Hazard celebrates softball and tennis region titles with Main Street parade

Hazard’s softball and tennis teams rolled down Main Street in a parade that turned two 14th Region championships into a downtown celebration. The softball team had just beaten Letcher County Central 2-1 at Breathitt County High School in Jackson, while the girls tennis team was also being recognized as a 2026 KHSAA Regional Team Champion.

The softball win gave Hazard its first 14th Region softball championship since 2005, a milestone that made the ride through town more than a routine victory lap. The championship game came after weather delays pushed the tournament back, and the final carried extra weight because it came against the reigning region champion. Hazard High School later marked the title on its news page on June 1, while the tennis program’s regional championship was posted May 29.

The route through downtown mattered. Main Street is where Hazard’s public life is most visible, and the parade passed the district’s headquarters at 705 Main Street, putting the teams’ success in the center of town rather than tucked away on a field or in a gym. WSGS video from the celebration showed the softball and tennis teams moving together through the heart of Hazard, a scene that brought students, families, and passersby into the same moment.

Hazard Independent Schools called the softball run a “HISTORIC RUN,” and the numbers backed up the praise. The team finished its postseason with a 7-2 win over Ballard Memorial on June 5 in the KHSAA state tournament before falling 16-8 to Bullitt East on June 6. The softball title, the first in 21 years, gave the district a clear competitive marker to pair with the tennis team’s regional championship, and it sent both programs into the summer with a shared place in Perry County’s school history.