FRANKFORT – Kentucky’s Tobacco Quitline is proud to announce that Hazard’s Jon Combs is the inaugural TACKLING TOBACCO Player of the Year.  The TACKLING TOBACCO Player of the Year honors the best high school football players in Kentucky.  Fans from across the state selected Combs from among ten finalists for the honor.  Combs received 12,639 votes with Collins High School’s Branden Cresap finishing second with 11,865 votes.  DeSales High School’s Garrit Leicht finished third (10,257) in the voting. 

On December 3, Combs will lead the 14-0 Hazard Bulldogs against Mayfield for the Class 1A Championship at the KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl.  For the season, Combs has 4,117 yards of total offense with 57 touchdowns.  Combs led Hazard to a 10-0 regular-season, completing 77-percent of his passes for 2,653 yards with 37 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 151 pass attempts while rushing for 383 yards with four scores.  In four playoff games, Combs has totaled 1,081 yards with 16 touchdowns, throwing for 900 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 181 yards with five scores.

Combs earned the week two TACKLING TOBACCO Player of the Week honor after totaling 471 yards of offense with five touchdowns in Hazard’s 48-34 win over Letcher County Central.  As a weekly winner, Combs was a finalist for the TACKLING TOBACCO Player of the Year Honor.

Hazard’s Jon Combs voted TACKLING TOBACCO Player of the Year

“The Sports Flash” (TSF) Radio Network commissioned Jostens, Inc. to create a unique ring that will be presented to Combs as the TACKLING TOBACCO Player of the Year.    Fans voted for the ring design that will be presented to Combs as the Player of the Year.  Click here to view the winning ring design.