2022

2022: Corbin’s Return to the State Championship Game

The 2022 Corbin Redhounds came within six points of completing one of the finest seasons in the history of the program, putting together 14 consecutive victories and advancing to the Class 4A state championship game before falling to Boyle County, 32 to 26, at Kroger Field in Lexington. The loss was Corbin’s only defeat of the season and left the Redhounds just short of their first state championship since 1982, but it did little to erase what had taken place during the previous four months. Corbin had beaten defending champions, won difficult games on the road, dominated its district, avenged consecutive postseason losses to Johnson Central and returned to the state championship game for the first time since 2018.

The season came during the 100th anniversary of Corbin football, giving an already promising year additional significance. Head coach Tom Greer entered his third season with a roster that combined an experienced senior class with talented younger players at several important positions. Corbin was coming off a 12 and 1 season in 2021, when the Redhounds’ only loss came against Johnson Central in the regional championship game. The Golden Eagles had also eliminated Corbin from the postseason the previous year, leaving the Redhounds with consecutive successful seasons that nevertheless ended against the same opponent.

There was plenty returning to suggest that Corbin was capable of taking another step. Senior Cameron Combs gave the Redhounds an experienced presence in the running game, while sophomore quarterback Kade Elam developed into one of the most productive young quarterbacks in Kentucky. Carter Stewart became Elam’s primary downfield target and one of the leading receivers in Class 4A, and Brody Wells contributed on both sides of the football. Jacob Baker played an important role in the secondary and kicking game, while Zayne Hammack and Israel Summers helped lead a defense that would become one of the strongest units in the classification.

Corbin did not ease into the season. The Redhounds opened at Campbell Field against Pikeville, which arrived as the defending Class A state champion, and came away with a 24 to 19 victory. Corbin followed with a 42 to 13 win over Whitley County before traveling to Franklin County for an early meeting between two teams that would eventually find themselves deep in the Class 4A playoffs. The Redhounds won that game, 40 to 20, improving to 3 and 0 and providing an early indication that they were capable of competing with the best teams in their classification.

Pulaski County provided the first close call of the season. Corbin survived, 24 to 21, before responding the following week with a convincing 45 to 7 victory at Somerset. The Redhounds then traveled north to face Simon Kenton and found themselves in another game that would test their ability to win under pressure. Corbin escaped with a 38 to 35 victory, pushing its record to 6 and 0 as the schedule moved into October.

If the first half of the season demonstrated Corbin’s ability to win against quality competition, the second half showed just how dominant the Redhounds could be. Corbin opened district play with a 50 to 0 victory over Knox Central. Elam threw three touchdown passes to Stewart, including scoring plays covering 40 and 52 yards, while Stewart added an 80 yard touchdown run. Combs scored on a 48 yard run, and Joe Lester returned a fumble 33 yards for another touchdown. The victory began a remarkable defensive stretch in which opposing teams struggled simply to get on the scoreboard.

Corbin defeated Lincoln County, 63 to 0, and followed with a 38 to 0 victory over Wayne County. Campbell County visited Campbell Field for the regular season finale and suffered the same fate, losing 42 to 0. Corbin completed the regular season 10 and 0, and the Redhounds entered the playoffs having recorded four consecutive shutouts. What had begun as a promising season in August had developed into a legitimate championship run by November.

The postseason opened against Harlan County, and Corbin showed no indication of slowing down. The Redhounds won 55 to 0, recording their fifth consecutive shutout and advancing to face Letcher County Central. Corbin controlled that game as well, winning 49 to 0 and moving to 12 and 0. Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, Corbin had outscored its opponents 104 to 0. More importantly, the victories set up the game that had been hanging over the program for two years.

Johnson Central was returning to Campbell Field for the regional championship.

There was no need to manufacture a rivalry or storyline for the meeting. Johnson Central had ended Corbin’s previous two seasons, including a 34 to 13 victory over the Redhounds in the 2021 regional final. The Golden Eagles had become the postseason obstacle Corbin had been unable to clear, and another deep playoff run would ultimately be judged by whether the Redhounds could finally get past them.

Johnson Central threatened early and drove near the Corbin goal line before a fumble ended the opportunity. Corbin took advantage and gradually established control of the game. The Redhounds went on to win 35 to 21, capturing the regional championship and ending two years of postseason frustration against the Golden Eagles. Corbin was 13 and 0, and for the first time since 2018, the Redhounds were one victory away from playing for a state championship.

Franklin County made the trip to Campbell Field for the state semifinal, creating a rematch of Corbin’s 40 to 20 victory in September. The second meeting proved considerably more difficult. Franklin County brought an explosive offense to Corbin and stayed within striking distance throughout the night, forcing the Redhounds into one of their highest scoring games of the season. Corbin held a 42 to 35 lead late in the fourth quarter, but Franklin County remained one possession away from tying the game and was attempting to put together another drive.

Brody Wells ended the threat. With a little more than two minutes remaining, Wells intercepted a Franklin County pass and returned it for a touchdown, giving Corbin a 49 to 35 lead and effectively sending the Redhounds to Lexington. When the final seconds expired, Campbell Field became the site of another postseason celebration. Corbin had won its 14th consecutive game and earned the 10th state championship appearance in program history.

The opponent waiting at Kroger Field made the championship matchup particularly interesting. Boyle County was the two time defending Class 4A state champion and was attempting to win its third consecutive title. The Rebels were also coached by Justin Haddix, the former Corbin head coach who had taken the Redhounds to consecutive championship games in 2017 and 2018. Greer had served on the Corbin staff during Haddix’s tenure before eventually becoming head coach, giving the championship game a familiarity uncommon for a meeting between programs from different parts of the state.

Corbin entered the championship game 14 and 0. Boyle County arrived with a 12 and 2 record but also with the experience that came from winning the previous two state championships. The Rebels were accustomed to championship week and to playing at Kroger Field. Corbin, meanwhile, was trying to end a championship drought that had reached 40 years. The Redhounds’ last state title had come in 1982, when Cotton Adams coached Corbin to an 18 to 6 victory over Glasgow.

The championship game quickly developed into the competitive matchup expected from two of the best teams in Class 4A. Boyle County took a 20 to 13 lead into halftime, but Corbin responded after the break. Following an unsuccessful Boyle County onside kick and a penalty that gave the Redhounds favorable field position, Elam eventually scored on a one yard run to tie the game at 20.

Corbin attempted an onside kick following the touchdown, but Boyle County recovered and answered when Montavin Quisenberry scored to give the Rebels a 26 to 20 advantage. Corbin needed little time to respond. Elam connected with Wells on a 56 yard touchdown pass, and with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter, the state championship game was tied at 26.

For a Corbin program that had waited 40 years for another state championship, the situation could hardly have been clearer. Fifteen minutes of football remained, and the Redhounds were tied with the two time defending state champions.

Boyle County scored the only touchdown of the fourth quarter to take a 32 to 26 lead, but Corbin continued to have opportunities. Baker intercepted Boyle County quarterback Sage Dawson near midfield, giving the Redhounds possession and another chance to regain the lead. Corbin was unable to turn the takeaway into points and eventually turned the ball over on downs with 3:25 remaining. Boyle County protected the lead from there, and when the final seconds expired, the Rebels had secured their third consecutive Class 4A championship.

Corbin finished the championship game with 289 yards of total offense. Elam completed 12 of 17 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception, while the Redhounds added 140 yards on the ground. Boyle County finished with 363 total yards, including 270 rushing yards, and used its ground game to control possession for more than 26 minutes. For three quarters, however, there had been virtually nothing separating the teams. The score entering the final period was 26 to 26.

The loss brought a difficult end to an otherwise remarkable season. Corbin finished 14 and 1 after entering the championship game as the top ranked Class 4A team in the KHSAA Ratings Percentage Index. The Redhounds scored 620 points during the season, averaging more than 41 points per game, and finished among the classification leaders in several offensive and defensive categories. Corbin recorded six shutouts, scored at least 40 points nine times and intercepted 21 passes during the season.

Elam emerged as one of the state’s top young quarterbacks during the championship run, throwing for more than 2,300 yards and 31 touchdowns entering the final while also contributing more than 400 yards and double digit touchdowns on the ground. Combs provided the Redhounds with a dependable running game and surpassed 1,300 rushing yards, while Stewart developed into a 1,000 yard receiver. Hammack led a productive defensive unit with more than 100 tackles, and Summers became one of Corbin’s leading pass rushers.

Statistics, however, tell only part of why the 2022 season remains important in Corbin football history. The Redhounds began the year with questions left unanswered from consecutive postseason losses to Johnson Central and ended it on the field at Kroger Field with a state championship still undecided in the fourth quarter. Along the way, they beat the defending Class A champion, won all 10 regular season games, recorded six shutouts, finally eliminated Johnson Central, captured a regional championship and won a state semifinal in front of their home crowd.

For Corbin, reaching the state championship game has never been treated as the ultimate accomplishment. The history of the program and the five championship teams that came before 2022 established a higher standard. That was part of what made the loss to Boyle County difficult. The Redhounds had not gone to Lexington simply to make another appearance. They went there expecting to win.

The championship trophy ultimately went home with Boyle County, but the 2022 Redhounds returned to Corbin having produced one of the finest seasons in the program’s modern era. They had won 14 games, survived every challenge for nearly four months and stood tied with the defending state champions after three quarters of the final game of the season. Six points separated Corbin from its first state championship in four decades.

The record book will show Boyle County as the 2022 Class 4A state champion and Corbin as the state runner up. It will also show a Corbin team that went 14 and 1, returned the Redhounds to Kentucky’s biggest high school football stage and added another memorable season to a tradition that had already reached its 100th year.

For Corbin football, 2022 did not provide the championship ending everyone wanted. It provided something else: another team worthy of being remembered.