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First State Bank Players of the Week: Dials and Harless
BY BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Bryson Dials and Sophie Harless are the First State Bank Players of the Week. Monday night’s forecast included a downpour on the Pike Central hill. Dials made it rain on his way to a new school-record 13 3-pointers. He finished with a scorching 49 points in the 113-86
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Martin County Cardinals seal No. 1 seed for 57th District Tournament
BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County came up a possession short on the scoreboard Friday, falling to Johnson Central 79-76 at home. Still, the Cardinals walked out of the gym with the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in next week’s 57th District Tournament. Martin County had beaten Johnson Central by four
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Cal Ripken registration deadline Feb. 28
BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Sign-ups are underway for the Martin County KY Cal Ripken League with registration ending Feb. 28 and Opening Day set for April 11. The league will offer four age-based divisions this spring: Tee Ball for ages 4-5, Coach Pitch for ages 6-8, Cal Ripken Baseball for ages 9-12, and
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Martin County storms past Paintsville 93-77; Dials joins 1,000-point club
BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Bryson Dials scored his 1,000th career point in highlight fashion, leading Martin County (16-7) to a 93-77 win over Paintsville (11-12) at home Feb. 11 to stay unbeaten in 57th District play. Coach Jason “JJ” James’ Cardinals improved to 6-0 in the 57th District and 9-0 against 15th Region
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Keathley drops 42 as Martin County blitzes Magoffin County
BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN SALYERSVILLE — Martin County did not waste time finding its rhythm on the road Feb. 5. The Cardinals hit the gas early and never let up in a 92-54 blitz of Magoffin County to remain undefeated in the 57th District. After the fast start, Martin County head coach Jason “JJ” James
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Preece leads JV Cardinals past Hornets
BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN SALYERSVILLE — Martin County’s junior varsity built its lead quarter by quarter and pulled away down the stretch to defeat Magoffin County 57-46 on the road Feb. 5. The Cardinals set the tone early, taking a 9-4 advantage after the first quarter and carrying a 27-21 lead into halftime. Martin County
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Kenleigh Estep wins girls state wrestling title, Maynard finishes third
BY BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN CORBIN — Kenleigh Estep won a Kentucky state championship Feb. 8 at Corbin Arena, becoming the first middle school girl from Martin County to claim a state wrestling title. Estep captured the middle school 95-pound division at the 2026 KFWC Middle School & Youth Girls State Tournament, finishing three of
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Cardinals finish 2026 KFWCA 1A State Duals Runner-Up
BY BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN CORBIN — Martin County High School Cardinals put together a championship-caliber weekend in Corbin, rolling through the KFWCA 1A State Duals to finish as the runner-up. Coach Josh Muncy’s crew punched their ticket to the semifinals after steamrolling McCreary County 70-12. From there, the Cardinals knocked off Nelson County 57-21
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Martin County survives late Paintsville push to win 85-77
BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — Braxton Keathley scored 39 points and Bryson Dials added 26 as Martin County defeated Paintsville 85-77 on the road Feb. 3. The Cardinals jumped out early and held off a late Tigers rally to remain undefeated in district play. Keathley set the tone from the jump with a turnaround,
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Martin County launches girls wrestling
BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN GEORGETOWN — Martin County’s first-ever high school girls wrestling team did not just show up for its debut; it made history. In the program’s inaugural season, the Lady Cardinals carved out a landmark day Jan. 31 at the Lady Cardinal Showcase at Scott County High School. Martin County finished sixth out










