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!
1980-81 Simon Kenton Boys Basketball
The Year of the Pioneer!
The 1980-81 Simon Kenton Pioneers produced one of the most memorable championship seasons in Northern Kentucky basketball history.
When Simon Kenton needed a community to rally, Troy McKinley and Simon Kenton’s basketball team came through. A gas explosion in the basement boiler room killed a student in the art room next door and hurt several others on Oct. 9, 1980. The Pioneers had no gym and had to practice anywhere they could find gym time. They eventually made their way to Rupp Arena and the Sweet 16, winning it all in 1981, the first Northern Kentucky school to claim a boys’ state basketball title.
McKinley was the tournament MVP and later went on to play at the University of Kentucky.
Larry Miller was the head coach and it took a lot of coaching to win it all. They didn’t dominate the Sweet 16, they won four games by a total of 11 points at the state tournament. They downed Knott County Central 64-62 in the first round, Virgie 84-83 in the quarterfinals, Moore 71-70 in the semis and won by what could be portrayed as a blowout in their standards with a 70-63 championship victory over Mason County.
They almost never even made it to Rupp, but Simon Kenton played like a team of destiny. They had to make up an eight-point deficit in the last two minutes to win the 33rd District semifinal in double overtime. McKinley came up huge in the quarterfinals against Virgie, Billy Meier hitting the game-winning shot against Moore in the semifinals.
With the community behind them, thousands of Simon Kenton fans ushered into Rupp and the Pioneers finished off the deed, becoming the first in NKY to claim a state basketball title. McKinley, Meier and the rest – most notably, Dave Dixon, Greg Ponzer, Alan Mullins and Sean Dougherty etched their names in history.
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
Day 20: 1979 Notre Dame Volleyball
Day 21: 1977 Bellevue Football
Day 22: 2015 Holy Cross Girls Basketball
Day 23: 1970 Highlands Football
Day 24: 2013 Notre Dame Soccer
Day 25: 2011 Highlands Football
Day 26: 2015 Covington Catholic Soccer
Day 27: 1997 Beechwood Football
Day 28: 1994 Highlands Girls Basketball
Day 29: 2017 Covington Catholic Football
Day 30: 1978 Holmes Boys Basketball
