
Eckert walks out of press conference after 'spygate' questions
Southampton's Tonda Eckert walks out of press conference after 'spygate' questions

Tony Leader of Boyd County earned All-Area honors after a third-place finish at the state tournament, marking a significant achievement for the wrestling program. His commitment and work ethic have been pivotal in the team's recent success.
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CANNONSBURG For a half-century, Boyd County wasnât recognized on a state tournament medal podium.
The program needed a Leader to find its way. The Lions have been well-represented in the last two seasons by Tony Leader. The senior stood proudly after a third-place finish at this yearâs state event.
Boyd County coach Clayton McClelland said Leaderâs impact far exceeds his technical talents on the mat.
âTonyâs commitment and work ethic are unlike any other,â McClelland said. âItâs the formula for their success. Itâs the work he puts in during the offseason, and the team is finding camps and competing in extra wrestling over the summer. It pays off for them. Heâs not a man of many words. Heâs very well-respected by his teammates and by other teams around the state of Kentucky.â
Leader stays excited about the growth of the Lions program and wrestling in the area. The dedication has improved his game and established a mindset to keep the sport moving forward.
âIt really means a lot to me to help build something with this program and be a part of something thatâs rising,â Leader said. âWe have been there, and then you can decide the example for others to follow.
âYou keep building this program. Iâm going to show guys about working hard and how that could lead to winning tournaments.â
Leader won plenty of those in his final year. He ended the season with a 45-2 record, a Region 8 crown, and only tasted defeat once in seven state matches against the eventual state 165-pound champion, Boyle Countyâs Micah Thompson.
Former state champion Dalton Matney of Johnson Central, Thompson and Leader will be teammates next season at Georgetown College, making the Tigers even tougher to pin down.
âTony got hurt during the season and lost about two weeks of the season,â McClelland said. âPeople see the work ethic, and he leads by example on the mat. Itâs a great thing to have.â
The Daily Independent named Leader its 2025-26 Boys All-Area Wrestler of the Year in the 157 to 285-pound division. The senior changed weight classes before the season started. He didnât know what to expect, but it turned out to be a successful decision.
âThe weight cut was definitely a lot easier on me,â Leader said. âIt felt more natural to me, and I think I definitely felt a lot stronger in that weight class.
âI want to keep working on my body and make sure that Iâm prepared to compete at the college level,â he added.
Johnson Central had a few question marks to begin the season after the graduation of key personnel. The program never needs to rebuild. It reloads with talent and a solid tradition thatâs the foundation of the program.
âThese guys are just tough,â Johnson Central coach Blake Gamble said. âIt was a tricky year coming into the season. We had a lot of inexperienced guys filling roster spots because they were wrestling in their first region and state meets.
Tony Leader finished third at the state tournament and received All-Area honors.
Leader's commitment and work ethic have greatly influenced the team's success and growth in recent seasons.
The coach of the Boyd County wrestling team is Clayton McClelland.
The team's success is attributed to offseason training, participation in camps, and Leader's leadership.

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âWe just continued to get a little better every week,â he added. âIt looked a little ugly sometimes in December. It took a little time to round up and be at peak performance. I thought we did a great job of peaking at the right time at the end of February.â
After runner-up finishes in the previous two seasons, the growing Golden Eagles placed sixth in the team standings at the state meet, and four wrestlers earned their spot on the medal podium. Matney battled his way to second at 165 pounds. Ryan Smith made consecutive trips to the state championship meet in the 138-pound division.
âThey did a good job of buying into what we asked them to do,â Gamble said. âWrestling is such a tough sport. It says so much about these kids, mentally and physically, that they can take some losses early in the year, get back into practice, and continue to work. It worked out for us at the end of the season.â
Johnson Central claimed repeat honorees. Gamble was named the All-Area Coach of the Year. Smith grabbed Wrestler of the Year honors for the 106 to 150-pound division.
âAfter the state championship last year, the following Monday, weâre back on the practice mat,â Gamble said. âRyanâs put himself in a good position to be successful. You could tell that he was determined after being a state runner-up. He deserves all the praise and all the success that come his way. He works very hard.â
Smith showed his determination to get back and reclaim his spot at the state meet and the Region 8 title.
The Golden Eagles have 11 wrestlers on the All-Area team. Isaac Adkins (285 pounds; third place at region), Gabe Blackburn (190 pounds; second place at region), Noah Clouse (113 pounds; third place at region), Landon Howard (132 pounds; Carson Matney (120 pounds; first place at region), Dalton Matney (165 pounds; region and state runner-up), Heath May (106 pounds; second place at region), James Morris (144 pounds; first place at region, third place at state), Dylan Peck (215 pounds; second place at region) and Zac Scott (157 pounds; second place at region, fifth place at state) join Smith on the roster.
âI really just tried to work even harder than I did last year,â Smith said. âI feel like it did pay off in the end.
âItâs really enjoyable seeing my teammates have success. Weâve had a lot of fun over the years. Itâs a privilege to wear the jersey. I enjoy the pressure that comes with it. It makes me work harder.â
Boyd County improved 10 spots in the team state standings. The Lions bring seven wrestlers to the All-Area mat.
Region 8 champions, Bentley Brown and Chase Gillum, who combined for 95 wins and also stood on a state podium; Brown was sixth at 132 pounds and Gillum finished third at 150, along with Jace Bowling, Kaiden Nottingham, Cameron Thompson and Cayden Thompson, accompany Leader on the team.
Ashlandâs Nathaniel Williams ended his season on a high note. After winning a Region 8 175-pound title and standing in sixth place on the state podium, he can call himself a national champion after taking the title in the Cadet 171-pound weight class at the Ohio Tournament of Champions.
Itâs Americaâs only national modified wrestling championship. Wrestlers from 30 states competed at the event. Williamsâs bracket had 18 wrestlers from seven different states.
Ashland had five on the All-Area team with Region 8 285-pound champion Wyatt Riley, Cameron Burnside, Branden Mcgee and Taner Woodman.
Rowan Countyâs Liam Skinner collected a Region 8 title in the 126-pound division.
Greenup Countyâs Hunter Crabtree and David Craig, East Carterâs Parker Fouch and West Carterâs Peyton Walker round out the All-Area roster.
Team comprised from postseason placement and season success. The Daily Independent staff selected the Wrestlers and Coach of the Year.