Congratulations to these three members of the Class of 2024- Brett Gibson, Om Patel, Maisie Ward. These students have been selected to participate in the 2023 Governor’s Scholars Program!
Each of these students represent well-rounded students both athletically and academically who are also active members in their community.
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.
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.”
CmPS brings home the Middle School’s Governor’s Cup
Congratulations to the Paintsville Junior High CmPS team! They are Paintsville’s first ever middle school CmPS STATE CHAMPS and they have won bids to compete at the International competition in Massachusetts this summer!
We are so proud of their achievements and dedication to provide for a better future!
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.
Kylie Kinner came alive in the fourth quarter, hauling in nine points in the final frame – seven of which were free-throws.
The eighth-grader’s toughness and athletic ability was on full display at the 2:57 mark when she went up for a shot, missed, grabbed her own rebound and made the shot only to get fouled again to make the plus one, forcing a Johnson Central timeout and giving the Lady Tigers a 38-34 lead.
With the win, Paintsville advances to the 57th District championship game Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. as the Lady Tigers will host Martin County. The win also means that Paintsville secures a spot in the 15th Region Tournament next week at the Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville.
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.
Congratulations to 2 of our bass fishing team members, Ethan Elliott and Bryce McDonald. They have achieved greatness on and off the water. These 2 have been offered and have accepted scholarships to Kentucky Christian University to join their fishing team. “Being juniors, they have already achieved so much and I couldn’t be more proud of them. Their hard work and many hours on the water have paid off. Thanks to everyone who have supported them along the way and continues to do so.” said Tara Elliott.
Upcoming Events:
Men’s basketball: Monday Paintsville Tigers will host Shelby Valley at 6pm. Tuesday they will be traveling to Tolsia (Fort Gay), WV to compete for their 2nd time this season. Their previous encounter resulted in a Tigers win 97-60. Friday they will be traveling to Pikeville for their final season game before the district tournament. Their game will start after the girls game.
Ladies basketball: Monday evening, the lady tigers will be traveling to Hazard for a Varsity game at 6. Tuesday they will be hosting Lawrence county for their last regular season home game. Tip-off at 6. Friday they travel to Pikeville to compete in their final season tip-off at 6:00pm.
Wrestling: Saturday, the Paintsville wrestling team will compete in Winchester.
Academic: The academic team will be heading over to Johnson Central for their Saturday meet.
Friday afternoon our very own Paintsville Tiger, Harris Phelps, signed for Centre College to continue on with his football career. We are super excited for him and know that he will achieve great heights for his new team. He may become a colonel next year, but he will always be a tiger to us!
We also want to shine light on some of our younger tigers and their achievements this past weekend. 8th grader, Crayson Lafferty, came in 2nd place in the middle school wrestling tournament and 6th grader, Blake LeMaster, placing 6th place. Congratulations on your hard work this year! We are excited to see how they improve for next season.
Upcoming Events:
Senior Night event starts at 5:45pm. Please arrive by 5:30pm.
Men’s basketball: Tuesday hosting Lawrence County at 7:30pm Wednesday hosting Mountain Mission (Grundy), VA at 7:30pm Friday hosting Martin County at 7:30pm (Senior Night)
Ladies basketball: Monday hosting Morgan County at 7:30pm Tuesday traveling to Prestonsburg, 7:30pm tip-off Wednesday hosting Pike County Central at 6:00pm (Senior Night) Friday traveling to Floyd Central, 7:30pm tip-off
Over the weekend the high school had a full day of basketball games. The lady tigers hosted Phelps and beat them 90-59. The mens team followed the ladies footsteps and defeated Lewis County 71-53.
Lady tigers will be on the road today for a 7:30 tip-off against Raceland. Tuesday, they’ll be hosting Ashland Blazer at 7:30. That’s not all for this packed week of basketball. Friday evening at 7:30, the cross town rivals will be head to head again for the 2nd time this season. This time it will be on Central’s territory.
The mens team will be playing at Magoffin County on Tuesday. They will then be heading to Central on Thursday for a 2nd showdown at 7:30.
Over the weekend several of our Tigers made notable accomplishments! Here at Paintsville Independent we are known for tradition which these young ladies and gentlemen are here to continue those traditions but also create new ones. We are excited for what their futures hold for them and as they continue to grow and become better than what they were yesterday. This week our PHS students and athletes have competed in numerous competitions.
Frist, we would like to announce our Academics team accomplishments. PHS Academics competed today at the District competition and the results were: – Nicholas Hazelett 5th place in Social Studies – Maggie Blevins 5th place in Arts and Humanities – John Zeidan 5th place in Written Composition – Jordan Castle 1st place in Written Composition These students will move on to regional competition in February. Congratulations!
Second, our middle school wrestling team competed in their Regional tournament at GRC High School.
Congratulations to Paintsville Middle School Wrestler, Crayson Lafferty, for becoming Paintsville middle’s 1st Regional Champion in the 152lb weight class. Such an amazing accomplishment from one of our young Tiger athletes! Also– Congratulations to Paintsville Middle School Wrestler, Blake LeMaster, for his 3rd place finish in Regionals.
Upcoming Events: Lady Tigers Basketball will be hosting Prestonsburg Tuesday at 7:30pm. This Thursday’s game has been rescheduled for this Wednesday. They will be hosting Raceland at 7:30pm.
Men’s Basketball will be traveling to Floyd Central on Tuesday for a 7:30 tip-off. Saturday they will host Lewis County for a 3:00pm tip-off.