Hounds feel like the team of destiny, plus history being celebrated at WCHS this Fri.

Local sports has been front and center for me in recent weeks, with the Corbin Redhounds making their historic run to another state championship title game and the 2022-23 high school basketball season tipping off this week.

As for our annual basketball season preview section, that was originally scheduled to run in this week’s edition, but with the Corbin football team making an appearance in the Class 4A state finals this Friday we have decided to push that back one week, to Dec. 7, so that we can do something to commemorate this special occasion.

Just a few words on the 2022 football Hounds…

To say that this team is special would be an understatement. When you take a look at what all they have accomplished together this year, it has been truly remarkable. An undefeated season, including victories over some pretty darn good programs. A six-game streak of shutouts. An emotional playoff win over Johnson Central. An absolutely amazing performance against Franklin County in the state semifinals last week.

All of this has led up to a state championship encounter with the Boyle County Rebels this Friday night at the University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field, and the storylines for this one are nearly endless.

I won’t try to summarize everything here. Instead, I will direct you to our special section, which contains season recaps for both Boyle and Corbin, as well as several features that I hope will help to get you excited about this history-making encounter.

The Redhounds seem like the team of destiny, so my money is on them to go to Lexington and unseat the Rebels as Class 4A champs, but win or lose, Coach Tom Greer’s squad should definitely be remembered as one of the best ever assembled at CHS. They have truly represented their school and their town with a level of pride and dignity that has, in my book, already made them champions. A state championship trophy would simply serve as icing on the cake.

Best of luck to the Hounds this Friday, and safe travels to everyone making the trip to see them play. I’ll see you on the sidelines!

If you don’t plan on attending the state finals in Lexington this Friday, then consider heading down to Whitley County High School where the Colonels basketball team are scheduled to host Campbell County, TN in their season home opener.

If you enjoyed the feature that ran here in the News Journal recently about the first-ever basketball team at WCHS back in 1963-64, then Friday will be your opportunity to potentially meet some of those players. My understanding is that at least a few of the original Colonels will be present, and I believe they will be recognized at some point during the evening.

It should be a great night, and although I would love to be there myself, I am looking forward to finding out how many members of the 63-64 squad are able to make it out to Lawson Gymnasium when I return home from Lexington.