BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Before long, the evening air will turn cooler, the hills will trade their deep summer green for shades of red and gold, and the lights at The Rock will glow against an autumn sky. But for now, the heat lingers and the Cards have some business to take care of down the road.
Martin County will cross the county line this Friday into Lawrence for a season-opener, where the Cards will get an early test against a Class 3A Lawrence County Bulldogs squad.
A year ago, Lawrence County came into Inez for the 2025 opener and handed Martin County a 35-7 loss. The Cardinals answered by rattling off seven consecutive victories on their way to a 9-3 season finish—the best season of the Coach Josh Muncy era.
Martin County heads to Louisa with a chance to show how far it has come.
“Lawrence County came to our place last year and got after us pretty good,” Muncy said. “Our kids remember that, but this isn’t about revenge. It’s about seeing how much we’ve grown and setting the tone for this football team.
“Going on the road against a good 3A program is a heck of a way to find out what you’re made of. Around here, these kids are raised on tough football, and we expect them to go over there, compete for four quarters and represent Martin County the right way.”
Martin County will make the trip with a different cast than the one that took the field in last year’s opener.
Class 2A District 7 Player of the Year Devan Maynard graduated after accounting for 3,024 yards of offense (1,692 passing and 1,332 rushing) and 37 touchdowns during his senior campaign.
Crayson Lafferty, Martin County’s second-leading rusher and leading tackler last season, transferred to Prestonsburg along with Braxton Moore.
Maynard and Lafferty accounted for 2,267 of Martin County’s 2,631 yards rushing and 41 of its 43 touchdowns rushing in 2025.
Those are big numbers to replace, but the cupboard in Inez is far from bare.
Senior Jerrod Haney gives the Cardinals a proven playmaker after leading Martin County with 28 receptions for 484 yards and four touchdowns last season. Haney also recorded 52 tackles and two interceptions on defense, including a pick-six. He will take over at quarterback this season.
Rex Ward returns after hauling in 22 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns. He added 40 tackles, six tackles for loss and a sack on the other side of the football.
Easton Slone enters his sophomore season after finishing second on the team with 85 tackles as a freshman. Slone added two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception.
Up front, seniors Kendal Mullins, Bryson Osborne and Brandon Wells give Martin County experience in the trenches.
The Cardinals will need that experience Friday when they enter hostile territory for their first test of 2026.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at 100 Bulldog Lane in Louisa.