JaNyla Locher | Girls Basketball
King Combest | Boys Track and Field
Henderson County’s JaNyla Locher and King Combest have been named this week’s Athletes of the Week after standout postseason performances in their respective sports.
Locher played an important role in helping the Lady Colonels basketball team to its eighth consecutive regional championship this past week. With star player A’Tylia Green playing on a sore ankle, Locher stepped up to lead HCHS in the first round matchup against Lyon County by scoring 18 points and going 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the game. In the semifinal victory against Hopkins County Central, the junior guard added 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Locher contributed nine points and four rebounds in the championship game, including a clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter when Crittenden County had cut the lead to two. Overall for the tournament, Locher shot 5-of-11(45%) from three and was named to the All-Region Tournament Team.
Locher spoke on her recent success: “I’ve honestly just been finding my spots and fulfilling anything my team needs from game to game. I’m really staying locked in mentally and not letting anything around me affect my game. I want to thank the community for all their support.”
Henderson County senior sprinter King Combest delivered a standout performance at the 3A state indoor track championships, finishing second in the 55-meter dash.
Combest crossed the line just behind the race winner, whose time set a new state record, making the runner-up finish even more impressive. The performance capped off a strong indoor season for the Colonel senior, who has consistently posted some of the fastest sprint times in the state.
For Combest, the moment was especially meaningful because it marked his first season competing for a school track program since middle school.
“It is an honor to be on the Henderson County High School track team,” Combest said. “I am very speechless because I have not run for a school track team since middle school. But I took the opportunity to join the high school track team, and a lot of people have been very happy to watch me run. I wanted to take this opportunity to represent the school by running fast times and breaking school records. This means a lot to me because I will never forget something like this.”
Combest said that although he spent most of his career competing unattached, his senior season motivated him to represent the Colonels.
“I ran unattached for most of my career, but this is my senior year, so I decided to step up, go out there, be happy, have fun, and hopefully break some records,” he said.
With the indoor season wrapping up, Combest now looks ahead to the outdoor season, where he will try to build on his momentum and continue lowering his times for Henderson County.
