Remember these headlines? Enquirer prep sports writers share favorite stories from 2023
It was another incredible year for high school sports in Greater Cincinnati. From team championships to individual triumphs, memories were made in every season.
From Brendan Connelly, Alex Harrison, Kori Stewart and James Weber, here are some of the most memorable stories from the past 12 months.
Beechwood baseball wins fourth straight regional title
When Beechwood and Highlands took the field for the Ninth Region championship on May 24, it was a matchup of the two schools that had won the last seven regional titles. The Bluebirds won from 2015-2018 and the Tigers were the three-time defending champions. A back-and-forth game resulted in a 6-5 Beechwood victory and a second consecutive four-peat within the region.
The trophy didn't come without heart palpitations. Beechwood won three games by a total of five runs. Head coach Kevin Gray talked after each game about having a cardiologist on speed dial. The Tigers were down 2-0 to Dixie Heights in the seventh inning of the semifinal before a two-run double by Landon Johnson proved to be the winning hit. They almost gave up a five-run lead in the championship game, but picked off a runner on first base to clinch the title.
"I've never seen a team with this much heart and determination," Gray said after the semifinal win.
Four for Fort Mitchell: Beechwood outlasts Highlands to win 9th Region championship
St. Xavier's Dominic Jackson overcomes rare heart condition
Jackson has had quite the high school career, and not in the way some might think. In the fall of his sophomore year, he was diagnosed with an Anomalous Origin of the Right Coronary Artery (AORCA), disrupting his cross country, basketball and track careers. After a successful surgery in Feb. 2022, he made a gradual return to sports that culminated in a 400-meter personal best at the 2023 district track and field meet and an appearance on the 4-x-400 relay team that ran in the state meet.
Throughout the process, patience and prayer helped Jackson reaffirm who he was. Support from friends and family, paired with sessions with a sports psychologist, improved his mental health. His family also gave back, participating in the 2023 Heart Mini-Marathon.
“I’m way stronger than I thought I was as a man and as an athlete,” Jackson said.
'Grateful to be alive': Dominic Jackson returns to St. Xavier track after heart surgery
Cincinnati volleyball makes history at state tournament
When Kings and Mercy McAuley won state championships at Wright State's Nutter Center, it marked the first time Cincinnati had won two trophies in the same year since Seton and Roger Bacon did so in 2005. With McNicholas also appearing in the DIII state tournament, it marked the first time in history that three Cincinnati schools advanced to the season's final weekend.
All three teams advanced to Dayton after winning their first regional title. McNicholas swept Meadowbrook in the state semifinal before falling to undefeated Lake Catholic in the championship. Mercy McAuley survived a grueling five set match against Gilmour Academy to win its first title, adding to the combined history of Mother of Mercy and McAuley High School. Kings survived its own five-setter against Cleveland St. Joseph before sweeping Olentangy Orange in the championship to become the first public school from Cincinnati to win a DI state title since 1994.
"Cincinnati volleyball is a small world, and I think everybody really showed up for each other this year," Mercy McAuley head coach Sam Gagnon said.
'Second to none': Kings sweeps Olentangy Orange for DI volleyball state title
'Just go for it': Mercy McAuley wins DII state title with dramatic fifth-set rally
'We made history': McNicholas volleyball falls to Lake Catholic in DIII state final
Cincinnati Bengals begin flag football league for six local all-girls high schools
In September, the Cincinnati Bengals hosted a Jamboree at Paycor Stadium to show off the beginnings of its partnership with USA Football to begin a flag football league in the spring. The league brings flag football to six all-girls schools in the area: Mercy McAuley, Mount Notre Dame, Seton St. Ursula, Ursuline Academy and Notre Dame Academy from Kentucky.
The schools will begin their season in the spring as a pilot league, hopefully leading to more participation in future years.
"Because this was our first year, we wanted to pick a smaller league of schools just to make sure we walked before we ran, but we wanted to pick all-girls schools to maximize the impact we could have in our first-ever season," Bengals Director of Strategy and Engagement Elizabeth Blackburn said. "We will continue to work with local schools to see who has the capacity and interest among their students to hopefully bring this to more schools locally."
More: The Cincinnati Bengals are starting a flag football league for girls
Moeller volleyball wins first OHSAA state championship
The Moeller Crusaders were no strangers to boys volleyball state championships, but the 2023 title had a bit more historical implications attached. The 2023 boys volleyball state tournament was the first for the sport under OHSAA sanctioning and the state championship became Moeller's 11th title for the program, but the first OHSAA trophy.
Moeller, which had won the two previous state titles, dropped the first two sets of the championship game to Olentangy Liberty. In the fourth set, Liberty had a 16-8 lead and were nine points away from the major upset. Head coach Lee Meyer got the Crusaders together to force a fifth set where they finished off the reverse sweep, winning the Division I championship 19-25, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13.
"In similar fashion to last year, I said, 'Hey. We're here to celebrate. I can't say anything more now that I haven't said all season. We need to go out and execute and play our game,'" Meyer said. "They looked at each other. We said, 'Do you believe we can do it?' They shook their heads and they went back to the court."
More: 'We're here to celebrate.' Moeller completes comeback for boys volleyball state title
Harrison girls lead the way in inaugural OHSAA girls wrestling season
Before the Moeller volleyball team won an inaugural OHSAA championship, the Harrison girls wrestling team (and some other individuals) did the same in the winter.
The Harrison Wildcats scored 97 total points in the state championship to clinch the team title over runner-up Olentangy Orange's 69 points. Harrison had entered the final day having already scored 80 points.
Harrison had two individual winners in undefeated Chloe Dearwester and Raegan Briggs. Jesse Foebar of Clermont Northeastern also claimed a state championship as did Loveland's Elizabeth Madison who went undefeated as a freshman.
More: Harrison wins inaugural OHSAA girls wrestling state championship
Waynesville's Samantha Erbach places third at cross country state in the morning, plays in soccer regional final in the evening
Waynesville senior Samantha Erbach had a dominant two-sport fall season this year. Erbach's hard work culminated on Nov. 4, 2023, when she spent her morning at the OHSAA Cross Country State Championships and her evening playing for a regional title in soccer.
Erbach placed third among Division II girls with a time of 18:25.20 all while under the weather. Later that day, the Spartans girls soccer team lost 3-1 to Summit Country Day in the Regional Final round of the OHSAA Girls Soccer State Tournament.
Soccer has always been Erbach's main sport, with cross country as more of a supplement to her true athletic pursuits, and she is committed to play soccer at Xavier University next year.
"I'm a soccer player. I'm not a runner, so like to even come in third, I'd say, is great," Erbach said after her third-place finish.
More: Which 4 Cincinnati soccer players are playing in 2023 All-American games?
Mason Comets have matching fourth-place finishes at water polo state championships for boys and girls teams
Under two first-year head coaches the Mason water polo program made a strong push forward this year as both the boys' and girls' teams made it to the state championship.
The girls were led by Arija Walsh, a former Division I player at the University of Michigan, and as a young coach, Walsh was thrown into the deep end when she took on a program that barely had enough girls to fill a roster. Through dedication from Walsh and her early players, the Comets were able to put together a strong regular season to qualify for the state championship where they placed fourth after a loss to Sycamore in the semifinal round and a loss to Worthington Kilbourne in the third-place game.
"We didn't expect to win state completely, but just making it to the Final Four is a huge, huge deal for us. And it just shows all the growth we've had this season," said junior and star player Miriam NDiaye after the state championship.
The boys of Mason also started from an unsure place. Head coach Adam Livingston had never coached or played water polo before taking over the Comets' program and only found his way to water polo thanks to his nephew. Livingston guided his talented players to a big season that saw the team make the state championships as the No. 2 seed. After a nail biting loss to Upper Arlington, the Comets faced St. Charles in the third-place game where they lost 16-12.
Dave Faust breaks Ninth Region record for boys basketball wins
St. Henry boys basketball coach Dave Faust broke the all-time Ninth Region record for career boys hoops wins with his 461st Jan. 27 at home against Bluegrass United. Many of his former players and coaching colleagues came to St. Henry to witness the milestone, including former Highlands High School and Northern Kentucky University head coach Ken Shields, who had the previous record of 460.
“He just really immersed himself into the game,” Shields said. “He’s always been a gentleman and he's always done an excellent job. He is a very, very good coach. He gets the most out of his players, he really does, and he’s a good family man.”
Faust’s Crusaders have won the All “A” Classic state championship three times ‒ 2003, 2020 and 2021. They have won the Ninth Region All “A” Classic eight times. He led the 2003 team to St. Henry’s only Sweet Sixteen appearance and overall Ninth Region championship.
“Loyalty, hard work, determination,” said Michael Schmidt, a senior on the 2003 team. “To stay at St. Henry for that long and build the legacy he has, that sums him up perfectly. We still have a relationship with him and he still has influence on us. We have that bond and he will do anything for his players to this day.”
Faust is in his 32nd season as head coach at St. Henry and enters 2024 with 469 wins.
More: 'He will do anything for his players.' St. Henry alumni ready to honor coach's record
Country Day league rivals both win state soccer titles, Moeller comes close and sets records
On a warm Friday at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, rivals Cincinnati Country Day and Summit Country Day both won girls soccer state championships with tense and thrilling 1-0 shutouts.
Summit beat Rocky River 1-0 in the Division II girls soccer title game. Summit won its fourth state championship, first since 2017 and first as a member of Division II.
Zoe Jackson scored late in the first half for her fifth goal of the season. Summit, which allowed only 10 goals all season, shut down a Rocky River team that scored 6.6 goals per game. Senior Lilly Martin and sophomore Bree Reder were the center backs, with junior Lilly Sievering and freshman Linde Harris as the outside backs. Junior Maddie Mescher posted her 11th shutout of the season. She made three saves.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our effort tonight in beating a really talented team,” said head coach Michael Fee. “I’m happy to celebrate together and celebrate in front of our community. It means so much. This is a special, special school.”
More: 'I couldn't be more proud of our effort': Summit wins DII state soccer title with 1-0 win
Later that night, Cincinnati Country Day won the Division III state championship with a 1-0 shutout of Ottawa-Glandorf, winning the title for the second-straight year and fourth out of six seasons.
In the process, CCD won all seven postseason games by shutout for the second consecutive season, totaling 14 straight clean sheets. Head coach Theresa Hirschauer picked up her 462nd career win.
“It’s the best thing you could hope for,” said CCD senior Piper Farris. “You want to go to state, that’s your end goal. And winning state, being back to back, it’s the best feeling you could get. I’m so proud of our team.”
Senior Megan Zimmerman headed in a corner kick from her sister Elizabeth in the first half for the only goal of the game.
Offense was a headline for the Nighthawks, as the Zimmermans combined for 57 goals and 49 assists, and Farris posted 24 goals and 24 assists. Senior Kendall Weber posted 11 goals and eight assists.
CCD finished 22-2 and Summit 21-1-3. Summit handed the Nighthawks one of its losses with a 1-0 decision Aug. 31 to win the Miami Valley Conference-Scarlet Division.
“We’re rivals, so every game has been competitive,” Elizabeth Zimmerman said. “I think just playing against each other makes us better. I think it’s awesome that both teams in the same conference won state.”
More: 'It's the best thing you could hope for:' CCD wins DIII girls soccer state title, 1-0
Not to be forgotten, Moeller finished as Division I boys runner-up, losing to St. Ignatius in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the state final. The goal Ignatius scored that day was only the second the Crusaders allowed all season, snapping a streak of 23-straight shutouts. Senior Bradley Poppell was the Ohio DI player of the year after scoring 23 goals.
“To give up two goals all year, lose in penalty kicks, it’s a cruel sport,” Moeller head coach Mike Welker said. “But I’m proud of our guys. We had a great season.”
East Central wins state title, several other football teams celebrate milestones
East Central won its second Indiana 4A state title in a row with a 42-14 win over NorthWood. Record-setting running back Josh Ringer was later named Indiana Mr. Football.
No other Greater Cincinnati football team came home with a state title this season, but several programs had record seasons to celebrate.
Moeller lost in overtime to Springfield in the Division I semifinals for the third-straight season, but running back Jordan Marshall became the school’s first Ohio Mr. Football honoree.
Princeton finished 10-0 in the regular season and won the outright championship of the Greater Miami Conference for the first time since 1993, the Vikings first league title since 2003. Their 10-0 start was the Vikings’ first since 1991, and they finished 12-1.
Milford finished 11-1 after celebrating its first 10-0 regular season in school history, and winning the Eastern Cincinnati Conference for its first outright league championship since 1986.
Anderson finished 13-2 and reached the Division II state semifinals for the first time since 2008, losing to Massillon Washington in the semis. Anderson beat Withrow in the regional final, ending Withrow’s season at 12-2, a team record for most wins in a season and its furthest advancement in the playoffs.
Cooper finished 12-3 and lost in a state championship game for the second time in school history.
In Kentucky 1A, Newport (8-4), Ludlow (8-5) and Holy Cross (5-6) had one of their best seasons in recent years, and Lloyd Memorial finished 10-2.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: High school sports: the best stories from Greater Cincinnati in 2023
