Edmonson Voice Sports
photos courtesy of ECHS Golf
Even though it was dreary rainy day, ECHS Senior Lady Cat Golfer Kayla Meredith was still excited as she traveled to Barren River State Park Golf Course to compete in the 4th Region Golf Tournament on Tuesday, September 29, 2015.
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The rain fell throughout most of the day, but Kayla was equipped with raingear and started the day with three straight pars. Soggy conditions became an issue, helping add a double bogey and bogey on her score card. A few more would also be had before the first nine holes were over, but Meredith finished the front nine with solid play with a score of 41, a 6-over par.

Kayla continued to not only battle the weather, but also her competitors thru the remaining holes.   Kayla and the other ladies she was grouped with were the only remaining group on the course. Little did they know, they were playing for the final two spots to advance to the state tournament.

Based on the scores already in, Kayla needed a bogey or less for her round of 82. If Greenwood's representative parred, she would be at 79, and Glasgow's player needed at least double bogey to beat the girls already in the clubhouse.  

Kayla found the green with her third shot and was looking at a 20 foot putt downhill for par.  Greenwood made her par to finish and qualify while Glasgow bogeyed, also qualifying.  Kayla's putt slowly rolled towards the hole, stopped 4 inches short, and she tapped in for bogey. All while not even realizing that she had just qualified for the state.  

Kayla Meredith was named All Region 4 Team, a top eight finisher, and a top 4 finisher, which qualified her for the KHSAA State competition.

“State has always been a dream of mine, but I never thought that I would finally get the opportunity to follow it," she said. "The rain made everything extremely difficult, but everyone had the same conditions so there was no true way to have an advantage, which made it fair for everyone. “

​Kayla will now play in a practice round on Thursday October 8 and have a mandatory player and coaches meeting on that day.  Then on Friday, she will compete in the opening round.  To qualify for the next day the top 11 teams and top 20 individuals not on the 11 teams will continue the next day. 

“I knew Kayla’s game had improved and knew deep-down she could qualify, but you still have to play the course," said Coach Granville Meredith. "Nothing is a sure thing. I couldn’t be more proud of Kayla. She's worked hard and has given up a lot of Saturdays to work on her game when she could have been doing other things."

Coach Meredith also recognized ECHS Athletics for their support over the past 6 years, as well as Adam Gary for golf lessons. “I also want to thank everyone who has support Kayla via text, Twitter, Facebook, or in person," he said. 
 
“It was so touching to see everyone following up and checking in to see how I was doing," Kayla added. "Once I qualified, it brought tears to my eyes...it's just how happy I was, and how happy everyone was for me.” 

Edmonson Voice Staff
photos courtesy of ECMS Football
The Edmonson County Middle School 7th Grade Football team hosted the Green River Valley Conference Championship game last night at ECHS Wildcat Stadium as they defeated Muhlenberg County, claiming the championship title with a score of 24-0.
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The seventh graders were ranked number one in the conference, now with an overall record of 9-2, and a conference record of 8-1.

Coach Nathan Smith said with the recent rain he knew it would be wet and soggy, but didn't see that as a disadvantage. "I believe that really played into our favor, because we're a power running team and they preferred to run side-to-side."

The 7th grade Wildcats put up 182 yards of offense while holding Muhlenberg to a negative 23 yards. The Mustangs weren't even able to achieve a single first down.

​The win gives the Wildcats their third conference title in four years and earned them a bid in the state playoffs. 

They will now play Drakes Creek Middle School in the state playoffs on October 10th at Bowling Green High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 pm. Coach Smith said "We actually opened our season with Drakes Creek on August the 11th and we lost the game 20-8. However, at the time we only dressed fourteen 7th grade players and as of last night, we dressed twenty-nine, so this should be a very good game between a couple of good teams. "

Darren Doyle, story and photos
In football, sometimes things don't go as planned and you lose. You make mental mistakes, fall short here, have a mishap there, and so on, but sometimes you're just simply out matched, no matter what you do. That was the case Friday night at Wildcat Stadium as ECHS fell to Elizabethtown, now 6-0 and ranked 2nd in the state 3A class.

"To be honest with you, they beat us because they're better," said Head Coach Kyle Pierce. "They're better than us right now. It's no use to be dishonest about it, they're just a better football team."

The Panthers got on the scoreboard on a 44 yard run with 7:50 to go in the first quarter. They missed the extra point to lead 6-0 at the end of one. With about 10 minutes to go in the half, they added another touchdown on a 2 yard run and again missed the extra point for a 12-0 lead. Etown was plagued with penalties throughout the contest, yet made up for it with continuous big runs. Panther quarterback Jack Wilson scored on a one yard touchdown just before the half and the extra point was good. ECHS trailed 19-0 at halftime.

The Wildcats struggled with offense as they dealt with poor field position the majority of the game. They were plagued by incomplete passes and very short runs, making it difficult to gain any momentum.

,​In the third, the Panthers scored yet again on a 28 yard touchdown and the extra point pushed the Wildcats back to 26-0. Soon into the 4th quarter Etown played add-on with another short run, 2 yard touchdown and extra point for a commanding 33-0 advantage.

The Wildcats finally got on the board with two points as Jacob Peger sacked the Panther QB in the end zone for a safety. Soon after, Senior Daniel Caudill rushed for a 35 yard touchdown, but that would be it, as the final score was 33-8.

It should be noted, that although the game seemed one-sided, Edmonson County did manage to hold Etown to the their lowest point total so far this season. 

"We moved the ball better in the second half," Pierce said. "We kept the ball away from them some, and that's what you have to do with a team like this. The disappointing thing in the first half was that we couldn't move the ball. We had some opportunities in the first half, but we just dwindled them."

Pierce said tough games like this are tests to his team. "We'll bounce back from this, hopefully. You know, it's up to our team, and that's what I told them. We've got 4 more games in the regular season and there's no guarantee that we'll make the playoffs to come back and play this team."

The Wildcats now turn their focus to Adair County, another district foe that will be another touch match up for the team. Tune in to WildcatsLive on EdmonsonVoice.com as Scott and Bryan will travel to Adair to bring you all the action live.

Even though it poured down steadily during Senior Night for 4 different programs, it takes more than rain to dampen the spirits of ECHS seniors and their families. Each senior for golf, cross country, cheer, and band were recognized last night before the ECHS-Etown football game at Wildcat Stadium. The Edmonson Voice salutes these seniors for their contribution to ECHS athletics and programs, and we wish them happiness and prosperity in the future. Please enjoy a soggy, but happy slideshow from the festivities.

This week's View from Wildcat Alley includes Coach Kyle Pierce, Coach Nathan Smith, and Band Director Jason Shores (with Field Commander Kolbie Vincent). We also shine the Senior Spotlight on Morgan Skaggs, Jhonna Basil, and Hunter Buttram...don't hesitate any longer to listen!

It’s been a long couple of weeks, and sadly, even though we spend most of our time celebrating in the sports world, there are times when we must mourn…

The Great 20th Century Philosopher
“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up somewhere else.”

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”

“I never said most of the things I said.”

These are some of the things that one of the greatest thinkers of our time uttered. He was Yogi Berra, and on September 22nd he passed away at the age of 90.

Yogi was the consummate baseball man. He played catcher for 19 seasons, all but one with the Yankees. He signed with them just before being deployed during World War II, where he served in the Navy for three years. When he returned, though, he changed the way the game was said (yes, said…he had words for every occasion). He caught a perfect game in the World Series in 1956. He was a 15 time All-Star. He even received MVP votes for fifteen consecutive season, a feat second only to Hank Aaron.

Then he became the Yankees first base coach. After a stint as the manager for the Mets, he returned to the Yanks in 1976, where he helped them win a World Series in 1978 and eventually became their manager in 1984, but that only lasted a little over a season.

He was a Yankee. And a Met. Even an Astro at one time, but who is really counting. Berra will be remembered as a boy from St. Louis who fought for his country, swung a mean bat and had a different memorable quote every week.

“It ain’t over till it’s over.” Well, as long as those famous sayings are engrained in our heads, it won’t be over for a long…long…time.

So Long, Big Mo
I was raised in a house where football was THE sport of choice. I didn’t really get into baseball until I was seven or eight (which was about my third season in little league). College basketball for a UK fan was so-so in the early to mid ‘80’s.

It wasn’t until the later part of that wonderful decade full of tape decks and big hair that I got into the NBA. That was when Jordan was coming into his own and the popularity of the 1990’s was just around the corner. It was also the latter half of the career of Moses Malone.

Moses was one of the premier superstars before the rush of big talent like Barkley, The Mailman, Air Jordan, Hakeem and Clyde the Glide. He was one of those crazies that passed on college to play in the ABA. In fact, he was the last active player in the NBA to suit up in the ABA.

He was the consummate journeymen in a world of sports where there wasn’t really a free agent. He won MVP’s in Houston, he won a ring in Phily. He scored his 20,000th point as a Bullet (that’s what the Wizards USED to be called) and scored in double figures in 75 of his 81 games one season as a Hawk. He even backed up David Robinson in San Antonio his last season as a player, which was also his 21st season if you count his two year stint in the ABA.

On September 13th, The Chairman of The Boards passed away at the age of 60 of a heart attack. Of that era, he was one of the unheralded greats. He will be missed.

The Greatest Month…
Just because I get bored sometimes at my day job (where I build high performance engines for celebs), I often think about things that most people probably don’t. One of which is “What should be considered the greatest month in sports?”

I have pondered this for a few days and came up with some pretty good arguments.

First, let’s look at September. Like I said before, great time for sports. You have the opening of the NFL and NCAA football seasons, where it is anyone’s chance to be number one and even Jaguars’ fans can say “This is the year!” You have the winding down of Major League Baseball and all the division races. You have the final push of NASCAR, the PGA Championship, a Williams sister getting beat. You name it.

But is it as good as January? See, in January you can watch the big bowl games in college football, college basketball starts conference play, and the NFL playoffs lead into the first week in Feb where you get the Super Bowl.

Then, of course, there is March. March has the end of the NBA season, the spring training camps in baseball, and of course, March Madness in all its glory.

Those are just three months, and there are nine more to go. What do you think, faithful sports reader? If you have free time, comment and let me know or tweet me at Robert Vincent @voiceonsports. It’s a good debate.

Bits and Pieces
It’s week four in college football and Kentucky still can’t beat Florida. Maybe by the time my four year old is my age, The Wildcats might be able to beat the Gators. Kentucky does host Missouri though, and should win 21-20.  UCLA goes to Arizona and will get beat 30-23. Tennessee goes to Florida, and wins 23-13. Miami of Ohio goes to WKU, and loses 42-34 and Louisville hosts and kills Samford 48-12.

As for the NFL…

Last week saw Tony Romo joining Dez Bryant on the injury bench, The Colts, Seahawks, Saints and Ravens all fall to 0-2, and The Jets looking like I have no idea how to pick wins and losses.

This week’s big games: Cincy over the Ravens 24-20; Falcons over the MASH unit in Dallas, 31-20; Indy’s transparent defense over Tennessee, 24-23, Denver over Detroit, 34-21 and…because I can, San Fran will lose to Arizona, 21-20.

That’s all for this week. Sit back and watch some sports. And I will leave you with this…

“The Future ain’t what it used to be.” –Yogi Berra.

Darren Doyle, story and photos
The ECHS Lady Cat Volleyball team seemed pretty frustrated as they struggled against the Lady Eagles of Ohio County last night. If you only watched the first few minutes of the first set, you're wondering what happened as EC jumped out to a 5-0 lead, forcing Ohio County to call a timeout. Whatever was said during the timeout must have motivated the Lady Eagles, because they jumped right back into the game as they tied it at 10 all. 

From there, Ohio County went on a 9-5 run forcing a Lady Cat timeout, but the timeout was again effective, this time for EC as they scored the next 4 points, tying it 19-19. The Lady Cats scored three in a row and it would be all they needed to win the first set 25-23.

The next set was a different story as Ohio came out strong with a 5-1 lead. Mental mistakes and miscommunication allowed Ohio County to create some space and forced Lady Cat Head Coach Brad Sullivan to call a timeout at a 13-7 Lady Eagle lead. The Lady Cats looked very solid for the next few plays, scoring three in a row, forcing an Ohio County timeout.

Ohio County then went on a 10-3 run that simply had the Lady Cats out of sorts as the Lady Eagles evened the game up 1-1 with a 25-18 win. 

Edmonson Voice Sports
The Edmonson County Wildcat football team moved to 4-1 on the season with a 21-6 victory over Metcalfe County this past Friday night in Edmonton.

The Wildcats and Hornets played good defense early in the contest as the Wildcats were forced to punt on both teams' first three possessions. The Wildcat defense played exceptionally well as the Wildcat offense was pinned twice inside their own 10-yard line on Hornet punts. The Wildcat offense found their spark midway through the second quarter as sophomore quarterback Tucker Cole found sophomore receiver Logan Lindsey down the Wildcat sideline for a 54-yard touchdown pass. Sophomore kicker Brett Brannon made the extra point for a 7-0 lead. Both teams traded punts as the first half ended with the Wildcats holding on to a 7-0 lead.

The Wildcat defense came up with a huge play when junior cornerback Rheece Berkley intercepted Hornet quarterback (and last year's Wildcat QB) Jake Dial’s pass at the Hornet 45-yard line. The Wildcat offense struck immediately as sophomore running back Zack Farmer took a handoff, ran right for a few steps and then threw a long pass to Lindsey who broke free behind the Hornet defensive backs for a 45-yard touchdown pass. Brannon’s extra point gave the Wildcats a 14-0 lead early in the third quarter. 


The Wildcat defense stepped up with another big play as senior defensive end Tyler Hayes jumped on a fumble on the next offensive snap from the Hornets. The Wildcats needed just five plays as junior running back Daniel Caudill broke loose for a 19-yard run to set the Wildcats up at the 1-yard line. Cole used a quarterback sneak to score the Wildcats last touchdown. Brannon added the extra point for a 21-0 lead with a few minutes left in the third quarter.


 After both teams traded possessions, the fourth quarter began and the Hornets were deep in Wildcat territory after a 12 play drive that was aided by two Wildcat penalties. On 4th and goal at the five yard line, Dial found tight end Zack Fancher for a touchdown. The Wildcats stopped the Hornets on their two point conversion attempt to keep the score 21-6. The Wildcats moved the ball to midfield before being forced to punt the ball deep to the Hornets. 


Metcalfe County’s offense moved the ball downfield inside the Wildcat red zone. However, the Wildcat defense stepped up when Farmer intercepted Dial and gave the Wildcats the ball deep inside their own territory. The Wildcats punted the ball back to the Hornets around midfield and this time the Wildcat defense stopped the Hornet offense quickly with two sacks. This gave the Wildcats the ball back to take two victory snaps as the Wildcat offense took a knee to run out the clock and secure the 21-6 win.

According to ECHS head football coach Kyle Pierce, this win was another big step in the right direction. “I am proud of our guys for the way they came out and handled the business at hand," he said. "We've won three straight games by out-playing our opponent and staying focused in on every play and eliminating big mistakes. We're still making some mistakes, but we've done a good job of minimizing those big plays against us. Defensively, we held them out when we had very bad field position most of the entire first half. Our offense made some big plays Friday night with two long touchdown passes and a couple nice runs. Our special teams played well and did a great job in coverage. We're improving each week and that's what any coach wants to see.”

Now the Wildcats turn their attention to their Class AAA, Region 1, District 2 schedule. The new district returns familiar foes Hart County and Adair County, and adds new faces with Larue County and Elizabethtown.

The Wildcats will play E-Town this Friday night in Brownsville, and currently the Panthers are ranked #4 in last week’s Class AAA state ranking. 


According to Pierce, the Panthers are deserving of their ranking. “They're a really good football team. They're well coached and have a really good group of senior athletes that have played since their sophomore season. E-town runs a mis-direction offense that you don't see much anymore but it is really effective, and especially effective if you don't stay disciplined defensively. They are a really good defensive team as well. Every game is important, but with district play beginning, each game has an added importance for us if we want to make a playoff run come November. Our guys are starting to come together and play well. You don’t always get to play a ranked opponent at home in a district opener, so this is a great opportunity for our guys to see where we are as a team. Our goal is to play good football. Minimize mistakes and play tough football. We are halfway through our regular season with a 4-1 record. Now it’s a new season so to speak with four of our next 5 games being district games. I know our guys want to continue playing good football. We will need a big crowd Friday night. It is amazing what a great crowd can do for the kids when our community rallies around them.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00. You can listen to the game broadcast live, right here on Wildcats Live, only on EdmonsonVoice.com.

Darren Doyle, story
ECHS Golf, photo, Granville Meredith, contributor
Kayla Meredith, senior golfer for the ECHS Lady Cats, competed Saturday in the Warren East Invitational Tournament with over 60 other high school girls.   Kayla was paired with Meade Co., Grayson Co., and Fort Knox on hole 8.  She started the round with bogies on 8, 9, and 10 but would improve with 6 straight pars, beginning at hole 11.  

She bogied 17 and 18 and finished the back 9 with a score of 40, 3 over par.  Kayla then got on another par streak, sinking 7 straight to finish the front 9 with a 2 over par 39,  for a total of 79 for the round, which would be a tie with Greenwood golfer Allison Wheeler as well as Allison Holeman of South Warren.  This would call for a hole-by-hole playoff to determine the winner.  The 3 coaches met with the tournament officials and agreed that play would continue until all three places were determined. 

The playoff began on hole one with each lady beginning with a great drive. Meredith and Wheeler tied with pars, while Holeman for S. Warren would finish the hole with a bogey, and a final third place finish.

After Meredith and Wheeler also parred on holes 2 and 3, first place would be decided on hole number four. Wheeler teed off with a great drive but Meredith blasted an impressive 260 yard drive, out-driving her Lady Gator opponent. Wheeler then found the green with her approach shot but would run past the hole by 15 feet.  Kayla then made her approach but the ball drifted left and rolled off the green, leaving her with a 20 foot pitch shot.  Kayla hit a dazzling pitch and left it only 5 feet past the hole.  

Wheeler ran her putt past by 3 feet while Meredith sank her par putt, which would force Wheeler to either make the putt to tie, or take second place with a miss.  Wheeler missed the putt and tapped in for a bogey as Kayla Meredith won the hole and the overall tournament.

The golf team will host Butler County at home on Monday and then travel to Grayson County on Thursday to finish the regular season. 

Monday, September 28, the boys will play in the region tournament at Crosswind Golf Course in Bowling Green and on Tuesday, September 29, the girls will begin their regional tournament at Barren River State Park.

There is simply too much great stuff to describe in this week's show, but know that it includes Senior Spotlights with Danny Pate, Cody Richmond, and Morgan Miller along with Golf, XC, and Football news...you need to hear this!

Darren Doyle, story and photos
The Lady Cats traveled to Bowling Green last night to face the Lady Dragons of Warren Central for the third time this season. Having already won against them in a preseason scrimmage and again at home, ECHS looked for another win to add to their scalding hot, 8 game winning streak. After winning the first set 25-21, win number 9 was in sight, but the tables would turn and the Lady Cats would end up going home unhappy. 

Central came out with an early lead but was forced to call a timeout when the Lady Cats took a 5-4 advantage. ECHS looked good over the next few points, holding an 8-6 lead when the wheels came off for the Lady Cats. Warren Central scored 9 in a row as EC simply couldn't find an answer. Insult was added to injury as the Lady Dragons put up another couple runs of 4 unanswered points and the Lady Cats fell 25-12, with the match tied up at one each.

The last set was an uphill climb for Edmonson as the momentum had greatly shifted in favor of the Lady Dragons. Even though Central had far less fans in attendance than EC, the Lady Dragons were screaming bloody murder with each point scored, as they'd won the state tournament each time.

Central was never really able to create much space, but controlled the game and the lead for the entire set. The Lady Cats came within one point as they trailed 15-16, but wouldn't get any closer than that as Central won the set 25-20, and the game 2-1, snapping the Lady Cats winning streak.

The Lady Cats will travel to Morgantown on Thursday for a match against the Lady Bears of Butler County. Game time is scheduled for 5:30PM. 

Edmonson Voice Sports Staff
The ECHS Wildcat football team improved its record to 3-1 on the season as they defeated the AAAA Warren East Raiders 19-13 last Friday night in Brownsville.

Both teams played good defense in the first quarter as each traded punts twice. The second quarter began with the Wildcats forcing another Raider punt. As the Wildcats received the ball around midfield, they only needed five plays as junior running back Daniel Caudill took a sweep to the left side 23 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was missed to keep the score at 6-0. 

The Wildcat defense came up with a big play on the next series when senior free safety Jarod Hines caused a Raider fumble and recovered it near midfield. The Wildcats were forced to punt, but senior punter Dylan Skaggs pinned the Raiders inside the 10-yard line. Then, after forcing the Raiders to punt, a high snap gave the ball back to the Wildcats at the Warren East 5-yard line. Caudill punched in his second touchdown, bouncing around the right edge for the score. The Wildcats failed on their two point conversion attempt to keep the score at 12-0. Solid defense from the Wildcats held the Raiders out twice before the end of the first half keeping the 12-0 advantage at halftime.

The Raiders went on a 13-play drive to open the second half but the Wildcat defense held Warren East on downs. Both teams traded punts as ECHS got the ball back around their own 45-yard line. Caudill broke a trap for 40 yards, and two plays later, sophomore quarterback Tucker Cole found Hines down the middle of the field for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Sophomore kicker Brett Brannon added the extra point for a 19-0 lead with a few minutes left in the third quarter. 

On the ensuing kickoff, the Wildcats used an onside kick and sophomore outside linebacker Brayden Carey jumped on the ball giving the Wildcats the ball at the Raider 40-yard line. Although the Wildcats were forced to punt on the series, it did keep the field position advantage in the Wildcats favor. 

The Raiders got the spark they needed when on 4th and 22, the Wildcats ran into the punter, giving the ball back to the Raiders. The Raiders then went on an 11-play drive, finally scoring on a 9-yard pass to sophomore running back Willie Reynolds. The Raiders were halted on their two-point conversion attempt as Carey met Reynolds at the goal line for the stop to keep the score 19-6. 

The Wildcats moved the ball to midfield before having to punt the ball back deep to the Raiders. On 3rd and 10, Reynolds took a swing pass on the right side of the field, changed direction to the left and broke through the Wildcats for an 85-yard touchdown. The Raiders made the extra point to move the score to 19-13 with just under two minutes left in the game. The Wildcats jumped on the onside kick attempt by the Raiders and took three victory quarterback kneels to secure the victory.

ECHS head football coach Kyle Pierce said that the Wildcats played well but need to work on better finishing out their games. “Our kids played well," he said. "We played solid defensively and we were pretty good on special teams. We really controlled the field positon game. We had a 19-0 lead with about 8 minutes to go and we force them to punt out of their own endzone. After we roughed their punter, it gave them some life. We got a little conservative toward the end trying to run clock and we did not do a good job tackling Reynolds on their last two series. But, overall we played well and stuck with our game plan of running the football right at them, playing solid defense and special teams. It may have gotten a little too tense there toward the end, but we'll take the win and move on to next week.”

The Wildcats will now turn their attention to Metcalfe County as they travel to Edmonton on Friday night. Pierce said the Hornets will be another tough task for the Wildcats. “They have a good football team. They have played some really good teams but they have improved every week. They had the ball with a chance to win this past week at Adair County but came up a little short. Their kids play extremely hard and are well-coached. We will have to continue to improve and play well Friday night.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00. You can listen to the live broadcast with Scott and Bryan on WildcatsLive with the pre-game show starting at 6:40pm. 

Edmonson Voice Staff, story
ECHS Golf Team, photos
Instead of going to school this past Friday, EC Lady Cat Golfer Kayla Meredith traveled to Woodsen Bend Golf Course near Somerset to play a practice round in preparation of the All A State golf tournament held the next day. Kayla qualified for the tourney when she finished regional runner up in at the All A 3rd Region golf tournament in August.  

Last year, Kayla qualified for the All A State Tournament and went on to finish 23rd out of 90 girls.  This year,  Kayla set the bar a bit higher, as she not only wanted to qualify for state competition again, but also to finish much higher and prove ECHS has a strong golf program.  

Saturday morning Kayla arrived at the golf course ready to take on the challenge with a tee time  scheduled for 8:10.    Kayla started her round on Hole 10 in the next to last group.  She was paired against 3 other ladies who, like Kayla, had been shooting in the high 70’s to low 80’s.  

In the same fashion as many other drives this season, Kayla started the round with a near perfect tee shot right down the middle, and the solid start helped her with a strong finish of the back with a score of 42, which was 5 over par. 

She finished the front 9 with a score of 41, 2 over par for a total of 83, which was good enough to land her 5th out of 93 girls from all around the state. 

“I would really like to thank everybody who has supported me so far," she said. "I wanted to represent the golf team and Edmonson County well, and the way people have supported me is amazing.  It's kept me going."

She said that even though she was happy with her finish and thoroughly enjoyed the tournament, it was a bittersweet experience. "As a senior, it's one of the last tournaments I can play as an Edmonson County Lady Cat."

Kayla has been playing golf at ECHS since she was a seventh grader. The KHSAA Regional Tournament will be held on Sept. 29. If she plays well, she has a chance of competing in the much larger KHSAA State Tournament, but whether she does or not, this weekend's finish was an impressive accomplishment.  Its easy to see that Kayla has represented her school, team, and county well.

Golf, Volleyball, Football...you get all the latest right here this week in Wildcat Alley! Our Senior Spotlight falls on Madison Kemble, Jarod Hines, and Dylan Skaggs, so don't hesitate - listen now!

Edmonson Voice Staff
Senior Lady Cat Golfer Kayla Meredith will compete in the All A State Tournament tomorrow for the second year in a row. She finished 23rd out of 99 golfers last year and hopes to have an even better finish tomorrow.

"It's my senior year and I just want to finish well," said Kayla. "Hopefully the course conditions will good tomorrow and everything will turn out alright."

Members of the coaching staff said Kayla is driving the ball much further than last year and her putting has also improved. "My strategies are a little different and I'm also able to do a few more trick shots," Kayla added.

The match will be played at Woodson Bend Resort, a par 75 course, in Bronston, KY tomorrow with a total of 93 golfers vying for the state title. Reports are that course conditions are in good shape today with even better conditions expected for tomorrow. "They're pretty similar greens to the ones I've dealt with back home, so there's not really that much a difference."

Kayla is only the second Lady Cat golfer to compete in a state level competition in school history. A strong finish could qualify Kayla for bigger tournaments to be held later. Good luck to Kayla as she competes tomorrow.

Darren Doyle, story and pics
The Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball team won it’s 8th game in a row last night as they defeated Allen County-Scottsville 2-1 last night to move up to a no. 2 ranking in the 3rd Region.

“Last year, we battled with this same team and ended up losing in the last season game,” said senior Morgan Miller. “We knew we deserved to win and we were determined to prove that. We all wanted to turn a 7 game winning streak into 8!”

The Lady Cats jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set but let ACS score the next 6, as they fell behind, 7-6.  After a few back-and-forths, the score was tied at 10 all and remained close when coach Brad Sullivan called timeout as the Lady Patriots took a 18-17 lead. He was forced to call another timeout as ACS began to create some space with a 23-19 lead. The Lady Cats couldn’t gain control as they lost the first set 25-21.

As out of sorts as the Lady Cats looked at times during the first set, they had little trouble taking care of business in the next two sets.

“All that was going through our heads was how we could move up to 2nd in our region,” said senior Morgan Skaggs. “After losing the first set we knew we had to put everything on the court in order to get a win, and that’s just what we did, we got our heads straight and played our game.”

Indeed they did, as they wasted no time taking control of the second set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead, forcing an ACS timeout. After giving up  a few points, EC went on a 10-2 run and established a commanding a 18-8 lead.

The Lady Patriots would outscore the Lady Cats 12-7 through the remainder of the set, but couldn’t overcome the early deficit as ECHS won 25-20. 

The final set remained close up until a 10-10 tie. The Lady Cats then went on a 11-5 run as they held a 21-15 lead. It would be the difference in the set and the game as they finished off the Lady Patriots 25-18.

Senior MaryChris Waddell said the first set was a tough battle, but starting the match with a loss actually proved to be motivation for the remainder of the game. 

"After we overcame the second game I knew we weren't going to lose," said senior Laney Meredith. "A chance for an 8 game winning streak was too good to break."

Sophomore Mikayla Lindsey said the girls weren't communicating in the first set, which she said was a big part of the game. "In the second and third sets we started to talk and that made a big difference in our performance," she said.

Coach Brad Sullivan said he enjoyed the win tonight, especially since ACS beat the Lady Cats during their last meeting. "They were hard to figure out with their serve," he said. "We needed to play a tough team to stay sharp. It wasn't our best, but we'll take the win." 

He also gave credit to the JV and Freshmen teams, both of which enjoyed wins, with the Freshmen team winning their first match of the year. "Great win for our Freshmen, too. They played well along with our JV team which also enjoyed a good win."

The Lady Cats are now 13-3 on the year. They travel to Warren Central on Monday for a F/JV/Varsity game beginning at 5pm.

By Robert Vincent          
Three weeks of High School football in the books. The second week of College Football has started. The NFL’s first Sunday full of games is about to be played. However, in the back ground to some is the race to October…

IT’S A WILD WORLD
In less than a month, the regular season of Major League Baseball comes to an end and, yes, anything can happen.

As of right now, the Yankees and the Blue Jays are starting a series that could determine who wins the AL East. The Yanks are a game and a half behind, but the series is in New York, which could tilt an already fragile balance in their favor. Kansas City seems to have wrapped up the AL Central with an eleven game lead, but the West could go to three teams, with only five and a half games separating Houston, Texas and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Disney of California.

In the National League things could get a little shaky, especially in the NL Central. This past week, The Pirates beat the Cardinals 2 out of 3 games, then the Cardinals turned around and dropped another 2 out of 3 to the Cubs. Given, St. Louis has a 4.5 game lead over Pittsburgh, and 7.5 over the Cubs, but no one is even CLOSE to those teams when it comes to the wild card race in the NL. The Mets took care of Washington’s playoff hopes this week and The Dodgers have nearly a 10 game lead on The Giants.

The next three weeks should be great…

MORE TURNOVERS THAN…
A Pastry Shop?
A New York Bakery?
Either way, Grayson County had more turnovers than an apple festival in autumn last Friday. Between bad punt coverage, terrible defense and a stagnant offense, The Swampys couldn’t get anything going. A blocked punt by Edmonson County set up a score. A fumble recovery by Edmonson County set up a score.

The list goes on. On the way to getting back the coveted “Stick of Power”, The Wildcats kept finding ways to score. 7 points here. 3 points there. It was crazy. When the score is 30-0 at the half and Grayson County had continuously given up the ball in prime territory, it was no surprise ECHS would go on to win by about three dozen points.

This week, the have Warren East. The Raiders got thumped by Daviess County last week by about the same score as the Edmonson County Swamp fest. The only team Warren East has beat? Swamp Vegas High. This week, they lose again. Wildcats: 27-13.

A SMALL BREAK
Yes, I like being snarky in these wonderful sports rants, but on a serious note:

 I remember 14 years ago vividly. We had just been through a great weekend of sports then and the world stopped. Who was leading in a division, or how many touchdowns Kurt Warner would throw or the question “Will Shaq and Kobe turn the Lakers back into a dynasty?” didn’t really matter. We became a people in crisis. It didn’t matter if you were a Beaner from Boston or a Bronx Bomber fan. We were all American. I don’t think I have to preach to you, faithful sports reader, but sometime this weekend, during the popcorn and remote controls going from Fox to CBS on Sunday and the silly jerseys with our names stitched on the back even though we never played for the 49ers or Buckeyes or Broncos, take a second to remember fourteen years ago when buildings fell and people died. And send a prayer up for the families that, even after all this time, still miss those people who don’t get to wear those silly jerseys or eat that stale high school popcorn.

BITS AND PIECES
I already made my pick that the Cats beat Warren East and The Yankees make a push, but there are still some exciting games out there this weekend to watch.

Saturday, Louisville host Houston, and gets the win 36-13. Kentucky travels to South Carolina and beats Spurrier 31-24. #23 Tennessee will lose to Oklahoma. #5 Michigan State will beat the Duck of Oregon and LSU will defeat Mississippi State on the road.

As for Sunday (and Monday), locally…Tennessee will travel to Tampa…and back home with a loss. Tampa Bay 21-13.

Big Matchups: Packers over Bears, 34-20. Broncos over Ravens, 28-21. Giants over Cowboys, 23-17. Colts over Bills 31-24. Rams over Seahawks, 20-14. And, because I can, 49ers over Vikings, 23-21.

Remember to follow me on twitter: Robert Vincent @voiceonsports…and so, since I am running out of things that may or may not be sports after only three weeks, I leave you with this quote:

“If you’re stupid enough to whiff, you should be smart enough to forget it.”-Arnold Palmer.

By Robert Vincent          
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY TRUTH
It has been seven long months since the worst play call in Super Bowl history caused Russell Wilson to throw an interception on the one yard line and the Patriots beat the Seahawks to get Tom Brady his fourth ring, and Pete Carroll his worst loss as a coach since he met up with Vince Young and The Longhorns for the college championship about a decade ago.

Since then, in the offseason, we have seen teams totally implode (San Francisco), teams sign so many free agents they became Super Bowl favorites (Indianapolis), and a slew of appeals that have put a stain on one side (The NFL execs) and a bigger stain on a dynasty (New England). When all is said and done, there are 256 games to play in the regular season, and ten in the post season before we get to Super Bowl 50.

So, here we go…

THE GOOD:
 For New England fans, Brady will be suiting up for the season opener against Pittsburgh. This could give them a boost, but Miami’s defense looks better with Suh signing and the Bills might make a big push to win the AFC East.

Pittsburgh and Baltimore still look good in the AFC North, and in the AFC South, The Colts look as though they own the division, and maybe the conference, with Andrew Luck keeping his #1 receiver and gaining a great, yet aging, superstar in Andre Johnson. The Colts also took a step in the right direction in the running game by picking up Frank Gore.

The AFC West still has Peyton Manning, who should at least give the Broncos 10 wins as long as he is healthy, but The Chiefs look like they have the ability to sneak up on Denver due to an easy schedule and a much improved receiving corps.

The NFC East has Dallas and Romo, but, as most football fans can remember, never count out the Giants, especially if Victor Cruz comes back healthy and Odell Beckham can still pull off amazing catches using everything from his shoe strings to his eye lashes.

The NFC North still has Aaron Rodgers and that means the Pack should still win games. The NFC South has a Panthers team that is still the only team since the realignment to win the NFC South in consecutive seasons.

The NFC West looks to be the best and most exciting division in the NFL. The Seahawks still have a powerful defense. The Rams might finally have a QB that can stay healthy and allow their tough D to work. The Cardinals might actually stay healthy enough to do something with 11 wins other than bring a MASH unit out on the field to get thumped in the first round of the playoffs.

THE BAD:
The Jets have no Quarterback to go along with Revis Island. The Bengals need to find a way to win a playoff game for the first time in 25 years, but they might not get the chance to even make the playoffs this year. The Titans and Jags still have no idea how to climb a ladder to get out of the cellar.

The Eagles in the NFC East look like they have parts, but nothing to bring those parts together. The Bears have a new coach, but as long as Cutler plays the way he has the past few seasons, they have no chance. The Lions lost just about all the defense they had, and, yes, the offense can put up 40 points a game, but that defense can give up 45.

The Saints rely on Drew Brees, but Father Time is on his tail. The 49ers have either blown up a good team in order to build from the ashes, or they will look more like the team from 10 years ago that could only win 2 games in a season.

THE UGLY TRUTH:
It comes down to the playoffs:

In the AFC, I look for The Patriots, The Steelers, The Colts and The Chiefs to win the divisions with Denver and Buffalo as wildcards.

In the NFC, division winners are The Giants, The Packers, The Panthers, and The Cardinals with the extra spots going to Seattle and St. Louis.

The Colts will beat the Broncos for the AFC crown and The Packers will avenge last season’s loss to the Seahawks for the NFC Title.

As for the Super Bowl…Green Bay 31, Indy 27.

Keep your eyes peeled for your regularly scheduled Voice on Sports in a few days where I will talk about Edmonson’s win against those Swampies, The wild Wild Card race in the NL, and a slew of NCAA and NFL predictions…

Until then, enjoy and remember...Competitive eating…well…it might be a sport…

Story by Edmonson Voice Staff, Granville Meredith photos, Kathy Meredith, contributor
The Lady Cats faced district rival tournament host Whitesville-Trinity High School in the first round bye of the Region 3 All “A” Classic Tournament.  Playing conditions were definitely adverse having no air conditioning at the Whitesville-Trinity facility.  Courtside temperatures exceeded 95 degrees causing KHSAA officials to invoke mandatory 10 minute breaks every 30 minutes of play. 

The first set began similar to previous Trinity games with a tight exchange of the lead.  But the Lady Cats were able to go on a stretch of six points served by Mikayla Lindsey which caused Trinity to call their first time out with a score of 10-5.  Lady Cats increased the lead by another two points before losing the serve back to Trinity.  Lady Raiders were able to cut the lead slightly, but when the Lady Cats got the serve back in the hands of senior Mary Chris Waddell, Lady Cats answered with another convincing run of 5 points bringing the score to 17-10.  Lady Raiders made a push late in the set, but the Lady Cats controlled the court the remainder of the set winning 25-22.

The second set against Trinity was a closer battle until Lady Cats took their first time out tied at 10-10.  Despite the sweltering heat and sweaty hands, the Lady Cats stacked up a series of short runs that would close out the second set with a win of 25-21. 

"We'd already beaten Trinity twice this year and both games were extremely hard battles," said senior MaryChris Waddell. "We knew what we were up against and how hard it would be to beat them on their home floor, winning for the third time." She also said the team was unfamiliar with Hancock County as they went into the championship game, but found out that they could certainly hang with ECHS. She said the team also seemed to get easily frustrated, something the Lady Cats took advantage of.

As they began the contest against the Lady Hornets of Hancock County for the Regional Championship, early scoring of the first set was closely matched until a dominant 12 point run by the Lady Cats brought the score to 17-6.  Lady Cats continued the pressure growing their lead to an easy win 25-9 for the first set.

As the hot playing conditions began to take its toll on players, the Lady Cats struggled early in the second set, falling behind 12-15.  But the Lady Cats rallied back with classic grit and endurance, going on an 8 point run that the Lady Hornets couldn't overcome as EC dominated the rest of the set, winning the game with the final score of 25-17. It's the first time in school history that ECHS Volleyball has won the 3rd Region All “A” Classic Championship.

"The heat was definitely a battle, but when you get a group of girls like us together, we can overcome anything," said senior Madison Kemble. "I'm very proud to be an Edmonson County Lady Cat."

"I think this being our last year motivated us even more to win," said senior Morgan Miller. "As for the heat, I was drowning in sweat...I know it took a toll on the rest of the team as well, but we played through it and came out on top."

Senior Morgan Skaggs said she didn't let the heat affect her too much, but echoed her teammates about coming together. "We pulled together and accomplished something we haven't in a long time," she said. "It feels great to be champs my senior year."

"I think we impressed many people," said junior Dina Hollis, "But there's definitely much more to accomplish."

Senior Elizabeth Woodcock said she was looking forward to the state tournament. "I've played 6 years and have never been. I love my team and am so glad we've made it this far my senior year."

"I'm extremely proud of my team and how much we have accomplished so far this year," said sophomore Mikayla Lindsey. "But we still have goals to reach this season."

"It literally felt like a sauna," said senior Laney Meredith. "I've never been to a state tournament so we're all really excited that our senior year we'll be taking things to the next level. I'm proud of my team...but there's still more to accomplish."

Solid teamwork from serving, setting, and hitting made both games truly enjoyable to watch despite the torturous heat.  Lady Cats advance to the Kentucky All “A” Classic Volleyball State Tournament at Mid-America Sports Center in Jeffersontown, Kentucky on September 19th.

The team trophy will be presented to the team at the state tournament.

The Edmonson County Wildcat football team returned home from Leitchfield with the coveted Tobacco Stick this past Friday as they controlled the entire contest, defeating AAAAA Grayson County 43-7, and improving their record to 2-1 on the season.

The Wildcat offense started off slowly, having to punt on their first series, but their defense held strong.  After holding the Cougars on the first 3 downs, senior defensive end Jacob Peger blocked the Cougar punt, giving the Wildcats great field position. Junior running back Daniel Caudill scored from 4 yards out to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead s the extra point attempt failed. 

On the first play of defense, Peger hit the fullback causing a fumble and recovered the fumble giving the ball back to the Wildcat offense. After a couple penalties pushed the Wildcats back, sophomore kicker Brett Brannon booted a 35 yard field goal to push the score to 9-0. 

The Wildcat defense again stopped the Cougars on three downs. A mishandled snap on the punt was picked up by Peger who ran down to the 1-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Tucker Cole used a quarterback sneak for a 1-yard touchdown. Brannon made the extra point for a 16-0 lead.  

The Wildcat defense held the Cougars on 4th and 3 near midfield, and even though the offense fumbled the ball away inside the redzone, the defense came up big again as senior defensive end Tyler Hayes caused a fumble and junior linebacker Dylan Waldrop recovered. The Wildcats scored again as Cole ran a quarterback sneak for the touchdown. Brannon added the extra point for a 23-0 lead. 

The Wildcat defense forced another Cougar punt giving the ball back to the Wildcats near their own 30 yard line. After a few run plays edged the Wildcats near midfield, Cole found sophomore receiver Logan Lindsey down the Cougar sideline for a 50 yard pass that set the Wildcat offense up inside the 5 yard line. It took two plays as sophomore running back Zack Farmer punched it in from 1-yard out, and Brannon’s kick gave the Wildcats a 30-0 lead as the Wildcats held that lead at halftime.

Above: Tweet from @WynCaudill, L-R: Jarod Hines, Brayden Carey, Daniel Caudill, Tucker Cole.

The Wildcat defense continued aggressive play as a sophomore outside linebacker stripped the ball from the Cougar quarterback and Lindsey, also playing outside linebacker, recovered the fumble. Cole found senior receiver Jarod Hines wide open down the left sideline for a 25-yard touchdown pass, and Brannon’s kick gave the Wildcats a 37-0 lead. 

The Cougars got on the board on their next series taking an option pitch 52 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was made to bring the score to 37-7. The Wildcats fumbled the kickoff giving the Cougars great field position, but the EC defense quickly stopped the Cougars, forcing another punt. Carey tackled the punter before he could get the punt off and Farmer recovered around the Cougar 35-yard line. 

On the last play of the 3rd quarter, Caudill broke a trap up the middle for a 25 yard touchdown run, and Brannon’s extra point gave the Wildcats a 43-7 lead. Both teams traded possessions in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats ran out the clock and sealed the victory. 

ECHS head football coach Kyle Pierce said he was happy with his team’s performance. “Our kids came out and played hard and really took advantage of the mistakes our opponent made. We wanted to stay focused and other than just a few plays, I think our kids did just that. I am happy for our team, but especially glad for our seniors that they get to take the Tobacco Stick back home to Brownsville. We had some guys step up tonight and play really well. When we watch the film, there will be plenty to work on, but luckily, we still have a few games to fine-tune everything before district play begins.”

The Wildcats will now turn their attention to Warren East, as the Raiders come to Brownsville Friday night. According to Pierce, it will be a tough test. “They probably have some of the best athletes we'll see on our schedule. We'll have to do a great job defensively and in the special teams and make tackles in space. Offensively, we'll have to move the ball, do a better job of converting in the red zone, and control the field position game. I expect a big crowd this Friday night. Anytime you play schools that are close to you, there is a little bit of a bragging right attached to the game. We know we have a tough test in front of us, but I think our guys will want to continue to prove what kind of team we can be.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 at ECHS Wildcat Stadium. You can listen live right here on EdmonsonVoice.com on WildcatsLive as the pregame show will begin at 6:40pm with Scott and Bryan.

Both middle school teams shut out Hart County completely last night at Wildcat Stadium. The seventh grade boys won 28-0 while the 8th graders won 14-0. 

The next game will be Saturday at 11am against Hancock County.

This week, we hear from Coach Kyle Pierce, Senior Elizabeth Woodcock, and Coach Brad Meredith. All your friends will be listening, so click that play button!

The Lady Cats improved to a 9-3 record last night after defeating Warren Central 2-0 at ECHS. The Lady Cats have now won 4 in a row since losing to district rival Grayson County on August 25. Senior MaryChris Waddell was back in the lineup after missing Tuesday's game because of illness.

The Lady Cats played Warren Central earlier in a preseason scrimmage and had little trouble taking care of business, however, the Lady Dragons looked much better during last night's match up.

The first set began with the Lady Cats grabbing an early 7-3 lead but held on loosely as Central wouldn't go away. A 5 point run by the Lady Dragons tied it at 10 all, but ECHS was able to put up a couple of solid runs to remain in control, winning the set 25-18.

The second set proved to be a series of runs by both teams as Central began with a 3-0 lead. The Lady Cats would answer with an impressive 14-3 run for a nice lead, but turned right around and allowed Central to score 7 in a row, as they came within one, 14-13.

ECHS went on a 10-4 run, holding a 22-17 lead but the Lady Dragons answered with a 4 point run of their own coming to within one point yet again, 22-21. The Lady Cats held on for the win, 25-22.

ECHS will play at Whitesville Trinity on Saturday in the All A Regional Tournament. The next home game will be against Allen County-Scottsville Thursday, September 10th. 

The ECMS 7th grade football team defeated Ohio County this past Tuesday night at Wildcat Stadium by a score of 12-0. The team has gotten off to a solid start this year with a record of 3-1. The seventh graders are coached by Nathan Smith.

The team is back in action tonight at home as they face Hart County Middle School at 5pm.