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!
2017-2018 Covington Catholic basketball
Four years after winning the program’s first KHSAA state championship, Covington Catholic added another trophy to the case.
The Colonels ended the season on a 23-game winning streak, capturing both the 9th Region and KHSAA Sweet 16 state championships. It was the program’s second state title, following the 2014 championship, as CovCath finished 35-4.
The Colonels’ four losses all came during their first 16 games of the season, but CovCath got revenge for two of them. In back-to-back regular-season games, the Colonels fell to Fern Creek and Cooper, their only loss to a 9th Region opponent.
In the postseason, Covington Catholic got Cooper back in the 9th Region semifinals before avenging their loss to Fern Creek in the Sweet 16 quarterfinals. The Colonels then rolled past Oldham County 67-28 in the state semifinals before defeating Scott County, the team they beat for the 2014 state title, 73-55 in the championship.
Head coach Scott Ruthsatz captured his second state championship at Covington Catholic, while CJ Fredrick led the Colonels. Fredrick earned Sweet 16 Most Valuable Player honors after scoring 32 points in the championship game. He went on to play collegiately at Iowa, Kentucky and Cincinnati and is now a graduate assistant for the University of Miami men’s basketball team.
Scott Ruthsatz’s son Aiden averaged 14.9 points after older brother Nick Ruthsatz helped win the 2014 state title. Nick Thelen, Jack Davin, Tyler Fleek, Casey Nowak and brothers AJ Mayer and Michael Mayer—both standout football players—also played key roles.
CovCath ranked among the state’s best in fewest points allowed, average margin of victory, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and 3-point percentage.
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
Day 31: 1996 Highlands Football
Day 32: 1981 Simon Kenton Boys Basketball
Day 33: 1946 Holmes Football
Day 34: 2014 Covington Catholic Basketball
Day 35: 1951 Bellevue Football
Day 36: 2021 Highlands Boys Basketball