Greater Columbus high school sports year in review: What were the biggest stories of 2023?

Dave Purpura and Frank DiRenna, Columbus Dispatch

Fri, Dec 22, 2023, 6:01 AM·13 min read

The end of the year is not the end of the year when it comes to high school sports, or school in general.

The turn of the calendar comes at almost exactly the halfway point of a cycle that begins in early August with the first golf tournaments and tennis matches, then concludes the second weekend of June when baseball and lacrosse champions are crowned.

But given that 2023 will soon turn to 2024, it’s a good time to recall the highlights of the past 12 months in high school sports.

From championships — some long-awaited, others the latest in a series — to top-notch individual performances, 2023 was never boring.

So without further ado, here are the top 15 moments in central Ohio high school sports from 2023, as voted by our staff:

1. Olentangy Liberty's Charlie Hughes celebrates after scoring his third goal during the 2023 state championship game.

1. Olentangy Liberty skates to central Ohio's first OHSAA hockey title

There would be no letdown when the Patriots took the ice in the state championship game March 12 at Nationwide Arena. Liberty had edged Cleveland St. Ignatius 4-3 in a semifinal the day before, but being in the program's first state final was not enough to satisfy this group.

The Patriots proceeded to demolish Hunting Valley University School 6-2, capping a 39-1-1 season with central Ohio's first hockey state title. The OHSAA tournament began in 1978.

“We still talk about it in the locker room,” said coach Kevin Alexander, who was named Dispatch All-Metro and state Coach of the Year. “That whole experience at (the state tournament) and those last three games, which were our best three games of the year. The St. Ignatius game and the final game are about equal as far as excitement.”

Liberty reached state by routing Upper Arlington 10-1 in the district final.

Charlie Hughes, who was named state Player of the Year, scored four goals in the title game to finish the season with a program-record 41.

Liberty lost in state semifinals in 2011, 2013 and 2017. The only other Columbus-area team to reach a state final is Dublin Jerome in 2019.

2. Watterson players sing the school's alma mater after losing in the Division III state final.

2. Watterson football reaches state final

The Eagles continued their resurgence under coach and 1992 graduate Brian Kennedy, advancing to the Division III state championship game for the first time since 2010. With 22 seniors, including state co-Defensive Player of the Year Dominic Purcell and first-team all-state quarterback A.J. McAninch leading the way, Watterson (14-2) averaged 34.2 points through its first 15 games before falling to Toledo Central Catholic 27-7 in the final Dec. 1 in Canton.

Purcell, a Mr. Football finalist, made a state final-record 21 tackles and finished the year with 200. He will play in college at Navy.

The only central Ohio school to play for a title, Watterson sought to bring the area its first championship since 2019 (Pickerington Central) and its first non-Division I title since Hartley won Division IV in 2016.

3. Africentric celebrates its Division III state championship.

3. Africentric’s title caps girls basketball season

The Nubians capped a challenging postseason with their first Division III state championship since 2019, defeating Doylestown Chippewa 75-62 on March 11 in Dayton.

Africentric dedicated the final two weeks of its tournament run to longtime volunteer assistant coach David Rhodes, who died Feb. 26. The Nubians played all but one full game without forward Kamryn Grant, now a senior and Dayton signee who tore her right ACL.

First-team all-state forward Natiah Nelson, a junior, and second-team all-state guard Jeniya Bowers, a freshman, combined to average 30 points for a team that had only one senior.

Pickerington Central lost in a Division I state semifinal. Along the way, the Tigers defeated first-time district champion Marysville in the regional final.

4. Pickerington Central's Devin Royal was named Ohio Mr. Basketball and led the Tigers to a Division I state runner-up finish.

4. Pickerington Central’s Royal named Ohio Mr. Basketball

Devin Royal, who led the Tigers to the Division I state championship in 2022 and a runner-up finish last season, was named Mr. Basketball on March 15.

Now a freshman at Ohio State, Royal averaged 19.5 points and 7.4 rebounds as a senior and was named OCC-Buckeye, district and state Player of the Year in Division I.

Royal became the ninth Mr. Basketball from central Ohio, the first since Walnut Ridge’s VonCameron Davis in 2020 and the 12th Buckeyes commit to earn the award. Africentric’s Dailyn Swain, who now plays at Xavier, finished fourth in the voting.

Three more central Ohio teams — Ready in Division II and Africentric and Harvest Prep in Division III — lost in state semifinals. Ready started 28-0 and was top-ranked statewide for much of the regular season.

5. Highland's Juliette Laracuente-Huebner won four Division II state track and field titles.

5. Highland's Laracuente-Huebner shines at state track meet

Juliette Laracuente-Huebner dazzled the crowd at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, winning Division II championships in the high jump (state- and state-meet record 5-10 ¾), long jump (meet-record 19-11), the 100-meter hurdles (13.64) and 200 (24.23).

Her 40 points gave the Scots a second-place finish. Three months earlier, the Cincinnati signee won the indoor team title by herself.

Gahanna Lincoln’s Camden Bentley capped her prep career by leading the Lions to their second consecutive Division I state championship. Now a freshman at Kentucky, Bentley won her second consecutive 100 hurdles title (13.34), third consecutive 300 hurdles championship (42.02) and was a member of the first-place 1,600 relay (3:49.38).

Beechcroft’s Jayden Douglas swept the hurdles in Division I, winning the 110 (13.78) and repeating as champion in the 300 (36.46). He is a freshman at Texas Christian.

Other two-time winners were Connor Ackley of Hilliard Davidson (1,600, 3,200) and Pickerington Central's Troy Lane (100, 200). Ackley now runs at Syracuse and Lane is at Kentucky.

6. Hilliard Bradley celebrates after beating Upper Arlington for the Division I, Region 3 championship.

6. Hilliard Bradley, Harvest Prep win football regional titles

Bradley and Harvest Prep joined Watterson in reaching state semifinals.

Bradley (13-2) captured its first regional title, beating Upper Arlington 35-28 in double overtime in the Division I, Region 3 championship game. The Jaguars lost to eventual champion Lakewood St. Edward 26-3 in a state semifinal.

Bradley was led by senior quarterback Bradyn Fleharty, the district Offensive Player of the Year and a Mr. Football finalist. Fleharty, who missed the state semifinal with a left ankle injury, passed for 2,800 yards and 32 touchdowns and rushed for 1,360 yards and 17 scores.

Harvest Prep (12-2) advanced to its fourth state semifinal, losing 22-8 to eventual Division V state champion Perry.

7. Dublin Coffman’s Emily Brown won 200 free and 500 free titles for the third year in a row.

7. Dublin Coffman’s Brown leads central Ohio swimmers at state

Shamrocks star Emily Brown swept the Division I 200- and 500-yard freestyle state championships for the third consecutive year Feb. 25 at Branin Natatorium in Canton, setting records in both (1:45.88 and 4:51.17, respectively) a week after setting district records in the same events.

Now a senior, Brown has signed with Tennessee.

Jerome’s girls won their first Division I state title despite having only seven swimmers in the meet and just one event win, the 400 free relay. Upper Arlington’s boys finished second in Division I and the Columbus Academy boys placed third in Division II.

Seven area swimmers won at least one individual championship. Liberty's Hudson Williams and Grandview Heights’ Carrie Furbee swept the 50 and 100 free titles in Division I boys and Division II girls, respectively, and New Albany’s Carly Meeting won the Division I girls 100 backstroke and 100 free.

8. Thomas Worthington's Sophia Borghese celebrates with her teammates after scoring the state championship-winning goal in overtime for the second year in a row.

8. Field hockey sees another memorable finish

Central Ohio’s top individual player was at New Albany, but the team championship remained at Thomas Worthington.

New Albany senior Paige Cornelius recorded 75 goals and 168 points, both of which led the nation, according to MaxPreps. Those paced the Eagles to their first regional championship and state final, where they lost 2-1 in overtime to host Thomas on Nov. 4.

Just as they did a year ago, the Cardinals got the championship-winning goal from sophomore Sophia Borghese. Last year’s final, against Watterson, also was decided in overtime.

Thomas won its eighth championship, second most in state history to Columbus Academy’s 12.

9. New Albany's Mia Hammond won the individual girls golf state championship in Division I.

9. Central Ohio golfers win state titles

Columbus Academy’s girls repeated as Division II state champions with a 17-shot win Oct. 13 and 14 at Ohio State, and the next weekend Jerome captured its sixth Division I title and first since 2015 with an 11-shot win over co-runners-up New Albany and Rocky River Magnificat.

New Albany sophomore Mia Hammond won the individual Division I championship with a state-record two-day score of 136. Hammond also competed in her first LPGA events in 2023, making the cut in her debut, the Dana Open in suburban Toledo in July.

Academy did not have a team until 2019.

On the boys side, DeSales senior Vaughn Harber carded his own record score with a 135 to win Division I by one shot. Liberty, Upper Arlington and DeSales finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

10. Gahanna Lincoln’s Brandon Carpico won the Division I boys tennis state singles title to finish off a 33-0 season.

10. State tennis champions complete perfect seasons

Not only did Gahanna’s Brandon Carpico and Bexley’s Amiya Bowles win the Division I boys and Division II girls singles titles, they were practically untouched in doing so.

Carpico went 33-0 as a senior and did not drop a set, sweeping Pickerington North’s Pavan Uppu 6-2, 6-1 in the final May 26 at Ohio State. Carpico, who now plays for OSU, went 103-4 in high school.

Bowles, a sophomore, is 40-0 through two seasons and capped her latest perfect run with a 6-1, 6-2 sweep of Cincinnati Indian Hill’s Martha Thompson on Oct. 20 in Wooster. Bowles was 19-0 this year.

Columbus Academy seniors Yasemin Bilgin and Arya Chabria delivered the area’s other championship, winning Division II girls doubles.

11. DeSales' David McClelland was one of 10 central Ohio wrestlers to win state championships.

11. Central Ohio wrestlers shine at state tournament

Ten central Ohio wrestlers won state championships March 12 at Value City Arena.

DeSales' David McClelland earned his second title, winning at 138 pounds in Division II, and teammate Max Shulaw won at 215.

In the 175 final, Hartley's Dylan Newsome beat DeSales' Lincoln Shulaw 6-3 for the Hawks’ first title.

Watterson's Mitchell Younger repeated as champion at 144, and teammate Joe Curry won at 120.

Columbus-area competitors also won four championships in Division I: Dublin Coffman's Omar Ayoub (138) and Ethan Birden (157), Liberty's Dylan Russo (215) and Teays Valley's Camden McDanel (190). It was the third consecutive state title for Russo and the second for Ayoub.

Marysville's Cali Leng (120) earned the area’s lone girls championship. It was the sport's first season under the OHSAA.

12. Coach Andy Feltz and DeSales celebrate after winning the Division II boys volleyball state championship

12. DeSales boys volleyball wins state title

The Stallions sent longtime coach Andy Feltz into retirement in style, defeating Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 21-25, 27-25, 25-17, 25-22 in the Division II state final May 28 at Wittenberg for the program’s first championship.

Feltz, who also coached DeSales (20-4) to a state runner-up finish in 2015, announced during the season that he was stepping down after 15 years with the boys program and four with the girls.

13. Lilly Boyle (13) and Abbie Dunlap (9) of Upper Arlington celebrate a 14-10 win over Olentangy Liberty in the Division I girls lacrosse state championship game.

13. Central Ohio wins three lacrosse state titles

A marathon day of state finals June 3 at Historic Crew Stadium saw three Columbus-area teams win championships for the third time in four seasons.

Watterson’s girls led off the day with their first final appearance and scored the game’s final five goals to top Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown 10-8 in Division II.

In Division I, Upper Arlington’s girls beat another first-time finalist in Liberty 14-10. In the nightcap, Jerome edged Cincinnati St. Xavier 12-10 to win the Division I boys title.

DeSales lost to Olmsted Falls 13-9 in the Division II boys final.

14. Pickerington Central coach Jeff Lomonico and his players celebrate a first-round playoff win over New Albany on Oct. 27.

14. Teams under new leadership

The Pickerington Central and Liberty football teams had new head coaches for the first time in two decades.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Lomonico succeeded Jay Sharrett at Central and went 8-4 this fall. Sharrett retired after going 211-42 with 17 league championships, eight regional titles, three state runner-up finishes and two state titles (2017, 2019) in 20 seasons.

At Liberty, longtime assistant John Sansbury succeeded Steve Hale, who stepped down after 20 seasons. Hale had been the only coach in team history. He went 154-76 with eight league championships and regional titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In another notable debut, former Ohio State quarterback Stanley Jackson Sr. led Westerville North to a 9-3 season.

In boys basketball, Ray Corbett stepped down after leading Grandview Heights to a 522-286 record in 36 seasons. He was succeeded by Bob Ghiloni, who guided the Denison men’s program from 2002-20 after leading the Ready boys from 1987-2002.

15. Thomas Worthington junior Adeline Albert has recovered from a traumatic brain injury and returned to racing in luge.

15. Albert recovers from brain injury, returns to luge

Now a junior at Thomas, Adeline Albert suffered a traumatic brain injury in a luge training accident in February in South Korea and spent nearly a month in a hospital.

She was cleared to return to the sport in August and returned to competition for the U.S. national team this fall, qualifying for all four finals in the FIL Youth A Worldcup in Germany.

Her next training and competition will take place in early January in Lake Placid, New York.

Honorable mention

Two soccer teams, the Liberty girls and Worthington Christian boys, reached state finals. Liberty (19-3-1) reached its first Division I final and lost to Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 2-1. Worthington Christian (18-3-3) came up short of its first title in 12 years, falling to first-time champion Willoughby Andrews Osborne 2-1 in Division III.
The St. Charles and Watterson boys soccer teams lost in state semifinals. St. Charles lost 1-0 to eventual Division I runner-up Cincinnati Moeller and Watterson fell to eventual Division II champion Tipp City Tippecanoe 2-1 in double overtime.
Marysville golfer Allee Forrider started her season with her first hole-in-one and recorded a second six weeks later. The junior’s first ace came Aug. 4 during Pickerington North’s Panther Invitational at Blacklick Woods. The second took place Sept. 16 in the Olentangy Liberty Invitational at Delaware Country Club.
Olentangy Orange graduate and Ohio State defensive end Zach Harrison was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round (75th overall) of the NFL draft.
Playing in its second state tournament, the Orange baseball team (23-11) fell short of its first title, losing to Moeller 4-1 in the championship game at Canal Park in Akron.
The Orange girls volleyball team reached the Division I state final, losing to Kings Mills Kings 25-16, 25-10, 25-21 at Wright State. The Pioneers (26-4) captured their first regional championship and won their first match at state, defeating Toledo St. Ursula Academy 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 in a semifinal.
The Olentangy Berlin gymnastics team contended for its first state title before Brecksville-Broadview Heights edged the Bears 148.825-148.05. Tayten Swain capped her freshman season by finishing second in the all-around (38.275).
Westerville North senior Ben Gabelman won the Division I boys cross country state championship in 14:51.66 on Nov. 4 at Fortress Obetz.
Golfers Jonas Borland of St. Charles and Will Reis of Thomas sank back-to-back holes-in-one on the 188-yard, par-3 No. 12 hole during a practice round Sept. 28 at Worthington Hills. It was the third career hole-in-one for Borland and the first for Reis.