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Trigg County to play for region soccer title today

Trigg County will play Henderson County for the Second Region championship today on the Colonels' home pitch.  Gametime is 10am.

The Wildcats advanced with a 3-2 win over Madisonville in the semifinals -- a game that was suspended in the first half Wednesday due to weather and continued Thursday.  Henderson County advanced with a 5-2 win over Hopkinsville.

The two teams did not meet during the regular season, although they did scrimmage in the preseason.  Today's game will be the first soccer game between the two schools.

Trigg County (15-0-4) and St. Xavier are the only two unbeaten soccer teams left in the state.  Henderson County is ranked #10 in the latest Kentucky Boys Soccer Coaches Association Poll.

The Colonels (17-3-2) have a balanced attack, with six players scoring eight or more goals this season.  Sophomore Nick Gregory leads Henderson with 21 goals and 12 assists.

The Wildcats have four players who have scored more than 10 goals this year, led by senior Blaine Alexander's 27 goals and school record 36 assists.

A Trigg County win would give them their first-ever region title in soccer and a date with Marshall County Tuesday in Draffenville in the first round of the state tournament.

A win would also give Wildcat head coach Josh Nichols his 100th career victory as Trigg County head coach.

Interview with Josh Nichols

 

Region I Playoff Football Matchups

Here are the first round matchups for the first round of the Kentucky High School football playoffs that get underway in two weeks.  Seedings have been determined in every district except for 4A District 1, which will come down to a tie-breaker.

 

Class 1A

Caverna at Mayfield

Bethlehem at Russellville

Fulton County at Louisville Holy Cross

Fulton City at Kentucky Country Day

 

Class 2A

Butler County at Caldwell County

Union County at Murray

Ballard Memorial at Hancock County

Crittenden County at Owensboro Catholic

 

Class 3A

Hart County at Fort Campbell

Adair County at Paducah Tilghman

Trigg County at South Warren

Heath at Monroe County

 

Class 4A

Lone Oak, Madisonville, and Owensboro all tied with 3-1 district records.  Owensboro beat Lone Oak, who beat Madisonville, who beat Owensboro.

When taking the number of wins of the top four opponents per the KHSAA tie-breaker, here is how they break down

Owensboro has 17 points (Lafayette 7, Calloway County 4, Daviess County 4, and Apollo 2).  They could have as many as 20 points after next week.

Lone Oak has 15 points (Marshall County 5, Calloway County 4, Reidland 3, and Hopkinsville 3).  Lone Oak will likely have 18 points.

Madisonville has 14 points (Union County 4, Calloway County 4, and Hopkinsville 3).  If they beat Crittenden County next week, they will have 14 points and will likely finish with 16.

If this scenario holds true, here are the potential matchups

Breckinridge County at Owensboro

Franklin-Simpson at Lone Oak

Madisonville at Allen County-Scottsville

Calloway County at Warren East

 

Class 5A

Logan County at Graves County

Greenwood at Christian County

Hopkinsville at Warren Central

Apollo at Bowling Green

 

Class 6A

Fern Creek at Henderson County

Oldham County at Daviess County

Marshall County at Eastern

Muhlenberg County at Ballard

Fort Campbell football featured on Sports Illustrated web site's Underdog series

Fort Campbell football is once again in the national spotlight, this time featured on Sports Illustrated web site's Underdog series about high school football programs that have to overcome odds on and off the field.

SI followed the Falcons last week, featuring several players and including video of Fort Campbell's win at Webster County.

 

Trigg County will know football playoff opponent Friday

Trigg County will know who their first round opponent will be in the first round of the football playoffs after Friday night.

The Wildcats (5-3, 2-2) are the #3 seed in Class 3A, District One.  That means a first round road trip to either South Warren (5-3, 2-1) or Adair County (6-2, 2-1).  Those teams meet Friday night in Columbia.  The winner will be the #2 seed in the district and host Trigg County in three weeks.  The loser will be the #3 seed and travel to Paducah Tilghman in the first round.

District One top seed Fort Campbell (6-2, 3-1) will host Hart County (3-5, 1-3), who won a head-to-head tie-breaker with Edmonson County for the #4 seed in District Two.

Heath will travel to Monroe County in the other 1/4 seed first round game.

For those wondering, it's 79 miles from Cadiz to South Warren High School in Bowling Green.  It's 158 miles to Adair County High School in Columbia or about 2 1/2 hours one way on the new 65 mph U.S. 68.

Trigg County has never played Adair County or South Warren in football.

Ranked teams land in the same bracket in the Second Region Boys' Soccer Tournament

Two teams ranked in the top 20 in last week's Boys' State Soccer Rankings could meet in the semifinals of the Second Region Tournament that gets underway Monday at Henderson County.

Henderson County is 15-3-2 and ranked 10th in the latest soccer poll.  They open play Monday night against winless Lyon County at 5:30pm.  The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Meanwhile, #20 Hopkinsville (18-4) will play Caldwell County (6-9-1) at 7pm.  The teams did not meet in 2012, but Hoptown has eliminated Caldwell in the first round of the region tournament the past two years.

On Tuesday, Trigg County (13-0-4) will play Union County (1-12-1) at 5:30pm.  The schools have not played each other since 2003.  Union has won three in a row against the Wildcats, but Trigg still leads the all-time series 11-3-1.

At 7pm, Madisonville (11-5-2) will play University Heights Academy (9-9-4).  The teams did not play in 2012.

The semifinals will be played Wednesday at 5:30pm and 7pm.  The championship will be played Thursday at 7pm.

 

Favorites draw opposite for Second Region Girls' Soccer Tournament

The region favorites drew opposite brackets in the Second Region Girls' Soccer Tournament that gets underway Monday at Lee S. Jones Park in Eddyville.

On Monday at 5:30pm, Lyon County (8-12) will play Christian County (6-11-3).  Lyon County won the regular season matchup 2-1.

At 7:30, 14th ranked Madisonville (18-1-1) will play Union County (10-8).  The teams played two weeks ago with the Lady Maroons winning 8-1.

On Tuesday at 5:30pm, 23rd ranked Hopkinsville (17-3) will play Trigg County (8-7-2).  Hoptown won 11-1 back on August 28th.  Trigg County will be looking to win their first-ever game in the region tournament.  It will be the fifth straight year Trigg and Hoptown has met in the first round of the region tourney.

At 7:30pm, Henderson County (9-7-4) will face Caldwell County (10-10-1).  Henderson won the only regular season contest 8-1 August 20th in Princeton.

The semifinals will be played Wednesday at 6pm and 7:30pm.

The championship will be Thursday at 7pm.

This marks the first time for the eight-team, three-game region tournament format.

 

Second Region Volleyball Tournament begins Monday

Caldwell County is the host of the Second Region Volleyball Tournament that gets underway Monday night at the CAB in Princeton.

Monday at 6pm, Christian County (19-17) plays Union County (9-15).  The teams did not meet during the regular season.

At 7:30, Trigg County (17-14) will play Hopkins County Central (18-15).  Hopkins Central won both regular season meetings.  The match on September 24th went five sets, with Trigg winning the first two before the Lady Storm rallied to win the final three.  Trigg County will be looking for their first-ever win at the region tournament.

Tuesday, the two region favorites play each other.  Henderson County (31-5) will play Crittenden County (6-16) at 6pm.  The teams did not meet during the season.

Defending region champ Caldwell County (26-9) will play University Heights Academy (19-13).  The Lady Tigers won the only meeting during the season in the championship game of the All-A Classic Region Tournament in three sets.

The only Second Region teams Caldwell County and Henderson County lost to this season were each other.

The semifinals will be played Thursday at 6pm and 7:30.  The championship will be played Saturday at 7pm.

Caldwell County has won three of the last four region titles.

Trigg County claims district volleyball title

Trigg County held off a stubborn Crittenden County squad to claim the Fifth District Volleyball title in five sets Monday night at Wildcat Gym.  Trigg won the first and third sets by identical 25-17 scores.  Crittenden won the second set 25-23 and the fourth set 26-24.  The Lady Wildcats won the deciding set 15-10.

The district title is the second in the 12-year history of the TCHS volleyball program and first since 2005.  Both titles have come on their home floor.

Trigg County never trailed in the first set, jumping out to a 10-4 lead.  Crittenden battled back to trim the lead to one on several occasions, the last a 15-14.  Trigg used two kills each from Brittany Hallgren and Emma Tilley to put together a 10-3 run to end the set.

Crittenden used a strong service percentage in the second set to jump ahead 11-6.  Trigg came back to take a 18-17 lead at one point but several mishits allowed Crittenden to retake the lead and claim the set 25-23.

Trigg was a perfect 23-for-23 on serves in the second set and never trailed, claiming another 25-17 win.

The fourth set featured 11 ties before Crittenden County scored the 26-24 win.

In the fifth and deciding set, Crittenden County jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Trigg rallied to tie the set at 6-6.  Ahead 10-9, Trigg scored four straight points to go up 14-9 and won the set 15-10.

For the match, Trigg County had a 95-percent service rate, while Crittenden County was at 91-percent.

Brittany Hallgren, the lone senior on the team, had 23 kills and two aces in the match for Trigg County.  Freshman Codie Hill added 10 kills and two aces, and eighth grader Katie Walker had eight kills.

Hallgren, Hill, Tilley, and Hannah Wright were named to the All-District team along with Crittenden's Hailey Young, Erin McDonald, and Stacey Harrell.  Maddie Gray and Destiny Lee from Livingston Central were also named to the squad.

Trigg County improves to 17-14, including a 3-2 record in matches that last five sets.  Crittenden County falls to 6-16 with the loss.  Both teams will advance to next week's Second Region Tournament at Caldwell County.

 

AUDIO PREVIEW: Girls' district soccer tournaments



District soccer tournaments statewide get underway this week across Kentucky.  Here is a breakdown of the district tournaments in the Second Region, including the Girls' Fifth District tourney which will be held at Lyon County instead of Trigg County.

Girls District Soccer Tournament preview 

 

District 5 at Lyon County

Monday at 6pm – Lyon County (6-12) at Crittenden County (0-13)

• Lyon County won the regular season contest 9-5 with Jill P'Poole scoring all nine Lady Lyon goals

Tuesday at 6pm – Trigg County (8-6-2) vs. the winner

• Trigg beat Lyon County 5-1 and 2-0 during the regular season and will be going for their first-ever district soccer title

 

District 6 at Henderson County

Monday at 6pm – Union County (9-7) vs. Webster County (4-13-1)

• Union County beat Webster County 6-2 several weeks back.  Henderson County beat Union County 8-0 in the regular season 

Tuesday at 7:30pm – Henderson County (8-7-4) vs. the winner

 

District 7 at Caldwell County

Monday at 5:30pm – Caldwell County (9-9-1) vs. Hopkins Central (2-15)

• Caldwell won 4-0 over the Lady Storm earlier this season

Tuesday at 5:30 – Madisonville (16-1-1) vs. Dawson Springs (7-10)

• Madisonville won 10-0 over Dawson in the season opener.  They also beat beat Caldwell County 8-1 during the season. 

Thursday at 5:30 - Championhip

 

District 8 at UHA

Monday at 5:30 – Hopkinsville (15-3) vs. Fort Campbell (7-4-2)

• Hoptown beat Fort Campbell 9-0 in their only regular season meeting 

Monday at 7:15 – UHA (7-10) vs. Christian County (5-10-2)

• UHA beat Christian County 2-0 earlier this season

Wednesday at 6pm – Championship

 

AUDIO PREVIEW: District volleyball tournaments begin this week

District volleyball tournaments statewide get underway this week across Kentucky.  Here is a breakdown of the district tournaments in the Second Region, including the Fifth District tourney at Trigg County.

Volleyball district tourney preview

 

District 5 at Trigg County

Monday at 6pm – Crittenden County (5-15) vs. Livingston Central (11-10)

7:15 – Trigg County (16-14) vs. the winner

 

District 6 at Union County

Thursday at 6pm – Union County (8-14) vs. Webster County (1-24)

7:30 – Henderson County (30-5) vs. the winner

 

District 7 at Madisonville

Monday at 6pm – Hopkins Central (17-12) vs. Madisonville (13-22)

7:15 – Caldwell County (25-9) vs. the winner

 

District 8 at UHA

Monday at 6pm – Christian County (17-17) vs. Fort Campbell (5-13)

7:30 – Hopkinsville (17-15) vs. UHA (17-12)

Tuesday at 7pm - Championship

 

AUDIO PREVIEW: Boys' Soccer District Tournaments

District soccer tournaments statewide get underway this week across Kentucky.  Here is a breakdown of the district tournaments in the Second Region, including the Fifth District tourney at Trigg County.

Boys Soccer Audio Preview

District 5 at Trigg County

Tuesday - Trigg County (12-0-4) hosts Lyon County (0-15-1) at 5:30pm. 

• Trigg County joins St. Xavier as the only two teams in the state entering the postseason as unbeaten teams.  Trigg County beat Lyon County 10-0 twice this year and have won 12 of their last 13 games with Lyon County.


District 6 at Henderson County

Tuesday – Henderson County (14-3-2) vs. Union County (1-11-1) at 5:30pm

• Henderson won the only meeting this year 10-0


District 7 at Caldwell County

Monday – Madisonville (9-5-2) vs. Hopkins County Central (3-10-3) – 7:30pm

• Madisonville won the only contest 8-0 this year

Tuesday – Caldwell County (5-8-1) vs. Dawson Springs (3-10-2) – 7:30pm

• Caldwell County beat Dawson 5-0 earlier this year

Championship – Thursday at 7:30pm

District 8 at University Heights

Tuesday 5:30 – Hopkinsville (16-4) vs. Christian County (5-11-3)

• Hoptown won 1-0 in a rain-shortened game earlier this year

7:15 – Fort Campbell (10-5-2) vs. UHA (7-8-4)

• Fort Campbell won the regular season game 3-2

Wednesday - Championship at 8pm

Trigg County Arrowcats win first world title

After winning titles at the region, state, and national level, the Trigg County Arrowcats have won their first world championship after taking first place at the National Archery in Schools World Championships over the weekend at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Trigg County shot a score of 3,422 out of a possible 3,600 points to take first place over Alma Bryant High School from Alabama who shot a 3,408.  Anderson County (Ky.) was sixth and Meade County (Ky.) was seventh. 

Kaylin Smith was the lone elementary school shooter for Trigg County, and she took third in the division and 15th overall with a score of 288.

In the high school division, Jake McNab shot a 294 to finish fifth overall and fourth in the high school division.  Brandon Schafer shot a 286 to finish 23rd in the high school division and 36th overall.

For the ladies, Sloane Patterson shot a 285 to finish 9th in the high school division and 25th overall, while Shaye Patterson shot a 283 to finish 14th and 36th.

Other high school finishers with their score, HS finish, and (overall finish) were:

Lucas Hyde - 282, 35th (66th)

Ellen Shipley - 282, 20th (44th)

Alexis Wiseman - 281, 24th (50th)

Jordan Futrell - 280, 44th (85th)

Sarah Shipley - 280, 26th (56th)

Jonathon Fuller - 279, 50th (93rd)

Andrea Hall - 278, 30th (66th)

Evan Smith - 267, 89th (233rd)

Emily Holder - 244, 98th (354th)

In the middle school division, Clay Stevens shot a 287 to finish sixth in the division and 24th overall, while Deanna Ladd shot a 287 to finish eighth in the division and 18th in the middle school girls division.

Other middle school finishers with their score, MS finish, and (overall finish) were:

Kaila Cunningham - 287, 10th (22nd)

Kimberlee Shelton - 271, 45th (134th)

Lora Lee Heady - 269, 52nd (146th)

Cole Holland - 265, 88th (241st)

Katelyn Futrell - 264, 68th (182nd)

 

Ashley Campbell named new Trigg County softball coach

Trigg County has named Ashley Campbell as their new girls' softball coach.  The announcement came at the school on Tuesday.

Campbell teaches in the high school and graduated from Murray State in the spring.  She was a three-year starter for the Elmore County, Alabama High School team, a team captain, and was named Academic All-State.

Campbell will have her work cut out for her.  She takes over a Trigg County softball program that has won just 73 games in the 17 seasons since softball made the switch from slow pitch to fast pitch.  She replaces Lacey Briscoe, who resigned in the spring after an 8-45 record in three seasons.  Trigg County was 4-20 this year.

The Lady Wildcats have never advanced to the Second Region Tournament in fast pitch and haven't won a district tournament game since 2005.  Their only winning fast pitch season came in 2004.

Campbell said she plans on starting preseason condition after fall break.

 

Trigg County puts unbeaten mark on the line tonight against Hopkinsville

Trigg County puts their unbeaten mark on the line tonight as they host Hopkinsville in a Region 2 soccer contest tonight at the Complex.

The Wildcats tied University Heights 2-2 Saturday, running their record to 12-0-4 on the season.  It's the first time since 2007 (Hopkins Central) that Trigg County has tied a team twice in the same season.  It also marked the first time in 15 games that the Wildcats allowed more than one goal in a game.

Hopkinsville, who is ranked 19th in the state, brings a 15-4 record into tonight's game but have lost consecutive games to Henderson County and Madisonville.

Tonight's game features two of the top scorers in the state in Trigg County's Blaine Alexander and Hopkinsville's Austin Bucko, while Alexander and Hoptown's Zach Childress are in the state's top three in assists.

Hopkinsville leads the all-time series with Trigg County 18-2-1.

Admission to tonight's game is two dollars and youth soccer players get into the game for free.  Gametime is 7pm.

Wildcat head coach Josh Nichols talks about Hopkinsville