Check out top 10 moments from the 2022 Louisville-area high school sports season
From a championship-winning play called “Cheesesteak” to a repeat state champion in girls basketball to a pair of classic Male-Ballard matchups in different sports, 2022 provided several memorable moments for Louisville-area high school athletes.
While it’s never easy to narrow an entire year into 10 top moments, we’re going to try, acknowledging that several worthy athletes and teams won’t be mentioned.
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Here’s our choices for the top 10 moments of the 2022 high school sports season:
10. CAL’s Smith is state golf champion
Christian Academy junior Brady Smith shot a two-round total of 4-under-par 140 to win the boys golf state championship by one shot over Taylor County’s Seth Smith. “When I finished up my mom and dad had my teammates on Facetime for the last putt,” Smith said. “They were screaming at me and yelling and it was pretty awesome to have those guys still cheering me on.” Smith became the second straight CAL golfer to win the state title, joining 2021 champion Matthew Troutman.
9. South Oldham girls soccer wins state
The Dragons rolled past Elizabethtown 4-0 to capture the eighth state championship in program history, breaking a tie with Sacred Heart for the most in state history. “It’s really rewarding knowing that all the work we put in is just paying off, and being state champs feels so good,” said senior Betsy Huckaby, a University of Louisville signee who scored her 30th goal of the season in the victory.
8. Trinity wrestler wins state title
Trinity junior George Ferree beat North Hardin’s Devon Herron 6-4 to capture the 157-pound weight class at the state wrestling championships. Ferree was the only Louisville-area wrestler to win a state title. “It feels like everything has paid off to this point,” said Ferree, who finished his season with a 41-4 record.
7. Male reaches state final after crazy finish
Ballard’s football team was just seconds away from its first trip to the state final since 1984, but Male stole it away. After a fumble by Bruins quarterback Tristen Hawkins, Male’s Korrey Mattingly scooped it up and raced 8 yards to give the Bulldogs a 24-20 victory in the semifinals of the Class 6A playoffs. "It's one of the craziest things I've ever seen," said Male coach Chris Wolfe, whose team clinched a fifth straight trip to the state final.
6. Ballard softball wins state title
The Bruins turned a triple play in the sixth inning to help secure a 3-2 victory over Lexington Catholic in the state softball final. “We never had the luck in the past,” coach Alan Jones said. “We finally got the luck today.” Ballard finished 39-0 to become just the third undefeated champion in state history. Left-hander Brooke Gray was named MVP after going 4-0 with a 0.56 ERA and striking out 40 batters in 25 innings during the state tournament.
5. St. X baseball wins state title
The Tigers routed Russell County 11-1 to capture the ninth state title in program history and first since 2018. “It seemed like it had been a while, you know?” Tigers coach Andy Porta said. “I know four years isn’t that long, but it certainly seemed like it.” Junior third baseman Cooper Smith, who tied a single-season state record with his 13th triple in the final, was named MVP of the state tournament.
4. Male wins Seventh Region in three-OT thriller
Kaleb Glenn’s 17-foot jumper at the buzzer lifted the Bulldogs to an 82-80 triple-overtime victory over Ballard in the championship game of the Seventh Region boys basketball tournament. Glenn finished with 38 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. “It’s my best performance ever,” Glenn said, “in the biggest game ever.” It was the final game in the career of Ballard coach Chris Renner, who retired with a 703-186 record and one state championship.
3. CAL captures 3A football crown
Behind the running of Gavin Copenhaver and a stingy defense, Christian Academy blitzed Bardstown 38-0 in the Class 3A football championship game. The Centurions finished 15-0 and captured their third state championship in the past seven seasons. CAL lost in the state semifinals in 2020 and the third round in 2021. “We told the guys there’s not many teams across the state that can really come up short two years in a row and still have an opportunity for a third,” CAL coach Hunter Cantwell said. “Our guys took advantage of it and came out and made sure what happened the last two years didn't happen again.”
2. Sacred Heart wins Girls Sweet 16
The Valkyries beat Bullitt East 64-46 in the final to complete a 36-3 season and win the state championship for the second straight season. “It’s tough to win a state championship,” coach Donna Moir said, “and to defend your title is even tougher.” Freshman ZaKiyah Johnson was named Sweet 16 MVP. It was just the second Girls Sweet 16 final to match the champions of the Louisville-area Sixth and Seventh Regions. Sacred Heart beat Butler 68-55 in the 1976 championship game.
Sacred Heart basketball: Can Sacred Heart make it a 3-peat for Kentucky high school girls basketball state titles?
1. Bullitt East wins first state football title
Behind a play called “Cheesesteak,” the Bullitt East football team beat Male 28-27 in the Class 6A championship game. It was Bullitt East’s first state championship, and the Chargers became just the second team from outside of Louisville to win the 6A crown. On a trick 2-point conversion play, Travis Egan caught a pass from Nolan Davenport to give the Chargers the lead with 53 seconds left. “It felt like a movie going into that,” Egan said. “We’re really throwing a double pass on a 2-point conversion to win a state championship? Let’s do it. It went exactly as planned, and the rest is history.”
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Top 10 moments from the 2022 Louisville-area high school sports season
