Columns Sports

The fans at Charles Lawson Gymnasium last Wednesday witnessed something epic that is one of the things that makes amateur wrestling so intriguing. In the 144-pound match, Corbin’s Koryon Smith tossed Whitley County’s Andrew Meadors every which way for most of the match to build a 9-1 points lead. As the match neared time, Meadors was able to make one final push and win the match by pinning Smith. The crowd, that included the University of the Cumberlands Men’s Wrestling team, went crazy as did the Whitley County bench. This is not meant as a slight on Smith who had done everything right throughout the match to pick up the victory. It is to...

I’m going to start out this week up in the cheap seats by giving a shout out to Corbin Basketball Coach Tony Pietrowski who set the school record for most coaching wins in the program’s history as the Redhounds defeated Whitley County Friday night. Pietrowski notched win 442 at Corbin. An impressive feat considering the way coaches at all levels now change schools so often. Pietrowski in basketball, Williamsburg Football Coach Jerry Herron and Whitley County Baseball Coach Jeremy Shope are prime examples of the success a program can have if the powers that be will pick a coach and let them do the job. I was among a sizeable crowd that came...

There are more than 2,500 high school students between Corbin, Whitley County and Williamsburg. There are 35,000 people living in Whitley County. So why are the high school gyms so sparsely populated during basketball games? Granted, despite the stereotype, not everyone in Kentucky is a fan of basketball. Still others don’t have a connection to any of the three schools. Of course, there is COVID–19. But it is sad to see these kids playing in front of limited crowds. I was at South Laurel Friday night for the boys/girls doubleheader against Whitley County and have to say, despite both Cardinals teams being among the top in the 13th Region, the gym was far...

Pro wrestling is back at the Arena in Corbin Saturday night. Among the WWE superstars scheduled to appear are Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Becky Lynch, Big E and Happy Corbin, formerly known as “King” Baron Corbin. I’m excited, but it isn’t so much for the show in the ring. Editor Mark White has agreed to go take pictures so that I can go as a fan with my mother-in-law, Brenda Woods. Mom, as she has been to me since we first met almost 18 years ago, is a pretty unassuming lady. But that can change at the drop of a hat when she has reached her breaking point. And referees...

I’m calling this week’s column around the local sports world in about 80 seconds as there are several items to cover. • First and foremost, in the top 10 sports stories, I overlooked one big accomplishment. Coach Jimmy Hendrickson’s Corbin Middle School Seventh Grade Boys won the state basketball championship on March 7 with a 38-18 victory over Clay County. “This group is just ultra-competitive,” Hendrickson said of his team. “They want to win everything.” The Redhounds started out the season 9-0 en reoute to the 22-2 season. At the state championship tournament in Wilder, Corbin defeated South Oldham, Elkhorn, North Marshall and Ashland to advance to the championship game. • On Saturday, the Corbin...

The first RPI ratings for basketball teams across the state were released last week. For those interested, the RPI is supposed to be a better way of comparing two teams, taking into account not only wins and losses, but the quality of competition. It is the reason you see football teams seeking out better competition. North Laurel currently has the highest RPI in the 13th Region among the boys’ teams, while Corbin leads the region on the girls’ side. Coach Isaac Wilson’s Lady Redhounds continue to cruise along, extending the current winning streak to seven with wins over Leslie County, Somerset and Danville in the Lady Redhound Christmas Bash last week. Corbin is playing...

Blowouts in high school basketball are a fairly common occurrence. There are nights like what Corbin faced against North Laurel, where desperation mode kicks in as a team tries to dig out from a nine or ten point deficit by throwing up bad shots, leading to an ever-increasing hole. Then you have games like Thursday night between Corbin and Lynn Camp on the girls’ side where it is ugly early and only gets worse from there. The Lady Redhounds ended up winning, 72-14. Corbin put on a similar performance Friday night against Williamsburg, winning, 74-17. On any given night, you can go down the statewide scoreboard on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association website...

It was the good, the bad and the ugly in boys’ basketball this past week. The good is Coach Eric Swords’ Williamsburg Yellow Jackets remaining undefeated at 5-0. The Jackets pulled out an overtime win at home Friday against Harlan County for the biggest win of the season. Coming off of an 11-10 season, Williamsburg is riding a wave. Can the Jackets keep that wave going this week with a trip to Corbin Friday night? Stay tuned. The bad is the departure of Whitley County Coach Mark White just two games into the season. White took the firing in stride, which you expect from someone with 32 years of coaching experience. Coaches with any time in the...

Friday night brought a promising year in local high school football to a screeching halt as Corbin and Williamsburg both lost. From the time the season kicked off, Coach Tom Greer’s Redhounds appeared to be a team on a mission to make it to Lexington, despite Class 4A being loaded with talent. Greer did everything possible to prepare the Redhounds for a playoff run.  The schedule was pretty solid, beginning with Christ School out of North Carolina and continuing with the likes of Franklin County, Pulaski County, and Class 6A Simon Kenton. I still believe the annual game against Whitley County should be removed until Coach Zeke Eier has a couple of years...

To paraphrase a line from one of my favorite retired NFL coaches, how about them Redhounds! The Corbin Redhounds Eighth Grade Football Team won their second consecutive division two state championship during a game late Saturday afternoon against the Paducah Middle School. This is actually the Redhounds third eighth grade state title in five years having also won the title in 2017. Kudos to head coach Brent Jackson and his staff. It was well earned victory that all of Corbin should be proud of. I’ve known Brent for several years and he is a real class act in addition to being an exceptional coach. Will we see a third consecutive eighth grade state title...