Wayne County football coach Shawn Thompson has always wanted to be part of a team that was still playing the game at Thanksgiving. He got his wish this year, as the Cardinals, who earned a regional championship at Louisville Central last Friday night, November 22, played in the Class 3A state semi-final this past week.

The Cards knocked off Central 17-7 to win the Class 3A Region 2 title. It marked the first time in program history that Wayne County has won a regional championship.

“This was a big win for our kids, our program, our school and our community. This shows hard work, dedication and doing the right things certainly pays off. We have another big one this (Nov. 29) Friday, and we’ll do everything we can to keep this season rolling,” the Cards coach said.

The Cards traveled to Paducah Tilghman for the state semi-final contest Friday night, November 29 (too late for press deadline.)

Tilghman advanced to the contest with an 8-7 win over South Warren. The winner advanced to the Class 3A title game which will be played in Bowling Green Friday, December 6.

“We’re excited to still be playing, and it’s certainly going to take another focused week of preparation for a Tilghman team that is playing as well as anybody in the state,” Thompson said.

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PHI Air Medical is an air ambulance service with a new base at the Wayne County Airport.

With a staff of four nurses, four paramedics, four pilots and one mechanic, PHI will be available at all times to respond to any emergency requiring helicopter response. Each flight carries one nurse, one paramedic and one pilot.

PHI offers residents of Wayne County PHI Cares memberships at an annual fee of $40 per household.

Members are protected financially if their bill is not fully paid by their insurance company.

PHI is a versatile company providing different regions with different service programs.

Wayne County has a community program meaning that PHI employs the medical crew, pilot, mechanic and provides the helicopter. They do not have a partnership with a particular hospital.

Some areas have traditional partnerships in which PHI provides the helicopter, pilot and mechanic, and the hospital employs the medical staff.

In this situation, the helicopter would have the hospital’s name on it, and the hospital would be the base.

The hybrid program is a mix of the traditional and community programs. PHI provides the entire staff but has partnered with a particular hospital.

All five bases in Kentucky–Paducah, Greenville, Morehead, London and now Monticello–are community bases.

The crew at the Monticello base made it clear that safety is the number one priority. Before responding to a call, the crew performs various preflight checks.

If just one member feels uneasy about taking off, the helicopter stays on the ground.

Each aircraft in the company is equipped with night vision goggles to keep everyone safe around the clock.

These policies along with many others are why PHI has been recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for safety.

The helicopter operating out of the Monticello base has some impressive features. It is a twin engine aircraft which speaks again to safety being a priority.

Most helicopters must fly at low altitudes to keep the ground in view. PHI helicopters are Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) capable. This means a pilot can enter a flight plan and use the aircraft’s instruments to fly above cloud cover much like a commercial jet. The pilot can fly anywhere with a GPS approach. PHI pilots have a minimum of 2,000 flight hours.

To learn more about PHI Air Medical and how to become a member, visit www.phiairmedical.com or stop by the base at the Wayne County Airport.