Whitley County Schools has announced the 2024 inductees into their Athletic Hall of Fame. They are…
Abbey Estes-Logan
If grit and determination are the Whitley County athletic brand, then Abbey Estes Logan is the player example. After tearing her ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus before her freshman year, she returned her sophomore year to put together one of the best careers in Lady Colonel history. As a sophomore, Abbey averaged 12 points and 4 assists a game. Her junior season, she set the single season assist record of 168, while dishing out a single game record of 14 assists in a district win over South Laurel. Her senior season was one of the best in program history.
Abbey helped lead her team to 25 wins, and a region semifinal appearance. She averaged over 15 points a game and narrowly missed breaking her own single season assist mark. She did, however, lead the state of in 3-pointers made with 103, which is one of the top 20 single seasons in Kentucky high school history.
Abbey set the 13th Region tournament single game record of three pointers made with eight while scoring 30 points, which is a Lady Colonel region tournament record. She was a three-time First Team All-District selection and a three-time First Team All-Region performer. She was named to the 13th Region All-Tournament Team her senior season.
Abbey was honored as the 13th Region Player of the Year runner-up (behind a University of Kentucky commit), and was invited to try out for the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Game. She represented Kentucky and played in the East-West All-Star Game. Coaches across the state voted her Third Team All-State in both the Lexington Herald Leader and Courier Journal. She graduated as the #4 all-time scorer in Whitley County girls basketball history, was #2 in all-time assists, and #2 in all-time three’s made. She graduated as the only player in the top five in both scoring and assists.
Abbey is one of a handful of players in program history to earn a full scholarship to play college basketball, signing and playing for University of the Cumberlands.
Amy Hart
Amy Hart helped build Lady Colonel golf into a 13th Region heavyweight during her time on the links. Amy was a hard worker with a great approach and is generally regarded as one of the best to ever tee off in our area. Known as a long hitter and great ball striker, it was her touch and feel around the greens that made her special.
Amy didn’t miss many greens in regulation, but when she did it was almost automatic up and down. While she only played two years for Whitley County, she made them count. She was top five in the prestigious Marion Miley Invitational, which is one of the top women’s golf tournaments in Kentucky. She was named the 2005 Pepsi Junior Tour Player of the Year.
Amy qualified for two state tournaments individually as a Lady Colonel finishing second in the region in 2005 and third in 2006. She also helped lead the team to back-to-back state tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006. Once at the state tournament, she performed spectacularly, finishing 12th overall in both 2005 and 2006, with the team recording back-to-back top 10 finishes.
Brian Lawson
A four-year starter, Brian Lawson helped lead Whitley County football to incredible success, leading his team to a 34-6 combined record in the regular season, including going 17-4 against district competition. His Colonel teams made the post season all four years.
Brian’s senior season was one to remember. The Colonels hoisted their first district title trophy in over 20 years while playing in Kentucky’s largest football classification. Had Brian not been lost for the season in the post season’s first round with a broken foot, the Colonels very likely would have made a deep postseason run. Coaches took note of his impact and voted him the first Colonel gridster to be named District Player of the Year.
Brian’s name is written all over the record books. A two-way player, he excelled in all phases of the game. He is number two all-time in both rushing yardage for quarterbacks with 1622 yards as well as career rushing touchdowns with 22.
Brian’s senior season, he had three 100-yard rushing games. He graduated as a top five all-time passer with 1866 career yards. He impacted on the defensive side of the ball as well, known as a fierce hitter and sure tackler. He still holds the record for longest return of a fumble for a touchdown, which was 97 yards against Bell County in 2000.
Tony Cole
Tony Cole was a trailblazer for Whitley County wrestling, elevating the program and laying the foundation for what has become one of the region’s best. His success on the mat and in the classroom helped to both set the standard and draw others to wrestling.
Individually, Tony was a fierce competitor and a tireless worker. No opponent enjoyed their six minutes in the circle with Tony, if they lasted that long. When he began, Whitley County’s wrestling program was in its infancy. It didn’t take him long to figure it out, and by the time he was a senior, he was not only one of the region’s best, but he was also elite on a state level.
As the team captain his senior year, Tony led the team to a district runner up finish and a third-place region finish. He stood out among his teammates, winning entry into the Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Tournament. He saved his best performances for last, finishing eighth in the state his senior season.
His combined record for his final two years of high school was an incredible 33-8, Tony took the lessons he learned on the mat at Whitley County and enlisted in the military where he served our country with honor.
2013 Volleyball Team
The 2013 Whitley County Volleyball team laid the foundation of what has become not only one of the top volleyball programs in the 13th Region, but also the state of Kentucky. Coach David Halcomb’s Lady Colonels had a desire to become the first 13th Region Volleyball Champions in school history. They were able to achieve that goal through tireless work and team focus.
While the team was very talented, it was their understanding of the value of chemistry, playing for something bigger than themselves, that was their best asset. “Team First” was the squad’s mantra, and it led them to previously unseen before heights.
The season started slow, just 4-4 out of the gate. That was followed by 15 straight wins, which was part of a larger stretch of 19 victories in 20 games. They swept through the 51st District Tournament repeating as District Champs. A five-set win over Corbin in the region’s first round and a straight set victory over Harlan County in the semifinals set the stage for the biggest win in Lady Colonel Volleyball history. They captured the program’s first-ever region title and hoisted the big trophy with a four-set victory over South Laurel in the finals, sending them to their first ever Volleyball State Tournament.
The season ended with a then program record 32 wins, including a 21-1 record against 13th Region competition.
