Darren Doyle, story:
Two familiar faces from local athletics were honored today at the annual Edmonson County Parks and Rec Baseball/Softball Jamboree, held at HWY 70 Park.

Carlton Alexander and Gerald Meredith were the guests of honor this morning, throwing out ceremonial first pitches as youth league personnel shared their appreciation for achievements for Edmonson County youth sports.

District 2 Magistrate T.J. Massey, who also serves as a youth league softball coach and board member, said that both men were huge parts of county sports for local youths.

"Carlton Alexander played a pivotal role in one of the most important milestones in our program’s history," he said. "Through his work with the Judge/Executive in the mid 80s, he helped turn a vision into reality by securing and developing the first two fields here at Highway 70."

He also said that Gerald Meredith's contributions helped define the structure and legitimacy of Edmonson County Baseball and Softball.

"Coach Meredith was instrumental in getting our league sanctioned through Babe Ruth Baseball, establishing it as a fully organized and recognized league, which he continued to run for years to come."

​Massey said that the results of their efforts from 40-plus years ago are still being seen today.

"These projects don’t just happen overnight, they take persistence, leadership, and a belief in what this program could become. Carlton and Gerald brought all of that and more."

Games were played today despite some wet weather. Both the South Edmonson Bulldog Choir and the Kyrock Blackhawk Choir performed the National Anthem before the games began today.

Representative Michael Meredith recently helped secure $1.45M in funding that will be used to update the park's youth sports fields.

Peytin Manor, story and photo:
On Friday, April 17th, Hunter Kinser, Edmonson County High School senior signed a letter of intent to play football for Campbellsville University, an NAIA university located in Campbellsville, Kentucky.

ECHS head football coach, Justin Vessels, states, “Hunter is one of the best centers I have ever coached but even as good of a player as he was, he always remained coachable…and I appreciate that.”

He is the son of Shawn and Samantha Kinser and plans to pursue a degree in business with a certification in welding. 

Kinser grew up in the Segal area, where he played football from a small boy through his high school years.

During his senior season, Kinser recorded eighteen solo tackles and added thirty assisted tackles, finishing with forty-eight total tackles this year. He had eleven tackles for loss and three defensive sacks this season.

Kinser’s senior year was filled with standout accomplishments. He was recognized as 3A All-State, a prestigious honor that highlights his exceptional performance on the field. In addition, he earned First Team All-Region as well as First Team Sky Conference accolades.

​

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Daniel Caudill was named the newest head coach for Lady Cat Basketball this afternoon at ECHS. The announcement comes after Jody Booth stepped down as head coach two weeks ago, citing family obligations after three seasons as head coach.

Caudill was a standout athlete at ECHS, playing football and basketball. He has served as a girls' basketball coach at ECMS and an assistant under Booth this past season for ECHS. His wife, Caitlin (Simon) Caudill, is the all-team leader in points scored in Lady Cat Basketball, with well over 2,000 points and a former head coach for ECHS Volleyball. They are both teachers in the Edmonson County School system.

Caudill spoke to a small crowd in the ECHS gym today, made up of Lady Cat players, school administration, and other student athletes.

"I hope you know how excited I am to start this with you all," he said. "I've built relationships with most of you already, and I'm super thankful and super motivated to get this going."

Coach Caudill attributed past Lady Cat success to former coaches Kevin Jackson, Ted Hill, Mike McClintic, Bart Weaver, and Booth. He said nothing he would ever do would take away from the accomplishments of those teams, but he would only wish to add to that success.

"Everything we do is building off that. It's not taking away from it or tearing it down. I'm super appreciative of that."

ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce also noted the past success in Lady Cat Basketball and was looking forward for a future with Coach Caudill.

"Today is the start of one of those tenures," Pierce said. "I believe it's going to be one of those that we'll look back on and think back to 2026 because he's going to be coaching for quite a while and I believe he will be successful."

ECHS Principal Jonathan Williams said the school was excited to announce the next head coach in Caudill.

"Daniel is an extremely talented, energetic, and relentless competitor, that I have full confidence will lead our program at a high level," Williams said. "His passion for the game and genuine care for our students are evident, and his energy are contagious. Daniel is a proud Edmonson County resident and alumnus at ECHS.  He is someone I have known since he was nine years old. It is special to me to welcome him back to ECHS, and I could not be more proud to have him serve as both a teacher and coach."

Caudill concluded the announcement today by handing out practice schedules and plans for summer ball as he was welcomed by his players.

Darren Doyle, story:
The five-series documentary, "50 Years as Champions" is now available with the series finale being released on Friday, March 27th. Across all Edmonson Voice platforms, it's getting close to receiving 40,000 views. 

In the film world, that's nothing. Not even a drop in the tiniest bucket. But for a county with a population of only 12,000, with a homegrown production, that's pretty significant. 

I first had the idea of this project 10 years ago when the team "celebrated" their 40th anniversary. When I use the term "celebrated," I mean some of the members of the team came to the high school and waved at the crowd during halftime at one of the games. It was a nice gesture but I felt like they deserved more. I remember thinking, "somebody better do something really special for their 50th."

Who would that be? Would I write an article on how great the team was? There was no way to do that in one article. No matter whether or not you are a sports fan, you have to understand that the chances of Edmonson County winning the state basketball championship was the same as getting struck by lightning. Twice. At the end of the rainbow, in a field of four-leaf clovers.

I said it before and I'll say it again. This wasn't just a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. It's more like ten lifetimes. That's no disrespect to any of the other teams that have come through Edmonson County High School. There have been some dandy teams and amazing players down through the years. But winning the championship for a community like ours takes so much more than just being a great team.

In 1976, the ECHS Wildcats were a group of young boys that would have played on a homemade hoop in a dirt floor barn. In fact, most of them did. They never set out to win a championship, but because their love and dedication to each other was a bond so strong, they fought for each other on and off the court, which led to winning.

This group of boys had practiced against some of the best players that ever came through Edmonson County. There was never a night where the 76 Wildcats would ever face players better than Gary Key or Gary Meredith. Those earlier teams showed the 76 team what it was like to be winners. The teams before them were just as good, if not better, statistically in some areas.

But the 76 Wildcats had something all championship teams have--it's hard to say exactly what that was. They were all obviously skilled at their positions but not really stars. For whatever reason, Coach Bo Davenport played mostly six players. There were a few others that got into some games during that season, but they didn't earn many minutes. There was other talent there besides the six, but the six were the ones that played the majority of the minutes. The ones that sat the bench were not only some of the loudest cheerleaders, but also very talented athletes. 

When their coach got in their faces, they didn't run home and tell their mommies. They didn't call the superintendent's office and demand a meeting. They didn't demand the coach be fired. They respected their coach enough and their commitment to the team enough, to do what it took to win. They cared about the name on the front of the jersey much more that individual accolades.

The 76 team was fearless but not arrogant. They simply took each game one at a time and knew that it would take the same thing to win every night. They didn't win because of their super-stardom; they won because losing meant they were letting their teammates down, their coach down, their school down, and their community, and they did not want to lose.

They had some luck along the way. They made the big plays when they had to. They knew they had to make them, and they did. They got an outstanding draw in the Sweet Sixteen, and one of the best teams in the nation, with national player of the year Darryl Griffith, didn't even make it to the state tournament that year.

The strokes of good fortune they had are too many to name, on TOP of being an outstanding team. So when you say "once-in-a-lifetime," it's more than just a phrase; however, the boys saw an opportunity and they were relentless in making the most out of that opportunity, which ultimately ended with cutting down the nets at Freedom Hall.

Interviews with former players, staff, administration, and even an opponent, tell the stories of how the team came to be. The audience gets to hear straight from them. You'll get to see the comradery between the guys, and even 50 years later, they are still laughing and sharing these memories.

I would like to personally thank everyone that was a part of this series in any way, and specifically, those who helped financially. Those people include Dion Houchins, Kasey Alford, and Alan Kepple. They helped make my vision of this possible.

I would also like to thank Yellowberri Creative Studios in Bowling Green. One of my dear friends in the media business is Josh Hampton, who helped create this company nearly 20 years ago. I am not a filmmaker, I've never claimed to be, and I needed some real help to figure out if I could pull this off. He was a huge help in the very beginning of this project as a consultant, and with the help of other YB team members Nate Morgulen and Dave Downing, they brought my idea to life. 

The rest of the thanks are in the credits of the series, and there are plenty more of them. 

I would encourage any athlete at any level to watch this series. This is how championships are won. It's literally a recipe to bring home trophies; and while the recipe is simple, following it is anything but easy. 

Need motivation to get something done? To move to another level of something in your life? Watch this series. If you aren't motivated to do something better after watching it, you can't be motivated.

These guys deserve all the accolades, ceremonies, and reflection possible, and more. People keep thanking me and the Voice crew for doing this, but please direct your thanks to the guys that made up this team. 

The Voice didn't profit from this project and that wasn't the intent. This was for two reasons: honor and preservation. I hope both can be accomplished.

It's incredible, and I thank all of you for watching and sharing it. With as much work as this one took, I'm already behind on the next project: "100 Years as Champions..."