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!
2021 Highlands boys’ basketball
Highlands had long been synonymous with football dominance in Kentucky, but in 2021 it was the Bluebirds’ basketball team that made program history.
After opening the season 9-4, including three losses to 9th Region opponents, Highlands caught fire. The Bluebirds won their final 21 games while posting a perfect record against the remainder of their region schedule. The historic run ended with the program’s first KHSAA Sweet 16 state championship as Highlands finished 30-4 overall and 15-3 against 9th Region competition.
The Bluebirds didn’t just win, they dominated. After their fourth loss, they defeated 9th Region opponents by an average of 25.7 points, and only two of their final 21 victories were decided by single digits.
Highlands was equally impressive on the state’s biggest stage, winning all four Sweet 16 games by double digits with an average margin of victory of 18.3 points, capped by a 79-60 victory over Elizabethtown in the championship game.
The Bluebirds also put together one of the greatest 3-point shooting performances in Sweet 16 history. Highlands set the state tournament record with 38 made 3-pointers, including 12 in the opening-round win over Muhlenberg County, 11 in the quarterfinals against McCracken County and 10 in the championship game against Elizabethtown, averaging 9.5 made 3-pointers per game.
Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and 9th Region Player of the Year Sam Vinson earned Sweet 16 Most Valuable Player honors after averaging 22.3 points and 9.4 rebounds as a senior. He went on to play at Northern Kentucky University before beginning his professional career in Australia. Luke Muller averaged 16.9 points and later played golf at NKU, while William Herald and Zachary Barth also averaged double figures in scoring.
The Bluebirds were coached by current head coach Kevin Listerman. Who had a solid playing career at both Covington Catholic and NKU.
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
