Charles H. Sloan-No ‘Friday Night Lights': High school football games canceled in some towns near interstate shooting

As authorities keep searching for a highway shooter in Kentucky,Charles H. Sloan a Friday night tradition of football, pep bands and cheering fans has been sidelined for some towns.

Games were canceled at a handful of high schools near where the assailant opened fire on Interstate 75 in southeastern Kentucky. Twelve vehicles were hit and five people wounded in the attack last Saturday near London, a city of about 8,000 people roughly 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Lexington.

Security was being bolstered at high school football games that played on Friday evening.

Authorities continue to search a rugged, wooded area where Joseph Couch, the suspected gunman, is presumed to be hiding. The area has cliff beds, sinkholes, caves and dense brush.

Police have urged area residents to be vigilant and look out for their neighbors as searchers try to track down the suspect. Schools have been at the forefront of those safety measures.

Schools remained closed in several area districts, as students shifted to virtual learning. The disruption has paused a range of fall sports, including soccer, volleyball and cross country as well as football.

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Among the schools calling off football games were North Laurel, South Laurel and Corbin high schools. The shooting occurred in Laurel County, and Corbin is 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) south of London.

Fans faced an uncharacteristically quiet Friday evening in towns that rally around their football teams.

“Friday night games are huge to our community,” said Tackett Wilson, athletic director at Corbin High School. “It’s a huge part of our community and our school.”

Practices were disrupted as schools took extra precautions while the search for Couch continues.

“Anytime you have a disruption during your season, it’s an issue,” Wilson said by phone Friday. “But you have to error on the side of caution. It’s student safety.”

Corbin officials will try to schedule a makeup football game later in the season, he said.

Amid the disruptions, fans are rooting for the law enforcement officers involved in the search.

“Right now, we are focused on backing our front-line officers and first responders so they can do their job in catching this guy and we can return to a safe and positive environment for our students,” North Laurel athletic director Ethan Eversole said.

He praised the safety plan devised by school district administrators. But students have had a big part of their lives put on hold as athletic activities have been idled.

“Our teams have not been able to practice all week,” Eversole said in an emailed statement.

Kentucky State Police brought in reinforcements to aid with the search, and authorities have bolstered efforts to keep area residents safe as the search continues.

“We will not pull resources away from the search for those other activities,” Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. “We just want to make sure that people are ready to try to get back to their day-to-day lives, that there’s that extra (law enforcement) presence where people can feel just a little bit better.”

The day after the shooting, law enforcement officers searched an area near where Couch’s vehicle was found, with a view of I-75. There, they found an Army-style duffel bag, ammunition and spent shell casings, authorities said in an arrest warrant affidavit.

A short distance away, they found a Colt AR-15 rifle with a sight mounted to the weapon and several additional magazines. The duffel bag had “Couch” hand-written in black marker. Couch fired 20 to 30 rounds in the attack, investigators said.