Darren Doyle, story:
Kyrock Elementary Principal and local resident Shaun Stice scored a hole-in-one at Shady Hollow Golf Course on Friday, September 25th.

The once-in-a-lifetime feat for most golfers happened for Stice on hole number 6, which is a par 3 on the course. Stice says he hit a 182-yard shot from the blue tees using a 5-iron. He said the ball hit just three feet past the pin, rolled back and went in. Stice was playing with friend Kenny Tunks, also a local resident.

"We were practicing for the two-man scramble that we were playing in the next day," he said. "My shot came one day too soon," he joked.

​Stice said he and Tunks parred the hole the next day at the tournament.

When asked if he was going to save the ball, frame the scorecard, or commemorate the event another way, he said no.

"Nah, I'm hoping it's the first of many more," he said with a laugh.

The shot is considered more difficult than hitting a game-winning half-court basketball shot at the buzzer, or hitting a 9th inning grand slam to win a baseball game. According to the PGA, the odds of the average amateur golfer hitting the shot is 12,000 to 1. 

"Hopefully it's an omen for a good school year, right?" he said.

Stice is in his 4th year as Kyrock principal. In-person classes are scheduled to begin in Edmonson County schools tomorrow, September 28th.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County traveled to the blue turf of Warren East tonight as they fell to the Raiders in a hard fought game, 28-18.

The Wildcats were able to get on the board first with a 25-yard field goal from Clay Walden with 6:49 left in the first quarter. They were able to hold the Raiders through the end of the quarter for a 3-0 lead after the first. 

They struck again before the half as Logan Davis scored on a 16-yard touchdown run. Walden's extra point was good for a 10-0 Wildcat lead with 3:33 left in the second quarter.

Warren East answered with a 47-yard touchdown from Isaiah Ghee with 1:51 left in the half. Their extra point was good and they cut the Wildcat lead to 10-7, which would be the score at halftime. 

The Raiders answered again in the third quarter with another big play as Ghee connected with DeSean Gilbert for a 71-yard touchdown with 7:32 left in the third. 

The Wildcats failed to score on their next possession but Clay Walden intercepted the Raider pass and got into the red zone with about 6 minutes left in the third. The next series was nothing but confusion when Edmonson's Isaiah Johnson was taken down on a short run when the ball came out of his hands. It appeared that Johnson was down but an official called it a fumble, which was recovered by East. One official called it Edmonson's ball, another called it East's ball, and the PA announcer said it was Edmonson's ball. It appeared that the Wildcat offense was still on the field when East took possession and the snap. The Raiders would score on a huge 92-yard touchdown on the next play. The extra point was good for a 21-10 Warren East lead with 1:45 left in the third.

The Raiders weren't finished and with 5:31 left in the game, it was East's Gilbert again with another big reception on a 55-yard touchdown. East's extra point was good for a 28-10 lead. 

Edmonson County got into the red zone with about 3:30 left in the game thanks to a couple of good runs and a Warren East penalty. Quarterback Jon Smith tried the keeper and pushed through the Raider line for another Wildcat touchdown with 1:03 left in the ballgame. Smith connected with Isaiah Johnson for a two-point conversion and the Cats cut the East lead to 28-18.

Edmonson's Preston Mills jumped on an onside kick from the Cats and Edmonson County took possession with one minute to go. Smith ran the ball to about the Raider 20 yard line, and then Isaiah Johnson ran the ball to the 4-yard line on the next play. Immediately following that play, it appeared that Johnson scored but they called him down just before the goal line with 32.8 seconds to go. The Wildcats were unable to score on the possession and the Raiders took over on downs with 5 seconds to go, sealing the deal for East.

Wildcat running back Matt Shaw was injured in the game and left play with an unknown knee injury.

Edmonson County fell to 1-2 on the season and is scheduled to take on Monroe County on the road next Friday. 

*We misidentified Logan Davis earlier in the captions but have corrected it. We apologize for the error.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
After winning the last two of three contests, the Edmonson County Lady Cats faced a solid Butler County volleyball team at home on Tuesday night where they went the distance but lost to the Lady Bears in five sets.

Butler County started with a 4-0 lead to begin set one but Edmonson bounced back and scored six straight points, which forced a Lady Bear timeout at 6-4. Edmonson County never trailed again, gaining as much as a 9-point lead as they took set one, 25-15.

Butler County responded with better play in set two as they cut down on errors and displayed better communication, taking set two 25-20 to tie the game at 1-1.

Set three was all Lady Cats as they took a 3-0 lead and never looked back again. Butler County made a couple of runs, cutting the lead to only one point two separate times, but Edmonson County held them off for a 25-19 set win and took the game lead 2-1. 

Once again, the Lady Bears responded and during set four it would be all Butler County as they jumped out to an 8-1 lead, prompting an Edmonson timeout. The Lady Bears continued their offense and force the Lady Cats to burn their last timeout at 14-4. While Edmonson County refused to go away quietly with a couple of runs, it wasn't enough as Butler won the set 25-15 and tied the game at 2-2, forcing a final set to 15.

The momentum gained by Butler County in set four remained with them in the final set as they had little problems keeping the lead as they went on to win the set 15-8, and the game 3-2.

Edmonson County sophomore Kaylee Lindsey had 10 kills, 5 blocks, 3 aces, and 3 digs, while seniors Emma Woodcock and Abbie Slaughter had 24 and 44 digs, respectively.

The Lady Cats fell to 5-4 on the season and 0-3 against District 12 teams. Edmonson County hasn't won a district volleyball game since 2017.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County football faced their first district opponent tonight at Wildcat Stadium as they took on Metcalfe County for their first win of the season. Clay Walden's late-game 39-yard field goal helped seal the deal in a come-from-behind win.

The Wildcats put the first points on the board as Matt Shaw pushed through for a 6-yard touchdown carry. Clay Walden's extra point was good and the Cats led 7-0 with 2:21 left in the first quarter. The Hornets answered with a solid run that ran into the second quarter and Metcalfe's Gabe Zurmehly made it into the end zone on a 7-yard run. The extra point attempt was no good but the Hornets cut the Wildcats' lead 7-6 with 9:44 in the second.

Momentum would stay on Metcalfe's side as they held the Cats and then answered again on offense on an 18-yard touchdown reception. The Hornets also connected on their two-point conversion attempt and they took a 14-7 lead with 6:53 left in the first half. 

Edmonson County's Matt Shaw answered with a 24-yard carry into the end zone and once again, Clay Walden delivered on the kick and extra point, which tied the score 14-14 at halftime. 

It was a back-and-forth third quarter, but Metcalfe County found their way back into the end zone with 23 seconds left in the third as Zurmehly scored on a 1-yard push. Their extra point was good and the Hornets were back on top 21-14.

It would be Matt Shaw again for the Wildcats as he scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 6:27 left in the game. The Cats attempted a two-point conversion but it was stopped by the Hornets and Metcalfe clung to a 21-20 lead.

The Hornets turned the ball over on their next possession during a punt attempt when the kicker actually kicked the ball into one of his own players. The ball was recovered by the Wildcat freshman Noah Meredith on the Hornet's 22-yard line with about 4 minutes to go. Edmonson had little luck making any headway with short runs and an incomplete pass when Walden nailed a 39-yard field goal to put the Cats back on top, 23-21 with 2:46 to go.

The Wildcats held the Hornets on their next possession and were able to hold on in the final minute, going to victory formation for the big district win.

Head Coach Nathan Smith said he was proud of his guys on the night's big win.

"We've had teams before that when they're down in the second half, they just kind of give up, it just kind of goes away," he said. "I was just proud of the way we fought the whole game. Not everything went our way the whole game, but we fought, and I was proud of them."

Smith said in games against Metcalfe in the recent past, it seemed the winner was the team that played most aggressively and he said tonight it was the Wildcats who filled that role.

"It was a great win," he added. "What about Clay Walden?"

Smith joked that Walden's late game heroics should count for the WildcatsLive player of the game, but no one could forget about Michael Shaw's 150-yard rushing night.

"Can we give them co-players of the game?" he asked, as he laughed with broadcasters Scott Lindsey and Granville Meredith.

Not only did Coach Smith discuss Walden's kicking ability, but also the all-around positive results on the field because of his play.

"He's a super-aggressive player and sometimes it burns him a little bit," he said. "But you talk about someone that does a great job of stopping the short game, outside, stopping bubbles, things like that, he did an amazing job there."

The current school record for longest field goal in Edmonson County is currently held by Granville Meredith--46 yards--which has stood for about 35 years. Coach Smith said that Clay Walden has the record in his sights and Meredith said tonight that he'd be happy for Walden to set a new record.

The Wildcats are now 1-1 on the season and is scheduled to take on Warren East on the road next Friday at 7pm. The Edmonson Voice will carry the game live on WildcatsLive, presented by Alford's Pharmacy.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Edmonson County Volleyball improved to 2-2 on the season after defeating Hart County in their home opener last night. The squeaks of athletic shoes were a bit crisper as the contest was the first on the brand new gym floor surface; it was also senior night for three Lady Cat team members. The festivities were moved up in the season as a result of uncertainties around the 2020 sports season amid the virus pandemic.

Set one started slowly for each team; neither gaining much of a lead throughout the first half of the set. Hart County took a 13-11 lead but Edmonson County went on an impressive 12-0 run that put the set out of reach for the Lady Raiders. Hart County called a timeout, trailing 13-17 but Edmonson County poured it on and scored the next 6 points. The Lady Cats took set one, 25-15. 

Set two saw Edmonson continue their momentum from the previous set with an early lead, but Hart battled back and tied the score at 6-6. They went on a 5-1 run over the Lady Cats, which prompted an Edmonson timeout. The Lady Cats struggled with consistency but a 4-point run forced Hart into a timeout at 17-15. Edmonson cut the lead to 17-16 but Hart County finished the set on an 8-4 run to rally over the Lady Cats 25-20 for the set.

Set three was a game of that saw both teams shift momentum back and forth with Edmonson taking an early 6-2 lead. They kept a 4/5 point until Hart County fought back with an 8-1 run that gave Hart County a 13-12 lead. No timeout was called but the Lady Cats were able to hold the Lady Raiders back until a 16-16 tie. However, a solid 9-3 run down the stretch was enough to create some space over Hart County and hold them off for the 25-19 set win and the game, 2-1.

Other notes: Senior Emma Woodcock is starting her 8th season as part of Lady Cat Volleyball. Coaching staff said she began working out with the ECHS team as a 5th grader. Sophomore starter Alyssa Doyle is currently out of the lineup due to an ankle injury suffered at Grayson County last week where Edmonson lost 3-0. No timetable has been set for her return. She did not play in the All A tournament on Saturday at Trinity High School, where the Lady Cats fell to Trinity in two sets.

Edmonson County is scheduled to travel to Russellville on Thursday for a V/JV game with varsity beginning at 6pm.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
Because of lingering uncertainties with the 2020 sports season, Edmonson County Lady Cat Volleyball moved up their annual Senior Night festivities to the season home opener, which was Monday, September 14th against Hart County. Senior night is normally held on the last home game of the season for most sports.

Three ECHS seniors and their respective families were honored last night, which included Emma Woodcock, Abbie Slaughter, and Madalyn Conder. 

Edmonson County defeated Hart County 2-1 to improve to 2-2 on the season. Their next game is this Thursday on the road against Russellville.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County couldn't overcome of couple of big plays from the Hancock County Hornets Friday night in the 2020 football season opener at Wildcat Stadium as they fell 26-14.

The Hornets stung first only a minute and a half into the game when Hancock's Logan Willis was able to squeeze through on a one-yard touchdown after a big push on their first possession of the game; however, the Cats stopped their two-point conversion and Hancock led 6-0.

The Wildcats didn't get on the board until the second quarter as they clawed back for the lead after quarterback Jon Smith connected with Isiah Johnson on a 7-yard touchdown pass. Clay Walden nailed the extra point and the Cats were on top at 7-6 with 11:53 to go in the second.

It was Hancock again on their next possession as they broke through for a big 42-yard touchdown run. The Cats once again stopped their two-point conversion attempt and the Hornets led 12-7 with 11:10 left in the second. The score would remain the same at the half. 

Both teams battled in the third but as the quarter wound down, Hancock's Xander Early broke through with a huge 67-yard touchdown run with seconds left in the quarter. For the third straight time, Edmonson County stopped the two-point conversion attempt and Edmonson trailed 18-7.

Edmonson County answered in the fourth quarter with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Johnson again. Walden's extra point cut the Hornet lead to 18-14 with 7:40 to go in the game. That would be all the offense the Cats would generate and Hancock scored on a crazy 17-yard TD pass where quarterback Cole Dixon escaped a sack attempt, spun around and launched the ball, almost blindly to connect with a receiver in the end zone. Their 2-point conversion attempt was good with 3:59 to go for a 26-14 lead, which would be the final score of the game.

Head Coach Nathan Smith said he liked what he saw for the most part, but he felt some bad luck and big plays by the Hornets contributed to the first game loss.

​"We did some really good things, but had a little bit of bad luck on a couple plays," he said. "They big-played us, is what they did."

Smith said it's also been difficult preparing for football as normal, because there's been nothing normal about it.

"It hasn't been easy. You know, this has been a little bit different. We normally exchange films. They give us their film, we give them our film, but we didn't do that this year. There were no scrimmage games this year, so we sort of went into this blind. The stuff they ran, they did not run last year, so we had to adjust to that stuff on the fly. Offensively, I thought we moved the ball well all night. We had a couple penalties inside the 20 yard line, a couple bad plays, but offensively I felt like we could do about whatever we wanted to do. We had a good running game with Clay and Isaiah hitting it pretty good on the outside. One thing we gotta work on is hitting some of the deep balls. They were open--oh my goodness."

District play will begin next week as Metcalfe County travels to Wildcat Stadium on Friday.

"I told the boys that we'd love to win every game, but some of them count more than others," Smith said. "Metcalfe County is one of the toughest teams we play all year."

Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm on Friday, September 18th. The WildcatsLive crew will carry the live broadcast and video streams. Live audio can be heard on EdmonsonVoice.com and the live video stream can be watched on the Voice's site, mobile app, and our Facebook Page.  

​All content copyright 2020, Edmonson Voice, LLC.

Darren Doyle, story and photo:
​Edmonson County Wildcat Football is back this Friday night, September 11th as they host Hancock County at home at 7pm. While the fan experience will be different this year due to attendance and state regulations, Head Coach Nathan Smith is looking to build on last year's momentum of a district championship. We had a question and answer session with him yesterday.

​EV: We counted seven seniors gone from last year's team, which is significant, but you have a good number of seniors this year, correct?
NS: Yes that is correct. We lost 7 last season and currently have 12 seniors. 

EV: Who are the leaders of this team so far?
NS: Jon (Smith) has really been vocal so far. Both of the Shaw boys, Michael and Matt, have really increased their role on the team as well. 

EV: What can we expect on both the offensive and defensive side of things, respectively?
NS: We have a very experienced offensive and defensive line. Many have started since they were freshmen, so I'm looking to be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. So probably a lot of running offense. 

EV: Are there any underclassmen that might be on the "watch list?"
NS: Definitely look at Matt Shaw to continue where he left off and we will see a lot of Logan Davis (replacing Brock Stethan at linebacker) and a pair of sophomores-- Daren Alexander and Zander Bass-- are also going to see significant minutes in the defensive and offensive backfields.
 
EV: How has the team/coaching staff responded to the regulations/social distancing/mask wearing, etc.?
NS: It's definitely different, but we have focused on staying positive and keeping our minds on just being able to play football--because a few months ago we didn't think that would even happen. 

EV: Compare what you've seen so far to last year, and what are your overall expectations for this year's team? 
NS: Our goals are similar to what we had last season. I expect us to contend for the district championship and make a deep push into the playoffs. We are returning several starters from that team last season who really got a taste of what it feels like, and I'm sure that they want that to continue. 

Edmonson County finished the 2019 season with a record of 6-7, and as Class 2A District 3 champions. The Edmonson Voice will once again provide audio and video streams of ECHS football games this season. This Friday's game will be video streamed on both the Voice's FB page and WildcatsLive page of Edmonson Voice.com. The audio stream will also be available. 

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Teamwork was key in last night's 2-0 sweep against Hart County as the Edmonson County Lady Cats opened up their season on the road.

Lady Cat players seemed to have little issue with the ball being wiped down with a cleaning cloth after every single dead ball...yes, that's right...every single one, or the fact that there was no typical "bench." Instead, there were chairs separated six feet apart on the sidelines, staggered, with all players not currently in the game wearing a mask as required. All attendees were required to wear masks upon entry, which also included staff, coaches, and officials. 

Edmonson was impressive as the game began, jumping out to an early 8-3 lead; however, the Lady Raiders answered with a 5-0 run to tie the score at 8. Both teams went at each other and the score was tied again at 11, but three straight from Edmonson prompted a Hart County timeout. 

Hart County put together a couple of four and five-point runs, but the Lady Cats were steady and committed few errors and took set one 25-22.

The score remained close for the first half of the set as there were three ties and neither team held more than a one-point lead until the Lady Cats put together a 7-1 run that allowed them to keep control of the game. Hart County got as close as 22-20, but three straight points from Edmonson County gave them the set (25-20), and the game, 2-0.

The Lady Cats have a core group of girls made up of both upper and underclassmen that have played together for several seasons. Senior Emma Woodcock is beginning her 6th season as a varsity player and much of the varsity team is made up of players that have played together since the 7th grade.

Edmonson County is looking to turn things around from the past two seasons, where they finished with a total record of 17-38 (.447) and have not won a district game since 2017 where they were district champions. They are 0-15 in district play since that time. This is the second season for Head Coach Bridget Simon.

Darren Doyle, story and video:
Edmonson County High School has a new surface on the gym floor for the first time in over 20 years. Superintendent Brian Alexander said the work took about 2 weeks to complete and the finish was sanded down to the bare wood.

“I’d really like to thank the Board for their eagerness to make this project happen," he said. "It gives the high school gym a rejuvenated look and I’m sure our students that use the gym as well as our student athletes will love the change.   I’m thankful to work with staff members across our district who are helping to make improvements in all our schools, but I’m very proud to be part of the end product on this particular project.”

Darren Doyle, story:
Edmonson County High School sports are scheduled to begin this week and Wildcat fans will experience a different process than in years past, thanks to restrictions set due to COVID-19. ECHS Golf has been underway for over a month, but Wildcat and Lady Cat golf teams have seen very little restriction due to the virus.

Wildcat Football is scheduled to kickoff this Friday night, September 11, 2020 at 7pm at home against Hancock County and Lady Cat Volleyball begins this week on the road: tonight at Hart County at 5pm and Thursday night at Grayson County at 5pm. 

Home football tickets will not be available for purchase at the gate, at least for now, according to ECHS Athletic Director Kyle Pierce. He said that tickets are available for advanced purchase only at this time. Tickets are on sale this morning from 9-11am, then later from noon until 3pm. Both Tuesday & Wednesday's football ticket sales will be for football, cheer, & band families only, with a limit of four members per family. Exact change is required.

Each ticket recipient will also receive a contact tracing form to hand in at the gate with your purchased ticket. No one will be allowed to enter before 6pm and all attendees must enter through the main gate.

Volleyball fans will be allowed to purchase tickets at the gym door; however, exact change must be provided. Social distancing will be required for fans and all attendees must wear a mask upon entry. A contact tracing form is also required upon entry.

Road games will be a bit more uncertain and those regulations will be set by the visitor school.

"We are glad to see fall sports starting back up at Edmonson County," said Pierce. "We will be doing a few things to help increase our seating and allow for social distancing as well. Families are strongly encouraged to sit together to help allow us to maximize our attendance."

He also said there is a new phone number for athletics that can provide football ticket and other information.

"For people coming to buy tickets, when your arrive, please call our NEW Athletics phone line at 270-597-8939. I'll meet you out in front of the high school office with your tickets."

The Edmonson Voice is once again the exclusive broadcast provider for ECHS athletics. We will carry audio broadcasts of all football games with several live stream videos throughout the season. Scott Lindsey and Granville Meredith will return to the press box this Friday to bring you the game live, both on audio and video.