Wildcats Win in Big Comeback Home Opener Over Clinton

Cats Win 54-34

Wildcat senior Roger Harris runs the ball against Clinton County in their 2026 home opening win 54-34.

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

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

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

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

The Wildcats take the field for the first game 0f 2026.

Edmonson and Clinton face each other on the line in the 2026 home opener for the Wildcats.

Freshman Konner Whittinghill.

Senior Roger Harris.

Junior Sawyer Simmons.

Freshman Konner Whittinghill.

Senior kicker Haley Shields.

Freshman Konner Whittinghill.

Senior Roger Harris on his way to one of his five touchdowns.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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