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An announcement was made late Sunday evening that Williamsburg Independent Schools would be canceling all athletic contests for the following week. On Monday, Whitley County Schools and Corbin Independent Schools announced their decisions to do the same. An e-mail from Williamsburg High School Athletic Director Jerry Herron Sunday evening announced that, "All games, matches, and meets for the week of September 28 to October 4 are cancelled do to KDE/KHSAA Covid 19 guidelines involving WILLIAMSBURG I.S.D." Monday's announcement from Whitley County Schools said, "Colonel Nation, Due to guidelines set by the Kentucky Department of Education, the Kentucky Department of Health and the KHSAA, no athletic events involving Whitley County Schools will...

Recently, Williamsburg’s Nate Stevens and partner Billy Burnette (Barbourville) traveled to South Carolina for the American Cornhole League’s World Championships. Between Tues., Aug. 4 and Sun., Aug. 9 Stevens competed in six different competitions, finishing well enough in each to win cash prizes. It was Sunday’s pro qualifier where he achieved something much greater than any cash payout, though, realizing a personal dream of his by becoming an ACL pro cornhole player. “I practice every day,” Stevens said. “I’m usually going somewhere to play every weekend, and I feel like putting all of that work in has finally paid off.” In the pro qualifier, Stevens finished in fifth place out of a...

Whitley County Schools is happy to announce this year’s inductees into the Colonel Athletic Hall of Fame: Mike Hudson Every good basketball team has a player they can turn to when a basket is needed, and Hudson was that player for the Colonel basketball team in the early 1970s. He was a tall, athletic player with a gift for scoring. He proved to be a mismatch for most defenses in the 50th District and 13th Region. During the Colonels’ region runner-up finish in 1973, Hudson led the postseason charge offensively, scoring 16 points in their first-round district tournament defeat of Corbin. In the district championship, Hudson shined for the Colonels again,...

Nate Stevens of Williamsburg and Billy Burnette of Barbourville have won regional and conference titles in the advanced division of the American Cornhole League (ACL) this season. They placed third in a national competition in Florida this past January, and were on their way to compete in another national event in Ohio when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Stevens and Burnette have been able to take part in online cornhole competitions during the pandemic, and coming up this August they are looking forward to competing in the world championships in South Carolina. The event is currently scheduled to be held with extra precautionary measures in place such as social distancing and...

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control held an online meeting Thursday afternoon where board members discussed, at length, the possibilities for the resumption of school sports activities in the month of June. Prior to the discussion about how school athletic programs should proceed into the summer months, board members agreed that any and all decisions made would follow the guidelines set forth by the office of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. It was also announced that there would be no considerations for athletes to gain extra eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the month of June, KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett said his wish is to “Get kids back...

Friday's regional championship football game between the Williamsburg Yellow Jackets and the Paintsville Tigers was a classic, but now many people are wondering what could come of a controversial moment that took place on the sideline between the Yellow Jackets' star quarterback and someone who appeared to be with the Tigers in an official capacity. After the conclusion of Friday's regional championship contest at Paintsville High School, videos began circulating on social media that show senior Williamsburg quarterback Dalton Ponder running the ball towards the opposing sideline. Ponder goes out of bounds, and then it appears that an adult male steps towards him, pushing forward in an apparent attempt to...

This year's inductees are... JOSH CRAWFORD Josh Crawford is remembered as one of the greatest basketball players to ever compete at Corbin High School. Crawford played varsity basketball for CHS from his 8th grade season through his senior year, and is regarded as one of not only the best scorers in school history, but a relentless rebounder, defender and passer. Crawford was a versatile small forward capable of attacking the basket, shooting from the outside, or finding the open teammate. His prowess to fill up an offensive stat line is among the greatest in Redhound history. Crawford led the Redhounds to two 13th Region titles and three 50th District championships. He was instrumental in...

Persistence finally paid off for the local duo of Nate Stevens and Colson Messer last Friday night, as they took home first place in the News Journal’s Annual NIBROC cornhole tournament in downtown Corbin. 2019 marked Stevens and Messer’s sixth straight attempt at a NIBROC cornhole title, and it followed a runner-up performance in 2018 where they were defeated in back-to-back games in the championship round. As fate would have it, Stevens and Messer were the ones that had to come out of the loser’s bracket of the 34-team double elimination tourney last week, meaning they would have to win back-to-back games in the finals in order to walk away as...

Mason Manning is a soon-to-be senior at Williamsburg High School. Sports fans in the area may know him best for his time spent wearing a Yellow Jacket basketball or baseball uniform, but he has actually achieved the highest level of success as a member of the local Impact club archery team. “I started shooting a bow mainly because I saw other people doing it. People like my dad,” Manning said. “I mostly just shot to hunt all the way up through middle school. I had never even really heard anything about competitive archery until my freshman year. I tried it at that time, and I really liked it. I bought...

On Tuesday, the Corbin Arena announced that Coach John Calipari and the University of Kentucky Wildcats will be hosting a one-day satellite camp on June 11. The camp is being presented in association with Knox Central and Corbin High Schools, and will be for boys and girls ages 7-17. Campers will be taught skills by UK coaches and staff, and they will get the opportunity to interact with current players. There will be opportunities to take photos and get autographs before the camp concludes. Cost to attend is $99 per camper. In addition to receiving instruction and meeting Wildcat players and coaches, each participant will also go home with a special...