We gave you the 50 greatest sports icons from NKY last summer. Since we had so much fun with that, we’re bringing you another list of the 50 greatest things this summer…The 50 greatest prep sports teams from NKY.
Each day for the next 50 days, we’ll release one of the area’s 50 greatest prep sports teams. It starts June 22 and runs into August. This is not a ranking 1-50, it’s just a collection of the 50 best sports teams ever assembled.
We’ll preface this by saying you may or may not agree with all 50 and that’s fine. Sports editor Evan Dennison assembled a panel of dedicated and longly-tenured NKY sports fans to weigh in and give their takes on who should be on the list. I trust those people because of their history and knowledge of the game in NKY. We compiled numerous lists and identified the most certain candidates for inclusion.
Some of the traits we sought in these teams were state championships (almost certainly a requirement), dominance, and standout players and coaches. We may have cheated a little by lumping some dominant teams together that achieved numerous consecutive state titles, but that gives a few more teams an opportunity to be recognized.
I hope you enjoy this, as sports are slow in the summer. This list serves as a way to remember the past a little and keep you entertained daily as it continues.
Another note, while we respect and give coverage to golf, tennis, wrestling, bowling, track and field and cross country, we consider those individual sports, so any teams from those sports will not make the list.
Here we go!
1979 Notre Dame volleyball
In 1979, the first year of the KHSAA state volleyball championship, a powerhouse was born.
Playing in the inaugural state tournament, the Notre Dame Pandas defeated Our Lady of Providence 2-1 (12-15, 15-12, 15-12) in the championship match at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington to claim the title. The victory was the first of what would eventually become 10 state championships for the Pandas, the second most all-time.
Notre Dame dominated the state tournament from start to finish. The Pandas posted a perfect 3-0 record in pool play, defeating Assumption, Ashland and Our Lady of Providence. They then overwhelmed Highlands in the semifinals before rallying from a first-set loss to defeat Our Lady of Providence for the championship.
The Pandas were led by head coach Joan Shadley Mazzaro-Epping, whose influence on Notre Dame athletics was extraordinary. She led the Pandas to five state championships, finishing as state runner-up twice, and capturing 12 regional titles. She also guided Notre Dame to two state golf championships while coaching five different sports during her 13 years at the school and serving as athletic director. A standout athlete at Mount St. Joseph, Mazzaro-Epping was later inducted into the Mount St. Joseph Hall of Fame, the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, and the LaRosa’s High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Notre Dame’s championship run was fueled by standout players Jill Kohrs Leick, Paula Darpel Alberto, and Mary Jill Hugan, all of whom earned State All-Tournament honors. Kohrs later became one of the finest collegiate volleyball players in Miami (Ohio) history, helping the team win three Mid-American Conference championships, earning First Team All-MAC honors in 1982, and helping lead the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Those three and the rest of the 1979 Pandas set the a program standard for years to come.
Here’s the rundown of the 50 greatest NKY prep sports teams day by day:
Day 1: 1998 Highlands Football
Day 2: 1963 Holmes Baseball
Day 3: 2019 Covington Catholic football
Day 4: 2021 Notre Dame Academy Girls Soccer
Day 5: 1960 Highlands Football
Day 6: 1980 Villa Madonna Volleyball
Day 7: 1976 Lloyd Memorial Football
Day 8: 2009 Holmes Boys Basketball
Day 9: 1991 Beechwood Football
Day 10: 1954 Newport Catholic Baseball
Day 11: 1982 Highlands Football
Day 12: 2019 Ryle Girls Basketball
Day 13: 1987 Boone County Football
Day 14: 1981 St. Henry Volleyball
Day 15: 2021 Beechwood Football
Day 16: 2002 Covington Catholic Baseball
Day 17: 1957 Highlands Football
Day 18: 2006 Ryle Softball
Day 19: 1975 Ludlow Football