We are smack-dab in the middle of the fall sports season, and this week promises to be full of excitement as three local teams will have the opportunity to compete for state championship titles.
Inside last week’s edition, we had a preview story for this year’s Kentucky 2A State Championship soccer tournaments. Both the Corbin Lady Hounds and the Whitley County Colonels had qualified for this year’s tournaments, which got underway over the weekend in Rowan County. Both teams played Johnson Central in round one, and while Corbin was unfortunately not able to advance, the Colonels managed to pull out a 3-2 victory over the Golden Eagles to keep their state title hopes alive.
I bumped into Whitley County Head Coach Michael Branham Friday evening at the Old Fashioned Trading Days Festival in downtown Williamsburg, and he told me that he thought his team had a really good chance of making a run in this year’s Kentucky 2A state tournament. With their win over Johnson Central the following day, the Colonels now face a trip to Owensboro to play the Rowan County Vikings in the tournament semifinals this Saturday, Sept. 12.
The Vikings bested Bourbon County in their first round contest, 3-0, and came into this week with an overall record of 7-3. They finished last season with a record of 14-5-2 and were the runner-up in the 16th Region. All indications are that their game against Whitley this weekend will be very competitive. Whoever wins will move on to play either Murray or Bardstown in this year’s 2A state championship game on Sunday.
Best of luck, soccer Colonels! Bring home the gold!
Also mentioned in last week’s paper was the fact that the Corbin Lady Hounds volleyball team has secured a 2A sectional title, meaning they will also have the opportunity to play for a 2A state championship in Owensboro.
The bracket for the 2025 Kentucky 2A volleyball state championship has since been set, and Corbin will be facing off against Adair County in round one this Friday. If they make it past the Lady Indians, they will return Saturday to face either Calloway County or Lexington Catholic in the tournament semifinals. The winner of that game will go on to play Christian Academy-Louisville, Rowan County, Letcher County Central or Warren East for this year’s state title.
Another local volleyball team getting the chance to compete in a state championship tournament this week is the Williamsburg Lady Jackets, who won their fifth straight 13th Region All “A” crown this past weekend after victories over Oneida Baptist Institute, Harlan and Barbourville at Jackson County High School.
The volleyball Jackets had an amazing week last week, also picking up a 3-0 victory over 50th District opponent South Laurel two days before their successful All “A” title defense. My friend Scotty Harrison posted on his Facebook page that when his daughter, Megan, was playing volleyball for WHS back in 2017-2018, a 3-0 victory over South Laurel was unthinkable. Now the Lady Jackets are reaching new heights, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Head Coach Dirk Berta and his staff.
As for this year’s All “A” state tournament, Williamsburg will travel to Owensboro this Friday and Saturday to once again compete against the best Class A programs in Kentucky. First, they will square off against Heritage Christian, Raceland, and the eventual winners out of Region 14 in pool play. From there, they will either find themselves in the State Championship bracket for single-elimination tournament play, or they will have a chance to compete for a consolation title in the Bronze Division bracket.
For more information on the Kentucky 2A Championships and the Kentucky All “A” Classics, visit them online at www.kentucky2achampionships.org and www.allaclassic.org.
