2017

2017: Corbin’s Return to the State Championship Stage

The 2017 Corbin Redhounds spent the fall turning themselves from a good football team into one of the best teams in Kentucky.

Under head coach Justin Haddix, Corbin finished 13 and 2 and reached the Class 3A state championship game for the first time since 2002. The Redhounds won 13 games, beat several highly regarded opponents during the regular season, dominated the early rounds of the playoffs and survived a one point state semifinal against Louisville Central before falling to Boyle County, 40 to 21, at Kroger Field in Lexington.

The season was built around a veteran offense led by senior quarterback Camron Sizemore and junior all purpose standout Chase Estep. Sizemore completed 185 of 272 passes during the season, a 68 percent completion rate that placed him among the most accurate quarterbacks in Kentucky. Estep became one of the most versatile players in the state and earned second team Associated Press All State honors at running back while also being selected second team All State as a punter.

Corbin’s roster was deeper than those two names. Cameron Barton, Christian Gosselin, Devyn Sams, Noah Taylor, Grant Gibson, Cameron Maguet, Jacob Steely, Ethan Wine, Aaron Money, Keaton Knuckles, Hunter Logan, Frankie Boswell, Justin Brummett and others formed a group that would remain important to the program for more than one season. The official postseason roster shows a mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores that helps explain why Corbin was able to return to the championship game again in 2018.

Corbin opened the season against Harlan County and won, 30 to 7. The victory gave the Redhounds a comfortable beginning and allowed Haddix to settle his team into the season before the schedule became considerably more difficult.

The next game took Corbin to Whitley County, where the Redhounds won, 14 to 0. The shutout gave Corbin a 2 and 0 start and provided an early indication that the defense was capable of controlling games when the offense was not putting up large numbers.

Then came Alcoa.

The Tennessee powerhouse had built one of the strongest high school football traditions in the region, making the matchup at Corbin one of the more significant non district games on the Redhounds’ schedule. Corbin won, 22 to 21.

That victory immediately changed the perception of the season.

Corbin was not simply beating local opponents. The Redhounds had beaten a program accustomed to competing for championships in Tennessee, and they had done it in a one point game that required them to finish under pressure.

Pulaski County came to Corbin next.

The Redhounds won, 34 to 7.

Four games into the season, Corbin was undefeated and had already won in several different ways. The Redhounds had posted a shutout, survived a one point game and dominated Pulaski County by 27 points.

Beechwood provided the first setback.

Corbin traveled north and lost, 36 to 29, against one of the strongest Class A programs in Kentucky. The Tigers were a championship level team and gave Corbin its first loss after four straight victories.

The Redhounds did not allow the loss to linger.

Mayfield came to Corbin the following week.

Few opponents carried more historical weight for the Redhounds. Mayfield had been part of Corbin’s championship history going back to the 1976 and 1977 state finals, and the Cardinals remained one of Kentucky’s premier small school programs.

Corbin won, 20 to 17.

The victory was one of the defining regular season results of the year. Coming immediately after the loss to Beechwood, it demonstrated that Corbin could respond against another elite opponent rather than allowing one defeat to create a slide.

District play followed.

Jackson County came to Corbin and lost, 65 to 6.

The Redhounds then traveled to Bell County and won, 42 to 8.

Casey County came to Corbin and lost, 35 to 14.

Knox Central was the final regular season opponent, and Corbin won, 36 to 21.

The Redhounds completed the regular season 9 and 1.

The only loss had come by seven points at Beechwood.

Corbin had beaten Alcoa by one.

It had beaten Mayfield by three.

It had beaten Pulaski County by 27.

It had dominated district competition.

By November, there was no question that the Redhounds had become one of the legitimate Class 3A championship contenders.

Knott County Central came to Corbin in the opening round of the playoffs.

The game was over quickly.

Corbin won, 57 to 6.

The Redhounds moved into the second round against Bell County, an opponent they had already beaten 42 to 8 during the regular season.

The postseason rematch produced the same outcome.

Corbin won, 32 to 6.

Through two playoff games, the Redhounds had outscored their opponents 89 to 12.

Powell County was next.

Corbin traveled for the regional championship and produced another dominant performance, winning 50 to 14.

The Redhounds were regional champions.

They had now scored at least 50 points in two of their first three playoff games and were one victory from reaching the state championship game.

That victory had to come on the road.

Louisville Central was waiting.

The Yellowjackets had become a fixture in the Class 3A postseason and had reached the state championship game several times during the previous decade. Corbin went to Louisville knowing that the margin for error would be considerably smaller than it had been in the first three rounds.

That proved to be exactly the case.

Corbin won, 21 to 20.

One point.

After dominating the opening rounds of the playoffs, the Redhounds had to survive a state semifinal that came down to the smallest possible margin.

The victory sent Corbin back to the state championship game for the first time in 15 years.

The opponent was Boyle County.

Both teams entered the championship 13 and 1. Corbin’s only loss had come at Beechwood. Boyle County’s only defeat had come against Danville, 10 to 7, early in the season. The Rebels had otherwise rolled through Class 3A competition and entered Kroger Field carrying the confidence of a program with seven state championships already in its history.

The championship game quickly became difficult for Corbin.

Boyle County struck first when quarterback Reed Lanter connected with Reese Smith on a 38 yard touchdown pass. The Rebels then created another score when Smith intercepted a deflected Corbin pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.

Corbin was down 14 to 0 before it had fully settled into the game.

The Redhounds responded.

Sizemore led Corbin back within one score, and the Redhounds eventually cut the margin to 14 to 7. Boyle County answered again and pushed the lead back to two touchdowns.

Corbin came back again.

The Redhounds pulled within 21 to 14, keeping the game competitive and refusing to allow the early 14 point deficit to become decisive.

But Boyle County kept making big plays.

Lanter finished the championship game 16 of 24 passing for 223 yards and five touchdowns. Smith caught five passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns while also intercepting two passes, including the 40 yard return for a score. The combination proved too much for Corbin to overcome.

Sizemore completed 12 of 23 passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted three times. Estep was Corbin’s most productive runner, carrying 14 times for 95 yards, including a 41 yard gain. Sizemore added 30 rushing yards.

Christian Gosselin and Ethan Wine caught Corbin’s touchdown passes. Cameron Barton caught two passes for 25 yards, Jordan Fox added a 16 yard reception, and Jacob Steely contributed in the passing and return games. Steely returned three kickoffs for 103 yards, including an 80 yard return that gave Corbin one of its best field position opportunities of the night.

The championship statistics showed where the game tilted.

Boyle County rushed for 237 yards and threw for 223, finishing with 460 yards of total offense. Corbin finished with 206. The Redhounds ran for 125 yards but managed only 81 through the air. Three interceptions made an already difficult matchup even harder.

The final score was Boyle County 40, Corbin 21.

For Boyle County, the victory delivered the program’s eighth state championship and Chuck Smith’s sixth as head coach. For Corbin, the loss ended the season at 13 and 2.

The championship loss should not overshadow what the 2017 team accomplished.

Corbin had not been to a state final since 2002.

The Redhounds had spent much of the years in between producing good teams and making playoff runs, but 2017 represented a return to the final stage.

They beat Alcoa.

They beat Pulaski County.

They beat Mayfield.

They went 9 and 1 during the regular season.

They scored 57 against Knott County Central, 32 against Bell County and 50 against Powell County in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Then they went to Louisville and beat Central, 21 to 20, to reach Lexington.

The season also helped establish the core that would return in 2018. Estep was only a junior. Gosselin, Sams, Taylor, Gibson, Maguet, Brummett and several other important contributors were also underclassmen. The 2017 championship run was therefore both an achievement on its own and the beginning of a two year stretch that would produce 27 victories and consecutive state championship appearances.

Sizemore’s senior season deserves a permanent place in that history.

He had been one of the most accurate quarterbacks in Kentucky, completing 68 percent of his passes, and guided Corbin through one of the strongest schedules the program had faced in years. His season earned him honorable mention All State recognition at quarterback.

Estep’s season was equally important.

He provided Corbin with a runner, receiver, punter and return threat and emerged as one of the best all around football players in the state. His performance earned second team AP All State recognition at running back and punter.

The 2017 Redhounds did not bring home the championship trophy, but they changed the direction of the program.

The season showed that Corbin was capable of playing with championship level competition outside its district. It showed that the Redhounds could survive difficult road environments and one possession games. Most importantly, it returned Corbin to the state championship stage.

The final record was 13 and 2.

The final loss came against Boyle County.

But the 2017 season had already accomplished something larger.

Corbin football was back in the championship conversation.

And one year later, the Redhounds would be there again.