Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Less than two minutes into the game, senior quarterback Tucker Cole recovered from a near sack and loss on the play and ran 70 yards for the first Wildcat touchdown of the game against Grayson County in Leitchfield Friday night during the annual "Tobacco Stick Bowl." For the Cougars, things went downhill from there and the stick was never in any danger of changing hands from the Wildcats' win last year as Edmonson County went on to mow down Grayson County in a 48-0 win.

The Wildcats struck again in the first as junior Kenny Logsdon ran a 6-yard rush in for a touchdown with 6:47 left in the quarter. The Wildcats led 13-0 after one.

Just over a minute into the second, Brayden Carey broke through the middle with explosive speed for a 29-yard touchdown. Brett Brannon's extra point made it 20-0, Wildcats.

Grayson County had yet to manage a first down as they struggled to gain any momentum when with 5:52 left in the half, Tucker Cole connected with Chase Elkins who split two defenders for an amazing catch and a 16-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 27-0.

Seconds later, on the Cougars' next possession, Kenny Logsdon stripped the ball away from the offense and ran it into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night and the extra point from Brannon extended the lead to 34-0.

It was Chase Elkins again on the next Wildcat possession with what should've been the play of the night with another incredible catch at the back of the end zone, but officials ruled it incomplete. The pass was intended for Zack Farmer but was broken up by a Cougar defender. Elkins was also in mid-air during the play and he somehow came up with the ball out of Farmer's hands. Photos of the play showed that Elkins actually made the catch.

The Wildcats took a 41-0 lead into the locker room at the half as Farmer scored on a 3-yard run with just seconds left in the second. The Wildcats were able to play some younger guys in the second half, scoring one more touchdown in the third on a great catch by Logan Lindsey on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Cole with just over 5 minutes left in the quarter. 

Head coach Nathan Smith said he was happy with the performance of his team in the win, but discussed the difficult position in which the Cougars found themselves with having much of the starting lineup out with injuries.

"They're banged up. Their two quarterbacks are out, their starting running back is out," said Smith. "At the same time, our kids knew that and it could've been easy for them to come in with a 'big head' sort of mentality and just coast to a win, but I think we came out really good and opened it up in the beginning."

The Wildcats finished with 195 total rushing yards with Cole leading the way with 78, Carey rushed for 63, Logsdon had 28, and Farmer added 3. Tucker Cole connected on 6 of 9 passes for a total of 112 passing yards and a team offensive total of 306 yards. The Wildcats stayed close to the red zone for nearly the entire game.

Edmonson County is now 3-0 on the season which nearly matches the total number of wins from last year (4-6). They are scheduled to take on Warren East (2-0) at home at the 2017 Edmonson County Homecoming game at 7pm. Your WildcatsLive pregame show starts at 6:45 on EdmonsonVoice.com.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball won their 8th straight game of the season with a district win over Trinity 3-1 Tuesday night at ECHS. 

The Lady Cats were in control early with a 25-16 first set victory over the Lady Raiders but Trinity bounced back in set two, overcoming the Lady Cats 25-20. 

Set three went back and forth until the Lady Cats were able to create some space with a 15-10 lead. From there, they kept control of the set and went on to win 25-15 and the game lead 2-1.

The Lady Cats defeated Hart County on the road Monday evening 2-0 (25-8, 25-14) and Tuesday's win over Trinity improves Edmonson County's record to 10-2 (7-1 in Region 3 play, 5-0 in District 12).

The Lady Cats are scheduled to take on Warren East away on Thursday night in a JV/V/F match beginning at 5PM. 

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Senior leadership led the way in Friday night's big Wildcat win over the Butler County Bears 42-13 as running back Brayden Carey and quarterback Tucker Cole combined for nearly 300 yards at Wildcat Stadium in front of a packed crowd.

Carey and Cole each had two touchdowns but also got things done on the defensive side of things for very complete games. 

​Coach Nathan Smith discussed the exceptional play from both players.

"That's probably some of the best football I've seen Tucker play since he was in 8th grade," he said. "He stepped up and led the team, something he sometimes shies away from. He's not a very outgoing or vocal person but tonight he stepped up and led. Brayden, our senior running back who's been here for four years, when he gets the ball, I don't know if I've ever seen a kid want it as much as him. He works hard and I'm proud of him."

The Wildcats got things started in the first with a Tucker Cole touchdown run and Senior Brett Brannon's extra point to give Edmonson County a 7-0 lead. 

Carey extended the lead with the help of another Brannon extra point to 14-0 just as the second quarter began, but Butler County got on the board with a 40 yard touchdown pass and extra point to cut the lead to 14-7. The score remained the same at the break.

The Wildcats were able to strike early again in the quarter as it was Carey for his second touchdown, this time on a 17 yard run. Brannon extra point extended the Wildcat lead to 21-7. 

Zack Farmer got in on the touchdowns with just over four minutes in the third as he scored on a three yard run, and Brannon's point made things 28-7. 

The dagger came for Butler County as the fourth quarter began with Tucker Cole taking things himself, this time for a 65 yard touchdown that sealed the deal. Brannon's extra point extended the lead to 35-7. Brannon was a perfect 6-6 on extra point attempts and kicked some very impressive punts that left Butler County in poor field position. 

Brannon was also able to join in on the touchdowns as he took a 5 yard run himself in for the Wildcats final touchdown and kicked the extra point for a 42-7 lead with just over four minutes left in the game. 

Butler County scored another touchdown but time ran out on the Bears as the Wildcats celebrated the win in Brownsville. Edmonson County put up over 400 rushing yards as a team.

​The Wildcats are scheduled to take on Grayson County in Leitchfield for the traditional Tobacco Bowl next Friday at 7pm. The winner will take home the Tobacco Stick, currently owned by Edmonson County after last year's win. Your WildcatsLive broadcast team with begin with live action at 6:45pm only on EdmonsonVoice.com.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
A new winning streak has begun with the 2017 Lady Cat volleyball team as they now sit at 8-2, winning their last six contests with Thursday night's win over Glasgow in two sets at ECHS. 

Seniors led the way once again with too much offense for Glasgow to handle.

Edmonson County took the first set 25-13, forcing Glasgow into timeouts early on. The Lady Cats took control of the second set as well, topping the Lady Scotties 25-13 and the game 2-0.

The JV squad also picked up a nice win in two sets as freshman Emma Woodcock faked a set with the score 20-19, sending the ball over the net unexpectedly for the final point and the win.

The Lady Cats have had three games this week, all wins, including a district win against Grayson County on Tuesday night in Leitchfield.

They are scheduled to take on Hart County on the road on Monday, in a JV/V/F matchup beginning at 5pm.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball team has now won five straight games after Monday night's win against Ohio County in two sets at ECHS.

The Lady Cats had little trouble finding offense with consistent kills from senior hitters Mikayla Lindsey and Caitlin Simon while other seniors Sierra Kenney and Kaitlyn Hyde also showed their strengths around the net.

Senior Shasta Smith and freshman Emma Woodcock caused all sorts of problems for the Lady Eagles with very hard serves just over the net and Ohio County could never really get things shifted in their favor. 

Edmonson County took the first set 25-10 and kept things going in the second set as they won 25-12 and the game, 2-0.

The Lady Cats improve to 6-2 on the season and are scheduled to travel to Grayson County Tuesday night in a district matchup against the Lady Cougars for a JV/V contest beginning at 5pm.

Edmonson Voice Sports: Jerika Simon, photo:
The Lady Cats bounced back from a first round loss to Meade County in three sets, (EC 25-21) (MC 25-17) (MC 15-12) with four straight wins in the 2017 Apollo Summer Slam Tournament held August 18-19th, 2017.

After the Friday loss, they took on Owensboro and defeated them in two sets (25-23) (25-14). 

Saturday's games began with a win over Green County in two sets, (25-20), (25-15). That win was followed by a win over district foe Grayson County, also in two sets: (25-11) and (25-22).

The Lady Cats finished off the day by defeating another district rival Trinity in two sets to claim the Silver Division trophy (25-23), (25-15).

The Lady Cats improve to 5-2 on the season. They are scheduled to take on Ohio County in a F/JV/V game with freshman action scheduled to start at 5:30pm. 

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Edmonson County Wildcat football team started the 2017 season in the right direction Friday night at Wildcat Stadium with a huge 54-6 win over Caverna in front of a packed crowd.

Edmonson County's defense kept Caverna struggling to keep possession of the ball at times as the Wildcats picked off several Colonel passes and ran them back for huge gains and touchdowns.

Caverna returned a kickoff for a 90 yard touchdown as the first quarter ended, but Edmonson County had already set the tone as the first ended with a 26-6 Wildcat lead.

Midway through the second quarter, senior quarterback Tucker Cole connected with James Hollis for a 22 yard catch and touchdown, and shortly after, senior Logan Lindsey snatched another Cole pass for a 17 yard touchdown. Lindsey played with a broken right wrist that he sustained in a scrimmage game last week which was taped up in a cast.

​The Wildcats took a 40-6 lead into the locker room at the half.

It was the Wildcat defense that started things off in the third with Logan Lindsey recovering a fumble and taking it to the end zone for a 35 yard touchdown run, and then Grayson Perdue scored on a 17 yard pass to extend the lead to 54-6 which would be the final score.

Head Coach Nathan Smith said it's always a relief to get the first game out of the way and finally get the season going while he discussed the different makeup of this year's team versus last year's.

"We definitely wanted to work on spreading the ball a little more than we did last year," he said. "Last year we had Daniel Caudill who was a great football player, but I really thought last year we were a little too predictable because everybody knew that Caudill was going to get his touches. We wanted to make sure everybody was getting a chance to touch the ball and we had a bunch of different people score touchdowns and that's exactly what we wanted. We're really happy with the way we were able to spread everything around."

The Wildcats are 1-0 on the season and are scheduled to take on Butler County (0-1) at home next Friday, August 25, 2017 at 7pm. Your WildcatsLive pregame show starts at 6:45pm only on EdmonsonVoice.com.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Lady Cats were defeated at ECHS Monday night in the volleyball season opener against a very tough Greenwood Lady Gator team, 2-0.

Edmonson County hung with Greenwood throughout the first set as the Lady Cats returned a barrage of attempted kills from the Gators, but too much firepower from Greenwood allowed them to pull away toward the end 25-20.

The second set was all Greenwood as Edmonson County struggled to find their rhythm. The Lady Gators took control early and finished off the set 25-15, as the Lady Cats dropped the set and the game.

Edmonson County is now 0-1 on the season and is scheduled to take on Butler County on the road this Thursday in a JV/V matchup with game action beginning at 5:30pm in Morgantown.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The 2017 Lady Cat Volleyball season is here with the first game of the season scheduled to be at home on Monday, August 14 at 5:30pm against Greenwood in a Varsity/JV/Freshman match up.

Head Coach Haley Garmon will begin her second season as the Lady Cats are still in search of their first district title since 2011. They have managed to play in the district finals each season for the past eight years. They have earned runner-up titles for six years in a row, and with eight returning seniors, Coach Garmon likes what she's seen so far in summer practices and workouts.

"I am very confident in our team," she said. "We are bringing back a lot experience which is a huge bonus in the game, but we're even adding in some new faces we are more determined and have a close bond. I tell the girls often that's it's not always the best team who wins, but the team that plays the best together. Our girls are having to work extra hard because we have so much competition within our team this year. Our program has a lot of interest and we couldn't be more excited to get the season started."

Coach Garmon's team will likely focus on the returning seniors, with several of them shouldering some important roles.

"I couldn't ask for a better group of seniors this year. All eight of them lead our team in their own way. Whether it's taking a newcomer under their wing or making sure the team is staying focused, they all have an important role," she said. 

​The Lady Cats also have some new faces this year that have taken on some important roles, but according to Coach Garmon, she's confident in the new players' abilities.  The team also has some returning hitters from last season along with the addition of even more, something of which that a volleyball team can never have too much.  

So is this year one that will add "2017" to the district banner? Are there higher goals set? Garmon says there are big expectations for the upcoming season. 

"At one of our first practices we sat down as a team and set some goals. "Obviously, the girls want to have a great season but we are looking to continue carrying some titles on and also receiving some new ones. These girls are looking to represent themselves, ECHS and community well," she said. "They're a team to be remembered. It's our year."

The team will host McLean County this Saturday, August 12th at noon at ECHS for a scrimmage game. Varsity will take the court first and JV and Freshmen teams will follow immediately after, everyone is invited to attend.

Edmonson Voice Sports: 
In just over a week, the Edmonson County Wildcats are scheduled to open up the 2017 football season at home under the newly installed bright lights at Wildcat Stadium against the Caverna Colonels on Friday, August 18, at 7pm. With ECHS losing eight seniors from last year, including Daniel Caudill who was 3A District 2 Player of the Year, some aren't sure what to expect from the Wildcats; however, Coach Nathan Smith and his guys have been working hard for months in preparation for next Friday night.

"Losing last year's seniors is going to hurt us in several different spots," said Smith. "Obviously Daniel leaves a huge hole that we will try to fill by committee. We have several guys that will take bigger roles in the offense, including junior Kenny Logsdon, as well as seniors Brayden Carey and Zack Farmer to see a lot of carries. And expect senior Logan Lindsey to catch several passes as well."

Smith said the Wildcats will also look for other familiar faces to step up​ in other departments.

"Tucker Cole is a three-year starter at quarterback and has made some great strides this summer in leading his team," Smith said. " I look to have a huge year from Logan Hagan who battled injury most of last season. Brett Brannon, last year's leading tackler should anchor the LB core and be a real special teams weapon (kicker/Punter). Every Offensive lineman we have started multiple games last year, so they are a really experienced group." 

With the loss of personnel, teams have to either fill the gaps, get creative, or both. Coach Smith has a positive outlook on what you can expect from his team on both offense and defense.

"We've done a few things to tweak the offense to allow our multitude of skill players to be able to showcase what they bring to the table. Expect more diversity on offense with Kenny pounding away in the middle as Brayden, Zack and Tucker provide us with speed," he said. "Defensively, we have to switch things up quite a bit--Going back to an older system that we ran here for many years. It's much more comfortable for us to coach, and the kids like the simplicity of the scheme that allows them to just play football." 

So are fans looking for the playoffs, beyond, or are they simply going to compare this team to last year's? Coach Smith simply seems to be focused on working one game at a time.
​
"I have very high expectations for this season. We lost five game last year by a touchdown or less so we've focused on finishing games and have been very motivated by our near misses from last year. We return 75 percent of starters on both sides of the ball."

The WildcatsLive broadcast team will be back in action once again this year as the exclusive broadcast provider of ECHS Football games. If you can't make it to Wildcat Stadium on Friday, August 18, just click on the WildcatsLive page and listen to all the games live this season with Scott Lindsey and Brian Alexander. 

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The Edmonson Voice is proud to announce the addition of long-time educator, coach, and school administrator Brian Alexander as the newest member of the WildcatsLive Football Broadcast team.

As a color analyst, he will join current play-by-play man Scott Lindsey each Friday night as the Edmonson Voice brings you live football action from the Edmonson County Wildcats for each home and away game for another exciting season.

Alexander is a 1988 graduate of ECHS who played football, baseball, and basketball. He was a member of the 1988 District Championship Basketball team and went on to play both baseball and football at Campbellsville University. He later coached various combinations of middle and high school sports, including football at ECMS and head football coach at ECHS.

"As someone who went to school here in Edmonson County and had the opportunity to teach, coach, and be an administrator in our county school system, it's an honor for me to be part of the Edmonson Voice team," said Alexander. "I know I'm really going to enjoy working with Scott and can't wait for a great season from our Wildcats."

Alexander also currently works as the Director of Pupil Personnel for Edmonson County Schools. For a not-so-serious look at what you can expect from Brian and Scott, take a listen to the quick 2017 Football Preview by clicking here.

Darren Doyle, story:
If you're wondering whether or not youth football is still around in Edmonson County, wonder no more because it's time for sign-ups and a new league director is working hard to move the upcoming season into place. 

Travis Seabolt, the newly-named director, said he's looking to take the same positive attitude that's helped the program operate successfully over many years and continue to build for the future.

"The program has been run very well over the years," he said. "We just want to take what we have and build on it. Several people have said they've heard there wouldn't be a program this year, but that's not the case. We've got a lot of people working hard to make it happen. I'm really just handling the business side of things."

He said one of the changes made to this year's policy is incorporating full background checks on all potential coaches. He's also in the process of making the league an official organized non-profit organization.

Seabolt, a 2003 graduate of ECHS who grew up in Bee Spring, credited many volunteers, football enthusiasts, and those looking to help provide kids opportunities, for helping bring everything together so far.

"Wildcat Head Coach Nathan Smith and Athletic Director Kyle Pierce have been a huge help in this," said Seabolt.

He also said that when the director's position came available, his own two sons provided all the motivation necessary for him to do his part to keep the program moving forward.

"My two boys are the biggest reasons for me doing this," he said. "I want to be there for them and all the other kids here, too. There's not a lot for kids to do here anyway, so there was no way I was going to let something else here fade away. You know, it's because of people like Greg (Hudson) with Parks and Rec that work hard to bring opportunities here for our kids' activities and I want to see those things continue."

Seabolt's older brother, Chris, a 1993 graduate of ECHS, is the head football coach at Greenwood High School.

"I'm a football fan and I just want to be a part of it. Sometimes I think I've bitten off more than I can chew, but I'll just keep chewing. Thanks to all the people helping, I feel really good about the the program and the community effort so far is very much appreciated."

Seabolt lives in Chalybeate with his wife, Amberly, and their two sons.

Ages for the league are K through 6th grade. You can download the PDF sign-up sheet or print the flyer below.