David Young was born and raised in Monroe County. In high school. Young played football, basketball, baseball, and ran “some” track. The 1969 graduate of Tompkinsville High School went on to Eastern Kentucky University. In 1974, Young was hired to coach P.E. and help coach football and a new sport---girl’s basketball. Three years later, Young succeeded Sandra Williams as coach of the Lady Patriot basketball team---setting the stage for a coaching career among Kentucky’s finest.
Over the next
16 years, Young led the Lady Patriots to an amazing record of 337 wins and 125
losses. AC-S won 15th District Championships 14 times in 16 years,
captured Fourth Region titles in 1979 and 1985 and reached the 1979 KHSAA
Quarter-finals.
Young 1980 team won a school record 29 games and captured the championship of the prestigious Louisville invitational Tournament---vaulted the Lady Patriots to their first ever number one ranking in the state. The LIT title and the team’s 29-3 record led to Young being named as the Courier-Journal’s Coach of the Year for 1980.
Over the 13 years, Young’s AC-S teams were always in the mix for regional titles and a consistent presence among the state’s elite. Highlights include, 1983, when Young guided AC-S to a 28-3 record during a year in which the Lady Patriots spent about half the year as the state’s top-ranked team and climber to as high as 16th in the nation in rankings by USA Today. In 1985, Young’s team won a second regional title before losing to the state’s top-ranked team in the opening round of the state title. Young’s 1990 team just missed a third regional title in 1990---losing on a buzzer-beater in the regional title game.
By the time
Young stepped aside in 1993, his teams had won 20 or more games in a season 10
times. He finished his high school career with a .729 winning percentage. Young
coached several young ladies that went on to play college ball---including a
pair of Lady Toppers, Susie Starks and Laura Ogles Rhea. He also served as a
role model for all his players and managers---instilling in them that God,
family, school, comes ahead of athletics.
Laura Ogles burst onto the regional girls basketball scene as a sophomore during the 1980-81 season. A year earlier, Ogles watched as AC-S enjoyed a 29-3 season---a season which motivated Ogles to help continue the winning tradition. Her career begin with a bang---35 points in the season-opening win and hitting a 60-foot shot to help AC-S to a December win in 1980. From there the sky was the limit. The Lady Patriots went 20-6 that year and appeared poised for a regional title run the following year. Ogles earned All-District and All-Region honors and was team’s MVP as a sophomore. She was also Honorable Mention All-State.
Life took a tragic turn for Ogles the following
November when her parents were killed in a car accident over Thanksgiving
weekend. The accident seriously injured Ogles but would not deter her from pursuing
her goals. After missing two months recurring, Ogles was back in the line-up by
February earning All-Regional Tournament honors as AC-S finished as regional
runner-up with a 20-10 record.
Ogles’ senior year at AC-S was nothing short of amazing. She led the Lady Patriots to a 28-3 record, the championship of the 16-team Owensboro Lady Classic, a number-one ranking in the state and a national ranking of 16th. Her individual numbers were
impressive---to say the least.
Ogles finished the season shooting 74.4% from the floor---aided by a stretch in which she hit 44 of the 45 shots she attempted. She led AC-S in scoring, field goal percentage, rebounds, and free throw percentage. She was named to the All-District, All-South Central Kentucky and All-Region teams as well as be honored as a first team All-State player by the AP, UPI< Courier-Journal and Herald-Leader—making her AC-S’s first consensus All-State player. Ogles also was an All-Star for Kentucky in their annual series with Indiana.
In 1983, Ogles signed to play at Western Kentucky University----making her the first Lady Patriot to sign to play D-I college basketball. Her career on the Hill was outstanding. By the time she graduated in 1987, Ogles had played in 134 games out of a possible 135 games. Her 134 games played remains the most by any Lady Topper in the history of the program. Ogles earned Most Improved player award as a freshman for WKU and is second on the all-time WKU record for career free throw percentage. Her WKU teams went 105-30.
During her sophomore and junior seasons, Ogles helped lead the Lady Toppers to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Women’s Final Four. Ogles—a four time letter winner at WKU---finished her time at WKU as a co-captain in 1987 but the honors continued. In
2007, Ogles was named to the 15 member WKU women’s All-Time Centennial Team.
Tommy Long dazzled as a 5’11” guard for the Allen County Patriots. Long help lead Allen County to their first-ever regional championship as a junior in 1953. The Patriots finished 26-6 that year with Long earning All District and All-Region honors. A year later, Long and the Patriots returned to the state tournament and closed the season 29-3.
During his career as a Patriot, Long scored over 1200 points included scoring 514 points his senior season. Long was named All-District and All-Region in 1954 as well as the South Central Kentucky Player of the Year. Long also was selected to the Kentucky All-Star team and named to the Courier-Journal’s All-State second team.
Long played college ball at Western Kentucky under Coach Ed Diddle. As a Hilltopper, Long took part in many memorable WKU games and basketball games in general. Long’s 1957 Hilltoppers played the very first basketball game at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Ironically, Long would later return to Freedom Hall in a much different role.
After college, Long returned to Allen County and began his basketball coaching as an assistant to Jimmy Bazzell. Allen County won regional titles in 62, 63, and 64. In 1966, Bazzell retired---turning the coaching duties over to Long.
Long’s first team---led by 1967 Mr. Basketball Jim McDaniels---went 33-2 and reached the state quarter-finals at Freedom Hall in Louisville. The next years saw records of 20-5 and 19-9 before the 1970 season produced a 25-5 record and another regional title. The Patriots once again reached the state quarter-finals. In 1972, Long resigned as coach finishing his coaching career with a 118-51 record in six seasons. Long retired from the Allen County School District and remains an avid supporter of all Allen County-Scottsville athletics.
Andi Johnson excelled in three sports during her days at Allen County-Scottsville. First
Johnson spent August to November running cross country. By the time she graduated in 1999, Johnson has helped the AC-S cross country program emerge as one of Kentucky’s finest.
Individually, Johnson finished 15th in the
KHSAA state cross country meet as a freshman and earned second team All-State
honors. A year later, Johnson was an honorable mention All-State selection but
an injury kept her out of the state finals. As a junior, Johnson was back on
track placing seventh in the state meet and earning first team All-State
honors. Her senior year, Johnson was again first team All-state and finished
fourth in the individual run at state.
Johnson was the leader of a cross country girls program that finished in the top seven in the state during the middle and late 1990s.
Once cross country season ended, Johnson turned her attention to basketball. A three year starter for the Lady Patriots, Johnson was instrumental in reviving Lady Patriot basketball in the late 1990s. As a junior, Johnson led AC-S to a 16-9 record---the program’s first winning season in three years. Things only got better as a senior.
First, Johnson set a then school record for points in a game when she scored 36 against Cumberland County in February of 1999. A month later, Johnson helped the Lady Patriots capture the school’s fifth regional crown---but their first in 14 years. AC-S lost in the opening round of the 1999 KHSAA state tournament and completed the season with a 24-6 record.
Johnson’s individual totals as a Lady Patriot are among the best. Averaging 20 points a game as a senior pushed Johnson’s career point total to 1,528---sixth on the all-time list of top scorers. As a senior, she was the team’s MVP, All-District and All-Region. Johnson was also the Fourth Region Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year.
After basketball season, Johnson took her athletic ability to the softball diamond. As a member of the softball program in the early years of fast pitch, Johnson helped laid the foundation for AC-S fast pitch to develop into the state power it is today. As a junior, Johnson helped AC-S softball claim their first district fast pitch championship. As a senior, Johnson’s team continued to find success winning a second district title. For her efforts in her senior campaign, Johnson earned All-State Honorable mention in softball as a senior in 1999.
Johnson’s athletic involvement did not end upon graduation. She choose to pursue basketball and joined the Georgetown Lady Tigers. Johnson worked her way into the starting line-up and began to build the program. In her sophomore year, the Lady Tigers finished the season with a school record 29 wins, advancing to the NAIA Elite Eight. The Lady Tigers followed up the 29-6 season with a 26-8 campaign. As a senior, Georgetown went 22-12 record, won the conference tournament and appeared in the NAIA national tournament for a third consecutive year. Individually, Johnson’s highlights included leading the team with a school record 126 offensive rebounds, 224 defensive rebounds and 350 total rebounds. She made 83.5% of her free throws for the season. By the time she graduated in 2003, Johnson had established records that still stand. In four years, Johnson played in 133 games, fourth on the all-time list for games played as a Lady Tiger. Overall, she averaged 13 points per game. Her 1,735 points makes her the school’s fourth all-time scorer. Johnson grabbed 820 rebounds in four seasons, making her the third all-time leading rebounder. Johnson’s 2003 totals for season rebounds, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds are school records for a season. Johnson holds the individual game rebounding record with 21---a feat she accomplished twice while a Lady Tiger. Defensively, she is fifth on the all-time list in steals with 218. Earlier this year, Johnson was inducted into the Georgetown Athletic Hall-of-Fame.
Chris Young’s passion for running carried the Allen County native to great heights during his days at Allen County-Scottsville. Young burst onto the cross country scene as AC-S cross country coach Rick Roberts was developing the Patriot boys and girls program in the mid and late 1990s. As a sophomore, Young qualified for the KHSAA state cross country meet and finished 69th.
Hard work by Young in the off-season transformed the
AC-S junior. In the fall of 1998, Young was back in the state cross country
championships. Things would be different as Young placed 10th in a
time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. In so doing, Young earned All-State First
Team honors.
Young’s senior season was superb. Never beaten in a cross country run in AA all season long, Young won the region and once again ran in the state championships. This time, Young brought home the state championship in a time of 16 minutes, one point five seconds---AC-S first ever state championship in cross country. Young was named the 1999 runner-of-the-year.
Young also competed in track during the spring. As a
junior Young placed 12th in the Class 2-A 1,600 meters and of 2000
and brought home state championship honors as well. In the 1600 meters, Young
posted a time of 4.26.24 to take the individual championship. In the 3200
meters, Young was state individual champion posting a time of 9.43.21.
Young all completed in indoor track as well. His accomplishments include the 1500 and 3,000 meters indoor state championships as well. He was also a member of the 1999 Kentucky super team.