Four outstanding high school athletes have been selected for induction into the Allen County-Scottsville Athletic Hall-of-Fame. Former AC-S student-athletes Hannah Roberts, Kristie Ballard Smith, and Dewayne Taylor will join Allen County basketball standout Bobby Young for inclusion into the HOF.
Hannah Roberts earned multiple All-State honors in softball and cross country before graduating AC-S in 2002. On the softball field, Roberts was an All-State pitcher for four years (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002)---a comprehensive honor handed out in years prior to classification in softball awards. She finished her high school career with 107 wins (14th all-time in Kentucky high school fast pitch history) and 1,100 strikeouts (13th in state history). She would post an Earned Run Average (ERA) of .36 (point-three-six) in 2001 and ERA of .39 (point-three-nine) in 2002---marks that still rank among the best seasonal ERA’s in state history. In 2000, Roberts earned All-State Tournament team honors as she helped AC-S to a third place finish in the school’s first state softball tournament appearance. Roberts played college softball at the University of Chicago where she was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American. Her college records at Chicago include first all-time in career and season ERA, career and season shutouts, season wins and strikeouts and second overall in career wins and strikeouts.
As a cross country athlete, Roberts was an All-State Class 2A selection in 1999 and 2000. She helped the Lady Patriot cross country team to third place honors in the Class 2A state meet in 1997 and 2000, seventh place finishes in 1996 and 1999, a sixth place finish in 1998, and a fifth place effort in 1995---a year in which she participated in the sport as a sixth-grader.
Kristie Ballard Smith graduated form AC-S in 2000. A two-sport athlete early in her high school career, Ballard stepped aside from softball to focus on basketball. As a member of the Lady Patriot basketball team, Ballard helped rebuild the tradition-rich Lady Patriot basketball program. In 1999, Ballard helped ACS to their first regional title in 14 years. In her senior season, Ballard again help guide the Lady Patriots to the 2000 Region 4 title. She finished her basketball career with 1,129 points---currently the 12th leading scorer in the 41-year history of Lady Patriot basketball.
Smith played college basketball at Brescia University in Owensboro---earning All-American honors twice---in 2003 and 2004. Brescia reached the national NAIA tournament all four years with Ballard helping Brescia to the school’s first Final Four in 2004. She graduated from Brescia in 2004 with a business management degree. Today she resides in Elizabethtown and works in Human Resources. She also assists her husband in coaching the John Hardin Lady Bulldogs.
Dewayne Taylor was a three-sport athlete at AC-S in the early and mid 1990s. As a member of the Patriot football team, Taylor established records for most yards passing in a single season when he threw for 1,403 yards in 1993. Taylor also holds the record for most yards passing in a game---322 yards coming against Elizabethtown in 1992. Over the course of his junior and senior seasons, Taylor passed for 2,756 yards and finished his four year football career as the leading passer in Patriot history with 4,388 yards and 45 touchdowns. Taylor is also among the all-Time Patriot leaders in touchdown passes in a season, most passes completed in both a season, and game.
Taylor was a contributing player in an emerging Patriot basketball program in the mid 1990s as well---helping the Patriots to district championships in 1994 and 1995 and finish as Region 4 runner-up in 1995. Taylor also established several baseball records on the diamond during his four-year career in the early and mid 1990s. In 1995, Taylor posted a 1.3 season ERA and struck out 88 batters in helping the Patriots reach the region baseball tournament. After high school, Taylor played baseball for two years at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin. Today, Taylor is a minister in the community.
Bobby Young is a 1960 graduate of Allen County where he led the Patriots to a combined 52 wins over the course of his junior and senior seasons. In the 1959-60 season, Young averaged 22.3 points per game to finish with a career point total of 1,326. The Patriots finished with a 27-2 record with Young being named to the All-Regional Tournament Team . Young was an All-District and All-Season selection in 1960---a season that included a then school-record 43 points verses Richardsville and a 35-point performance against Alvaton.
After high school, Young continued his basketball career at Tennessee Tech University. Young recorded 37 and 41-point games while at Tennessee Tech from 1961 until 1964. As a junior, Young averaged 12.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. In his senior season, Young improved his per-game scoring to 22.2 points per game---the then-third best scoring average for the Tennessee school. Young also averaged 12 rebounds per game and shot 76 percent from the free throw line. Young was named All Ohio Valley Conference and helped lead Tech to the NCAA tournament. He is currently 19th in overall career rebounds for the Golden Eagles.
Following a successful career in business, Young returned to his Allen County roots. He served as Allen County Judge-Executive from 2007 until 2011.
The 2015 Hall-of-Fame Introduction ceremonies will take place at halftime of the AC-S verses Daviess County football game on Friday, August 21.