A host of outstanding student-athletes will become the newest members of the Harlan County Public Schools Frank Brittain Academic and Athletic Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
University of Virginia at Wise Lady Cavalier and former Harlan County High School Lady Bear Ella Karst and University of Kentucky Wildcat and former Harlan County Black Bear Trent Noah are the individual honorees this year.
The Harlan County High School 2023-2024 Lady Bear Cross Country Team and the 2023-2024 Harlan County Black Bear Basketball Team will become the first teams to ever been inducted since the hall of fame was established in 2002.
There have been only 52 students inducted prior to this class of honorees.
Harlan County Schools Superintendent Brent D. Roark said the public is invited to attend the event, which will begin at 4 p.m. in the Harlan County High School auditorium.
Traditionally, the event has taken place at the central administrative office building where the hall of fame is located. However, with the number of athletes being honored this year, their parents and supporters, a decision was made to hold the event in the auditorium.
Roark said he is excited to see Karst and Noah and the members of the two HC teams added to the hall of fame.
“Hard work, dedication and commitment are vital and all of these outstanding student-athletes fulfilled the criteria for admission,” said Roark. “We have great academic and athletic facilities in Harlan County Public Schools and it is great to see our students earn such significant honors. I commend each one of them. I am thankful for each of them and wish them the best in all of their endeavors. We are all proud of their outstanding accomplishments.”
Harlan County High School Athletic Director Eugene Farmer said, “The part that I take the most solace in is the fact that there were no easy games, no easy meets, and we had to outwork everyone to put ourselves in position to win and be successful.
“Our hope is that all of our younger players and our youth in Harlan County now understand that those dreams of competing for a State Championship or earning that Division I Scholarship can become a reality, but you can only get there by outworking your opponents. While others were sleeping, Trent Noah and Ella Karst were getting up shots, working out and pushing their bodies to the max. While others submitted to the pain, Peyton Lunsford kept driving in pursuit of greatness. That’s the legacy and the example that these kids on both teams set forth and what I personally admire, respect, and appreciate most about them.”
ELLA KARST
Ella is the second all-time leading scorer in all of Harlan County girls’ basketball history. She attends a NCAA Division Il university on full scholarship at the University of Virginia at Wise.
She finished second in scoring at HCHS with 2,315 points from 2020-24 for the Lady Bears and held the second highest point total in Harlan County high school history for all schools at 2,828 from 2018-2024.
She finished her career with 582 rebounds and received many accolades for her success on the court. One notable honor was being named the 13th region "Player of the Year," making her a candidate for "Miss Kentucky Basketball."
Ella was a five-time 52nd District all-tournament team; three time 13th Region all-tournament team; and two time 13th Region first team player.
Ella was a part of the HCHS track and field team. She finished by breaking four school records, including as an individual in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. As a team event she broke the 4 x 100 meter relay and the 4 x 200 meter relay record.
She was a four-time 2A Region champion winning all of her events and a team champion. She competed as a four-time KHSAA track and field championship qualifier and earned all-state academic honors. She was a member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society, Gifted and Talented, Spanish Honor Society, Den Keepers, yearbook staff and represented HCHS as the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Princess candidate.
TRENT BRYANT NOAH
Trent's final game as a Harlan County Black Bear was the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen Championship game at Rupp Arena. Battling for a state title, during his senior year, was a highlight of his basketball career. However, his basketball career continues as a member of the University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball team. After earning twenty-five Division I athletic scholarship offers, Trent opted to wear the blue and white and signed with UK in May 2024.
Trent had an exceptional high school career as he was named a 4 Star Recruit and nationally ranked at 108 in the Class of 2024. He is the all-time leading scorer in Harlan County, fifth all-time leading scorer in the state of Kentucky, holds the record for most 3 pointers made in a Sweet Sixteen single game, sole member of the 3,000 Points Club at HCHS, ranked as Kentucky's number one shooting guard and number two overall by Prep Hoops.
He was the first Mr. Kentucky Basketball candidate from Harlan County High School and earned top honors in the 13th Region and All State Honors multiple years.
He represented Kentucky in the Kentucky-Indiana All Star series and represented America as a member of the Junior International Team that played in Italy.
Local government recognized Trent's athletic accomplishments by issuing a proclamation that May 31, 2024, was deemed Trent Noah Day.
While the individual accomplishments were many for Trent, his most joyful basketball memories include cutting down the nets when the Black Bears won the 13th Region tournament and the team advancing during the Sweet Sixteen.
LADY BEAR CROSS COUNTRY
Lady Bear Cross Country Coach Ryan Vitatoe said he is elated to see his squad gain the hall of fame distinction.
“This remarkable group of young women is beyond deserving of this honor. They broke barriers in our sport and paved the way for all those who will follow them. They proved that any team or individual from Harlan County High School is as capable as any school in the state and can be competitive at the highest level. I'm proud of them.”
This team not only finished as the 2-A state runner-up, but recorded a remarkable undefeated season, were Area IX Conference Champion, district and 2A Region 7 champions.
Among the team were two All-State selections and 10 Academic All-State selections.
Vitatoe said, “They will remember this for the rest of their lives as one of the first teams to be inducted into this prestigious club. As long as I coach, I'll point to this group of young women as the example of what's possible when you work hard, believe in yourself, and refuse to give up. Congratulations to all ten of these student-athletes!”
Team members being honored are Olivia Kelly, Taylor Clem, Lauren Lewis, Jaycee Simpson, Charli Shepherd, Peyton Lunsford, Gracie Roberts, Preslee Hensley, Addi Gray, Aliyah Deleon and Kiera Roberts and Coach Ryan Vitatoe, along with his assistants Abby Vitatoe, Baili Bailey and Miranda Epperson.
BLACK BEAR BASKETBALL
Noah will also join his teammates as a group induction for the 2024 KHSAA Sweet Sixteen Runner-Up. Also being inducted are Maddox Huff, Caleb Johnson, Jaycee Carter, Reggie Cottrell, Brody Napier, Landon Brock, Brennan Blevins, Cole Cornett, Kayden Hensley, Brady Freeman, Bryson Bryant, Gunnar Johnson, Mason Himes, and Shemar Carr. Coach Kyle Jones and his assistants Dondi Noah, Gary Greer and Cameron Carmical will be recognized, along with Team Manager Blake Carmical.
Jones said, “"What this team accomplished had not been done in this county in over 80 years, since the days of Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones. Kentucky High School basketball is one of only two states in the U.S. that competes for one state champion regardless of class or size of school. There are 276 boys high school basketball teams who compete for this title and this team finished number two. What this small-town team accomplished is simply amazing if you really sit down and think about it. They will forever be remembered and will always be special to our community."
The Bears compiled a 34-5 overall record, were 18-0 against 13th Region teams, undefeated with an 8-0 52nd District record, 52nd District Champions, 13th Region Champions, KHSAA Sweet 16 Runner-Up, WYMT Mountain Classic Champions, 3-1 Arby's Classic (Bristol, TN), and 3-1 King of the Bluegrass (Louisville).
Jones noted that “This is such a wonderful honor, I do want to mention, that this past season our 2024-2025 team finished runner- up in the 2A state as well, like track in 2023-24, I think sometimes that goes unnoticed, but I want to give this past year's team credit as well.”
ABOUT THE HALL OF FAME
Brittain worked for 64 years in the school district as a teacher, principal and maintenance/facilities director. The hall of fame has strict admission criteria to maintain high academic, extra-curricular and athletic standards.
Applications for the 2025 class will soon be available on the school district’s webpage.
The hall of fame’s governing committee consists of post-secondary educators, retired teachers and professionals, and representatives from various business and civic organizations.