When the Corbin Redhounds and the Boyle County Rebels meet this Friday in the semifinal round of this year’s Class 4A state championship playoffs, it will be the latest chapter in a series that has produced some of the best high school football contests of the past decade.
In 2017, the Redhounds, coached by Justin Haddix, met up with the Rebels in the Class 3A state championship finals. The Rebs were dominant in that game, winning 40-21.
A year later, Haddix and the Hounds got their revenge when the Rebels came to Campbell Field and were shut out, 21-0, in the state semis.
Both teams moved up to the 4A ranks in 2019, but they did not meet on the field that season. This would end up being Haddix’s last year with Corbin before he left to take over as head coach of the Rebels beginning in 2020.
Boyle won a 4A state championship in Haddix’s first season at the helm, and they were able to successfully defend that title in 2021. They did not face the Redhounds in either season.
The Hounds and the Rebs finally met up again in the 2022 4A state championship game, with Boyle winning, 32-26. In 2023, Corbin was bested at Boyle County, 21-14, in the state semis.
Friday’s semifinal contest at Boyle County will be the first time that these two powerhouse programs have met since that 2023 encounter, and it will be the first time that Justin Haddix will have coached against a Luke Salmons-led Redhound squad.
Corbin will travel to Danville this week with a 10-3 overall record after an impressive 35-21 regional championship victory at Highlands last week. The Rebels, meanwhile, stand at 12-1 after a dominating 49-14 win over visiting Covington Catholic.
Boyle County features a young quarterback this year in sophomore Jhet Raleigh. While young, he has proven himself very capable as a passer, throwing for over 1,700 yards and 20 touchdowns through 13 games.
Raleigh’s favorite target through the air is junior Seneca Driver, who is averaging about 60 receiving yards per game.
The Rebels have done the most damage on the ground this season, though, with senior JiDyn Smith-Hisel averaging over 100 yards rushing per game. As the team’s overall leading scorer, he has found the end zone 14 times as a rusher, and once as a receiver.
Defensively, Boyle has been successful all season long at limiting their opponents’ offensive production. Most notably, they held St. X to just three points in a 14-3 victory back on Oct. 3.
The Redhounds and the Rebels have faced five common opponents this season. They both made easy work of Whitley County, Russell County and Lincoln County. Boyle defeated Frederick Douglass, 20-13, while Corbin fell to Douglass, 28-7. Both teams have also recorded wins over Highlands, with the Rebs’ margin of victory being considerably narrower, 21-20.
When looking at this matchup on paper, it looks like it could be anybody’s game. The Rebels will have homefield advantage, but the Hounds proved last week that they can win playoff games on the road just as well as they can on their own home turf. Whoever does come out on top will be just one victory away from a 2025 state championship title.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. the night after Thanksgiving at Boyle County High School.
