The Adair County High School Marching Band is headed back to the state stage after claiming the KMEA Class 3A State Regional Quarterfinals championship Saturday, marking the 17th regional victory in the band’s history and its first since 2018.
Adair County earned the highest score of all Class 3A bands in Kentucky and the third highest score overall among bands in every class.
This win sends the band into the KMEA state semifinals this Saturday, at Franklin-Simpson High School. Adair County is scheduled to perform at 11:45 a.m., continuing its pursuit of a state championship with this year’s show, “Out of Your Shell.”
State finals will be held Saturday evening at Western Kentucky University, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The regional title represents a significant milestone for the band, which has continued to build on its tradition of competitive success. Its latest performance puts Adair County among the top marching bands in the state as the season reaches its final weekend.
Following the state competition, the band will bring its show home for a special encore performance on Monday at 7 p.m. at Lindsey Wilson University’s Parnell Family Stadium.
The performance is free and open to the public, giving the community an opportunity to see their award-winning show and celebrate the band’s accomplishments.
The Adair County Lady Indians won the KHSAA Region 2 Class 2A cross country championship Saturday at Phil Moore Park in Bowling Green, giving the program its first regional title since 1991. The boys finished second, two points behind champion John Hardin, and both teams qualified for the state meet.
“This past weekend marked a landmark weekend for Adair County cross country,” said Adair County coach Bill Hillock. “This was the first time in 35 years that Adair County cross country has brought home trophies from our regional championship. This is a testament to these athletes’ hard work and dedication to perfecting their sport. I have thrown a lot of challenges at them over the course of the summer and this season, and they have risen to every last one of those challenges, and these results show it.
“I’ve said it many times, and I want to emphasize it again: These athletes inspire me, my assistant coaches and the rest of the community with their hard work and determination. It is a great blessing from the Lord above that I have been given the opportunity to coach these athletes.”
The Lady Indians placed first of nine teams (47), ahead of John Hardin (77), Thomas Nelson (83), Warren East (106) and Larue County (113). Seventh-grader Elizabeth Dudley led Adair in fifth place in 20:15.26, followed by freshman Arianna Meyer in sixth (20:26.58) and eighth-grader Olivia Meyer in eighth (20:46.55), giving Adair three of the eight individual medalists. Senior Kennedy Booth was 10th in 22:23.08. Cadence Booth, Karla Manjarrez and Karly Boecker completed the lineup.
The Indians placed second, just behind John Hardin, and Larue County was third at 80. Sophomore Luke Albrektson finished second in 17:07.29, behind Thomas Nelson junior Daniel Filiatreau, who won in 16:52.17. Junior Austin Hamilton was fifth in 17:31.25 and eighth-grader Carter Albrektson ninth in 17:59.15. Owen Davis and Jacob Mendez rounded out the scoring five, with Brock Jasper and Liam Hillock also running.
Adair County will compete in the KHSAA State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, where the girls team is ranked fifth and the boys team is ranked ninth.
