(This article first appeared in the April print edition of the Hendersonian.)
The Henderson County track and field team enters the 2026 season with early momentum and a clear objective: continue its rise in the region and close the gap on Marshall County and McCracken County.
The Colonels have already opened the year with team wins at the Colonel Classic and the Spartan Relays at South Warren, showing signs of a deeper roster—particularly on the boys’ side.
Leading that charge is a standout sprint group that has quickly become one of the program’s biggest strengths. King Combest, Tyce Smith, Avant Baxter, and Jack Dalton make up Henderson County’s 4×200-meter relay, a unit that broke the indoor school record and placed seventh at indoor state with a time of 1:31.93.
Since then, the group has continued to improve, already dropping its time by a second early in the outdoor season. Combest has emerged as a top performer in the 100 meters, while Smith and Dalton are not far behind. Baxter adds another scoring option in both the 200 and 400, giving the Colonels depth across sprint events.
The sprint success is part of a greater, balanced effort across the roster. In the middle-distance and distance events, Christian Smith and Ross Plummer have already rewritten the indoor record books, breaking school records in the 800 and 1600 meters, respectively. Plummer also provides a consistent presence in both events outdoors, giving Henderson County a reliable scorer beyond the sprints. Jordan Haynes adds to a strong 4×800 relay team and has posted strong performances in the middle distance.
In the field events, Henderson County continues to generate points across multiple areas. Austin Dunn leads the pole vault group, with Mattix Sohne adding depth, while Ryder Cottingham and Mason Webb provide strong options in the jumps. Troy Butler will look to get points in the high jump, leaping 5’8 early in the season.
The throws group is led by Bentley Simpson, Joe Hudson and Jacob Nunn, all whom have established performances in both discus and shot put. All three will have a chance to compete at the state level.
That balance across sprints, distance, relays and field events has positioned Henderson County to take another step forward this season.
“We’ve got a lot of pieces that are coming together to try to go chase McCracken and Marshall,” first-year head coach Wes Fehrenbacher said.
On the girls’ side, the Lady Colonels are combining experienced leadership with a developing younger group.
Senior thrower Kali Brewer leads the way in the field events, while Sadie Smith headlines the pole vault group alongside Emma Rutledge and Avery Thomson. Together, they provide a core of upperclassmen leadership.
“We’ve got a lot of freshman and sophomore girls who are making the transition from middle school track to high school track, so we’re developing,” Fehrenbacher said. “With that young group, the sky is going to be the limit if they put in the work.”
Athletes like Paislee Toombs add versatility, competing in both distance events and high jump as the team continues to expand its event coverage.
With early-season success and increased depth across the roster, Henderson County has positioned itself as a stronger 3A team this year. As the postseason approaches, the Colonels will look to turn that progress into a stronger push at the top of the regional standings.
