HS Notebook: Johnson Central wins year-round

Several schools have been winning all year long

Mike Fields - Herald-Leader Staff Writer

Pop quiz: Name the only school in the state that had at least 10 victories in football, and at least 20 in boys' basketball, girls' basketball, baseball and fast-pitch softball this school year.

Stumped?

Answer: Johnson Central.

"I was talking with our principal the other day about how this was probably the most successful year, athletically, in school history," athletic director Joey Estep said. "This is probably the best senior class we've had in a long time."

The Golden Eagles didn't just rack up wins, they also fared well in the post-season.

Jim Matney's football team lost to eventual 5A champ Highlands in the quarterfinals and finished 11-2.

Tommy McKenzie's boys' basketball team went 22-8, making it to the region semifinals before falling to eventual Sweet Sixteen quarterfinalist Shelby Valley.

Phillip Wireman's girls' basketball team made it to the Sweet Sixteen and wound up 26-6.

Shawn Hall's baseball team posted a 21-13 record, reaching the region finals before losing to Lawrence County.

Jason Hurt's fast-pitch softball team will take a 24-10 record into this weekend's state tournament.

Ian Welch was among the most accomplished athletes, playing football, basketball and baseball for Johnson Central.

Calloway County just missed the 10-20-20-20-20 feat. The Lakers had 11 wins in football, 23 in boys' hoops, 22 in girls' hoops, 21 in baseball and 19 in softball.

Only four other schools hit the trifecta of 10 wins in football, 20 in boys' basketball and 20 in baseball: Beechwood, Eastern, Hazard and Trinity.

■ Pop quiz II: What student-athlete started on a football team that made it to the final 16 in its class, a basketball team that won its region title, and a baseball team that won its region?

Answer: Anderson County junior Jacob Russell.

In football, he quarterbacked the Bearcats to a 7-4 record and the second round of the 5A playoffs. In basketball, he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds a game in helping Anderson County to the Sweet Sixteen. In baseball, he played first base and hit seven homers as the Bearcats won a second consecutive region title.

Russell's favorite sport? "Whichever one I'm playing," he said. "They're all super exciting in different ways. The best thing might've been playing in Rupp Arena in front of 21,000 people."

Russell, who's started in all three sports since he was a freshman, doesn't rest between seasons. After Anderson County was knocked out of the football playoffs on a Friday night last fall, he suited up for a hoops scrimmage the next day. After the basketball Bearcats lost in the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday night, Russell was in the lineup for the baseball team's opener the following Monday.

Russell, who has a 4.0 grade-point average, wants to play football in college. An accomplished passing quarterback, the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder, is drawing interest from UK, Louisville, Indiana, Purdue and Central Michigan. But with one more year of high school, his dream is obvious: "To win a state title would really be something to top it all off."

■ Lawrence County's 3-0 win over East Carter in the semi-state opener extended the Bulldogs' scoreless pitching streak to 26 innings. Lawrence County shut out Allen Central 10-0, Pikeville 6-0 and Johnson Central 6-0 in winning the 15th Region.

■ Owensboro has a rich baseball tradition that includes six state titles, but that doesn't explain how the Red Devils are still alive in the playoffs this year. They ended the regular season with a 6-14 record, then lost in the district finals to Apollo. Owensboro has been on a roll since then, including a 3rd Region title and a win over Russell County in the first game of the semi-state.

■ When Danville lost to Lexington Catholic in the first game of the semi-state at Henry Clay, Bryan Station Coach Eddie Brooks was among the spectators. After the game, he waited around to talk to Danville Coach Paul Morse. Something clicked in my memory that these guys shared a baseball history. Twenty years ago Brooks was a sophomore second baseman for defending state champ Lafayette, and Morse was a freshman pitcher/infielder for Danville when their teams met in the sectional playoffs. Brooks hit a pair of homers off Morse, the Admirals' starting pitcher, to lead the Generals to an 11-1 victory. They went on to repeat as state champs. Brooks and Morse were later teammates at UK, and both turned pro after the 1994 season.