Sacred Heart basketball made history. Our top 10 moments from 2023-24 high school season

Jason Frakes, Louisville Courier Journal

Led by an unprecedented four-peat in girls basketball, the 2023-24 high school sports calendar produced several memorable moments and stories in the Louisville area.

Here’s a look at the top 10 stories from the Louisville area during the 2023-24 school year:

10. Four area wrestlers win state titles (Feb. 16, 2024)

Oldham County’s Miller Brown celebrates his win over Trinity’s Ayden Lehman after the 150-pound state wrestling championship match.
Oldham County’s Miller Brown celebrates his win over Trinity’s Ayden Lehman after the 150-pound state wrestling championship match.

Inspired by the death of his former coach, Oldham County junior Miller Brown won the 150-pound title at the state wrestling championships. On July 5, 2023 — a date noted on Brown’s wrestling shoes — his former coach, Max Emerson, was murdered while attending a conference in Washington, D.C. Brown was one of four Louisville-area wrestlers to win state titles, joining Trinity seniors Malachia Harris (157 pounds) and Lane Kiser (190) and St. Xavier senior Carter Guillaume (285).

9. St. Xavier, Manual track continue dominance (June 1, 2024)

Manual’s E'Ternity Starks competes in the high jump during the Class 3A state track and field meet.
Manual’s E'Ternity Starks competes in the high jump during the Class 3A state track and field meet.

St. Xavier won its fifth straight Class 3A state track and field championship, led by individual winners James Burnett (400-meter dash) and Ashton Jones (discus). Manual captured its fourth straight Class 3A girls title as E’Ternity Starks won the high jump and Flora Biro finished second in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200.

8. Mike Szabo no longer Trinity basketball coach (Jan. 22, 2024)

Trinity basketball coach Mike Szabo stepped away from the team in January "due to some health issues."
Trinity basketball coach Mike Szabo stepped away from the team in January "due to some health issues."

Trinity announced Jan. 22 that basketball coach Mike Szabo would be away from the team “due to some health issues.” Szabo never returned to the program, and on April 11 the school announced Bret Saxton as its permanent head coach. In 23 seasons at Trinity, Szabo was 526-192 and won two state championships (2012 and 2019).

7. St. Xavier basketball beats Trinity in controversial LIT semifinal (Jan. 12, 2024)

St. Xavier's Chief Cameron (4) walks off the court with his teammates after he hit the game-winning shot against rival Trinity.
St. Xavier's Chief Cameron (4) walks off the court with his teammates after he hit the game-winning shot against rival Trinity.

Chief Cameron’s tip-in at the buzzer — or, after the buzzer — gave St. Xavier a 59-58 victory over Trinity in the semifinals of the Louisville Invitational Tournament. Replays and photos appeared to show the ball in Cameron’s hands as the clock hit 0:00. St. X went on to beat Butler, 83-76, to capture its first LIT title since 1965.

6. CAL golfer repeats as state champion (Oct. 7, 2023)

Christian Academy senior Brady Smith won the KHSAA boys golf state championship at Bowling Green Country Club.
Christian Academy senior Brady Smith won the KHSAA boys golf state championship at Bowling Green Country Club.

Christian Academy senior Brady Smith repeated as the state golf champion, winning by seven shots over Oldham County’s Tyler Wirth and Madison Central’s Warren Thomis. Smith became the third consecutive CAL golfer to win the state title, as Matthew Troutman won the crown in 2021. Smith became the first repeat state champion since Marshall County’s Jay Nimmo in 2019-20.

5. St. Xavier soccer captures 16th state championship (Oct. 28, 2023)

St. Xavier's Beckham Murrow celebrates scoring a goal against Lafayette in the KHSAA state soccer championship.
St. Xavier's Beckham Murrow celebrates scoring a goal against Lafayette in the KHSAA state soccer championship.

Beckham Murrow scored in the 16th minute to lift St. Xavier to a 1-0 victory over Lafayette in the boys soccer state final. Decimated by injuries all season, St. X won its 16th state title and first since 2020. Head coach Andy Schulten improved to 12-2 in state finals. “I wish it was 14-0,” he said after the match.

4. Evangel Christian basketball tops Trinity on way to Sweet 16 semifinals (March 22, 2024)

Evangel's Kyran Tilley shoots against Trinity in a KHSAA Boys' Sweet 16 quarterfinal in Lexington.
Evangel's Kyran Tilley shoots against Trinity in a KHSAA Boys' Sweet 16 quarterfinal in Lexington.

Kyran Tilley scored 20 points and Christian Doerr added 19 as Evangel Christian beat Trinity, 57-46, in a quarterfinal of the Boys Sweet 16. It was Evangel’s first victory over Trinity in five all-time meetings and propelled the Eagles into the state semifinals. Evangel finished with a 31-7 record after falling to Harlan County, 55-47.

3. PRP baseball back on top of Kentucky (June 15, 2024)

Pleasure Ridge Park celebrates its 4-1 win over McCracken County for the state baseball championship.
Pleasure Ridge Park celebrates its 4-1 win over McCracken County for the state baseball championship.

Pleasure Ridge Park won its seventh state baseball championship, beating McCracken County, 4-1, in the final to complete a 40-3 season. It was the Panthers’ first state title since 2017. Junior outfielder Brayden Bruner was named Sixth Region Player of the Year and received first-team All-State honors. Freshman pitcher Joey Dudeck went 11-0 with a 1.51 ERA.

2. Trinity, Christian Academy football win state crowns (Dec. 2, 2023)

Trinity football won its record 28th state title and first since 2020.
Trinity football won its record 28th state title and first since 2020.

Behind senior running back Clint Sansbury and freshman quarterback Zane Johnson, Trinity beat Bryan Station, 41-20, in the Class 6A football final for its record 28th state title and first since 2020. It was the first title for Jay Cobb in his third season as head coach. Senior quarterback Cole Hodge rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two scores as Christian Academy beat Bell County, 41-16, in the Class 3A football final. CAL won its second straight state title and fourth since 2016, the first two coming in Class 2A.

1. Sacred Heart basketball gets unprecedented four-peat (March 16, 2024)

Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson kisses the trophy after the Valkyries defeated McCracken County in the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet 16 final.
Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson kisses the trophy after the Valkyries defeated McCracken County in the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls Sweet 16 final.

Behind junior star ZaKiyah Johnson, Sacred Heart beat McCracken County, 60-49, in the Girls Sweet 16 final to become the first team in state history — boys or girls — to win four straight state championships. Johnson posted 21 points, six rebounds and four assists and was named Sweet 16 MVP for the third straight year. Seniors Reagan Bender, Angelina Pelayo, Claire Russell and Emi-Lee Howe closed their careers with four state titles.

More high school sports: Meet the top 5 boys teams from the Louisville area this spring

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 2023-24 Louisville-area high school sports season's top 10 moments

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