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!
1997 Beechwood football
Beechwood has long been synonymous with championship football in Kentucky, and few teams in the Tigers’ storied history embodied that success better than the undefeated 1997 state champions.
Led by legendary head coach Mike Yeagle, who captured eight state championships during his remarkable career, the ’97 squad delivered the fifth of those titles.
The Tigers defeated a Harrodsburg team led by Mr. Football, future University of Kentucky standout, and future NFL player Dennis Johnson, 26-0 in the Class 1A state championship game. After a scoreless first half, Beechwood pulled away behind four second-half touchdowns from running back Adam Wulfeck.
The victory completed the Tigers’ third undefeated season of the 1990s, as they finished with a perfect 14-0 record. The season also included a victory over nearby rival Covington Catholic, which went on to win the Class 3A state championship.
Wulfeck was one of the state’s most versatile players, powering the Tigers’ offense while also starring at defensive back, punting, and handling the place-kicking duties before continuing his career as a punter at the University of Cincinnati, where he earned All-Conference USA honors three times. Quarterback Derek Estep joined him in the backfield behind a dominant offensive line anchored by Dan Woolley, who also starred on the defensive line before continuing his career at Georgetown College and later serving as Scott High School’s head coach from 2012 to 2018, and Wayne Holderman, who also played defensive end before going on to play college football. Scott Coyle and Josh Bishop joined Wulfeck to form a powerful backfield, while Joey List made several big plays at tight end and also played linebacker.
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
