Edmonson Voice Sports:
The ECHS Wildcat Golf team ended their season this week in the Regional Tournament at Rolling Hills in Russellville. 

Coach Granville Meredith said, "I was honored to coach these young men this year. They improved all year long.  I am looking for them to continue to improve and come back stronger next year.  I am sad to lose my seniors Evan, Jarrett, and Zach, but the guys returning next year and the younger guys will step up and fill some shoes." 

Junior Andrew Talley finished 23rd overall in the region. Meredith said the team is expecting a leadership role for Talley next year.

Coach Granville also added "I would also like to thank everyone that helped support this team,  whether you were a parent, sibling, spectator, or just a fan of golf.  Huge thanks to Shady Hollow and their staff for allowing us to call it home.  Thanks to Coach Michael, Coach Kayla, and Coach Bret for your help this season."   

Edmonson Voice Report: 
The ECHS Lady Cat Golf team competed in the regional tournament yesterday at Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green. Senior Paige Wolfe finished 7th in the tournament with a score of 86, qualifying her for the upcoming KHSAA state competition. 

"These girls faced never-before-experienced challenges and did a great job taking them on head first," said Coach Kayla Meredith. "We have had a great season and I couldn’t have asked for a better result out this amazing group of girls. I’m incredibly proud to get to work with each one of them and it encourages me for the future seeing how hard they have worked this season."

Meredith also added, "It’s so exciting to get to return to the state tournament, as a coach this time, and to support such a remarkable young lady."

She also wanted to thank all of the players and their parents for all of their support this season. 

Edmonson Voice Sports: 
Hope Sivori, sophomore member of the WKU women's basketball team and 2021 C-USA Co-Freshman of the year, paid a visit to the Lady Cat basketball team at their practice on Thursday. She watched their practiced and spoke to them about working toward their goals, how to be a good teammate, and to "never give up", according to Lady Cat Head Coach Bart Weaver. 

Weaver said he was very pleased with Hope's visit.

"Hope was truly an inspiration, and her positivity filled the locker room," he said. "Thanks to Melinda Campbell for introducing Hope to our team.”

Weaver also said Hope shared with the girls her go-to quote, which is "earned not given", and told them the quote doesn't just apply to basketball, but life itself. 

Hope said, "The girls were wonderful and super easy to talk to. The coaching staff is amazing. I’m so excited and blessed to have the opportunity to talk to such an amazing group of young ladies. Go, Lady Cats!” ​

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The ECHS Golf Team wrapped up regular season play last week.

On Tuesday, all the boys traveled to Hart County and lost a close match 188 to 178.  The Wildcats ended the season with a record of 2 - 4 and now they will send the Top 5 boys to the Region at Rolling Hills on Tuesday. The top 5 consists of:
Andrew Talley Tee Time 8:40
Jacob Williams Tee Time 8:30
Jarrett Prunty Tee Time 8:20
Levi Meredith Tee Time 8:10
Evan Stice Tee Time 8:00

Then on Thursday the Lady Cats hosted South Warren on Senior Night.  Before the match both teams took team pictures and honored the 5 seniors: Zach Jacobs, Jarrett Prunty, and Evan Stice for the boys teams. 

Lady Cat seniors Paige Wolfe and Hallie Cassady were honored and were also allowed a caddie for the event.  Paige Wolfe had her dad David Wolfe as her caddie while Hallie Cassady had her dad Kyle Cassady as her caddie.  This proved to be a great time for both the players, parents and spectators.  Coach Kayla also picked up her first win of the year. 
 
"I wanted to do something special for these girls," Coach Kayla said. "They have worked so hard all year long and I wanted to give them a treat for their efforts."

The Lady Cats also will be sending their top 5 to the regional tournament on Monday at Indian Hills, which will consist of:

Paige Wolfe Tee Time 9:30
Hallie Cassady Tee Time 9:20
MaKayla Hogg Tee Time 9:10
Hannah Cassady Tee Time 9:00
Abby Hogg Tee Time 8:50

The coaches wished to thank everyone who has supported the Golf Team this year. 

"Each player, parent, spectator, and especially Shady Hollow staff for allowing us to play," said the coaching staff.  

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
The Lady Cats had much to celebrate on Thursday's win over Butler County at the annual ECHS Dig Pink Cancer Benefit Game. Not only did they defeat their District 12 opponent in four sets 3-1, (25-14, 24-26, 25-22, 25-16), but they also saw two records broken--one for the amount of money raised at the event (nearly $6K,) and two, the single-game record for number of kills. Junior Kaylee Lindsey earned her 18th kill on the final point of the last set, which put her at the top of the list.

Each year, Lady Cat Volleyball chooses one local family that is either battling cancer or has been recently largely affected by cancer for whom to raise funds. This year's recipient was the family of Leslie Minyard, who is now battling stage 3 Lymphoma and is currently undergoing two different types of chemotherapy.

Leslie was unable to attend the game, but her husband, Richie, was full of gratefulness on her behalf.

Also honored was 15-year old Mya Henderson, who's Leukemia has been in remission after a battle with the disease as an infant. She was named Honorary Coach and had her own place on the Lady Cat bench throughout the night.

The Lady Cats were pumped and ready to go in the first set, jumping out to a comfortable lead and taking care of business early with a 25-14 win.

Butler County bounced back in set two as they began to settle in to the high-energy atmosphere at ECHS. They were able to edge the Lady Cats 26-24. Set three was also a nail-biter as each team traded licks throughout the set; however, Edmonson County was able to hold off a late run by the Lady Bears and took the set 25-22.

Both teams began set four closely but a big run mid-set gave the Lady Cats a comfortable lead, capped off with Kaylee Lindsey's kill for the final point.

Sophomore Riley Monroe not only made her varsity debut, but she also started tonight in place of junior Rylee Laster, who was out for illness. Monroe contributed to the team's win.

In addition to Lindsey's kills, Whitney Davis had 7, Alyssa Doyle had 6, and Monroe added 3. Raven Cast led Edmonson County in assists with 16 while Madison Bullock added 13. Davis also notched 38 digs while Cast had 23, Doyle had 20, and Lindsey had 12. Davis also added 3 service aces while Doyle and Cast added 2 each and Monroe added one.

Edmonson County is now 3-1 in district play and 6-13 on the season. They are scheduled to play 6 games on Saturday in the Slam Jam Tournament at Metcalfe County on Saturday.

Edmonson Voice Sports: Alyssa Doyle, photos (courtesy of ECHS Yearbook)
It was another memorable evening for Edmonson County High School as the Lady Cat Soccer Team took the field for the first time in school history on Friday, September 17, 2021 at Grayson County High School for a JV and freshman match against the Lady Cougars.

While the JV team lost 7-0 and the freshmen fell 4-0, Coach Greg Hudson discussed the great effort from his teams as well as the the process of starting a team from scratch.

"Each team gave a great effort in defeat against a more-seasoned Grayson County squad," he said "As a coach, I was extremely proud of the way both teams played and the sportsmanship displayed for the opposing team and officials. We are off to a great start at building a great soccer program at Edmonson County High School."

Coach Hudson encouraged everyone to support the team.

"Check out our schedule and come out to watch us play."

The remaining schedule for ECHS soccer is as follows:

• BOYS JV @ Hart County Wednesday, 22 September 2021. Game time 5:30pm
• GIRLS JV @ Hart County Wednesday, 22 September 2021. Game time 7:00pm
• BOYS JV @ Barren County Thursday, 23 September 2021. Game time 5:30pm
• GIRLS JV vs Allen County Monday, 27 September 2021. Game time 4:30pm at Chalybeate Park
• GIRLS Freshman vs Allen County Monday, 27 September 2021. Game time 5:45pm at Chalybeate Park
• BOYS JV @ Grayson County Thursday, 30 September 2021. Game time 5:30pm
• BOYS Freshman @ Grayson County Thursday, 30 September 2021. Game time 7:00pm
  

Zander Bass connected for the Wildcats with 9:02 left in the third quarter on a 31-yard touchdown run on a reverse. The Cats were not able to score on the two-point conversion attempt but tied the score 14-14.

Caverna's Buchanon picked off Alexander's pass meant for a Wildcat receiver with 2:45 left in the third. He ran the ball back for a 61-yard pick six. The Colonels couldn't convert the extra two but took a 20-14 lead.

With 8:55 left in the game, the Colonels bobbled a punt attempt by Buchanon, but he somehow recovered and ran the ball for a 75-yard gain. On the next play, Edwards scored for the Colonels on a 25-yard touchdown run. They did not gain the extra two again but extended their lead to 28-14 with 8:10 left in the game.

After a scuffle at the end of a play, Caverna's Chase Ragland appeared to throw the football at a Wildcat player and was called for a personal foul and ejection with 6:55 left in the game.

With 4:48 left, it would be an Edmonson County halfback pass from Michael Mills after a pitch from Alexander to Garrett Lyons for a 61-yard gain. The Wildcats were able score another touchdown and cut the Caverna lead to 28-20 with 1:45 to go.

After a Caverna turnover on the next possession, the Wildcat pass was intercepted by the Colonels with only seconds left which snuffed out the chance for a comeback.

Head Coach Ed Smart said he was proud of the kids for not giving up.

"At the end, they got two scores, but we kept fighting," he said. "I thought they played hard. The truth is, some of our younger kids, it's growing pains, and it showed up a little bit tonight. "

He then discussed some of the penalties that hurt the team tonight.

"We're gonna make mistakes," he said. "We're gonna drop balls, we'll miss a block. All that is human, physical stuff. It's the mental stuff that really frustrates me."

Edmonson County is now 0-5 on the season and will head to Metcalfe County next Friday for a district match up.

Darren Doyle, story: Madison Doyle, photos:
It's been a long time coming, but Edmonson County Volleyball is finally winning some district games; last night's win came against Grayson County in a full, 5-set match at ECHS on Tuesday night. It was only the second District 12 victory since the 2017 season when the Lady Cats won the district championship.

The team lost 12 players after the '17 season and has been in a rebuilding mode ever since. With a young team (only four seniors combined over the past two seasons) and two different coaches during that time, the growing pains have been difficult with three straight losing seasons. While the Lady Cat record isn't stellar so far this season (5-11 with one loss coming from a COVID cancellation forfeiture), Coach Bridget Simon said earlier in the season that this year's team is showing much better team chemistry, communication, and relationships on and off the court.

Some would argue that teams over the past three seasons were mainly taking the floor with an attitude of trying not to lose, while this year's squad seems to play with nothing to lose. With three straight losing seasons and no wins in the district (until this season), there's not much else TO lose.

Set one began roughly for the Lady Cats as Grayson County took an 8-2 lead, which forced Edmonson County to take a timeout. Edmonson scrapped back and cut the lead to 12-10 but Grayson forced Edmonson into their second timeout with a Lady Cougar lead of 21-16.

The Lady Cats gained some momentum with a small run of their own and cut the Lady Cougar lead to 22-20, which led to a Grayson County timeout. Edmonson County scored twice right out of the timeout and tied the score at 22. Each team traded blows, tied it again at 24, but Grayson outlasted the Lady Cats 26-24 for a 1-0 lead.

The Lady Cats took early control of set two and never looked back. They jumped out to an 11-4 lead which prompted a timeout for Grayson County. The Lady Cats scored out of the timeout but Grayson County put together a 7-2 run that ran the Lady Cats into their first timeout. After another short run by Edmonson County, Grayson called their final timeout with EC leading 18-12. From that point, Edmonson outscored Grayson 7-4 to take the set 25-16, tying the game at 1-1.

The Lady Cats looked even sharper in the third set as they ran out to a 14-6 lead. Grayson County wasn't able to recover from their poor start as Edmonson led as much as 10 points during the set. They went on to win set three 25-15 and take a 2-1 game lead.

The Lady Cougars were far from folding up and heading back to Leitchfield and came out with more intensity in set 4. After four different ties, Grayson County took a 14-11 lead, which forced EC into their first timeout. A 7-2 Lady Cougar run extended their lead to 21-14 and Edmonson called their final timeout on the ropes, trailing 24-17. Grayson County scored the final point of the set (25-17) to tie the game at 2-2, forcing a final set to 15.

While the score was tied four different times, Edmonson County never trailed in the final set, winning 15-11 and the game 3-2.

Edmonson County is scheduled to take on Trinity, (14-4, 2-0) another district opponent, on Thursday in Whitesville. The Lady Cats are also currently 2-0 in district play, Grayson is 0-2, and Butler County is 0-2.

Edmonson Voice Sports:
The growing pains of a young team along with recent COVID restrictions have somewhat hindered Wildcat Football, but a solid second half against Hancock County last night in Brownsville brought some positivity to an otherwise 37-8 lopsided loss to the 4-0 Hancock County Hornets.

The Hornets wasted no time in their attack, scoring on a 61-yard touchdown run by Logan Willis on the first play of the game. Their two-point conversion gave them an 8-0 lead over the Cats only 16 seconds into the game.

On the Hornets' next possession, it would be Willis again, scoring on a 20-yard TD run. Another two-point conversion gave Hancock a 16-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the first.

Willis would score twice more before the break, and an interception and touchdown with just over two minutes to go in the half extended Hancock County's lead to 37-0 at the half.

With a running clock, the Cats came out aggressively on defense and did a much better job in the third, while many teams would've already given up. Not many teams bounce back from a 37-defecit at the half, and with only 6 yards of total offense during the first half, Edmonson County was able to hold the Hornets scoreless in the second half.

Zander Bass led Edmonson County with 53 rushing yards while Michael Mills added 53 rushing yards and scored the first touchdown for the Cats this season. Mills was also able to convert the two-point conversion to get 8 points on the board for the Cats.

On defense, Logan Davis led the Cats with 9 tackles while Daren Alexander and Caden Swihart both recorded sacks for EC.

Edmonson County had not played in two weeks prior to last night due to quarantines and school closures.

They are now 0-4 on the season and are scheduled to travel to Caverna next Friday at 7pm.

​Joseph Barkoff, story and photos for the Edmonson Voice:
​Edmonson County High School boys’ soccer took the field for their first, and Edmonson County Schools’ first time ever, against a seasoned Barren County HS at the Glasgow Soccer complex Friday Sept. 10 in Glasgow.
 
Edmonson is a program in its infancy and the two teams were both junior varsity, but you have to start somewhere.
 
The school board just passed the order to begin soccer this past summer, Edmonson County HS athletic director Brad Johnson said.
 
“We passed it this summer,” Johnson said. “It took a couple of readings from the board to get soccer started and when we finally got the go-ahead to go, we started reaching out to local schools and scheduling JV games.”
 
Edmonson County HS will begin with play in a JV schedule against other schools’ JV squads, Johnson said.
 
“We gotta walk before we can run,” Johnson said. “We are kinda in the early stages of it, but, they’ve been playing league soccer on their own at Chalybeate and we feel like we’ve got some interest, some momentum going, and everybody’s anxious to see what it’s gonna look like.”
 
Johnson said when you drive by folks in neighborhoods, you tend to see more basketball hoops and kids throwing footballs than soccer balls being kicked around in yards. While it feels like it is in its infancy in the area, it has seeped into the culture and he notes the kids who play really seem to enjoy it.
 
Nationwide, Johnson thinks soccer has become more popular in recent years, contributing to the high numbers of new student players, he said.
 
“We have good numbers in boys and girls, and are tickled to death to have both.”

​

​

​Soccer in Edmonson County has been growing in popularity since the introduction of youth soccer over six years ago.
 
“Honestly, and you can quote me on this, I think it will spread like wildfire,” Johnson said about soccer in the area. “I think kids will really enjoy it.”
 
Edmonson County HS soccer head coach Greg Hudson began his soccer coaching career those six years ago, shifting from the Parks and Rec program director to soccer coach, he said.
 
Initially Hudson was the program director for the Parks Department here in Edmonson County and they wanted to give the kids a fall ball sport, Hudson said. With softball and baseball in the spring and summer months, basketball during winter, soccer filled the void in the fall.
 
Hudson filled the void as coach.
 
Edmonson County had tried soccer previously, in 2006 and 2007, but it didn’t go over very well at the time, Hudson said. He feels the timing of it during the hottest months of the summer, when it was offered right after baseball and softball ended, did not help it catch on.
 
Six years ago, “When they started it up again here, it just kinda took off,” Hudson said.
 
When the youth league first began there were only 31 players split amongst three teams, Hudson said.
 
The following year there were 76. Then 123, and four years ago they had 165 kids. Last year Covid-19 threw a monkey wrench into everything but they still could boast 146 players.
 
This year with the introduction of junior high and high school level play in the county, the ages for youth soccer caps at 12 years old, and they have 197 kids playing in 2021.
 
For the schools getting the go-ahead just months ago in summer made the season a little sticky to start.
 
“We had a really late start this year,” Hudson said. “It’s hard for us to get a game right now because the schedules were set.”
 ​

​

​

 
Other players like Hunter Hayes, 16, have played in youth leagues in both Edmonson County and in Bowling Green.
 
“I think we have a lot to learn,” Hayes said. “I think this is the start to something really great, and I am just happy we got to play.”
 
His favorite thing about the game was, “I think we worked hard,” he said.
 
They did indeed.
 
The jerseys came in Thursday evening, a day before their first game, but they still don’t have the shorts or socks, Hudson said.
 
“I told the boys, once the jerseys come in, we’re playing,” Hudson said.
 
“The biggest issue is getting the equipment in,” Hudson said. “Really, not only look like a team but I think once they have their complete uniforms it will help their confidence.”
 
If only having half a uniform helped their confidence, the future is looking bright for Wildcat soccer.
 
As the first whistle sounded and the game began, Hudson felt the team may have been more nervous than originally anticipated, and the three goals scored in the first 10 minutes by Barren County reflected the time it took for the reality of the new situation to set in.
 
“I think the excitement and nervousness of getting to play their first game was a little bit of why we dropped those three goals in the first half that quick,” Hudson said.
 
Once the nerves settled and patience became a tool, instead of over-pursuit, Barren County would only score one more goal in the following 50 minutes of play.
 
“They settled down and I was impressed from there on out,” Hudson said.
 
Hudson said he doesn’t feel he brought anything tactically or technically to the game, he said.
 
“That’s a credit to them,” Hudson said. “It’s easy for me to be over on the sidelines and yell instructions at ‘em, tell ‘em what to do, but once they are out there on the field, they have to perform it.”
 
He feels his whole job as coach is to keep them as calm as possible and focused on the game itself, he said. They’ll do all the rest of it.
 
At half time, the score was still the original 3-0 and Hudson brought the player to the bench.
 
“Who thought we would be down 3-0 at halftime?” Hudson asked. “More than three?”
 
Two players raised a hand.
 
“Well guess what, three to nothing is no big deal,” Hudson said.
 
The players nodded in silent agreement from the bench in the sideline dugout.
 
“So far, I am happy with the play,” Hudson said at half time. “We are still making mistakes right now because we have not played anyone but ourselves.”
 
By the end of the game the score was 4-0 in favor of BCHS, but the Wildcats had managed to make shots on goal with a couple of potential breakaways and good clears and saves by the defense and goal keepers.
 
Before the game, Hudson told his players, “as long as you get out there and you play to your best then I am satisfied with the result, whatever it is. Because we are building.”
 
The result was better than some thought would happen.
 
“Overall, I was really pleased,” Hudson said. “Honestly, I thought we would get beat by more than that.”
 

​
​One dad on the sideline, Eric Murphy, with two sons on the field, Josh and Adian Gates, thinks it’s huge the school has soccer now.
 
Not only does it give them something to do, but it gets them involved in activities he feels will help them grow, and they really like soccer, he said.
 
And about the game.
 
“I think they did awesome,” Murphy said. “I think they did great.”
 
Another dad in the stands, Jason Dooley, a math teacher at Glasgow HS, his son Ian was in the net.
 
“I think it’s good,” Dooley said. “Any activity they can offer to give the students more choices, more activities to participate in, I think it’s a good thing.”
 
He wishes the soccer team could get more support from the school system, the way basketball or football do, he said. All the activities, whether athletic or academic, all activities should be supported more because of the value they bring to the school system.
 
“I think sports are great for kids,” Dooley said. “ I see value in it and I think it’s good for the kids.”
 
And the kids after the game.
 
“Amazing,” a handful of players said as they made their way off the field at the game’s conclusion said.
 
“Do you not see the score?” They said.
 
And the more experienced players.
 
“We worked hard and I am glad the other team agreed to play, so we can learn a lot from them,” Hayes said.
 
Now, Hayes feels, they know better what they lack, and what they are strong with, he said.
 
“I think we got winded pretty fast,” Hayes said the hardest thing about the game was. “I think we need to work on our endurance and communication. Get some chemistry going.”
 
There is chemistry, it was apparent on the field in the way they team never got discouraged or down on one another in frustration. Also apparent, they just need more time on ball together against other teams.
 
“Small town, we all know each other,” Hayes said. He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
 
As the fledgling season moves forward, Hudson is excited for what the future holds.
 
“We have a very positive outlook right now for the rest of the season and we are really looking forward to next year’s season and we have everything set,” Hudson said. “We’ve got all their games scheduled ahead of time, not dealing with that and we’ve got all the equipment we need.”
 
Hudson is absolutely looking forward to moving up to varsity next year, he said.
 
“I didn’t tell them, they played perfectly, of course,” Hudson said. “I did tell them they played well and I was proud of the way they played.”

Darren Doyle, story and photo:
After a week of having neither games nor practices due to a school closure from COVID, the Lady Cat volleyball team traveled to Allen County-Scottsville to take on the Lady Patriots.

Edmonson County appeared somewhat rusty, which was to be expected; however, the Lady Cats never recovered from their early deficit. 

The Lady Patriots jumped out to a 14-5 lead but a 10-4 run brought the Lady Cats to within 3. ACS extended their lead to 22-16, which prompted a timeout from EC Head Coach Bridget Simon. Edmonson came out of the break with a good run that cut ACS's lead to 23-21, but the Lady Patriots would allow no more points for EC and they took set one 25-21.

The Lady Cats were sluggish again at the start of set two as ACS began with a 13-5 lead. Edmonson County went on a big 9-2 run that forced the Lady Patriots into a timeout with the ACS lead cut to only one at 15-14.

That was as close as Edmonson County would get in that set, narrowing the Lady Patriot lead to only 3 a couple different times, which wasn't enough as ACS went on to take set two 25-18 and complete the two-set sweep.

Alyssa Doyle led the Lady Cats in kills with 4; Kaylee Lindsey and Whitney Davis had 3 each, and Rylee Laster added 2.

Davis led Edmonson in digs with 9; Laster and Madison Bullock each added 7, Doyle and Lindsey, added 6 each, while Alivia Mabrey added 5, and Raven Cast added 2.

​Laster also led the Lady Cats with 2 service aces. 

Edmonson County is now 3-9 on the season and is scheduled to take on Glasgow on Thursday, Sept. 9th on the road. 

Edmonson Voice Sports:​
The ECHS Golf Team traveled to Windridge Country Club in Owensboro on Wednesday to play in the All A State Qualifier tournament.  Coach Kayla Meredith took her current top 5 players: Paige Wolfe, MaKayla Hogg, Hallie Cassady, Beth Elmore, and Abby Hogg. 

The ladies were faced Owensboro Catholic, McLean County, and Hancock County.  Leading the way for the Lady Cats were Paige Wolfe and MaKayla Hogg who were looking to repeat last year and qualify for state competition once more.   

ECHS found themselves just two strokes out of first place as a team, finishing just behind Owensboro Catholic. Wolfe's score of 45 and Hogg's score of 47 were each good enough to send them back to the All A State for ECHS Lady Cat golf on September 11th.  

The boys' Wildcat Lineup consisted of Andrew Talley, Jacob Williams, Levi Meredith, Cam Lich, and Evan Stice.   ECHS faced teams from Trinity, Hancock, McLean, and Owensboro Catholic.  It was back and forth most of the match with most of the pairings pretty even. 

"EC would win a hole, then one of the others would win a hole," said coach Granville Meredith. "Levi Meredith may have had the shot of the day on his opening hole.  He managed to play his ball through a small opening thru trees, over a pond, and up on the fringe.  He then stepped up and chipped in for the birdie."

Andrew Talley was the low score for the Wildcats; however, he narrowly missed the cut to advance to state competition by only two strokes.  

Coach Granville stated "We came up a little short, with the stress of what is going on with this Covid thing, but I am just glad we had the opportunity to play. We had to call off practice because of the heat indexand had to play without some players because of quarantines.  I am proud of the young men I get to coach. They are working to get better and they give me their best each and every time out.  We need to keep working and get ready for the region at the end of the month."