In my time here at the News Journal, I have had the opportunity to witness several history-making achievements by our coverage area athletic programs. Many classic contests have taken place over the years with district championship titles on the line, and the same can be said for a long list of regional championship encounters as well.
I have also had the chance to watch many of our local student-athletes compete for statewide championships, with some being successful in their quests to bring state titles back home with them.
When I think back on all that has transpired, it is difficult to say which individual accomplishments were the most consequential. I can say with certainty, however, that the Whitley County Lady Colonels recently winning their fourth consecutive regional volleyball championship has to rank near the top of the list.
Winning four straight region crowns is impressive by any measure, but in my opinion, the way in which Whitley has won these last four is what causes this particular achievement to really stand out. Each of these championships were won in thrilling fashion, with the team having to overcome a series of incredible challenges from their biggest rival – the Corbin Lady Hounds. The fact that they have been able to pull this off four straight times is truly astonishing.
To review, the Lady Colonels topped the Lady Hounds, 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23), in 2022’s regional final. In 2023, they won 3-1 (25-17, 18-25, 25-15, 25-22). Last year’s championship game was a five-set thriller, with the Lady Colonels coming out on top, 3-2 (25-18, 15-25, 18-25, 25-21, 17-15). The most recent encounter, which took place last week, also went five sets, with a final score of 3-2 (25-19, 24-26, 30-32, 25-23, 15-11).
Just look at how close most of those sets were! Folks, if I’ve said it once I have said it at least 100 times in recent years… the Whitley County versus Corbin volleyball rivalry is currently the most competitive and intense in ALL of high school sports in our local area. If you need more proof, just check out my story from last week’s edition that went into greater detail on the all-time series between the two teams. They truly bring out the best in each other, and it’s the fans who benefit every time that they meet on the court.
I commend both Coach David Halcomb from Whitley County and Coach Krystal Jones from Corbin for the work that they and their assistants have done with their respective teams. I should also take this opportunity give a big shoutout to Coach Dirk Berta down at Williamsburg, as he has done a fantastic job with developing the Lady Jacket volleyball program into a real threat in the 50th District as well.
On a personal note, though, I would just like to once again acknowledge the fact that Coach Halcomb has meant a great deal to the Whitley County athletic program as a whole over the years. He has coached hundreds of kids in a variety of sports during his tenure, and he’s done it all with total class. You won’t find a nicer guy to talk to and interact with, and it has been a real pleasure getting to see him enjoy the type of success that he has enjoyed with this volleyball team in recent years.
Unfortunately, Coach Halcomb and the volleyball Colonels saw their 2025 season come to a close Monday night after a tough loss at Ashland Blazer in the first round of this year’s KHSAA State Championship Tournament. This takes absolutely nothing away from their amazing achievement, though. In fact, expect this group to be right back in the mix next fall, as they will seek to become 13th Region champions for a fifth consecutive time.
• Speaking of influential coaches and all-around good men, I was pleased that I had the chance to hang out with John Harris for about an hour during this past weekend’s KHSAA State Cross Country Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.
John, who has coached track and cross country in our local area for many years, was there helping work the meet. I spotted him as I was walking around the course in between the Class 2A and Class A championship races, and we struck up a conversation that eventually went in several different directions.
I haven’t communicated with John all that much in recent years, with him no longer serving as a full-time coach and me no longer being dedicated just to sports coverage here at the newspaper, so it was good to take the opportunity to catch up. He was actually one of the very first coaches to approach me and introduce himself after I took over as sports editor back in the winter of 2013. He may have been the very first to do so, actually. I appreciated that gesture greatly, and I have always appreciated his willingness to help when it has come to covering track and cross country, as well as some of the other activities that he has been involved in.
