Football

As it has the last couple of seasons, the annual Corbin versus Whitley County football game drew in a massive crowd last Friday night. As the hosts in 2017, the Colonels were hoping to make a major statement with a win over the Hounds in week 0, but in the end the visitors were able to walk away with a 14-0 victory. This game, now called the First Priority Bowl, is always sure to create a lot of hype within the neighboring communities of Corbin and Whitley County. These meetings haven’t always lived up to the hype, but this year’s contest was certainly not a disappointment. Even with minutes left...

The Tri-County Sports Authority is gearing up for another exciting youth football season in 2017. Things got kicked off in a big way this past Monday with the annual TCSA camp, held at Corbin High School. The one-day camp is hosted each year by the Redhounds football team, and this year’s event saw around 100 kids participating. In addition to getting the chance to win awards in punt, pass, kick and racing competitions, all campers had the opportunity to sign up to be a part of the upcoming fall season. “We’ve seen an increase every year,” TCSA President Chad Estep said of recent participation in the camp. “Kids get an hour-and-a-half...

The first Border Bowl to be played outside of Williamsburg was certainly a memorable on for the Kentucky All-Stars, who traveled to Sevierville, TN last week and came away with a dominant 34-16 win over Tennessee to tie the all-time series up at 5-5. “This is my fourth year being involved with this game, and I’ve learned a lot of lessons from it,” said Kentucky Head Coach Jerry Herron (Williamsburg). “We knew that special teams and defense were going to be very critical in the game. You just can’t win without those things. You don’t really have the time to put an offense together, so you just want to basically...

The Border Bowl has traded one “burg” for another in 2017. In it’s tenth year, the annual high school football all-star game is being played outside of Williamsburg for the very first time, moving to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The game itself will be played this Saturday, January 21, at Sevier County High School, but all practices leading up to the big event will be held at the Rocky Top Sports World complex in Gatlinburg. Players and coaches, including five athletes from our coverage area, reported there Wednesday for check-in and registration. As those five local Kentucky All-Stars were exiting Rocky Top, they took a few moments to pose...

The Kentucky-Tennessee Border Bowl is moving to Sevierville in 2017. For the past nine years the University of the Cumberlands’ James H. Taylor II Stadium has been the site of the annual all-star high school football game, but Border Bowl X will feature a change of scenery. This year’s game is being played at Sevier County High School, home of the Smoky Bears, with practices taking place at the state-of-the-art Rocky Top Sports World facility in Gatlinburg. Williamsburg’s Jerry Herron is serving as head coach for this year’s Kentucky All-Stars team. “I’m honored to represent the state of Kentucky,” he said. “I have a great staff helping me this year. We’ve...

University of the Cumberlands football has made its mark on the country for a number of years. Numerous players have earned high honors while the team has made a plethora of appearances in the NAIA Football Championship Series. Now, one Patriot has made the climb all the way to the 53 man roster in the NFL. Patriot alumnus Wendall Williams was signed as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans back in May. After going through fall camp with the Texans, he was cut on the final day of roster cuts, sending him into free agency. After trying out for multiple teams including the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots...

The following is the News Journal’s list of Most Valuable Players in Whitley County for the 2016 high school football season (Corbin, Whitley County and Williamsburg High Schools). Overal MVP - AJ Moore (Sr, Corbin) Moore helped lead the Redhounds to a 12-2 record in 2016, including a district championship, a region championship and an appearance in the Class 3A state championship tournament semifinals. He led all Corbin receivers with 800-plus yards and 13 touchdowns on the year, setting a school record for career receptions in the process. Quarterback First Team - Camron Sizemore (Jr, Corbin) Quarterback Second Team - Dylan Wilson (Jr, Whitley Co) Quarterback Honorable Mention - Alec Poore (Jr, W’burg) Running Back First...

“We came up short today, but we have to learn from it, and we have to keep working.” In addition to letting his players know how proud he was of them for all of their hard work this season, that was Corbin Head Coach Justin Haddix’s message to his team after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Belfry Pirates last Friday in the semifinal round of this year’s Class 3A state championship playoffs. The loss was heartbreaking for many different reasons. It marked the end of the Redhounds’ 2016 season just one week short of an appearance in the state championship game, it marked the end of the high school careers...

The Lynn Camp Wildcats football team achieved a winning season in 2016, winning six straight games between August 26 and September 30. They went 0-4 to end the season, but there is no doubt that the program is headed in the right direction. There were several Cats who posted some impressive stats this year, but none moreso that sophomore Dalton Cook (#32) and junior Brenton Medlin (#40). Cook entered Lynn Camp’s playoff game at Pikeville four weeks ago with nearly 1,500 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. Medlin came in with just over 800 yards on the ground, and six scores. Both were also favorite targets through the air for senior QB Dylan Brown,...

The Casey County Rebels made things a little more difficult than many expected they would last Friday night, but in the end the Corbin Redhounds were able to get the 38-17 win, improving them to 12-1 on the year and advancing them to the semifinal round of this year’s Class 3A state championship playoffs. The victory also made the Redhounds back-to-back region champions, a fact that junior quarterback Camron Sizemore was very excited about after the game. “We’ve been busting our butts ever since the summer to get to where we are right now,” he said. “Every day in practice we are pushing one another, and I believe that we’re...