That’s a wrap on remembering the 50 greatest NKY prep sports teams!
And just like that, we’ve reached the end of our journey through the 50 Greatest Prep Sports Teams in Northern Kentucky.
What started as an idea to have a little fun during the slower days of summer turned into a project that took a whole lot of time, plenty of conversations and more than a few trips down memory lane. We hope you enjoyed reading these stories as much as we enjoyed putting them together.
This list was never meant to be a definitive ranking from No. 1 to No. 50. Instead, it was a collection of some of the greatest teams Northern Kentucky has produced over the years…teams that left their mark through championships, dominance, standout players, memorable coaches and moments that have stuck with fans long after the final whistle.
State championships were almost certainly a requirement for consideration, but they weren’t the only thing we looked at. We considered teams that dominated their competition, rosters filled with special athletes, outstanding coaches and programs that helped shape the sports landscape in Northern Kentucky.
We also cheated a little.
In some cases, we lumped dominant teams together, particularly programs that won multiple consecutive state championships. Doing that allowed us to recognize more teams and more eras of excellence. We know there will be disagreements, and that’s OK. In fact, that’s part of what makes sports so much fun.
A project like this wouldn’t have been possible without the people who helped make it happen. A special thank you goes to our panel of dedicated and long-time Northern Kentucky sports fans who shared their memories, knowledge and opinions. Their perspective helped us sort through decades of great teams and identify the programs and seasons most deserving of recognition.
And, of course, thank you to everyone who read, shared, commented, debated and reminisced along the way. Whether one of your favorite teams made the list or you thought we left someone out, we appreciate you taking the time to follow along.
We also want to reiterate that this list focused on team sports. We have tremendous respect for the accomplishments of Northern Kentucky athletes in golf, tennis, wrestling, bowling, track and field and cross country. But because we consider those individual sports, they weren’t included in this project.
Most of all, this was about remembering.
Northern Kentucky has a remarkable sports history, filled with championship teams, legendary coaches, unforgettable players and communities that rallied around their schools. We hope this series brought back some great memories and introduced younger fans to some of the teams that helped build the area’s athletic tradition.
Thank you for spending part of your summer with us. It was a lot of work, but it was also a whole lot of fun.
Until the next trip down memory lane, thanks for reading and keep talking sports.
Day 50: 1953-54 Newport boys basketball
Newport basketball in the 1950s was the standard for Northern Kentucky. In 1954, it was the program’s first trip to the state championship game and came during one of the strongest stretches in school history. In that decade alone, they won seven district titles, four region titles and won five state tournament games, three of them coming in 1954.
The Wildcats were guided by Stan Arnzen, who was a former pro baseball and basketball player. In his 22 years coaching at Newport, he never had a losing season and was later inducted into the KHSAA Hall of Fame. He compiled a 452-158 record and reached the Sweet 16 five times.
In 1954, Newport went all the way to the state championship game at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington before losing to a 32-2 Inez team in front of 12,000 fans. Inez was led by Billy Ray Cassady, who went on to play at Kentucky under Adolph Rupp and won a national championship in 1958.
They defeated Lafayette, Bourbon Vocational and Ashland on their way there for their best finish in program history.
Lawrence Redmond was the star of the team. Other key players included Ed Huffman, John Ratliff, Gary Rawe, Ronald Derrick and Don Walz.
The talented team followed it up in 1955 with a trip to the semifinals before losing to Hazard.
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
Day 37: 1940 Newport Baseball
Day 38: 2018 Covington Catholic Basketball
Day 39: 2022 Notre Dame Volleyball
Day 40: 2005-06 Highlands Girls Soccer
Day 41: 2007-08 Holmes boys basketball
Day 42: 1994 Notre Dame Volleyball
Day 43: 2010 St. Henry Girls Soccer
Day 44: 2016-17 Cooper boys basketball
Day 45: 1964-65 Holy Cros boys basketball
Day 46: 1956 Newport Catholic baseball
Day 47: 1996-97 Highlands boys basketball
Day 48: 1993 Covington Catholic football
Day 49: 2006 Beechwood baseball
Day 50: 1953-54 Newport boys basketball
