Darren Doyle, story: Macy Miller, photos:
​Edmonson County answered last week’s 48-0 loss at Grayson County with a 54-34 home-opening win over Clinton County on Friday night on their all-new turf field, riding a five-touchdown night from Roger Harris and a fourth-quarter surge that turned a six-point deficit into a 20-point victory.

The Wildcats jumped in front early as Harris broke a 53-yard touchdown run with 10:15 left in the first quarter. The extra point missed, making it 6-0. He punched in a 1-yard score with 4:09 remaining in the period. The kick was blocked, and Edmonson led 12-0 after the first quarter.

Clinton County answered to open the second quarter as Tristan Rogers scored on a 6-yard run with 11:46 left. The two-point conversion failed, cutting the lead to 12-6. Harris answered right back with a 7-yard touchdown run at the 10:09 mark, and Jacoia Orvis converted the two-point play to make it 20-6.

Clinton County then stacked 22 unanswered points. Bradley Young scored from a yard out with 5:33 left in the half and added the two-point conversion. Isaac Wright followed with a 47-yard interception return for a touchdown at 4:47, tying the game at 20-20 after another successful two-point try. A 1-yard Clinton County run and two-point conversion in the final seconds of the half sent the visitors into the locker room up 28-20.

​Rogers stretched the lead again in the third, scoring on a 24-yard run with 7:41 remaining. The two-point attempt failed, making it 34-20. Sawyer Simmons pulled Edmonson closer just before the quarter ended with a 5-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion, leaving the Wildcats down 34-28 heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter belonged to Edmonson County. The Wildcats recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD with 8:36 left. The extra point missed, but the game was tied at 34-34.

Harris then took over. He ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run with 4:32 remaining, and Konner Whittinghill converted the two-point play for a 42-34 lead. Harris added a 10-yard scoring run with 2:02 left. The extra point missed, making it 48-34.

Brycen Blake intercepted a pass, and Whittinghill finished the night with a 40-yard touchdown run with 1:35 to play. The extra point was no good, setting the final at 54-34.

Harris scored on runs of 53, 1, 7, 50 and 10 yards. Simmons, Whittinghill, Blake and Orvis all factored into the second-half rally as Edmonson County improved to 1-1.
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The win came on alumni night at the new stadium, a setting Head Coach Justin Vessels had pointed to after last week’s loss as a chance for the young Wildcats to bounce back in front of a big home crowd. They did, scoring 26 unanswered points after trailing 34-28.

Wildcat Head Coach Justin Vessels said it was a game of momentum.

"We had great momentum, we had control of the ballgame early in the 1st quarter, and had a good rhythm going, and then we had some penalties that hurt us, and then we had a turnover. Then they got the momentum, and they actually, I think, had the lead 28-20 at half. And to our players' credit, they came out and played extremely hard in the 2nd half. Defense got some key stops and then the offense was opportunistic enough to punch it in. And it's all attributed to the players, the great senior leadership at halftime, and in the 2nd half, we was rotating guys in and out trying to keep them fresh. I think our lifting and conditioning during the off season and throughout the summer, that really showed up here in this ball game."

A big crowd was on hand to help celebrate the brand new turf on the field. Anyone that ever played for Edmonson County was allowed free admission. Coach Vessels said it made the win even better with a large attendance.

"I'm proud of all of them and getting a big win here on opening night for our home opener and then the brand new turf," he said. "They knew that we was going to have a great crowd here tonight since it was the alumni night. you know, anybody playing from '71 through, last year got in free and we was going to have a great crowd for that, and for people wanting to see the turf and see us play on it. They were super excited. And we came out very sharp and strong, I thought. And then we lost that momentum a little bit in the 2nd quarter and then was able to fight back and get it back there in the 2nd half."

Roger Harris offensively had 17 carries for 232 yards and 5 touchdowns, which included a 53-yard run. Freshman Konner Whittinghill had 7 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown, including a 40-yard run. Junior Sawyer Simmons had 3 carries, 14 yards, and a touchdown, and Orvis had 4 carries for 10 yards with a two-point conversion.

Edmonson County improved to 1-1 on the season and is scheduled to take on Muhlenberg County next Friday night at home for the annual ECHS Football Homecoming game.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball team finished 3-2 at the Western Kentucky Smackdown Tournament, hosted by Christian County this past Saturday, August 22nd.

Head Coach Christine Barrett said despite the team starting play down one player and losing another one in the second match due to an injury, the Lady Cats went 2-1 in pool play, took Muhlenberg County to 3 sets, and earned a spot in the Gold bracket where they faced Christian Co and Todd Co Central. 

Edmonson first defeated Crittenden County in two sets, 21-10, 21-17. They then faced Calloway County where they also defeated them in two sets, 21-18, 21-16.

They fell to Muhlenberg in three sets (17-21, 21-19, 15-11), and then Christian County in two (17-21, 14-21), then finished the day with a two-set win over Todd County Central (21-19, 21-16).

Stats for the Lady Cats on the day were:

ACES: 
Raegan Ferguson- 7
Rylee Skaggs- 5
Kendra Sabic- 5 

KILLS: 
Amira Seymour- 27
Rylee Skaggs- 14
Kendra Sabic- 13

DIGS: 
Gabby Pedigo- 16 
Raegan Ferguson- 16 
Harper Ferguson- 14 

ASSISTS: 
Raegan Ferguson- 43
Emma Hight- 22 

"We had a great weekend in Christian County, showcasing our resilience and determination," said Coach Barrett. "Playing shorthanded and then losing another player to injury at the beginning of our second match, the girls battled, supported one another, and competed with confidence. Their ability to stay focused and united through adversity was a true reflection of their character as a team. I could not be more proud of them."

The Lady Cats improved to 5-3 on the season and are scheduled to travel to Allen County this Thursday with plans to travel to Owensboro to play at the Apollo Tournament on Friday and Saturday. ​

Darren Doyle, story: Macy Miller, photos:
​Grayson County defeated Edmonson County 48-0 on Friday night, tallying up all of their points by late in the third quarter and holding the Wildcats scoreless.

The Cougars got started in the first quarter. With 5:47 remaining, Eli Johnston caught a 15-yard touchdown pass and the extra point was good, giving Grayson County a 7-0 lead. That score stood at the end of the first quarter.

Jamysen Buster broke a 75-yard touchdown run with 8:16 left in the second quarter. The extra-point attempt was blocked, making it 13-0. A 24-yard pass reception and run, followed by a successful two-point conversion with 2:44 remaining in the half, pushed the lead to 21-0. Johnston added another score just before the break, hauling in a 34-yard touchdown pass with 49.5 seconds left. The extra point made it 28-0 at halftime.

Buster struck again to open the third quarter, returning a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown with 11:48 left. The extra point made it 35-0. Lucas Reynolds scored on a 4-yard run with 2:22 remaining in the period, and the extra point extended the lead to 42-0. Carson Long then broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run with 5:53 left in the third. The extra point was good, setting the final score at 48-0.

Grayson County finished with seven touchdowns; Edmonson County was held without a point.

The contest was obviously not what Wildcat Head Coach Justin Vessels had hoped for but he saw some bright spots with his young team.

​"So, you know, we are a young team right now," he said. "And I use the comparison of the 2024 team. We came down here and they got after us pretty good. But it doesn’t define the whole season. That team went back. We had great senior leadership. We got back to work. We fixed some mistakes and we went on to have a good regular season and had the winning record, and it was a good deal. And it could be very similar."

​"I know the score got away from us there at the end. But we had some drives. We moved the ball. We had some good runs, had some good passes. We missed several passes. Defensively, we had some stops, but then we had a lot of missed tackles. We got to get a little better at gang tackling, hemming them in, not letting them loose in space."

"But everything is fixable as long as we go back and we’re willing to work on it to try to get better. And the seniors that we’ve got are going to be very important. And they’ve already started talking to other kids: “Hey, keep your head up. We’re going to get back to work.” Next thing we got to worry about is Clinton County. We’re on to the next one."

"I think their leadership is going to be crucial for us this season — helping hold everything together, keeping the younger players’ confidence up and making sure they don’t get their heads down."

"I know next week with the new stadium and it being alumni night, there’s going to be a huge crowd there. And the boys are excited about playing in front of a huge crowd. From 1971 all the way up to now, you think about all the alumni, there’s going to be a lot of people that come and see that game next week. And they want to put on a good show for them. We’ll have a great week of work and film study, lifting, running, practicing, all the things."

Edmonson County is set to host Clinton County next week at the all-new field at Wildcat Stadium.

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In the boys’ matchup, the Wildcats fell 2-1. Junior goalkeeper Kyle Norris turned in a huge performance with 34 saves on the night. Edmonson County’s lone goal was scored by freshman Braxton Childress, assisted by junior Caleb Hall.

Despite the losses, both Edmonson County teams showed plenty of fight, highlighted by strong defensive efforts and outstanding play from their goalkeepers.

Both of these goalies have ranked in the top 15-20 in the state for the last few seasons.

The Wildcats are 0-4 on the season while the Lady Cats are 2-3. The boys are scheduled to play Butler County at home tonight while the girls plan on traveling to Hart County on Tuesday.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The Friday night lights will be fired up and ready as the Wildcats are set to travel to Grayson County tonight, August 21st for the first game of the season, which will also be the Tobacco Stick Bowl.

Grayson County finished last year with a record of 4-7 on the season and lost 10 seniors. They won last year's matchup over the Wildcats 39-15. 

The Wildcats return to the field with a 2-8 record from last year, having lost 14 seniors, but at the same time relying on 11 new seniors to lead the team.

Head Coach Justin Vessels said he is looking for senior leadership as the season begins.

"Expect a hostile environment, focus on the game on the field, not the stands," he said. "Keep our mouths shut and play ball. We expect a hard fought game from Grayson County."

The Edmonson Voice will carry the live broadcast tonight on YouTube and Facebook and will go on-air at approximately 6:50PM. 

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball team earned their first win of the season in a 5-set thriller against Hart County at home on Tuesday. 

The Lady Cats dropped the first set 20-25 but bounced back in a big way in set two, dominating the Lady Raiders 25-8.

Sets three and four were tight battles, with Hart coming out on top in three (25-22) and the Lady Cats going all the way in four (27-25). Edmonson County was able to finish them off in the 5th and final set at 15-12, earning the win.

Senior setter Raegan Ferguson put up six aces, along with senior right side Bailey Ferguson with four. Freshman middle blocker Amira Seymour also earned six aces.

Junior outside hitter Rylee Skaggs earned a team-leading 15 kills along with freshman Amira Seymour's 9 and sophomore right side Shaylee Alexander's 7.

Tallying the blocks for the Lady Cats were freshman middle blocker Tailyn Watt with 4, Rylee Skaggs 3, freshman Amira Seymour with 3, and sophomore Sam Ulm with 2.

Sophomore defensive specialist Harper Ferguson had 16 digs, senior libero Gabby Pedigo added 14, and sophomore outside Hitter Kendra Sabic had 12. 

Raegan Ferguson also had 24 assists along with sophomore setter Emma Hight's 14. 

Lady Cat Head Coach Christine Barrett also wanted to send a special word of thanks to the pep section, which came out in support in a big way.

Edmonson County is now 1-1 on the season and is scheduled to face Butler County on the road tonight.​

Edmonson Voice Sports: photos by Emma Lashley:
The Edmonson County Lady Cat soccer team split games this week, with a 0-2 loss to Breckinridge County on Monday and a 2-0 district win against Butler County last night.

Against Butler, goals were scored by senior Ellie Claire Spainhoward, assisted by Kadynce Wells, who also scored a deep 40-yard goal. Senior goalkeeper Haley Shields recorded another four saves in the shutout.

The Lady Cats are scheduled to travel to Grayson County on Thursday.

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Edmonson Voice Sports:
​Edmonson County Lady Cat soccer won their season opener on the road in Monroe County 1-0.

The  goal was scored by freshman Autumn Carwile while senior goalkeeper Haley shields recorded nine saves along with her first shutout of the season.