MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Looking ahead at some high school athletic events set to take place in fall 2019

We are now just days away from the start of the fall 2019 high school sports season. It’s one of the busiest times of the entire year, with area cross country, soccer, golf, volleyball and football teams all gearing up to get back into competition.

This week, we look ahead to some of this fall’s most highly anticipated events, beginning with cross country…

The landscape will look a little different in high school cross country this season after some of our coverage area’s top runners graduated as members of the class of 2019.
Our local schools will look to remain competitive in the region, however, with hopes of once again sending several athletes on the KHSAA state championships in Lexington.
A good opportunity to see most of our area cross country runners in action will be at the Annual Catbird Classic at North Laurel High School on Saturday, August 31.
This early season race provides a tough test with some steep hills, and gives coaches a chance to really evaluate the strengths of their respective teams ahead of some other important races during the month of September.
Near the end of the season, on Saturday, October 19, local runners will be competing against each other at the Cave Lake Invitational.
This race should serve as the perfect test run for the region meet, and will allow coaching staffs one last opportunity to get a look at their teams before they attempt to qualify for a state championship appearance in early November.

In high school boys soccer action, the Corbin Redhounds will be looking to successfully defend their 13th Region championship crown, and they will get a good test early on when they face regional rivals South Laurel and North Laurel in a pair of home games on August 17 and 19.
The Hounds lost some key players to graduation from last year’s squad, but they also have several names returning to the roster as well.
The Whitley County boys soccer team will be on the road for much of the early season, but back-to-back home games against Harlan County and South Laurel on September 10 and 12 should provide coaches with a good idea of where the Colonels stand heading into the second half of the their 2019 campaign.
Another good opportunity will await Whitley when they host Knox Central and Barbourville back-to-back on September 24 and 26.

In girls soccer, expect the Corbin Lady Hounds to take a big step up compared to last year’s 2-15 showing. Another year older, and another year wiser, the Corbin ladies should be back in the district title picture, and possibly the region as well.
The Lady Hounds will travel to Gatlinburg later this month to compete in the Smoky Mountain Cup. The team will face some top tier opponents in this event, which will only help them down the line.
Not long after returning home from the Smokies, Corbin is scheduled to host the Whitley County Lady Colonels at Corbin Primary School on September 3.
And speaking of the Lady Colonels, it will be interesting to see how they respond to losing such a large group of senior started from last year’s roster.
Their schedule is set up nicely to give them some momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season where they will host Clinton County and McCreary Central on September 23 and 24, go on the road to North Laurel on September 30 and welcome in Knox Central on October 3.
The key for the Lady Colonels will most likely be staying healthy, which has been a problem for them in the past.

Finally, the 2019 volleyball season should be an exciting one to watch, with an always competitive 13th Region ready to treat fans once again to some of the most intense action you’ll witness inside a high school gymnasium.
Under new head coaching leadership, the Corbin Lady Hounds will be playing for pride as they defend their regional championship crown against the likes of North Laurel, South Laurel, Whitley County and others.
The Lady Hounds will be very busy between now and early next month, as they are scheduled to appear in the Showdown at the Sunsphere in Knoxville on August 23-24, the Bluegrass Invitational at Lafayette High School on August 30-31 and the Lady Rocket Invitational at Rockcastle County September 6-7.
Whitley will also jump straight into the deep end so to speak, facing regional foes North Laurel, South Laurel and Corbin in their first five games.
In Class A volleyball action, the Williamsburg Lady Jackets and the Lynn Camp Lady Cats will both be gunning for each other in the opening round of the 2019 13th Region All “A” Tournament on September 7.
Lynn Camp bested Williamsburg twice during the 2018 season.