The 2024 Operation UNITE Archery State Championships presented by UK HealthCare concluded at Central Bank Center in Lexington on Tuesday and Northern Kentucky came away with a individual state champion and team runner-up finish.
Scott’s Lexus Goff earned the girls individual title with a 296 while Ryle’s boys finished runner-up in the boys team competition. Goff picked the best day for a near perfect score, hitting on 26 tens and four 9’s. She edged out Jenkins’ Kimber Collins, who had a score of 295.
Goff’s 296 was a career best.
“It’s a dream come true,” Goff said. “To be honest I’m shocked I did as well as I did. Just had to stay calm.”
Goff hit 10’s on her first nine arches, her first nine coming on her 10th attempt. She then hit on eight straight 10’s with back-to-back 9’s. After three straight 10’s, Goff hit another nine and finished with five straight 10’s to secure the state title.
After finishing fourth in the Region 6 tournament with a 283, Goff improved her score by 13 for marked improvement.
“We knew early on she had potential,” Scott head coach Bob Kirk said. “She had brought her scores up fairly quickly and has been steadily shooting in the 280’s this season.”
Goff quit the sport after fourth grade and picked it back up when she was in eighth grade. She won a couple of tournaments throughout the season this year and medaled in nearly every tournament.
Her score helped the Scott girls team making their first ever trip to the state tournament finish in a tie for ninth in the girls team competition with a team score of 1,931. Simon Kenton’s girls finished 16th with a 1,899.
Conner’s Alexis Hunt placed in a tie for 45th with a 282, Scott’s Taylin Smith finished in a tie for 52nd with a 281, Simon Kenton’s Cora Beth Mehltretter also finished with a 281, Highlands’ Reagan McPhedran tied for 77th with a 279, Simon Kenton’s Emma Vicars also finished with a 279 for top 100 finishers from NKY.
In the boys team competition, Ryle posted their best ever finish as a program as a runner-up, finishing with a score of 1,995. Only Anderson County with a 2,000 finished with a higher score. The Raiders hit on 119 tens and were eight points clear of third place Madison Central.
The Raiders were led by Jordan Evans with a 287. From there Jack Albertson, Kennan Caudill, Jacob Klette and Ethan Pauciulo all finished with 285’s. Trenton Dietz and Christian Wallace were right behind them with 284’s.
“That’s what I love about our team,” Raiders head coach Mark Evans said. “No one has really necessarily got a top spot individually, everyone is pulling their weight.”
Evans dubbed his team this year “record breakers”.
“This was our best finish in school history,” Evans said. “First time we’ve ever placed in the top five. We’ve broken our school record three times this year. At NASP we finished eighth, highest in school history. They just continually break records.”
The team still has a few more tournaments to close out the season. They’ll participate in the Battle of Boone County this weekend and have the national NASP tournament in Louisville in May. The tournament this weekend gives county bragging rights, but also will show how competitive things are not only in Boone County, but the region as a whole.
“The state tournament showed how well-rounded our region is,” Evans said.
Cooper was the other boys team to participate out of Northern Kentucky and finished 17th with a 1,923. Cooper’s Kayson Stone finished tied for 43rd with the Ryle quartet with a score of 285. Highlands Griffin Sanders tied for 53rd with a 284.
Ryle’s Jonah Rettig and Dixie Heights’ Lucas Powers tied for 72nd with a 282, Cooper’s Kyle Kirkpatrick also posting a top 100 finish with a 280 and finishing in a tie for 97th.