter. The extra point was good and Metcalfe led 7-0.

It would be Metcalfe's Bennett once more just as the second quarter began with an 11-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was blocked as the Hornets led 13-0 with 11:42 on the clock.

Metcalfe scored again on Wyatt Blythe's 15-yard catch and the extra point was good for a 20-0 Hornet lead with 6:15 left in the half.

Blythe scored again with a tough catch in the end zone on a 19-yard pass. The extra point was no good and the Cats trailed 33-0 at halftime.

Metcalfe scored again with 8:46 in the third quarter for a 39-0 lead.

With the third quarter winding down, it appeared as though the Wildcats had finally got on the board as Michael Mills made his way into the end zone, but it was called back as a result of a penalty on Edmonson County.

However, as the fourth began, the Wildcats were able to finally get across the goal line as Peyton Keith connected with Michael Mills for a 25-yard touchdown with 11:50 left in the game. The two-point conversion was good and the Cats cut the lead to 39-8.

Mills picked off a 25-yard pass from Metcalfe County with 9:30 left in the game. The Hornets were called for two different pass interference penalties during the Cats' possession and with 3:01 left in the game, Mills scored again on a 12-yard run. The two-point conversion attempt was no good as Edmonson County cut the lead to 39-14.

Edmonson County was able to regain possession with an onside kick on the next play. Noah Meredith caught a 36-yard pass from Keith for a first down with about 1:45 left. The Cats took it down to 23 seconds on the clock when Daren Alexander scored on an 18-yard pass from Mills. The two-point conversion was good and the Cats cut the lead to 39-22.

Edmonson County showed plenty of life in the fourth quarter, but it wouldn't be enough as the Hornets held on to win with a running clock.

Head Coach Zach Vincent said while the result wasn't what the team had hoped for, he was happy with how the Wildcats hung in there until the end.

"Our boys finally showed up at the half and I'm proud of them tonight," he said. "We got a special group of kids this year. You take most kids that have lost since last year, then you pick up win last week, then you come out (tonight) and your down--most kids would give in, but when we went in at the half, you can fuss and yell as much as you want, but we just had a good heart-to-heart."

Coach Vincent said the team came out way too flat in the first half to compete.

"I said boys, you gotta show me something. I need eleven guys that want it. I don't care if it's JV, or a freshman, whoever it is, I gotta have eleven. And they stepped up, every single one, even the sideline."

The Wildcats will remain at home again next week as they host Clinton County (0-5).

Edmonson County falls to 1-5 on the season as Metcalfe County improved to 6-0.

Darren Doyle, story:
The Edmonson County Lady Cat volleyball team and Volleyball Boosters joined forces with the community and the Butler County Lady Bears last night to help one local individual, Katherine Lindsey, who is currently fighting cancer.

The Lady Cats swept Butler County 3-0 last night in the district match up but the coming together of two teams and a community was what made the night a success.

The Lady Cats raised over $6K at a silent auction at the game, as well as donations gathered during the event, all of which will be donated to Katherine in her fight. Two parent volunteers, Joe Monroe and Matt Ferguson, who are frequent line judges at volleyball games, agreed to perform their duties last night in pink fairy costumes if an additional $250 was donated just before game time. One anonymous individual donated $250 alone just to guarantee the guys would be suiting up.

Katherine Lindsey, who is the daughter of Johnny and the late Kathy Lindsey of the Mohawk Community, is a 1990 graduate of Edmonson County High School.  Katherine was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in July.  It has now spread to her lymph nodes, spine, adrenal glands, and right lung and she is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments. She also continues to work and help care for her father.

Edmonson County is now 10-7 on the season and is scheduled to take on Allen County at home on Monday, Sept. 26th.

Darren Doyle, story:
The 6th Annual Santa’s Helping Hands Golf Scramble was once again another success with 30 teams coming out to support the county's most popular charity, bringing in over $6,500 for local families.

"We were blessed with beautiful weather and a huge turnout of competitive teams, said SHH Board Member and co-founder Mark Wardlow.

The end of the scramble, held at Shady Hollow Golf Club in Cub Run, had two teams that had tied for first place at a score of -20, which forced a playoff on hole number 18. The team consisting of Mark Ashley, Nathan Ashley, Barry Alexander, and Brad Alexander edged out the team of Greg Meredith, Cameron Rhoades, Dawson McDaniels, and James Rhoades.

"Santa’s Helping Hands would like to thank Michael Meredith, Brad Johnson, & J.C. Ramsey for all their assistance with this event," Wardlow said. "We would also like to thank all of our hole and prize sponsors. Without their help, this would not be possible. And a big thanks goes out to Eric Decker & Adron Merryman for their amazing BBQ that was provided for all our golfers on Saturday. We are very blessed to live in a county that supports all of our fundraising events."

The 18th annual Santa’s Helping Hands Auction/Benefit is scheduled for November 5th at the Edmonson County High School gym.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
Brayden Johnson, a freshman tennis player at ECHS has claimed the top ranking in the Central Kentucky Tennis Series as a result of his stellar play in this summer's eight tournaments, where Johnson entered in two different categories: age 18 and under and age 15 and under. The Wildcat varsity tennis player won both divisions in a points race series.

Johnson claimed the top spot in at least one category in all the tournaments, which consisted of

• winning both divisions in five different tournaments
• winning the 18u in one tournament
• winning the 15u in two different tournaments

The tournaments included the Glasgow Open, Gator Open, Lake Cumberland Open, Campbellsville University Classic, E-town Open, Kids on the Block Points For Puppets, Barren Classic, and the Freeman Lake Classic.

His complete record in the tournaments is 50-3.

He is the son of Brad and Jodi Johnson of Bee Spring. Jodi Johnson is the head tennis coach at ECHS. This year is the second full year of the program.

Edmonson Voice Report:
The Edmonson County High School Soccer team played Monroe County Saturday, September 17, 2022, which was their Senior Day.
 
The Girls team fell to Monroe County 12-1, with Senior Claire Burklow scoring the only goal. The Boys team defeated Monroe 5-2, with goals from Hunter Hayes, Moez Shabaz, Julien Wilson, and Tucker Harp. 

Below is a slideshow of each senior with their families:

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
The ECHS Football homecoming was held tonight, September 16, 2022. Tina Compton, daughter of Bill Akridge and Lisa Akridge, was named the Senior Football Homecoming Queen. Ms. Compton was escorted by Will Alexander, son of Brian Alexander and Tyra Alexander.

The other winners are in the slideshow below:

The Wildcats ended the night with a win against Caverna, their first win since the 2020 season.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Wildcats celebrated the 2022 ECHS Homecoming with their first win since 2020 as they bested Caverna tonight at Wildcat Stadium 48-6. 

Edmonson County was able to get on the scoreboard first, getting into the red zone early and scoring as Michael Mills completed a 6-yard run. The 2-point conversion was good and the Cats led 8-0 with 6:03 in the first.

After both the Colonels and Wildcats swapped possessions on some turnovers, Edmonson County's Tyler Anderson intercepted a Caverna pass and returned it for a 70-yard touchdown. They scored on the two-point conversion and led 16-0 with 2:34 left in the first.

The Cats took advantage of another Caverna turnover and scored in the second when Anderson pushed through after getting into the red zone again. They weren't able to convert the extra two and led 24-0 with 6:47 to go in the second.

Caverna was able to score on a play at the end of the half and the Cats led 24-6 at halftime.

The Cats set the tone for the second half as Daren Alexander returned the kickoff for an 80-yard touchdown. Edmonson County converted the two-point conversion and led 32-6 with 11:44 in the third.

Edmonson County scored twice more, thanks to touchdowns from Michael Mills and two more conversions, which would allow the Cats to lead 48-6 with 7:18 in the third.

Caverna was able to score again in the fourth quarter for a final score of 48-16.

Coach Zach Vincent, who celebrated his first win as head coach did his post game interview soaked, as the team doused him with the water jug after the game. He said the team being down over the past season-and-a-half has helped them to grow and mature.

"The boys have matured these past few weeks, I mean, God Bless," he said. "It's amazing how practice was this week. We talked about it, like 'guys, this is the best three days of practice we've had.' I mean, they're focused, they're driven, they know what their job is and they want to get it done."

Coach Vincent said he told his boys at the half with a 24-6 lead that the game wasn't over.

"We'd been in this position at Grayson County. We were up and we blew it. We were up one touchdown and we blew it. I told them, 'guys, we haven't won yet. We've won the half, but as far as I'm concerned, it's zero to zero and we have to show them that we mean business."

The Wildcats were able to take care of their business by doubling their score in the second half. The win snaps a 15-game losing streak, the longest in school history.

They are now 1-4 on the season and are scheduled to play Metcalfe County at home next Friday night at 7PM.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The Edmonson County Cross Country boys and girls teams competed in the Elizabethtown Fair Frenzy Meet on Saturday, September 10th.

Listed below are Edmonson County runners in the team ranking on Saturday, plus the overall ranking at the meet.

Girls Varsity 5k

1. 16. Cariann Williams 21:50
2. 57. Jenna Cook 24:12
3. 61. McKayla Moore 24:33
4. 64. Kenadi Swihart 24:58
5. 66. Abby Logson 24:59
6. 103. Maggie Cassady 28:03

(Out of 131total runners)
 
Boys Varsity 5k

1. 16. Brandon Shane Lindsey  18:04
2. 48. Tyler Brooks                      19:16
3. 69. Brayden Johnson             20:21
4. 89. Landon Franich                21:17
5. 99. Noah Justis                          21:40
6. 128. Owen Ruth                     23:08
7. 136. Jackson Logsdon           23:24

(Out of 179 total runners)
 
Girls Middle 3.5k

1. 32. Kylee Williams 18:37
2. 33. Mollie Johnson 18:44
3. 84. Tayla Garner 23:24
4. 89. Ellie Claire Spainhoward 23:50

(Out of 113 total runners)


Boys Middle School 3.5k 

1. 13. Aidan Meredith 14:30
2. 55. Jack Browning 16:14
3. 62. Jack Lich 16:30
4. 70. Eli Prunty 16:44 

(Out of 169 total runners)

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
Last night, Tuesday, September 13, 2022, the Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball Team defeated the Glasgow Lady Scotties in a 2-0 sweep at home.

Edmonson had a bit of a sluggish start in the first set, coupled with some errors and tough serves from Glasgow, allowing the Lady Scotties to score 5 points in a row. The Lady Cats awoke and got some much needed kills and blocks, and went on 8-0 run, which forced a Glasgow timeout.

Several factors helped the Lady Cats along the way, which included an intense student section, strong kills, blocks, and serves, which wouldn't allow Glasgow to catch up as Edmonson took the first set 25-17.

The second set of the game was much closer, as Glasgow only trailed a few points behind for the majority of the set. Again, the intense atmosphere in the ECHS gym and hard swings from Edmonson were too much for the Lady Scotties. Edmonson won the set 25-19, resulting in a Lady Cat win.

"I am proud to say that we're half-way through our season with a winning record of 8-6," said Head Coach Caitlin Caudill. "They came out last night and executed great defense and offense, and it showed at the end of the night." Caudill also applauded the student section for their support for the Lady Cats. "I also want to give a huge shout-out to our student body. They have shown up and supported our girls and we all appreciate that so much."

The Lady Cats are now 8-6 on the season and are scheduled to take on Breckinridge County at home this Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 5:30 pm.

Darren Doyle, story:
The Edmonson County Lady Cat volleyball team advanced to the championship game of the All A Region 3 Classic today, hosted at Cloverport, but fell just short of the top prize, finishing as the tournament's runner-up.

Play started this morning for Edmonson County against McLean County and the Lady Cats wasted no time getting down to business, forcing a timeout against the Lady Cougars at 5-0. Edmonson had a lead as much as 10 points later in the set and took set one, 25-13.

It was much of the same in the second, with the Lady Cats starting off strongly again, forcing an early timeout for McLean at 7-1. Edmonson dominated for the remainder of the set, winning 25-8 and advanced to the semifinals.

In the semis, Edmonson took on Cloverport, where the young Lady Aces were severely outmatched and fell 0-2 to the Lady Cats, who took care of business early. Edmonson County advanced to the championship game for a rematch against Trinity, who defeated the Lady Cats at home on Thursday night.

Edmonson County was shaky from the start, as the contrast in talent was evident between Cloverport and Trinity. The Lady Raiders jumped out to a 6-1 start and forced a timeout for Edmonson. The Lady Cats did not recover from the slow start and Trinity claimed set one 24-12.

The second set was a different story for the Lady Cats, at least in the beginning. With 8 ties and 7 lead changes through the score of 11-11, Edmonson County seemed to be on the right track compared to the previous set; however, Trinity was able to put together a 7-2 run that forced an Edmonson timeout with the Lady Cats trailing 18-13. Edmonson County was only able to put 4 more points on the board before Trinity took the set 25-17 for the final set of the tournament.

Edmonson County moved to 6-6 on the season and is scheduled to travel to Monroe County on Monday evening.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Wildcats had their hands full once again tonight as they took on the Hornets of Hancock County, falling by a score of 50-0.

Hancock County scored their first touchdown of the night only a minute and a half into the game on a 41-yard pass. Their two-point conversion was no good and they led 6-0 with 10:27 in the first.

Edmonson County simply had no answer for the Hornets tonight as Hancock County controlled the game from the start, leading 34-0 after the first quarter.

The Cats trailed 42-0 at the half and couldn't recover from the huge deficit. A couple of Wildcats got banged up pretty good but despite the score difference, Edmonson County's effort remained until the final buzzer sounded.

The Wildcats struggled mightily against the Raiders on Friday night as they fell 48-0 at Warren East.

Edmonson County had no answer for the Raiders offense and couldn't handle the defensive pressure from East when the Cats had the ball.

The Raiders wasted no time establishing the tone as they scored seconds into the game on a 9 yard catch by Roger Duncan from quarterback Dane Parsley. The extra point was good for a 7-0 Raiders lead.

Edmonson County trailed 42-0 at the half and with a running clock, the Wildcats remained outmatched the rest of the way and were unable to turn things around.

Nathan Smith, offensive line and linebacker coach for the Wildcats, said Edmonson County was mismatched on both the offensive and defensive lines.

"They had a massive front five against us and we're starting some young guys and some small guys, and it just was not a good match for us up front," he said. "They played hard, our boys are always going to play hard, that's not ever going to be an issue. There's some things we learned a little bit tonight from this and we came into it a little banged up. What we need to focus on with our guys is that in a game in September against Warren East doesn't really matter for anything against us. We play in a very winnable district and we have games that are much more on our level. Caverna, Metcalfe, Monroe, and Clinton, those are games and schools that look like us. They're the same size, and things like that, so we just got to keep our boys' heads up and make sure that this doesn't derail us and that we're able to keep our heads up and look forward to the end of the season."

Edmonson County is now 0-3 on the season and will travel to Hancock County next Friday.

Madison Doyle, story and photos:
The ECHS Lady Cat Volleyball Team fell to the Grayson County Lady Cougars in a 3-0 sweep last night at home. Grayson stayed ahead throughout the first set with the Lady Cats close behind, but Grayson went on to take the set 25-19.

The second set looked a little more promising for Edmonson County, as they started out with the lead. It didn't take long for the Grayson to catch up, and while the rest of the set was extremely close, Grayson went on to take the second set 25-21.

The Lady Cats were forced to change their rotation during the third set due to an injury from Senior starter Alyssa Doyle and already depleted bench. This was too much for Edmonson as they trailed the whole set, which Grayson went on to take 25-11, resulting in a loss for Edmonson County.

"This wasn't the outcome we wanted last night," said Head Coach Caitlin Caudill. "But with only being 6 games into the season, we still have time for improvement and growth. Over the next few days, we will work hard at practice and be ready to take the floor Saturday morning."

Edmonson is now 3-3 on the season and is scheduled to take on Franklin Simpson at home this Saturday at 9AM.

Edmonson Voice Report:
Last weekend in Winchester, Kentucky, Julie Norris was named MVP of a USSSA tournament that was hosted as a flood relief benefit. The tournament raised $2000 to be donated directly to the groups effected by buying items for the victims.

Julie pitched three out of the five games that her team played, and they were undefeated all weekend. This is only the second tournament for her team as a 16u team, and they were facing opponents who were predominantly 18u players.

This is now the 7th ring tournament that her team has won in the last 3 years and Julie has been declared the MVP of the tournament 3 times. Julie was also awarded Pitcher of the Year by ECHS and was a member of the "All Season Team" at High School District this year.

Julie is the daughter of Brent and Pauline Norris.

Edmonson Voice Report:
The ECHS Golf Team has started the 2022 season where the boys played in the Warren East Invitational, finishing in 5th place. The boys team is led this year by seniors Andrew Talley and Cam Lich with several returning players, along with some new ones.

The Wildcats recently played in the All A Regional with the lineup of Talley, Meredith, Madison, and Decker. Coach Granville Meredith said the Wildcats will look to improve on their scores and be ready for the regional tournament on September 19, 2022.

Meredith says he is excited about this year's team. "We will have our ups and downs but at the end of the year our goal is to be better and smarter about our game.”

The Lady Cat team have also played a few matches including one tournament, where Coach Kayla Meredith said she sees "lots of improvement." The Lady Cats also recently competed in the All A Region with the lineup of Makyala Hogg, Beth Elmore, Abigail Hogg, Olivia Stice, and Hannah Cassady. Coach Meredith said the girls all performed under pressured conditions and came out on top.

"These girls are well deserving of their accomplishments and I couldn’t be more proud of the entire team," he said. "We can’t wait to support Hogg and Cassady September 10th, 2022 as they compete in the All-A State Tournament."

The tobacco stick will remain in Grayson County another year as the Wildcats fell to Grayson County 33-12 in the 2022 football season opener on the road.

Edmonson County showed promise early as they picked off a Cougar pass on Grayson County's first possession. Although they failed to score on their first run, they were able to hold Grayson back on a couple of big Cougar runs. There was no score in the first quarter.

Senior quarterback Tyler Anderson got into the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown run about halfway through the second quarter. The Wildcats were unable to convert on the extra and led 6-0 with 6:47 left to go in the 2nd quarter.

Grayson County took their first lead with 3:43 left in the third quarter on a short push into the end zone after several first down runs. They scored on the two-point conversion and led 15-12.

The Cougars would shut out the Wildcats from that point on, scoring three more touchdowns in the fourth in the process.

First year head coach Zach Vincent shared his thoughts after the game and how the second half Wildcats were not as steady as the first half.

"We talked at the half, I loved what I was seeing, love the emotion, we were doing our jobs right," he said. "We just have to carry that over. We're starting to transition into the team that can play four quarters. We're out of shape, I could tell that, and we're just not as big as other teams, so we're going have to play smarter, play harder and be in better shape than anyone else."

Coach Vincent said the goal for this season is to improve each day.

"That's what we talk about every day. We make everything a daily basis. Instead of a weekly, how are you going to get better today? How are you going to get better at practice? Are you with warm ups, are you going to stretch better, what is it today that's going to be your focus? We make small goals and we try to achieve them."

The Wildcats are scheduled to take on Butler County at Wildcat Stadium next Friday for the season home opener.