A special night Friday at Madisonville-North Hopkins as this year’s inductees to the Hall of Fame were recognized. In addition to the ceremony at halftime of the game with Hopkins County Central, this year’s inductees were celebrated at a banquet before the game.
This year’s class of inductees is:
Coach “Colonel” Darryl Patton
Patton enters the Hall of Famr for his career in coaching cross-country and track.
Coach “Colonel” Darryl Patton started teaching at Madisonville North Hopkins in 2001 after 23 years in the Marine Corps. He would often stop by Gale Travis’ office and say that if the cross-country coaching position ever opened, he would like to be considered. His passion for the sport came from his own experiences running cross country and track in high school in his hometown of Jamestown, Ohio.
In 2009, he received that opportunity and became the head coach of the boys cross-country team for nine years. Additionally, he was the head coach of the track team for three years.
During his tenure, his teams won numerous regional championships and appeared in six consecutive Kentucky State Championships.
After 16 years, Darryl retired from teaching and coaching.
Jessica Gunby
Jessica, a 2005 MNNHS graduate is going into the Hall of Fame based on her career in softball. Jessica played softball for the Maroons for 6 years. In her 8th grade year, she was part of the Regional Championship team.
During her playing days, she represented Madisonville in the East/West All Star game in her junior and senior years. She was All District from her sophomore year till her senior year. She was All Region her junior and senior years. She finished her career with All State honors her senior year.
She continues her athletic journey to this day. She has worked the past 14 years for the Hardin County School system as a physical education teacher and athletic director. She spent 13 years of her career coaching a variety of sports, including softball, volleyball, basketball, and archery.
Chris Taylor
Chris is going into the Hall of Fame in the athlete category. Chris was a varsity letter-man 13 times during his high school career. This includes 1 year each in tennis and baseball, 3 years in football, and 4 years in soccer and basketball. Chris is already in the Hall of Fame as a member of the 2000-2001 Boys Basketball team and the 2002 Boys Soccer team.
Chris’s career included being named All District, All Region, and All State in basketball, soccer, and football. He was named the 2004 Balfour Male Athlete of the year for the state of Kentucky. Was named to the 2004 Kentucky All-Star Basketball team. Was also a 2004 Wendy’s High School Heisman Award recipient. He is in the top ten in scoring all-time in boys basketball, and held the single game record for points with 45 for many years.
After graduation, he attended the University of Kentucky and graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree. After college, Chris returned to Madisonville and served as an Assistant Coach for the Boys Basketball team for 5 seasons.
Chris currently resides in Amsterdam (Netherlands) with his wife and serves as the Human Resources Director of an international law firm.
The 2004-2006 Volleyball Team
The 2004-2006 three-time Regional Championship Madisonville North Hopkins Volleyball Teams. They are entering the Madisonville All Sports Hall of Fame as a dynasty team. The teams were led by head coach Jon Parker.
During this run of three-time Regional Championships, the team’s record was 84-22. They finished the season with a top 20 ranking in the state each season. The three-peat championship was an unprecedented run that truly put Madisonville North Hopkins volleyball on the map.
Josiah Powell
Josiah is entering the Hall of Fame for his career in football. Josiah was on the football team from 2009-2012. During his playing time for the Maroons, Josiah had 117 tackles while playing defensive end. He also moved position his senior year and played on the offensive line to help the team after many injuries. During his senior year, the team went 9-3 with Josiah playing the most snaps on the team.
Following high school, Josiah spent 1 year at the Naval Preparatory Academy. He then attended and played football at the United States Naval Academy. He finished his playing career with 75 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions, and 1 touchdown.
Josiah graduated and was commissioned as a 2nd LT in the Marine Corps. He attended basic school in Quantico, Virginia, where he became a logistics officer. He was stationed at Camp Lejuene, where he served in the 2D Combat Engineer Battalion. He was next stationed at Camp Pendleton, where he served in the Marine Wing Support Squadron 372. Starting next month, he will be going back to Quantico to be an instructor at TBS, where he will instruct the next generation of officers.
Bentley Badgett II
Badgett has been a great supporter of Madisonville athletics through the years. He has supported many programs in the community and his induction into the Madisonville All Sports Hall of Fame is a truly earned honor.
