Tigers Capture 57th District Championship

Connor Fugate was unstoppable in the Tigers 57th District championship. The future UK Wildcat lived up to the hype, pitching a shutout for a 3-0 victory and a district title over cross-town rival Johnson Central. In fact, he was nearly perfect giving up just one hit and one walk, while striking out 16 in his seven innings on the mound

It looked like the Golden Eagles were going to start off strong with Brock Butcher hitting a single in the top of the first. He would get caught stealing second base however and the Golden Eagles would go three-and-out to start off.

Paintsville put up two runs in the bottom of the second inning when Harris Phelps and Jonah Porter batted runs in making it 2-0. Anderson Lauffer singled on a line drive in the bottom of the third to score Grayson Peters making it 3-0.

The Golden Eagles followed up in the top of the fourth frame with a quick three and out and couldn’t get any momentum going. The hit by Butcher in the top of the first was the lone hit for the Golden Eagles.

Meanwhile, Peyton Adams led the charge for the Tigers at the plate with two hits in three plate appearances. Seven different Tigers got on base with a hit in the game.

Cameron Kelsey got the start on the mound for Johnson Central and went three innings giving up six hits and three runs, while walking two. Brock Butcher finished out the last three innings and gave up just two hits with one walk and striking out five.

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/sports/tigers-capture-57th-district-championship/article_1672bd34-f9a6-11ed-a569-3b3e65b81d5f.html

ByMikeMuncy SportsWriter

Lady Tigers claim All “A” title

Paintsville picked the right time to get hot.

Heading into the 15th Region All “A” Classic Paintsville had collected just one win on the season.

After the dust has settled, Paintsville dominated opponents, winning three straight en route to a 15th Region All “A” Classic title.

The Lady Tigers allowed just two runs combined in those three games, outscoring their challengers 33-2.

Happy Birthday, Maggie: The Lady Tigers kicked off the 15th Region All “A” Classic action in style, snapping a six-game losing streak at the right time picking up a dominating 6-0 win over Martin County.

One of those runs came courtesy of Maggie Music, who had a lot to be happy about on her birthday as she celebrated her first career home run in the top of the third inning.

The Lady Tigers were already up 2-0 and by the end of the inning were up 4-0. Two more runs were tacked on in the top of the sixth to give Paintsville a final of 6-0 to move on to the next round, facing off against East Ridge.

The perfect game: You don’t see it too often, a perfect game.

Laney Bledsoe – with some help from her team — achieved just that against East Ridge in the 15th Region All “A” Classic.

Paintsville and Bledsoe was nothing short of dominate at the plate, too.

She collected four hits with four runs and two RBIs in the 15-0 mercy-rule win.

A nine run third inning was the highlight of the night for the Lady Tigers as they cruised past East Ridge.

Ashley Wells scored three runs on three hits in the win. Chessa Collins and Destiny Trimble each had two runs in the win. Collins added in three RBIs as did Maggie Music along with Wells.

No doubt: Paintsville removed all doubt in the win over Pikeville in the 15th Region All “A” finals.

It was just as lopsided as the final score showed with the Lady Tigers knocking off Pikeville 12-2.

Pikeville jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but by the bottom of the third inning it was all over.

The Lady Panthers had jumped ahead 2-0 before the Lady Tigers rattled off four straight runs to steal the lead away and never looked back.

The bottom of the fourth inning saw Paintsville repeat their earlier performance, picking up four runs as Kelsey Nusspickel, Madisson Trimble, Destiny Trimble and Laney Bledsoe all scored runs to make it 8-2.

It was all Paintsville for the rest of the game as they carried their lead to a 12-2 victory, winning the 2023 15th Region All “A” Classic.

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/sports/lady-tigers-claim-all-a-title/article_b3767454-d8a4-11ed-808c-0bc1545dcd3c.html
By Mike Muncy Sports Writer

Jonah Porter signs with Centre

Jonah Porter will continue his career on the baseball diamond at the next level for Centre College.

Porter recently signed his letter of intent with the college surrounded by his family.

Porter has a career batting average of .375 with 84 hits, 73 RBIs, 19 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 34 stolen bases.

Academically Porter boasts a 4.55 GPA and has scored a 28 on the ACT.

“One of the most selfless kids I’ve been around,” Coach Thomas McCormick said. “He knows how I feel about him. I dread the day I don’t have him playing short stop for me. One of my favorite kids I’ve been able to coach. It’ll be hard to replace him.”

Porter was also an integral part of the Tiger football team where he averaged 45.3 receiving yards per game, scoring three touchdowns his senior season. He was also a member of the 2020 state championship winning team.

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/sports/paintsville-s-jonah-porter-signs-with-centre/article_a977187e-d3f8-11ed-88a5-67260243b37b.html
By Mike Muncy Sports Writer

Paintsville breaks ground on football field turf project

Paintsville alumni and community members gathered at the Paintsville High School football field April 11 to break ground and mark the beginning of a project to install a turf surface.

The ceremony began at 1 p.m., featuring speeches from Paintsville Superintendent David Gibson, Mayor Bill Mike Runyon and others.

“It’s something to be able to leave our school system and say you graduated from Paintsville,” Gibson said. “I would argue that it’s the highest honor we can bestow on our students. It means something. But also to be a part of a team, the Tiger family, I am honored to be a part of the Tiger family.”

Gibson noted that the new field brings new energy and excitement in anticipation of the first home game, scheduled for Aug. 18.

“Honestly, it’s humbling,” said Gibson. “There’s 130-plus years of tradition here, and the progress that we’ve made and continue to make is incredible. We have a really good board that has the foresight to look towards the future. Our tradition is rich, and it’s the excellence that we represent that is at the heart of our traditions. I’m humbled to be a part of this, and hopefully kids across the region will see the field we have and see the commitment we have academically and encourage them to become a Tiger. Go Tigers.”

The ceremony also included a time capsule, in which students and alumni were encouraged to participate, leaving something behind for future generations of Paintsville Tigers.

“This makes me feel so proud of our school system,” Runyon said. “That we’ve elected to show a lot of progress. There were a lot of people against removing the natural grass, but if you look around you, every school up and down this river is going to turf. We had two choices: we could lag behind, or move forward. We’re choosing to move forward with this new field.”

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/news/paintsville-breaks-ground-on-football-field-turf-project/article_257114b0-d8a0-11ed-bcef-7b4d47fbb79e.html
By Justin Begley Staff Writer

Paintsville Weekly Update 3/21/2023

Baseball and Softball season are already in their 2nd week of games!

Tigers baseball have won 3 straight games against Perry County Central, Breathitt County, and Lawrence County.

Tigers softball won their home opener against a tough Floyd Central team.

Upcoming Schedule:

Tuesday:
Baseball @ Ashland 6pm
Softball hosts Magoffin County 6pm
Thursday:
Baseball hosts Belfry 6pm
Softball @ Lawrence County 6pm
Friday:
Softball @ Pikeville 6pm

Paintsville knocks off Johnson Central in 57th District Tournament

(Featured Image) Paintsville’s Emilea Preece shows off her Paintsville Tigers jersey after the Lady Tigers knocked off Johnson Central 44-41 in the opening round of the 57th District Tournament. (Paintsville Herald photo by Mike Muncy)

Post written by Mike Muncy Sports Writer

This game is what postseason basketball is all about.
Both teams left everything on the court with their seasons on the line.

Despite beating Paintsville twice in the regular season, it was Paintsville getting its revenge and ending the Lady Golden Eagles season in the opening round of the district tournament. The Lady Tigers defeated Johnson Central with a final score of 44-41.

The Lady Tigers just had to make their free throws, with six trips to the charity stripe in the fourth quarter locking it up for Paintsville.

Johnson Central finished the season with a 21-7 record in Coach Jim Hicks’ first year as Lady Golden Eagles’ head coach.

Johnson Central nabbed the first points of the game with Becca Wright finishing off a drive with a layup.

The Lady Tigers quickly went to work, forcing a turnover and pulling ahead 4-2. The Lady Golden Eagles pushed back, and at the end of the first quarter it was tied up at 6-6.

Kayllyn Vannoy made her presence felt in the second quarter in an emotional game for as she spent the first part of her career at Johnson Central.

The Johnson Central transfer (Vannoy) was integral for the Lady Tigers when she hit back-to-back treys and forced a turnover to catapult her team ahead, 12-6 just a minute into the second quarter.

A trey by Kaylyn McKenzie later in the frame allowed Johnson Central to get back within one, but Paintsville maintained the advantage and finished the half with a 17-13 lead.

Momentum looked to swing back in favor of the Lady Golden Eagles at the five minute mark of the third quarter when Taylor McKenzie went for a contested layup and got the foul. She nailed the plus one to give Johnson Central its first lead since the start of the game, now 22-19 and forcing Les Trimble to call a time out.

That lead was short lived however when Kali Mulcahy stole the lead back on a trey to make it 25-22 at the 2:45 mark of the third quarter.

At the end of three, it was Paintsville holding a slim 29-27 lead.

Sophie Younce tied things up for Johnson Central to start the fourth quarter at 29 all-around.

The two teams battled it out throughout the first half of the last quarter until Kinner’s three-point play took the one point advantage to a four point lead.

Kinner scored the next point as well, stretching the lead to five when she knocked down the first of two free-throws.

At the 1:45 mark Kinner was able to extend her teams lead when she knocked down both free-throws. That elevated the Lady Tigers to a 41-35 lead.

Johnson Central and Coach Jim Hicks gave a valiant effort, closing the gap to just two points with 30 seconds left in the game. With the ball in possession of the Lady Tigers however, they simply ran out of time to steal the win.

2022 All-Area Volleyball: Blackburn builds back up for Tigers

Bella Blackburn has been a centerpiece of the Paintsville volleyball team since her freshman year.

Blackburn was looking to build off a successful first two seasons with the Tigers entering her junior campaign in 2021.

However, her hopes were sidelined in a preseason scrimmage when she tore her ACL and had to miss the entirety of the season.

Blackburn worked hard and came back for a strong senior season that led to her being named The Daily Independent All-Area Player of the Year.

“Being named All-Area Player of the Year means everything to me,” Blackburn said. “It feels extremely rewarding after working so hard to come back from injury. I couldn’t have done it without being blessed with such a talented team.”

Over the course of her three-year playing career, Blackburn amassed more than 2,500 kills. In her final run as a senior, Blackburn had 1,030 assists, 236 digs, 51 aces, 35 kills and 17 blocks.

Paintsville coach Dawn Kinner said Blackburn “came back better than she was before she was injured.”

“The pain that you see a kid go through and then the work that she put in outside of the physical therapy just to be able to come back and play is just a great thing to see as a coach,” Kinner said. “That’s why I’m so proud of her, to see the success that she had this season and the level that she came back at.”

Blackburn credits her teammates for helping her get the motivation to come back as well as receiving the Player of the Year honor.

“I give all the credit to my teammates,” Blackburn said. “It all starts with a pass. By getting a good pass, I can do my job and help set my teammates to get kills.

“We have outstanding hitters and I especially couldn’t have done it without them. Being surrounded with such talented players make it easy for me to do my job.”

Paintsville went 38-3 and won the All “A” Classic state championship, dropping just one out of 13 sets in that tournament. That run was made possible by a come-from-behind effort against Covington Holy Cross.

“I will remember winning the All ‘A’ state championship the most,” Blackburn said. “Being down by a set and almost losing the second set, we came storming back to win it all. That took grit.

“It was the perfect example of hard work paying off. I’ll never forget the last point of that game.”

Kinner and Boyd County coach Katee Neltner were named Co-Coaches of the Year.

While the two have been pivotal in the push to the top for their respective programs, both coaches credit their players and those around them for their successes.

“I think it’s just a testament to the work that our girls put in,” Kinner said. “They make my job easy, when you have kids that buy in to your program and parents that buy in and a community that buys in.

“I have a great assistant in Jessica Davis. We just work so good together. I think it’s just a testament to what we’ve built here, and the buy-in from these girls and the hard work they’ve put in.”

Neltner said much of the same about her Lions.

“My girls have allowed me to love them, and they trusted me to do what was best for them and the program, which allowed me to coach them and coach them hard,” Neltner said. “They made themselves available to be molded and corrected, even when it wasn’t fun or pretty, and when you have athletes that trust the process and buy in to the mentality you try and establish in a winning program, the sky is the limit.

“These girls made this program what it is today and are the reason I am the coach I am today.”

Both coaches also pointed to the focus that area schools are putting on developing volleyball players at a younger age as a turning point for the sport in northeastern Kentucky.

“I think that once anyone sees what volleyball looks like when it is played and played well – there’s a switch that flips,” Neltner said. “There’s no other sport like volleyball and I am just proud to be a small part of teaching young girls to love this sport and play it properly.”

Boyd County had the most All-Area representatives with four: Taylor Bartrum, Lyndsey Ekers, Carly Mullins and Emma Sparks.

Bartrum was last year’s All-Area Player of the Year. She finished with 351 kills, 73 service aces and 20 blocks.

Mullins was named to the all-state tournament team following Boyd County’s loss to Paul Laurence Dunbar. She had 246 kills, 86 digs, 32 aces and 26 blocks.

Ekers has been the Lions’ leader defensively throughout her career. She accumulated 401 digs.

Sparks led the team in kills (365), blocks (32) and aces (78). She also racked up 157 digs.

Raceland finished with three Rams on the All-Area list. They won the district championship for the first time since 2016 and finished as 16th Region Tournament runner-up.

Elizabeth Rigsby led Raceland with 281 kills and was tied for the team lead with 64 blocks. Rigsby also had 73 aces.

Reagan Mackie’s 439 digs were first most for the Rams. She also had 110 kills and 19 blocks.

Kody Haddix had a complete season for Raceland, racking up 626 assists, 303 digs and 108 kills.

Paintsville, Ashland, Fairview and Rowan County also had multiple All-Area honorees.

Hailey Little was an offensive threat throughout the season for Paintsville. Little’s 409 kills and 76 aces were most for the Tigers. Her 39 blocks were second.

Ashland finished with the 16th Region’s second-most wins at 30.

Sophomores Grace Clark and Khia Robinson represent the Volleycats.

Clark had 950 assists, 303 digs and 125 kills. She also posted 98 aces.

Robinson had a team-leading 400 kills to go along with 310 digs, 62 aces and 13 blocks.

Fairview’s Kiera Loving had some spectacular stats. The senior had 771 assists, 198 kills, 176 digs, 101 aces and 45 blocks.

The Eagles also had Graycin Price selected. Price’s 452 kills were a team-best, as were her 133 aces. She also got 311 digs.

Rowan County’s All-Area selections are Madison Roar and Destiny Utterback.

Roar had 696 assists from her setter spot. Her 86 aces led the team, and she added 76 kills and 25 blocks.

Utterback was the Valkyries’ leader in kills (275) and digs (350).

Sarah Paige Weddington was Lewis County’s selection. She had 437 kills and 325 digs, which was the team’s most. Weddington also had 21 blocks and 40 aces.

Zoe Stidham of East Carter collected 231 digs and 230 kills. Along with that, Stidham had 31 blocks to lead the team and 77 aces.

TK Ellis rounds out the All-Area picks. The Lawrence County selection had 126 kills, 108 aces and 221 digs.

Northeastern Kentucky coaches’ votes composed the All-Area team. The newspaper’s sports department selected the Player and Co-Coaches of the Year.

2022 The Daily Independent All-Area Volleyball Team

Taylor Bartrum (Boyd County)

Bella Blackburn (Paintsville)

Grace Clark (Ashland)

Lyndsey Ekers (Boyd County)

TK Ellis (Lawrence County)

Kody Haddix (Raceland)

Hailey Little (Paintsville)

Kiera Loving (Fairview)

Reagan Mackie (Raceland)

Carly Mullins (Boyd County)

Graycin Price (Fairview)

Elizabeth Rigsby (Raceland)

Madison Roar (Rowan County)

Khia Robinson (Ashland)

Emma Sparks (Boyd County)

Zoe Stidham (East Carter)

Destiny Utterback (Rowan County)

Sarah Paige Weddington (Lewis County)

Player of the Year

Bella Blackburn (Paintsville)

Co-Coaches of the Year

Dawn Kinner (Paintsville) and Katee Neltner (Boyd County)

Honorable mention: Sophie Adkins (Lawrence County), Reanna Brown (West Carter), Kenzie Burton (East Carter), Aly Caldwell (Boyd County), Emily Clark (Russell), Carleigh Conley (Boyd County), Carmin Corey (Russell), Mayson Delong (Johnson Central), Randi Delong (Johnson Central), Kameron Fry (Fairview), Sophia Gifford (Boyd County), Sydney Hallock (Rowan County), Isabel Hensley (Rose Hill Christian), Mallory Hicks (West Carter), Shaelee Holbrook (Raceland), Gracen Layman (Ashland), Abby Malone (Lewis County), Shelby Marcum (Fairview), Brittany McCarty (Johnson Central), Blair Ratliff (Paintsville), Gracie Reed (Raceland), Kynzi Slone (Paintsville), Alexis Thompson (East Carter), Kara Ward (Paintsville), Alexis Williams (Fleming County)

https://www.dailyindependent.com/sports/2022-all-area-volleyball-blackburn-builds-back-up-for-tigers/article_3232d196-7c0e-11ed-8cf1-3bc3c19954da.html

Ben Spicer | For The Daily Independent Dec 14, 2022

Paintsville Lady Tigers

The Paintsville Lady Tigers are coming off a great season, going 19-13 before falling to Lawrence County in the 15th Region semifinals.

Luckily for Coach Les Trimble and his Lady Tigers, he returns virtually an entire team this season after losing just one senior to graduation – Ava Hyden.

That’s not to say that one person is easy to replace, however. The loss of Hyden makes a big hole in both offense and defense. She averaged 7.7 points per game and had 268 rebounds last year, or 8.4 per game. Hyden was a tough, physical player that Paintsville will surely miss. They’ll have to find young players to step up into the role Hyden leaves behind. And although Paintsville loses just one senior, they’re still pretty young overall.

The Lady Tigers will dress two seniors, Kali Mulcahy and Camryn Helton this season.

Helton is a big piece of the puzzle for Paintsville. She is a floor general who averaged 7.7 points per game last season. She also had 136 rebounds last season. Helton is arguably the best free-throw shooter on the team as well with a 68.6 percent rate on shots from the line.

Mulcahy was solid in her junior season, netting 136 points in 32 games. She also pulled down 46 rebounds.

Three juniors – Kaylyn Vannoy, Emilea Preece, and Kat Balwin make up a loaded junior class.

Vannoy is a new face to the Paintsville program, but she might look familiar. She suited up for Johnson Central ever since her seventh-grade season, back in 2017-18. She averaged 3.9 points per game for the Lady Eagles last season with 3.4 rebounds per game.

Preece is the heart and soul of the offense when it comes down to it. She scored 502 points last season, by far the most on the team. A rebounding machine as well thanks to her size, she brought down 263 boards last season. She can get it done from behind the arc too, shooting 29 percent from the three-point line last season.

Bailey Porter and Emma Keeton are the only two sophomores this season. Neither played last season, but Keeton has ties to the program, as her sister Anna was a key player for the Lady Tigers before graduating in 2019.

Four freshmen are included on the roster this season, and four eighth graders including last year’s standout player, Kylie Kinner.

As a seventh-grader Kinner lit up the scoreboards last season, putting up numbers worthy of the second highest scorer on the team with 351 points, 11 per game average. Kinner does a lot of her work behind the arc, making 58 three-pointers last season to lead the team. Despite her age and size she was also the third highest rebounder on the team last season. Kinner is only an eighth-grader, but her potential is unmatched and she should have another stellar season.

Overall, the Lady Tigers have the coaching and the talent to make another deep playoff run this season.

Written by Mike Muncy Sports Writer

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/sports/girls-basketball-preview/article_3fa6485a-709a-11ed-8179-7be6ab9c4a68.html

Paintsville Tigers

Paintsville loses a few key players, but still has a deep talent pool to choose from.

It’s been the Colby Fugate show in Paintsville for the past few years, so this year, Coach Landon Slone will have his work cut out for him replacing his leading scorer from the last few seasons.

The Tigers also lost Braxton Tharp and Baron Ratliff to graduation.

We won’t know until the season opener against Prestonsburg how things will look for the Tigers, but there’s plenty of returning talent that should be stepping up into bigger roles this season.

Connor Fugate – Fugate is the younger brother of Colby Fugate, and is a stellar athlete in his own right. He’s already signed with the University of Kentucky to play baseball, but on the hardwood Fugate is as good as anyone.

He was second to only his brother in scoring last season, with 403 total points. He was also the leading rebounder for the Tigers. Look for Fugate to continue what he’s known for, scoring a lot and pulling down boards.

Jase Kinner – Kinner started last season as a freshman and his impact was immediately felt. On offense last season Kinner was solid with 130 points, trailing only the three seniors and Fugate. It’s safe to say his production should pick up quite a bit, especially with another year under his belt as he enters his sophomore season.

AJ James – James is another player who saw playing time last year that will help lead the team this year. James was stellar on defense last season, playing with a lot of aggression. He averaged 4.8 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game in his first season back last year.

The Tigers have three juniors, Ethan Ward, Bryce McDonald and Carson Holbrook. All three had limited playing time last year, but bring back valuable experience to help the Tigers.

Brock Woods – Woods is young, but had six rebounds and nine points in just six games last year as a seventh-grader. The 6 foot 6 eighth-grader returns this year and adds some much needed size for the Tigers.

Overall, Coach Slone and the Tigers should be fine. They have a great mix of returning talent and young upcoming players with a lot of promise.

Written by Mike Muncy Sports Writer

https://www.paintsvilleherald.com/sports/boys-basketball-preview/article_ca41a794-7099-11ed-b36f-dbf07295b0d6.html