The 2019 Lady Cat volleyball season came to an end last night as Edmonson County fell 3-0 to Grayson County in the first round of the District 12 Tournament held at Trinity High School in Whitesville.

Each team consistently traded punches in set one with 15 ties and 14 different lead changes. Edmonson County started the set 4-1, which would be the largest lead either team would have during the entire set. Grayson tied the score at 21, then went on a 4-1 run that would allow them to claim the set 25-22.

Set two was a completely different story for the Lady Cats. There was confusion over the rotation before the first serve and Edmonson County was out of sorts as the set began. Grayson County jumped out to 10-1 start and never looked back. The Lady Cats never scored more than 2 consecutive points and were unable to make up the difference as Grayson County claimed set two 25-10.

Set three didn't fare much better for Edmonson County, despite a good start. Seven different ties led the teams to a score of 8-8 when Grayson County began to control the momentum. They took a 17-11 lead over EC, which forced a Lady Cat timeout. Grayson extended their lead to as much as 20-12 as they ended their set 25-12, and the game, 3-0.

It was the final game for six seniors: Rachel Cowles, Halle Estes, Breanna Dennison, Mackenzie Jones, Carlie Pierce, and McKenzie Vincent. 

Multiple Lady Cats received All-District honors at the game. Senior Rachel Cowles was named to the District 12 All-Academic team.  Freshman Kaylee Lindsey, junior Abbie Slaughter, and junior Emma Woodcock were named to the District 12 All-Season team, and freshman Alyssa Doyle was named to the District 12 All-Tournament Team.

Edmonson County finishes the season with a record of 9-19. 

It was a special night for 23 seniors at ECHS tonight as all fall sports recognized their seniors. Senior team members from football, band, cheer, golf, and cross country were recognized along with their family members.

The following seniors and their families were recognized:

• Eddie Acosta, football, son of Brian and Josifina Ashley
• Skyler Cline, football, son of Jackie and the late Carl Cline
• Andy Lindsey, football, son of Kevin Lindsey and Amber Lindsey
• Chance Lucas, football, son of Howard Lucas and Laura Lucas
• Layke Sanders, football, Alison and Jon Fillingham, and Charles Sanders
• Devin Smith, football, son of Ruth K. Wilson and Danny Kiernan
• Brock Stethen, football, son of Leita Webb and stepfather Mike Webb
• Shawnee Brooks, color guard, daughter of Shaun and Shanda Brooks
• Macie Glass, marching band, daughter of Shawn and Shannon Glass
• Britiany Simmons, marching band, daughter of Randy and Amanda Simmons
• Callie Willis-Warthan, marching band, daughter of Shawn and Meredith Warthan
• Chloe Collins, cheer, daughter of Timothy and Dottie Collins
• Rachel Cowles, cheer, daughter of Scott and Dana Cowles
• Johnathan Filback, cheer, son of Glen and Rhoda Filback
• Adrianna Harp, cheer, daughter of Alecia and Willy Harp
• Mackenzie Jones, cheer, daughter of Frances and Sonny Jones
• Makayla Richardson, cheer, daughter Jayren and Shasta Richardson 
• Meredith Treece, cheer, daughter of GeorgeAnn and Marty Treece
• Eli Booker, golf, son of Neal and Krissie Booker
• Ben Elmore, golf, son of Anthony and LeeAnn Elmore
• Blake Garrett, cross country, son of Andy and April Garrett
• Zach Holt, cross country, son of John Holt
• Jonah Miller, cross country, son of Kim and Lamar Miller

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Emotions were high on Friday night at Wildcat Stadium as seven seniors took the field for the final time at ECHS in regular season football as Edmonson County defeated district opponent Green County 39-8.

Edmonson County struck first when Jon Smith pushed through with a quarterback keeper and Clay Walden's extra point was good for a 7-0 lead with 8:44 to go in the first.

Wildcat defense held the Dragons scoreless and Clay Walden was able to kick a 37-yard field goal with 3:50 to go in the first quarter. 

It was the Wildcats again in the second as sophomore Matt Shaw scored on a 8-yard rush. The snap was fumbled on the extra point attempt but Edmonson County led 16-0 with 5:37 left in the half. 

The Dragons got on the scoreboard with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to cut Edmonson's lead to 16-8 with 2:54 left in the quarter. 

The Wildcats made another push and it was Walden again with another field goal, a 34-yarder with 8.5 seconds to go. 

On Edmonson County's next run, the Wildcats were caught in bad field position as Walden punted, but a 'roughing the kicker' call was made as a Dragon tackled Walden with a late hit. The 15-yard penalty gave the Cats a first down and Jon Smith ran it in for a 41-yard touchdown. The extra point was good and Edmonson led 26-8 with 6:25 to go in the third. 

After another defensive stop from the Cats, it was senior Brock Stethen who caught Isaiah Johnson's 34-yard pass for a touchdown and 32-8 lead. Walden's extra point made it 33-8 with 39 seconds left in the third quarter. 

The Wildcats defense looked sharp once more as Isaiah Johnson intercepted a Dragon's pass and took it 30 yards for a pick six. Extra point was no good but Edmonson County extended their lead to 39-8, which would be the final score of the game. 

All fall sport seniors were recognized in a pregame ceremony that included the football seniors: Eddie Acosta, Skyler Cline, Andy Lindsey, Chance Lucas, Layke Sanders, Devin Smith, and Brock Stethen. 

Edmonson County is now 3-5 on the season and is scheduled to take on Clinton County on the road next Friday night as the season winds down with only two more regular season games before playoffs. 

Darren Doyle, story and game photos:
Six senior Lady Cats and their families were honored at the final regular season game of the 2019 season against Ohio County at ECHS tonight.

Seniors Rachel Cowles, Breanna Dennison, Halle Estes, Mackenzie Jones, Carlie Pierce, and McKenzie Vincent were recognized on the court tonight as they presented flowers to mothers and honorary medals to fathers during the event.

Edmonson County lost to the Lady Eagles 2-0 (25-21, 25-12) to fall to 9-18 on the season. Rachel Cowles notched 5 digs, 4 assists, and 2 blocks, and Abbie Slaughter added 9 digs. Emma Woodcock had 8 digs and 4 assists. Edmonson County was led by kills (5) and blocks (4) by freshman Alyssa Doyle, while freshman Kaylee Lindsey added 4 kills. 

Edmonson County will face top-seeded Grayson County in the District 12 tournament on Monday at 5:30pm, which will be held at Whitesville Trinity High School. 

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball held its annual "Dig Pink" cancer benefit game last night at the regular season match against Warren East. The Lady Cats fell 2-0 to the Lady Raiders, (25-17, 25-16) but the real winner was retired Edmonson County coach and educator Tracy Meredith, who was honored at the event.

Each year, the Lady Cats select a local family who has either been recently affected or is currently affected by cancer and raise money for their fight. Coach Tracy was selected as the honorary coach for the night and he was able to attend.

He thanked the team and all who took part in the event as he addressed the crowd.

"One thing I've learned, is that there's no place in the world I'd rather be than Edmonson County," he said with the help of his portable oxygen tank. "If I could encourage you to do something, it would be to tell your loved ones that you love them. Tell your moms, dads, your mammaws, your pappaws--tell them you love them. It's important, and it's not that hard. Here, let me show you."

He walked over to his friend, Brenda James, kissed her on the cheek, and said, "I love you."

"See there? You can do it, too."

Meredith thanked several others and everyone in the crowd for attending as he received an emotional standing ovation as he made his way over to the team's bench, where he remained throughout the game. 

Volunteers dressed in pink attire and passed donation buckets throughout the crowd with the hopes of receiving another $300. If the amount was reached, volunteers agreed to carry out the line judge duties in the costumes. More than $500 was raised and they happily obliged. There was a silent auction and the team also donated their concession proceeds to the event.

More than $4,000 was raised at the event, a record for Lady Cat Volleyball Dig Pink.

The Lady Cats fall to 9-17 on the year and have one more regular season game scheduled, which is this Thursday, October 17th vs. Ohio County at home at 5:30pm. It will be senior night for six Lady Cat seniors and their families.

The district tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday at Trinity, not Grayson County as originally announced. Seeding and schedules will be announced later.