By Larry Vaught

It Was Quite a Friday Night in Corbin

Posted: September 17, 2023
Vaughts Views

Les Nicholson Photo

It’s hard to describe just what the atmosphere was like at Campbell Field in Corbin Friday night when the Redhounds celebrated a lot more than just 100 years of field.

The undefeated Redhounds got a huge win by holding off Class 6A power Frederick Douglass 6-0 thanks to a goal-line stand inside the 10-yard line in the final minutes.

After the game, top 250 national prospects Jerod and Jacob Smith flipped their verbal commitments from Michigan to Kentucky as teammates roared their approval. Maybe that was because they had seen UK recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow and UK defensive coordinator Brad White on the sidelines.

At halftime there was a 15-minute tribute to the Corbin program with a lot of history and a passionate talk by former coach Cotton Adams, who spent 27 years as a head coach and assistant with the Redhounds.

The game was also the official unveiling of the approximate $10 million renovation of Campbell Field that makes the facility one of the very best in the nation that includes a large video screen and new area for concession stands and restrooms.

However, what made the night special had to be the people. I got to Corbin at 5 p.m. for the 8 p.m. kickoff and there were already 100 people in line. By 6:15, I would guess there were 1,000 fans in the stadium and by kickoff that number had grown to anywhere from 5,500 to 7,000 depending on what estimate you wanted to believe.

As I approached the stadium, there was a pay parking lot. I could not remember the last time I went to a regular-season high school football game where there was a lot close to the stadium where you had to pay.

My favorite part of the night might have been the pregame Redhound Walk when the team arrived at the stadium. Fans of all ages led the about two-block processional to the game. There were young cheerleaders and players. There were parents. There were “older” fans. But no matter the age, the fans were decked out in Redound gear and loud.

For the coin flip, the Redhounds brought out a 101-year-old fan who flew a plane in World War II and naturally played on Corbin’s football team. Where else could you find that legacy?

Or where else could you go that once the game started a security officer/policeman held up this sign on the Corbin sideline: “U Think U Can Beat Us … now that’s FANTASY FB.”

Former Kentucky quarterback Freddie Maggard, an eastern Kentucky native, said it was an atmosphere like you might find on game day in Green Bay, Wis., when the Packers play.

All that made it easy to understand why the Smith twins wanted to share their new commitment on this special tonight with their Corbin teammates and fans.

“I wanted to do it in front of the team,” Jerod Smith said. “They took us in before the season (when the Smiths transferred to Corbin) and we wanted to do it with them and these fans who have been so great to us.”

Actually everything about Friday Night Lights in Corbin was great and just shows the passion fans in this state have for football.