The 12th Allen County-Scottsville High School Athletic Hall-of-Fame class was inducted on Friday, August 27 at Patriot Stadium at Allen County-Scottsville High School. After last year’s induction night was canceled due to the restrictions implemented due to COVID, this year the class includes basketball standouts Sue Ellen Smith Holder and Lex Carter as well as the 2011 KHSAA State Champion softball team and the 2010 KHSAA Class 4A state runner-up football squad.
Sue Ellen Smith Holder was a building block for the tradition-rich Allen County-Scottsville Lady Patriot basketball program. Holder was a junior in 1974 when girls basketball became a high school sport statewide. On the first girls basketball team for AC-SH, she played alongside her sister (Donna) and helped the Patriots to an undefeated 14-0 regular season and an overall record of 15-2. The following year, Holder helped AC-S to a second undefeated regular season and the school’s first Region 4 title. The Lady Patriots finished the year 23-2.
Holder finished her two-year career with 671 points, an average of 16 points per game. Her point total ranks her 29th on the all-time AC-S scoring list. She was a 1975 All-State Honorable Mention player and a 1976 Second Team All-State selection. Following college, Holder returned to the Allen County School District where she served for decades as an elementary teacher.
Lex Carter was a contributing player on one of Allen County’s greatest basketball teams. As a junior in 1967, Carter was a starter as the Allen County Patriots posted a 33-2 record, captured the Region 4 championship, and reached the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. Carter averaged 11.7 points per game. As a senior in 1968, Carter was the team’s leading scorer with 523 points (20.9 points per game) as Allen County posted a 20-5 record. For his outstanding career, Carter was selected All-Region, All-LIT (Louisville Invitational Tournament) and a two-time Honorable Mention All-State player.
After receiving a scholarship and playing two years at Campbellsville, Carter was called to serve in the US Army where he would serve the US Mortuary Service in the Da Nang area of Vietnam. Upon returning to Allen County, Carter served as the founding director for the Allen County Ambulance Service (now Allen County EMS) until his retirement. He was also the Allen County coroner for 15 years and a deputy coroner for many additional years.
The 2011 Allen County-Scottsville State Champion softball team is forever etched in the Allen County history books. In winning the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state championship, the squad became the first school sports team to bring a state championship trophy to Scottsville and Allen County.
Under the leadership of coach Rick Roberts in 2011, Patriot fastpitch won the District 15 championship for a 14th consecutive year and the Region 4 tournament for a third year in a row---the program’s sixth
overall. AC-S defeated East Jessamine, Pleasure Ridge Park, Central Hardin, and Louisville Ballard (twice) to claim the title. The team finished 41-4-1.
The 2011 state championship squad was led by junior pitcher Kelsi Pardue, who would be Kentucky’s Miss Softball in 2012. Pardue and teammates Taylor Borders, Allsion Murley, Allison Pedigo, Morghan Prock, Brittany Rippy, Katie Young, and Sandy Young, went on to play softball in college.
The 2010 Allen County-Scottsville State Runner-up football team capped an outstanding three-year run with an appearance in the Class 4-A KHSAA state championship game. Boyle County edged AC-S 21-14 in the title game but not before the Patriots turned heads with their hard-nose, hard-hitting effort.
The 2010 Patriots---coached by current Patriot coach Brad Hood---built upon a 9-4 season in 2008, a season in which AC-S reached the third round of the playoffs. In 2009, AC-S went 11-1 with their only loss coming in the Class 4A. Region 1 championship game. In 2010, the Patriots avenged the 2009 setback with a win over Lone Oak to claim the school’s first regional football title. A win over Louisville Western a week later propelled AC-S to the state title game. The Patriots battled to the final minutes before Boyle County escaped with the victory, leaving AC-S with an outstanding 13-1 record.
The 2010 squad was ground-oriented and defensive-minded. The backfield included all-time AC-S rusher Brandon Boards and Hunter York---who stands second on the rushing list. Defensive standouts included Cy Williams, Kalen Long, William Long, and Jacob Drummond.
The 2021 HOF induction will be held at halftime of the Allen County-Scottsville versus Monroe County game on Friday, August 27. Prior to the 7:00 p.m. kickoff, a meet-and-greet will be held for the inductees at Patriot Stadium. All team members from the 2011 softball squad and the 2010 football team are invited.