Trophies, loss, first of the lasts highlight 2025 sports year

The 2025 calendar year was full of important sports stories in the Hopkinsville and Christian County area.

It was the beginning of the end for Christian County and Hopkinsville high school sports and some of the teams closed out their history on a bright note while others flamed out. There were some fantastic personal accomplishments and unforgettable team moments this year.

Counting down from 10, here are the top sports stories as voted on by the WHOP Sports Department:

10. Former Hopkinsville High School baseball star Easton McGee continued his professional career in 2025 with the Nashville Sounds, a Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

During the 2025 summer, McGee, a 6-foot-6, right-handed pitcher, was called up to the Brewers on four separate occasions. McGee appeared in nine games for Milwaukee, striking out 13 batters while walking five. He did not have a decision and had a 5.52 ERA.

9. University Heights Academy’s cross country team made school history, capturing its first Class 1-A, Region 1 championship. Graham Conrad, Ronan Croney-Sallie, and Jude Finch all earned top-five finishes to pace the Blazers.

8. Heritage Christian Academy’s baseball team won three games in a day and captured the 2025 KCAC State Championship on its home field. The Warriors defeated Highlands Latin and Somerset Christian on the way to the championship where they beat Whitefield Academy 8-6. Ethan Miles was named Most Valuable Player of the state tournament, capping off the day with a 4-for-5 performance with a triple, three RBIs, and two runs scored in the title game.

7. Former Hopkinsville High School pitcher Preston Chaudoin was part of the Murray State University baseball team that captured its first Super Regional title and advanced to the College World Series in Omaha. Chaudoin, a right-handed relief pitcher, helped seal the Racers’ Regional win over Ole Miss. The Racers finished the season 44-17 after losing to UCLA (6-4) and Arkansas (3-0) in the CWS.

6. Heritage Christian Academy senior guard Jason Leek becomes the school’s all-time leading scorer and signs a scholarship to play collegiately at Bethel University. Leek leads the state in scoring at 33.6 points per game and was named National Christian Schools Athletic Association Division 2 First Team All-American and to the Southeast Super Regional Team.

5. University Heights Academy’s girls’ and boys’ soccer teams capture their respective Region 2 championships. The Lady Blazers start the season playing in the prestigious Gothia Cup in Sweden before going 19-3-1 and winning their first region title in 17 years. Daviess County defeats UHA in the first round of the KHSAA State Tournament. Meanwhile, the Blazers finish 18-7 and win their first Region 2 championship in 11 years. Their season comes to a close with a state tournament loss to Owensboro in the first round. Both teams also won their respective Region 2 All "A" Tournaments and advanced past the first round of the All "A" State Tournaments.

4. Hopkinsville High School announces in November that it is shutting down its baseball program due to lack of interest among students. More than a handful of players transferred to Christian County High School leaving the Tigers’ program short of players. School officials decided not to field a team in 2026, which would have been the last season for Hoptown baseball before the school consolidates with Christian County in 2027. The announcement came shortly after head coach Malcolm Tipler resigned and accepted an assistant coaching position at University Heights Academy. The Tigers were only two years removed from playing in the KHSAA State Tournament quarterfinals. The announcement also came only months after the school announced it would have softball in 2026 after not fielding a team in 2025 due to lack of interest.

3. Former Christian County High School basketball coach Lyle Dunbar passed away at the age of 90 in October. Dunbar, who has a gym at CCHS named for him, coached the Colonels from 1975-1994, amassing 386 wins, 12 district championships, six region titles and two state runner-up finishes in 1976 and 1979. The Colonels’ basketball program suffered another loss less than a week later when legendary player Kenny Hart passed away unexpectedly. Hart led the Colonels to a state runner-up finish in 1979 before playing collegiately at Texas Christian University.

Christian County Public Schools Activities Director and former Colonels' basketball coach Kerry Stovall said Dunbar left a lasting legacy at the school.

2. New Christian County High School Principal Ken Carver announced in December that Dustin Lopez had been hired as the first head football coach for the Christian County Tigers. Lopez had coached the last two seasons at Hopkinsville High School and became the first hire for the new school. Less than a month later, Lopez announces that former HHS head coach and his offensive coordinator at Hopkinsville, Craig Clayton, was retiring, and that Rusty Goble had been hired as the Christian County Tigers’ first offensive coordinator. Goble is the son of former Christian County Colonels’ legendary head coach Dan Goble.

Lopez said he was excited about the opportunity to lead the new Christian County Tigers' football team.

1. Hopkinsville and Christian County high schools complete their final football seasons. The Tigers beat the Colonels in their final matchup 48-13 in October, although the Colonels win the all-time series 30-29. Hoptown goes 7-4 and wins its first home playoff game in four years. The Tigers’ season ends in the second round of the Class 6-A playoffs with a 51-23 loss to South Warren.

Christian County’s season didn’t go as smoothly. Head Coach Ethan Atchley resigned after the Colonels started the season 0-4 and assistant coach Kelly Myers was hired as interim head coach. The Colonels finish the season 1-9 with their only win over Caverna in week five and less than 35 players on the roster. Following their final regular season loss to Paducah Tilghman, school administrators opted out of the Class 6-A playoffs, shocking players, fans, and coaches, and ending the Colonels’ football program.

Christian County Public Schools Superintendent Chris Bentzel called the decision to end the season following the loss to Paducah a tough one, but one they felt was best for the student athletes.

While these stories made the Top 10, there were others that earned Honorable Mention. They include:

- University Heights Academy basketball coach Terry Hayes resigning and former Blazers’ star Jordan Grace hired to take over the program.

- University Heights Academy’s baseball team finishing runner-up in the Region 2 Tournament. Starting shortstop Hayden Hunt later commits to Indiana State. Then in October, head coach Scott Gentry resigns and assistant coach Michael Crowe is promoted to head coach.

- Several area track athletes earn All-State honors following the 2025 season. UHA’s 4x400-meter relay team of Clayton Lester, Griffin McCoy, Harlow Hampton, and Logan Miller set a school record with a time of 3:27.25 to finish second at the Class 1-A state meet. And Christian County’s C.J. McCarley earns First-Team All-State with a discus toss of 157-feet, 4-inches, which earned him a fourth-place finish in the Class 3-A state meet.

- New Christian County High School Principal Ken Carver announces in December the hiring of the school’s first boys’ soccer coach (William Bryan), volleyball coach (Zach Hardison), and cross-country coach (Roger Volk).

- Hoptown Hoppers General Manager Danny Roberts steps down following the team’s 2025 season and Adam West is announced as Roberts’ replacement. The team also announced that Chris Benne will return as the team’s manager for 2026.

- In November, the Clarksville Speedway runs its final race after more than 60 years of operation. The track, which was a favorite place for racing families for generations, closed due to neighborhood development around the facility.

- The Hopkinsville High School’s boys’ soccer team completes its final season with a District 8 championship by defeating University Heights Academy in the title match. The Tigers end their season with a region tournament semifinal loss to Henderson County. It was the first district crown for the Tigers since 2019.

- Hopkinsville High School cross country runner Lauren Mayes finishes runner-up in the Class 2-A, Region 1 meet. Mayes’s teammate, Alexis Herrera-Lovato, finished fourth in the meet as the Lady Tigers finish third as a team.

- University Heights Academy's golf teams claim their respective All "A" Region championships.