Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Wildcats couldn't stop Warren East on Homecoming night as they fell hard to the Raiders 39-12 at Wildcats Stadium on Friday. After a 35-yard kickoff return to start the game, the Wildcats turned the ball over, gave up a Raider touchdown, and things never really improved for Edmonson County.

East scored again with a touchdown on their next possession but the extra point attempt was blocked by Chance Lucas. Edmonson trailed 12-0 with 7 mins to go in the first.

The Raiders had extended their lead to 32-0 at the half. 

Edmonson County finally got on the board with a 13 yard touchdown by Lucas on a pass from quarterback Jon Smith with 7:48 left in the third. The extra point was no good and the Wildcats trailed 32-6 with 7:48 to go in the third.

Lucas was able to rush 17 yards for another touchdown with 15 seconds to go in the game, but it was obviously too little, too late as the Raiders dominated on this night.

Assistant Coach Ben Gray discussed the struggle for the Cats on Homecoming night.

"I'm not trying to be mean to our kids or our program, but we seem to be mentally weak on certain things, and if something goes wrong, we have a hard time bouncing back," he said. "That early turnover--again--we've said it over and over, we're constantly shooting ourselves in the foot."

The Wildcats are scheduled to take on Monroe County on Thursday at home next week, not on the typical Friday night due to the start of fall break. 

​Edmonson County is now 1-5 on the season. 

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Despite the all-out effort from the Lady Cats last night in the final regular season District 12 match of the season, Whitesville-Trinity found a way to overcome an eleven-point deficit in the first set to win not only set one, but go on to sweep Edmonson County in the game.

It is the second consecutive season without a win over a district opponent for Lady Cat volleyball. The team is still working through the growing pains of a rebuilt system after the loss of many veteran players and standouts since the District 12 championship team in 2017. The team has experienced five different head coaches since 2014.

There are still plenty of bright spots shining on the 2019 Lady Cats. One: while the team will be losing 6 seniors this year, the Lady Cats still have plenty of underclassmen that have been part of the rebuild. Two juniors and two freshmen are currently part of the starting lineup, with one of those juniors, Emma Woodcock, who is now in her 5th season as a major contributor for the varsity team. Two: the team has closely competed with the other three District 12 Teams: Trinity, Butler, and Grayson County, despite not notching district wins. Their 0-6 record does not reflect the 5-set matches against Trinity and Butler County, the sets that went down to the wire, nor the injuries and other obstacles--some off the court--that the team has fought through all season long.

First year head coach Bridget Simon said despite the loss, she felt like last night's contest was one of the better games all season long when talking about team play, which is what any team has to have when heading into the postseason. 

"I want the team to keep up that momentum and team spirit," she said. "We had more than a few obstacles to deal with last night that we couldn't overcome and I think that made a great impact on the outcome of the game."

During set one, the Lady Cats came out with an intensity and drive that set a clear tone to the start of the game. Trinity was forced to call their first timeout as Edmonson County pounced early for a 7-2 lead. The Lady Cats continued their dominance with another run that forced Trinity's second timeout at 14-4. They ran their lead up to 18-7 but the Lady Raiders refused to go away and began making some major adjustments. 

An 8-4 Trinity run forced Edmonson into a timeout with the Lady Cat lead holding at 19-15. Edmonson County stared down the game point with a 24-22 lead but allowed the Lady Raiders to score 3 straight to force extra points. Trinity finished the set on a 21-8 run to take set one 28-26.

From there, the momentum was shifted in favor of the Lady Raiders and Edmonson County struggled to gain leads. In set two, the Lady Cats played catch-up until they tied the score at 10. They forced Trinity into a timeout with a 14-11 lead, but the Lady Raiders scrapped back and tied the score at 15. After Trinity scored the next point, they wouldn't lose the lead again as they topped Edmonson County 25-17.

Set three was a close repeat of the previous, despite a good start from EC. After a Lady Cat 6-5 lead, Trinity climbed back on top at 7-6 and held their lead from that point on for the 25-16 set win, as well as a three-set sweep.

With 6 regular season games left, Coach Simon said the Lady Cats will continue their effort to improve.

"We're going to keep focusing on building on our strengths and learning from our weaknesses."

Edmonson County is now 6-15 on the season and is scheduled to play at Caverna on Monday at 5PM. 

Edmonson Voice Sports:
Edmonson County Wildcat Golf completed the regular season with a boys/girls sweep of Warren East this past Tuesday. The match also finalized a perfect regular season for the boys team.

The girls were led by sophomore Paige Wolfe who carded a 48 to take medalist for the day.

“It was great to see her have a good round heading into the region tournament,” said ECHS golf coach Ed Nunnelee.

The boys’ were led again by junior Nathan Oliver, who shot an even par 36. 

“Nathan’s play has been a constant for the team all year," said Nunnelee. "It’s nice to have a player who you know will come in with a low round.”

Senior Eli Booker followed closely behind with a 40. Regional play begins Monday with the girls at Crosswind Golf course in Bowling Green and the Boys will travel to Hidden Hills Country Club in Tompkinsville on Tuesday.

courtesy of Midway Sports Information, submitted photo:
Kayla Meredith, a 2016 graduate of Edmonson County High School, and a former Lady Cat golfer, notched her first individual collegiate golf win as a member of the Midway University Eagle golf team. 

Coming off an eighth-place finish in their last tournament, the Midway women's golf team continued their strong start to the season by taking runner-up at the Bryan College Invitational at the Cumberland Bear Trace in Crossville, Tennessee.

The Eagles took a two-shot lead into the final round after carding a 335 in the opening round on Monday, but after shooting a 361 on Tuesday, the Eagles fell to second place with a two-round total of a 696.

Midway finished three shots ahead of Faulkner (Ala.) – who is receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll. Faulkner finished with a 699 (354-345), while Bryan (Tenn.) took home the team title with a 690 (337-353).

Although the Eagles as a team finished in second, taking home medalist honors with her first collegiate victory was Kayla Meredith. The senior took home medalist honors for the first time in her career after carding a two-round total of a 161.

A native of Morgantown, Ky., and a former ECHS Lady Cat, Meredith fired a 79 on Monday before carding an 82 on Tuesday to finish with her 161 on her way to a three-shot victory.

Finishing in a tie for sixth was the duo of Sydnee Beard (Campbellsville, Ky.) and Hannah Scroggins (Williamstown, Ky.) who both carded two-round totals of 173. Beard shot an 84 followed by an 89, while Scroggins posted rounds of an 83 and a 90, respectively.

Also finishing in the top-10 in a tie for ninth was Emilie Hill (Frankfort, Ky.) and Jenna Lewis (Shelbyville, Ky.). Both Hill and Lewis shot and 84 in the first round before shooting a pair of 93's in the second round to finish with a 177 overall.

Finishing in 12th place and improving by two shots from the first to the second round was Rachael Shelton (Leitchfield, Ky.). She shot a 91 in the first round before improving to an 89 in the second to finish with a 180.

Also appearing in the tournament was the sophomore duo of Chaney Boling (Lexington, Ky.) and Allie Berry (Bardstown, Ky.). Boling had a two-round total of a 196 (89-107), while Berry finished with a 204 (103-101).

Otis Smith's squad will now have the next few days off as they begin preparing for the River States Conference Fall Preview at Belterra Resort Golf Course in Florence, Indiana on September 30-October 1.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County volleyball got off to a good start this week with a win against Russellville on Monday night and then another against Warren Central last night. The Lady Cats swept both teams 2-0 in the wins.

Edmonson had little trouble over the Lady Panthers of Russellville on the road in the first set with a 25-13 win. The pace of the game stayed relatively similar in set two as the Lady Cats claimed the set win 25-15 and the game.

Freshman Alyssa Doyle led in kills with 5, while junior Emma Woodcock led in assists with 8. Senior Halle Estes added 3 kills, 2 digs, and 4 aces, senior Rachel Cowles added 3 assists and 2 digs, and freshman Kaylee Lindsey added 2 kills.

Edmonson County then traveled to Warren Central High School on Tuesday night to take on the Lady Dragons. The Lady Cats jumped out to a 7-2 lead which prompted a WC timeout. Edmonson scored the next two out of the timeout for a 9-2 lead. The Lady Cats had extended their lead to 15-9 when they went on a huge 10-0 run to end the set at 25-9.

Edmonson started set number two by scoring the first 5 points of the game and stretched their lead to 10-2 when Central called timeout. The Lady Cats took their lead up to 18-8 but the Lady Dragons put together a 10-6 run that kept them in the game. It wasn't enough as Edmonson took set two 25-18 and the game 2-0.

Kaylee Lindsey led the Lady Cats with 7 kills. Emma Woodcock had 8 assists along with Rachel Cowles, who added 4. Halle Estes led the team in aces with 5 while adding 3 kills.

Edmonson County is now 6-14 on the season and is scheduled to take on Trinity at home on Thursday in a District 12 match with JV action beginning at 6pm. The big game will be a "red-out," and all Edmonson County students (countywide) will be admitted for only $1. All fans are asked to wear red for the game. 

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Wildcats dropped a heartbreaker to the Metcalfe County Hornets 22-20 in overtime Friday night in Edmonton.

The Hornets got stirred up early as they pushed across for a touchdown in the first quarter with a run from quarterback Peyton Dial. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful and they led the Cats 6-0.

Edmonson evened the score at 6 with a 21-yard touchdown from Matt Shaw with 9:39 in the second. Clay Walden's extra point gave the Wildcats the lead, which would be all the offense either team would gather before the half as the Cats took a 7-6 lead into the locker room at the break.

The third was quiet for both teams but with 10:03 left in the game, it was quarterback Jon Smith that connected with Walden on a 35-yard pass under pressure for another touchdown. Walden added another point with his kick for a 14-6 lead in the fourth.

With 3:05 left in the game, the Hornets scored on a big 15-yard touchdown on 4th down and 5, and an even bigger two-point conversion to tie the score at 14. They held the Wildcats scoreless in the final 3 minutes of the game to force overtime.

The Wildcats won the toss and deferred to the Hornets, who scored first in the period. Their huge two-point conversion was the difference in the game. Edmonson County scored on a touchdown pass from Smith to Brock Stethen as the Wildcats closed the gap to 22-20, but the Hornets wouldn't let the Wildcats in as Edmonson's two-point conversion failed.

The Wildcats drop to 1-4 on the season and are scheduled to take on Warren East at home next Friday night for the 2019 Homecoming Game at Wildcat Stadium.

Edmonson Voice Staff Report:
Edmonson County High School has announced the 2019 Wildcat Football Homecoming candidates.

Seniors: Taylor Davis, Chloe Jones, Elle Madison, Alex-Shae Horn. 

Juniors: Hannah LaMastus, Breanna Lindsey, Macie McCombs, Kaylee Russell

Sophomores: Lainey Alexander, Carly Dunn, Rachel Hennion, Paige Wolfe

Freshmen: Kennady Ashley, Kaley Lindsey, Mattie Stearns, Lily Jayne Vincent.

The Homecoming is scheduled for Friday, September 27, 2019 at Wildcat Stadium vs. Warren East with festivities beginning at 6:30pm.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The Wildcats fought through injuries against the Hancock County Hornets last night on the road but fell 36-27 in a hard fought match.

In addition to injured running back/defensive lineman Tucker Dockery and lineman Dalton Doyle, quarterback Jon Smith was on the sidelines for this game with a ankle sprain he suffered in the loss to Grayson County last week during the Wildcats' first drive.

Isaiah Johnson stepped up as quarterback for the Cats on Friday in place of Smith.

Hancock struck first with a 12 yard touchdown run in the first quarter but Edmonson answered with a huge 88-yard kickoff return from Chance Lucas for a touchdown and extra point for their first and only lead of the game at 7-6, as the Hornet extra point attempt was no good on their first touchdown.

Errors caused some problems for EC at times which included some defensive penalties at crucial points. Hancock scored next on a safety as a result of a high snap from the Cats that went out of the back of the end zone for an 8-7 lead. The Hornets scored again on a 55 yard touchdown pass with the extra point for a 15-7 lead in the first.

Hancock landed another touchdown early in the second and then again on their next drive for a 29-7 lead. Edmonson County was able to score before the half on a 63 yard touchdown pass from Chance Lucas to Brock Stethen. The extra point missed and the Cats trailed 29-13 at the half.

​Johnson drive through for a 50 yard touchdown late in the third and converted the two point conversion to cut the lead to 29-21.

Early in the fourth, Hancock struck again with a touchdown and extra point to extend the lead 36-21. Edmonson County's Johnson was able to score again on a 26 yard drive himself, but it would be the final scoring for the Cats and the game as Hancock went on to win.

Edmonson County falls to 1-3 on the season and will face Metcalfe County on the road next Friday in a district game.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
After a bit of a rocky start to the 2019 season, the Edmonson County Lady Cats are looking to get back on track. Several close matches have not gone the way EC has wanted, which had resulted in a 2-12 record going into last night's match against Hart County; however, last night's win is what head coach Bridget Simon says will hopefully direct the team back to where it wants to be.

"I am really hoping that last night’s game will help change the momentum and start helping the girls see that they can win and give them more confidence," said Coach Simon. 

The Lady Cats pounced early in set one, taking a 5-0 lead over the Lady Raiders. Hart County responded by shoring up their errors and tied the score at 9-9. Edmonson County's 7-1 run allowed them to regain the lead at 16-10, to which Hart answered with three straight, but that would be about all the offense the Lady Raiders would generate as the Lady Cats finished them off with a 9-3 run and taking the first set 25-16.

Hart County regrouped and reduced their errors in the start of set two as they led for most of the first part. Edmonson County finally tied the score at 12 and took their first lead of the set at 13-12. From that point, there were five different lead changes and six different ties until Edmonson County called a timeout with a 21-20 lead.

They outscored the Lady Raiders 4-1 for the final points of the set as they went on to win 25-21, and the game 2-0.

"Right now we are working on coverage and moving our feet to make good, clean passes, said Simon. "At the beginning, they were having trouble with moving to the ball. Overall, the past couple of games I think they have gotten better at that. So right now we are just focusing on keeping positive attitudes and high spirits throughout the game even if we aren’t ahead in the game. I think that is huge for us— to stay positive and to just keep having confidence that we can win."

Freshmen Kaylee Lindsey, Alyssa Doyle, and Rylee Laster led the team with kills (Lindsey 13, Doyle 3, Laster 2) while juniors Abbie Slaughter and Emma Woodcock led with digs (Slaughter 6, Woodcock 5). Senior Rachel Cowles led in the assists column with 10 while Woodcock also added 6 assists.

Edmonson County now looks to get revenge on their 12th District rival Butler County on Thursday, who defeated the Lady Cats in Morgantown a couple weeks ago. The Lady Bears took three straight sets from EC in their first meet after the Lady Cats won the first set. The game is scheduled at home for a JV-Varsity match beginning at 5pm.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Wildcats struggled against the Cougars on Friday night in the 44th annual Tobacco Bowl as Grayson County kept the coveted tobacco stick with a 31-18 win over Edmonson County. Headed into the rival game, Edmonson County held a 24-19 game advantage, but there would be no such luck in adding another win to their column on this night.
 
The Wildcats looked solid early as they struck first with a 33-yard touchdown from Chance Lucas. The extra point was no good but Edmonson took a 6-0 lead and kept it going into the second quarter.