Owensboro Times is pleased to bring you, for the first time, a preview of Hancock County sports! Here’s what to expect from the fall 2024 season at HCHS.
Editor’s note: The Hornets football preview will be published as a separate story in the coming days.
As we announced on Saturday, we’re also now offering our readers recaps, game reports and features from Hancock County. You can explore our individual, family and corporate subscription options here to stay up to date. Plus, stay connected with us on the OT Sports Facebook page and our X account for the latest scores, reports and more.
Preview of the 2024 season
Golf for boys: Hancock County has four of its top five back from last year in Dec Lewko, Kolby Keown, Jacob Shultz and Jaxon Blake. Lewko is already off to an impressive start, recently winning the Owensboro Catholic Invitational.
“Our first goal is to get through the Class A regional and get to the Class A state tournament,” said head coach Jeff Shultz. “The next goal is to do well as a team in the region.”
Girls Golf: Sophomore Laney Craighead is the only returning player, along with sophomore Audrey Carnes, who is playing golf in her first year.
“Last year, Laney made it to Class A State as an individual player and we hope she can do it again this year,” said head coach Jeff Shultz.
Cross country boys: Although several key players have graduated, the Hornets return a veteran roster led by Noah Henson – one of the team’s top three runners over the past two years. He qualified for the KHSAA state championship as an individual the past two seasons.
Joining Henson are freshmen Emmitt Meserve and Henry Proctor.
“Meserve is one of the best freshmen in the state. As an eighth-grader, he ran the 5K in 17:36,” said head coach Wes Meserve. “He was one of 16 middle school students who (recently) qualified for the Dream Mile in track and field. He qualified for the KHSAA state cross country championship as an individual in 7th and 8th grade. This summer, he has logged several hundred miles in anticipation of this season and has some pretty lofty goals.”
Meserve called Proctor the team’s “X” factor. He battled a lingering injury last year and, if healthy, is expected to make a splash this season. The Hornets have not qualified for the state championship as a team since 2019 and are looking to end that streak.
Girls’ cross country: On a relatively young team, junior Izzy Ross is the only senior. A former regional runner-up, Ross will help lead her team to another top-two finish at regionals and continue their streak of 27 consecutive state championships.
She is joined by Carolina Jones, transfer student Anna Stovall and middle school student Ellen Meserve.
“Carolina is truly a do-it-all athlete,” said head coach Wes Meserve. “She runs cross country and also plays basketball, softball and track. Her versatility has made her an outstanding track and field athlete, qualifying for middle and high school championships in events ranging from hurdles to javelin.”
Volleyball: The Lady Hornets have three of their best players from last year back on the team: senior libero Lily Lindauer, junior setter Caroline Connor and junior Klaire Swihart. Swihart was a middle blocker for the past two seasons but has now moved to the outside position.
Someone to keep an eye on is freshman Bella Bryant. She made the varsity team in 8th grade and is one of the hardest workers on the team, according to her coach.
“The girls had a difficult season last year. I sat down with each player and talked about their individual and team goals,” said head coach Janna Burton. “As a team, the consensus was to have fun and get better. My goal for the team was to build resilience. The girls struggled to fight through and stay strong when they were down. This year, our goal as a team is to stay resilient and persevere even when things may not go the way we want them to.”
