IN REVIEW: Winning gold medals selected Story of the Year

To some, 2018 was a golden year.

To others, it was a banner year.

The top 10 sports stories this year is a reflection of both.

Here are the top 10 selected by The News-Enterprise staff:

1. GOLDEN MOMENTS. The state track meet was a shining moment for local athletes.

Elizabethtown’s Savannah Kingery, Isabella Galvez, Amirr Evans and Sarah Been set a state record in the 3,200-meter relay with a time of 9 minutes, 35.70 seconds, shattering the previous mark of 9:39.067. Been wasn’t finished as she added another gold in the 3,200 run.

“We weren’t exactly expecting it but we were hoping for it,” Kingery said in May. “We’ve been training for State all season. We started tapering this week and getting our bodies rested and prepared. I think it’s that training that really allowed to drop time today.”

John Hardin’s Zinaija Reed won the 100 and 300 hurdles. She edged teammate Alexis Witherspoon by 0.04 in the 100.

“I kept seeing her foot coming up right after my foot was coming up,” Reed said. “I was like, ‘Oh, no, she can’t win this one.’ I kept trying to step faster between her in the hurdles to get it.”

North Hardin’s Myla and Angel Lee each brought home gold. Myla won the discus with a throw of 118 feet, 6 inches, while Angel won the shot put with a throw of 37-5.

“We get to be the sisters that won State,” Angel said.

Fort Knox junior Saleia Porter shattered the Class 1-A KHSAA State Track & Field Championships record and raced the fastest 400-meter dash of anyone this season, regardless of class, to win the race in 55.91 seconds.

Porter surprised herself with the winning time, which topped the record 56.95 set in 2015.

“I was really just trying to PR and get to 56-flat,” she said. “When I heard 55, I broke down because I had no idea. I couldn’t look up at the clock. I was so zoned in and everything was spinning. When they said I had a 55, I was just elated.”

Porter went 2-for-2 in individual events later in the night when she won the 200 in 25.56 seconds. She entered as the top seed in both events.

• The Fort Knox 4x200 relay team had its sights set on breaking the Class 1-A state record for three seasons.

Junior Jasiah Tudryn and seniors Jaylun Wallace, Geoffrey Gradney and Josh DeRivas finished the race in 1:29.00 to win the state championship and break the record of 1:29.76 set in 2012.

“You never know what can happen, but I knew that my team could really just get that record if we push ourselves and that’s what we did,” said Gradney, who ran the third leg and finished second in the 200-meter dash. “I knew that we had the fastest time, but I don’t like going by stats because you never know what can happen on any day.

“I just went in knowing that my team was gonna do good and we were gonna do our best to beat whatever record that we could.”

Wallace anchored the 4x400 team of Gradney and seniors Jabari Jackson and Zach Loiselle to the state championship. He also won the 400 as Fort Knox finished fourth in the team standings after winning last season.

“Jaylun completely shocked me in the 400,” Fort Knox coach Terry Turner said. “We needed him to get points. We talked it over and he just went out and dominated, for lack of a better word. We went out in the 4-by-2 and they dominated again. … They just came out here and established themselves.

“Everything that we have practiced and the swagger that I’ve been asking them for, we did it. We didn’t win state, but we gave everybody a run for their money. We made it hard for people to win state, for sure.”

2. DYNAMIC DUO. With each passing year, the brass ring seemed to get harder and harder to grab for John Hardin senior Trent Johnson.

Johnson won his first state championship in his final match in February at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena, finally getting that elusive title he sought for five years.

The top-ranked Johnson beat second-ranked Louisville Moore junior Alex Riviera, 18-3 for the 145-pound title, capping his career on top of the medal podium during the KHSAA State Wrestling Championships.

“I can’t even describe it,” said Johnson, who was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. “I’ve been waiting for this for five years now. It’s awesome, it’s awesome. I can’t describe it.”

John Hardin senior Derrick Smallwood won the 160-pound title with a 6-2 victory over Louisville St. Xavier’s Konner Kraeszig.

It was tied at 2 through two periods, but Smallwood (51-2) scored on an escape and then was awarded a point when Kraeszig (35-3) was called for stalling. Smallwood scored on a takedown with 12 seconds left to seal it.

“Nothing’s comparable by far,” he said. “I just know it’s the best feeling in the world I’ve ever had. Even the third place back in my freshman year can’t match this. I’m just glad to have it.”

3. LARUE COUNTY WINS REGION BASEBALL TITLE. When the ball nestled into LaRue County junior center fielder Noah Davis’ glove and he squeezed it for the final out, the Hawks created two dog piles â€" one halfway up the first base line and the other near first base.

This was a celebration five years in the making when LaRue County coach Eric Allen decided to turn the program over to underclassmen in a full-blown youth movement. There were going to be bumps in the road â€" especially in 2015 â€" but Allen’s eyes were fixed on the future.

The future has become the present and the Hawks accomplished Allen’s vision. They scored four runs in the fifth and senior Jacob Gentry allowed just one run in the final three innings as LaRue County held off Central Hardin, 11-9 on Sunday for its first 5th Region Baseball Tournament championship since 2003.

“This was one of the toughest games I’ve ever played,” LaRue County senior Dalton Skaggs said. “You never think a region final is going to be 11-9. You always think they’re going to be low scoring games. This is a very emotional win for us.”

LaRue County (22-8-1) lost to the Boyle County Rebels in the state tournament at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington.

In 2003, the Hawks reached the state semifinals before losing to Louisville Male. The program’s only other region championship came in 1969.

“I can’t put this into words,” LaRue County senior Dane Milby said. “We’ve been working for this since we were 13 or 14 years old. Central Hardin and E’town has run this region. To beat them, there’s nothing better than that, man.”

4. LARUE COUNTY ADVANCES TO STATE SEMIFINALS. The LaRue County Hawks had a ho-hum regular season, finishing 5-5, but they turned it on in the playoffs.

LaRue County pounded Union County, 48-29 in the opening round before going on the road to pull out come-from-behind wins over Caldwell County and Elizabethtown to reach the state semifinals for the first time since 1991.

The Louisville Central Yellow Jackets prevented the Hawks from reaching their first football state championship.

Senior Malik Goodall rushed for three touchdowns and the Yellow Jackets scored twice on defense to hand the Hawks a season-ending 44-8 loss in the Class 3-A state semifinals Friday night.

“They are as good as anyone on scoring on turnovers,” LaRue County coach Josh Jaggers said. “They are like a pack of wolves or whatever analogy you want to use. They rip and strip it from you. They don’t just want to take the ball from you, but they want to score. They are the best I’ve ever seen.”

LaRue County finished the season 8-6, reaching the state semifinals for only the second time in the program’s history.

“I think we had some things go wrong for us,” LaRue County senior Russell Young said. “Things happened so fast and we got so far behind. We made too many mistakes. They weren’t better than us. They weren’t anything special. We just beat ourselves with mistakes.”

5. E’TOWN BOYS’ SOCCER ENDS REGION DROUGHT. The Panthers ended their eight-year 5th Region championship drought, knocking off rival Central Hardin, 2-1 on a chilly Thursday night at John Hardin.

“I can’t describe this,” said Elizabethtown senior Tait Pritchard, shivering from the cold and his voice hoarse. “My freshman year this has always been the goal: to win a region championship. To do it this year means everything. Finally all the hard work has paid off.”

Just seven days earlier, the Panthers were on the other end of it, losing to Central Hardin, 3-1 in the Boys’ 17th District Soccer Tournament at Fort Knox. It was a setback, but it made this moment even more special.

The Panthers opened their quest for a region title with a 3-0 win over Bardstown and then dispatched of Taylor County, 4-1 to reach the championship. They won three games in three days, fulfilling the dreams they had.

“I had tears in my eyes,” said Elizabethtown senior Preston Thomas, who scored three goals in the tournament. “They were tears of joy. We’ve fought so hard for this and worked so hard for this. I can’t put it into words.”

Yates has built a winning program going 60-21-7 the last four years. The Panthers are 21-2-2 this season, with their only losses coming to Central Hardin, but they were able to get the one that matters most.

“It means that E’town’s back on top,” Yates said. “Without assistant Judd Yates, we would not be in this position. He’s the best coach around here and nobody knows it. E’town’s back.”

6. NORTH HARDIN REBOUNDS. The Trojans have had some difficult years, but they turned it around this season. They finished the season 9-3 and made the second round of the playoffs for only the second time during Coach Brent Thompson’s seven-year tenure.

North Hardin won its first district championship since 2004, the same year they had nine wins.

Thompson was named Area Coach of the Year, senior Eric Moore Area Offensive Player of the Year, Lavell Wright Area Offensive Sophomore of the Year and Michael Lunz was Area Defensive Sophomore of the Year. Offensive lineman Austin LaPierre, defensive lineman Octavious Oxendine and safety Jerome McKinney made the All-Area first team.

“We talked as coaches and this was the most fun we’ve had,” Thompson said. “Obviously, winning helps but this group was just a lot of fun. We did the things we needed to do. You get so close some many times you wonder if it’s going to happen. This year we finally get that break that gets us over the hump, so that’s very rewarding.”

7. E’TOWN GIRLS’ BASKETBALL REACHES STATE QUARTERS. It was a bad night to have a bad night.

A Michelangelo it wasn’t on either side.

George Rogers Clark put the finishing touches on 42-35 victory over Elizabethtown thanks to a blocked shot in the final seconds and a 14-4 run that included overtime in the quarterfinals of the St. Elizabeth Healthcare/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 Basketball Tournament at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.

“It wasn’t a pretty game at all,” Lady Cardinals coach Robbie Graham said. “Defensively, I thought we played really well. We challenged shots and did a really good job of rebounding. They have some really good players â€" great team, well coached, tremendous record. We knew we would have our hands full. We wanted to make sure it was a tough, hard-nosed game for 32 minutes, and actually it ended up being 36 minutes.”

The Lady Panthers finished 34-3 and set the record for most wins during the regular season.

Senior Karson Knight was outstanding and led the Lady Panthers with a game-high 15 points, five rebounds, two of the team’s five assists and was named to the All-Tournament Team. She was 5-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

Her squad held an 18-13 lead at halftime.

“We were shocked that we were up because all of us thought we were playing really bad,” Knight said. “We thought we could pick it up in the second half and hit more shots. We thought we could build the lead, but we didn’t.”

8. JOHN HARDIN WINS REGION BASKETBALL TITLE. John Hardin Bulldogs senior Mickey Pearson had to change his jersey after the original was stained in the second half. A desperation pass slipped out a LaRue County Hawks player’s grip in the final second.

The tears came after, but blood and sweat helped earn John Hardin the Boys’ 5th Region Basketball Tournament championship with a 48-46 win Tuesday.

The Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013.

“We’re going to Rupp,” said junior Aaron Scott, who scored the game-winning basket for the Bulldogs.

Scott was an unlikely hero for the Bulldogs, but championship teams need someone to step up and they had several qualified candidates.

Pearson, a finalist for Mr. Basketball â€" their leading scorer and rebounder for the season and Tuesday â€" had 20 points against the Hawks and had the ball on that pivotal possession.

Senior Malik Wright, a 15-point per game scorer, was coming off a momentum-shifting drawn charge and was ready for the pass. Both trusted Scott.

9. HARTLAGE RANKED 66TH. University of Louisville junior and Elizabethtown graduate Lauren Hartlage is No. 66 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

She led the Cardinals with a 72.57 stroke average during the fall portion of their schedule. Her five even- or under-par rounds led the team and had three top-10 finishes â€" tied for eighth at the Cardinal Cup, tied for sixth at the Minnesota Invitational, and finished second at the Alexa Stirling Intercollegiate.

Louisville is ranked No. 28 in the nation. Led by Hartlage, the Cardinals made it to the final day of the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history.

Hartlage had a really good summer. She qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur in Tennessee after shooting 2-under 70 at Walnut Grove Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, to earn medalist honors. Hartlage made it to the match play portion of the U.S. Amateur and lost 2&1.

She won the Kentucky Women’s Open in a playoff and made it to the Round of 32 in June at the Ladies British Amateur Championship.

Hartlage is looking to qualify for the inaugural 72-player Augusta National Women’s Amateur the week before The Masters.

After automatic invitations are handed out, the World Amateur Golf Ranking will be used to fill the next 60 spots. The 30 top players from the United States, not otherwise qualified, will be in the event and the next 30 highest ranked players will be entered. That will be based on the final list for 2018.

10. CENTRAL SOFTBALL DOES IT AGAIN. Kaci Goedde was near perfection.

Her brilliant 64-pitch outing, teamed with outstanding defense, aggressive baserunning and a timely home run led the Central Hardin Lady Bruins to their fourth straight 5th Region Softball Tournament title with a 4-0 victory over rival Green County at Marion County.

“She was great today. She was on fire. She was amazing,” junior Onnica Nichols said of Goedde.

The game took 75 minutes.

Goedde allowed one bloop single with two outs in the top of the second inning in leading the Lady Bruins back to Owensboro for a Thursday game with Louisville Ballard.

“When you get pitching like that ... she hit her spots all day long, she might have missed once,” Goodman said. “She did everything we needed her to do.”

That included a three-pitch seventh inning.

“It was still 0-0, I think it was the bottom of the second, Kaci came in here and I said, ‘Good inning’ and she said, ‘Let’s get some hits now please.’ I said, ‘You need to calm down for a second. We’re good,’” senior second baseman Meredith Jones said.

Central Hardin scored twice in the bottom of the third inning.

The Lady Bruins went 2-2 at the state tournament.