Sports

Adair County High School football season tickets are now on sale through Sept. 2 for just $25. All season and single game tickets will again be online this season though Hometown tickets.

Single game tickets will be available on Thursdays before each home game for just $6. Please secure your season ticket at the link below:

Ticket Link:

https://achs.adair.kyschools.us/quick-links/tickets

The Adair County Indians home schedule:

8/26     Campbellsville

9/2       Berea

9/16     Casey Co.

9/23     Hart Co.

10/28   Washington Co.

All games start at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact athletic director Craig Biggs at 270-384-2751.

Damon Hicks has been promoted to head coach of the Lindsey Wilson cheer and dance teams, Athletics Director Willis Pooler announced on Tuesday.

“I am excited to once again lead Lindsey Wilson cheer and dance in recruiting and training as well as the opportunity to coach these incredible student-athletes at LWC in a sport I am so passionate about,” Hicks said. “I am dedicated to helping them achieve their athletics goals in competition, supporting their fellow LWC athletic teams, and bringing home cheer and dance championships to Columbia.”

Damon is a familiar face around the Lindsey Wilson program serving as the head coach from 2010-16 before stepping away for a few seasons and later returning as an assistant coach from 2019 through last season. He has over 30 years of experience in cheer and dance and offers his athletes expertise in cheer, tumbling, and dance.

“Damon has done an outstanding job in the assistant coach position, so it was an easy decision to promote him,” Pooler said. “As a former head coach, he understands how to run successful cheer and dance programs.  He certainly has a passion for our student-athletes and has shown a steadfast commitment to Lindsey Wilson College.”

 

Deron Breeze, the head boys’ basketball coach at Adair County High School, will have a very young team this year when the Indians’ take the floor this fall. He lost several players, many of which were his top scorers, to graduation.

So, to give his team some good experience in preparation for next season, Breeze put the Indians through a tough 15-game summer schedule. He also played competitive junior varsity and freshman schedules.

“We didn’t do as much this year because we have a lot of new kids,” Breeze said. “There are a couple of seniors and a couple of juniors, and some freshmen. The team is predominantly sophomores.

“During the summer, we try and play as difficult of competition as we can. The games don’t count in our win-loss record, and playing the good teams, I think, gets the guys ready for the season. I think they needed to gain some varsity experience, get some confidence.”

Adair County was 9-6 on the varsity level with victories over Logan County, Bullitt East, Berea, Leslie County, Clinton County, Southwestern, Cumberland County, Union County and Thomas Nelson. The junior varsity went 4-3 and the freshmen finished 2-1.

“Offensively, I think we’ve changed, so we’re going to be more about being five out with guards,” Breeze said. “We are probably going to have somewhat of a different offensive context, so we wanted to get them used to that.”

Breeze said he thought the Indians played well throughout the summer. However, he said they struggled in a two-game session at Metcalfe County

“It seemed like this group scored a little bit easier than in the past,” Breeze said, “or better than I thought they would. They also scored better as a whole, as we didn’t have any low-scoring games. I think we must get stronger on defense, but we’ve also got to rebound better. We don’t have a lot of height or weight on this team.”

A big factor in that this summer was the Indians played without the services of rising senior big man J.B. Piatt due to injury. Without his size and strength inside, Adair County has to look for other scoring options.

“Something I think we have to work on this summer is causing turnovers and being quick on defense,” Breeze said. “The longer the summer went on, I didn’t think we were causing the turnovers we needed to. We’re going to have to cause turnovers, get some easy baskets, to win games.”

The coach said he wasn’t too surprised by the results this summer. The said he thought this current group has the potential to be good in the fall.

“I kind of knew what this group would be eligible to do, and I think everyone lived up to expectations,” Breeze said, challenging his players. “There is a lot of talent there. There are probably 10 kids that can really play, but I am not going to play 10. So, somebody is going to have to separate themselves.”

Breeze said workouts will begin July 15.

.

 

 

This story was published in the June 16 issue of the Community Voice. For a subscription, call 270-384-9454.

Superintendent Dr. Pamela Stephens announced Tuesday that Craig Biggs had been hired as the school district’s first full-time athletics director.

“I think it is a new era in Adair County sports,” said Biggs. “The commitment by the administration and the board to make this a full-time position is key to moving forward and beginning to elevate these programs. I look forward to playing a role in that moving forward.”

Biggs graduated from Adair County High School in 1989 and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Kentucky University. He will start working at his new job on July 5.

“We believe Craig will be an awesome addition to our program,” said Stephens. “Our expectations are high.”

Biggs went to work quickly at WKU after graduation. He served in several positions, including assistant athletics director and associate athletics director. For the last 10 months, he has been working in sales for BSN Sports.

“For me, the early process is evaluation,” Biggs said. “I think we have the opportunity to make some pretty quick strides. We must find a way in the first year to touch every program in a positive way, and that can be through a variety of things. Each program is going to be different, so I want to see where they are.

“We are also going to have to figure out ways to generate revenue. There will be expenses that are going to happen in the day-to- day operation of an athletic program that are going to keep going up. Well, budgets don’t always go up with them. Fundraising, corporate fundraising, that will be key.”

Biggs said one of his first projects when he gets to Columbia will be getting out in the community. He said the community has pride in the ACHS sports programs, but he said fan attendance comes down to the experience the fans have. Biggs said he believes once the community knows the school district has a commitment to the sports program, the community will join in.

“I told the coaches when I met with them, I am going to be as big of an advocate for their program as they are.” Biggs said. “That’s my position and my role. That doesn’t always mean wins and losses, but the coaches always must have that person that’s willing to go out and fight the battle to help them and their program succeed.”

Part of Biggs’ responsibility also includes coordination and direction for the sports programs at the Adair County Middle School.

By Scott Wilson
scott@adairvoice.com

 

Coaches Brandon White and Nichole Booher are tying up any loose ends this week as they get their all-star team ready for the Little League 8U District Softball Tournament in Russell Springs. The field will be filled some of the top teams in the area like Marion County, Washington County and Nelson County.

For White and the rest of the Adair County all-stars, this tournament will come down to  going out and playing softball the way they know how to play.

“We really have some aggressive girls this year,” White said. “They’re aggressive at the plate on offense and they are looking very good on defense. This is a relatively young team, with some that have never played before this year.”

The tournament will run June 18-21 in Russell Springs at the field on Hwy. 80, next to the Somerset Community College facility. Adair County will open the tournament with South Hardin. The first pitch is set for 11:30 a.m.

The Adair County roster includes: Ava Loy, Rylee Barnett, Olivia Feese, Emmalynn White, Caylynn White, Ann-Riley Corbin, Kharlie Stockton, Saylor Booher, TInsley Burton, Emily Burkhardt, and Corbin Coots.

“Most of the girls listen well,” White said. “They all want to play certain positions, and that’s not possible. Getting them to buy into that can be the most difficult thing to do. We only have four practices to get them ready, so they need to know what they’re jobs are.”

White said Adair County’s biggest strength is its aggressiveness at the plate and on the basepaths. The players, he said, don’t seem to be afraid of the ball. He hopes that attitude will transmit to a solid defense. The team’s weakness, so far, has been actual game strategy, what to do when the ball comes to them.

“The keys to success for us are you have to have girls that want to be there,” the coach said. “You must have girls that will listen to you. Some of the girls will absorb everything you say, then some wouldn’t have a clue about what you are talking about.”

White said the field for the district tournament will be filled with landmines for teams making it to the state tournament, which is scheduled for July.

“The first and second teams from the district advance to the state tournament,” White said. “There are a few teams we are worried about because some of these teams have been playing together for some time.

“What we have to remember is we are as good as any team in the tournament, so we want the girls to be confident. I also want these girls to learn a lot this summer, and love the experience.”