Hazard, Perry Central earn All Mountain softball honorable mention nods

Hazard and Perry Central kept Perry County on the 2026 All Mountain softball honorable mention list, a regional honor chosen by Appalachian Newspapers sports writers Randy White, Steve LeMaster, Paul Adkins and Adam Mahan. The selections covered schools from the 15th Region and Mingo County, West Virginia, putting both Perry County programs in a field that also included Knott Central, Letcher Central and Jenkins.

For Hazard, the recognition followed a season that ended in Lexington. The Bulldogs won the 14th Region championship and advanced to the KHSAA state tournament at John Cropp Stadium, where they beat Ballard Memorial 7-2 on June 5 before falling to Bullitt East 16-8 in the quarterfinals on June 6. Hazard High School called the run a “HISTORIC RUN!!!” in June posts, a note that matched the way the team pushed past the regional level and into the state bracket.

Perry County Central built its case in the district tournament and across a 21-10 season. The Commodores finished 4-0 in district play, beat Belfry 10-0 on May 15, shut out Buckhorn 12-0 on May 16 and then defeated Hazard 4-0 on May 19 to claim the 54th District championship. That district result mattered beyond one trophy, because it showed Perry Central beating a region champion at the exact point where postseason pressure was highest.

Taken together, the honors pointed to more than a one-year spike. Hazard and Perry County Central were both visible in a regional awards process handled by the same four-voter panel that had also been used for the 2025 Appalachian Newspapers All Mountain football team, which included Perry County among its represented areas. That continuity turned the softball mention into part of a longer pattern, one that keeps Perry County programs in the regional conversation season after season and gives next spring’s teams a clear standard to chase.