The past year was full of major developments in both local news and sports. While you can check out our annual review of the top news stories throughout this week’s edition, I thought that I would use my column space to revisit some of 2025’s most talked about happenings in the world of local sports.
At the top of the list is the Corbin eighth grade football team’s most recent state championship, which they secured on Nov. 15 after a 26-8 win over Rockcastle County in the Division 2 title game, played at Lexington Christian Academy. This was the Corbin Middle School football program’s tenth state championship overall, and their first with new Head Coach Jody Mouser at the helm.
We had a local student-athlete break the all-time career home run record for college baseball this past spring, as University of the Cumberlands Patriot Charlie Muniz hammered 36 balls out of the park to end his collegiate career with 115 total homers. This surpasses the 100 career home runs hit by Pete Incaviglia of Oklahoma State. Muniz has since gone on to play pro ball as a member of the Billings Mustangs in Billings, Montana.
More history was made on the baseball diamond in our local area this past year when Corbin Redhound Kade Elam was named Mr. Baseball in the state of Kentucky after an amazing senior season that capped off a stellar career as a student-athlete at CHS. Elam was integral to the success of both the school’s football and baseball programs during his time in a Redhound uniform, leading the football team to deep runs in the Class 4A playoffs and helping the baseball team to some of their most successful seasons in history. He is currently playing baseball at the University of Louisville, and signs commemorating his selection as 2025 Mr. Baseball just recently went up around town.
The Whitley County High School volleyball program won its fourth consecutive regional championship title this past fall, which was the team’s fifth region championship overall. To win four straight championship crowns in a region that is as competitive as the 13th is year-in and year-out is nothing short of incredible. Head Coach David Halcomb and his staff have done an amazing job with these girls over the years, and they will certainly look to be right back in the mix again in 2026.
Williamsburg High School bid farewell to one of its all-time great student-athletes this past spring as Nate Goodin graduated after an unbelievable career that saw him play a key role as a member of several different Yellow Jacket athletic programs. Goodin especially shined as a multiple-time state champion in track and field. In his final season, he won indoor state titles in long jump and high jump, and he won an outdoor state title in high jump as well. In four years, he collected a total of five state championships and three state runner-up finishes in various events.
Speaking of major developments in the world of track and field, 2025 saw the Whitley County School District making significant investments in its track facility. This led to the Colonels being able to host this past year’s regional championship meet, which was a huge event that brought teams from across the region into the area. Whitley’s new track surface and updated equipment will be a game changer for the entire athletic program for many years to come, making it one of the most important developments of the past year in local sports.
The entire Corbin community, and many other surrounding communities, were terribly saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Jeff Chadwell back in June of this year. Jeff had spent many years leading the way for the City of Corbin’s Little League program. He was beloved by many, including hundreds of young players and former players that he helped give opportunities to throughout his career. Jeff’s passing was a major blow to so many of us, especially his closest friends and family members, all of whom continue to be in our prayers. Jeff will certainly never be forgotten, and his many contributions will live on for generations to come.
If you paid close attention to the News Journal sports pages throughout 2025, then you know I spent a great deal of time and effort to focusing on the sport of golf. My weekly “Par for the Course” column ran throughout most of the year, and featured stories about golf on a local, regional, and statewide level. It was a very interesting undertaking for me, as I had never done anything quite like that before. At least, not as it pertains to golf specifically. For those who commented to me saying that they enjoyed the columns, I greatly appreciate your feedback. Stay tuned, as this is something that may get brought back in some form or fashion in the future.
As for the biggest local golf story of the past year, that would definitely have to be the success on the course of Corbin’s own Makena Myatt. The freshman came into the season having already accomplished much as a middle schooler the past two years. She certainly added to her accomplishments, though, securing Kentucky 2A sectional title, a Region 10 individual runner-up title, and a state championship tournament appearance, among other accolades. This girl is super-talented, and I am excited to see how far she ends up going in the sport. There seems to be no end to her potential.
The Corbin High School tennis programs continued to dominate the competition in 2025, adding more regional championship titles to the trophy case and continuing their trend of being a mainstay in KHSAA state championship tournaments. When you look at just how much success the Tennis Hounds have had historically, it is truly amazing. This is a testament to the men and women who have helped coach these teams down through the years, as well as all of the players who have taken the court and competed at such a high level. Congrats to you all.
Finally, we saw the 2025 high school football season come to a heartbreaking and controversial end just a few weeks ago when the Corbin Redhounds lost by one point to the eventual state champion Boyle County Rebels. The wounds are still fresh with this one, so I’m not going to bother with rehashing all of the details right now. You can look it all up online if you wish, but let me just say again that I’ve never seen a call as bad what I saw in that state semifinal game. One single call rarely decides the outcome of a contest, but in this case it probably did. My heart still goes out to the players, the coaches and all the fans.
A couple of other honorable mentions include the University of the Cumberlands volleyball team’s recent undefeated regular season that ended in disappointment in the NAIA National Championship Tournament, as well as both UC soccer teams making deep runs in their respective NAIA Tournaments. The Williamsburg Little League program celebrating its 50th season of operation was also a major milestone that deserves to be mentioned again.
While this list is far from comprehensive (there are always more accomplishments than there is space to revisit them), I feel that these items are all certainly worthy of being a part of this conversation. Sports is a big deal in our local area, and rightfully so. It has a positive impact on so many of our student-athletes, as well as their families. I would like to send a big shout out to all of the administrators, coaches, officials, and anyone else who helps ensure that our local athletic programs can continue to offer young people viable avenues for personal growth and development, as well as opportunities to attend college and maybe even play beyond that.
Here’s to what I’m sure will be another great year in sports in 2026!
