The Walker County Coal War

Walker County is in the heart of the Eastern Kentucky coal country. Since the 1980s coal production in the county has been on a downward trend. Three years ago, the Board of Education decided to take the money the Kentucky Department of Education offered to replace their two aging high schools and replace it with a new county wide high school. The Walker County Coal War tells the story of the Walker County Explorers Varsity Boys Basketball team's inaugural season. Berlin High School parents were satisfied with the education their children were receiving and do not want the "coal patch" Whitewater kids in the same school as their kids. The Whitewater Kids will want to fight and steal things from the Berlin kids. They are also concerned that the teachers will have to work extra hard to catch the Whitewater kids up which will make the Berlin kids behind others entering college. Whitewater High School parents do not want their kids to go to a school where they will get picked on by the Nazi's mine owner kids of Berlin. The teachers at this new school will also not understand the special needs of some of the Whitewater students. Many Whitewater parents do not envision a life for their boys other than working in the mine and can not see how a new school will change that. While all these issues are true, they are not the real reason that everyone is against the consolidation. During basketball season both communities support their boys on the court. It is since of pride and rite of passage for a boy to represent his family and community as either Berlin Bulldog or Whitewater Wildcat. Stories of historic games and teams are more important to these communities than the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the battle of Gettysburg, or D-day and many of the citizens of Walker County see consolidation as their trail of tears. Uniting these two communities will be difficult to say the least as The Walker County Coal War is coming to an end. Principal Bill Caster is hoping that Superintendent Robert William's plan of uniting the communities with basketball is successful. Bill is extremely skeptical when Brent Paxson a young man with no coaching experience is brought in from West Virginia to become the first varsity coach of the Walker County Explorers. Brent Paxson has already had plenty of hardwood success scoring over a thousand points in high school and playing at Blue Ridge State. He also has personal experience with consolidation as his school merged with another while he was in high school. He is a first-year teacher and coach, a long way from his hometown, and has the hopes and dreams of the whole county riding on his young shoulders. Does he have what it takes to unite two schools that in their final game against each other had one of the biggest fights in KHSAA history? The ones with the most to lose or gain are the boys that used to make up the Berlin and Whitewater basketball teams. Whitewater seniors Darren Moore and Jerry Ross will not have a final chance to finally defeat Berlin seniors Steve Doyle and Jeff Wingate but now must put many years to rivalry and drama behind them and learn to trust each other and work together. Many in the community expect practices full of fist fights, out of control parents, and the rich and powerful of Berlin getting preferential treatment. Can Coach Paxson unite these boys and make them one of the most successful teams in the history of Walker County?The Walker County Coal War is much more than a basketball story. Within it are stories of community pride, local politics, and a love story. Throughout the story you will meet the many multi-generational characters of Walker County that will make you feel like you have been there. Purchase your ticket, pick up a bag of popcorn, and get ready to cheer on the Walker County Explorers.