Owensboro Times is excited to bring you a preview of Hancock County sports for the first time ever! Here’s a look at what to expect from the 2024 fall season at HCHS.
Editor’s note: The Hornets’ football preview will be released as a separate story in the coming days.
As we announced Saturday, we’re also now bringing recaps, game stories, and features of Hancock County to our readers. You can explore our individual, family, and corporate subscription options here to stay in the know. Plus, stay connected with us on the OT Sports Facebook Page and our X account for the latest scores, stories, and more.
2024 Season Previews
Boys’ Golf: Hancock County returns four of their top five from last year in Dec Lewko, Kolby Keown, Jacob Shultz, and Jaxon Blake. Lewko is already out to an impressive start, recently winning the Owensboro Catholic Invitational.
“Our first goal is to make it out of the Class A Region and play in the Class A State tournament,” head coach Jeff Shultz said. “Next, we want to have a good showing in the region as a team.”
Girls’ Golf: Sophmore Laney Craighead is the lone returner. Joining her is Sophmore Audrey Carnes, in what is her first year of playing golf.
“Last year Laney was able to make it to Class A State as an individual and we hope she can do the same this year,” head coach Jeff Shultz said.
Boys’ Cross Country: Despite losing multiple key members to graduation, the Hornets return an experienced roster led by Noah Henson — one of the team’s top three runners over the last 2 years. In each of the last two seasons, he’s qualified as an individual for the KHSAA State Championship.
Joining Henson are freshmen Emmitt Meserve and Henry Proctor.
“Meserve is one of the top incoming freshmen in the state, having run 17:36 for the 5k as an 8th grader,” head coach Wes Meserve said. “He was one of the 16 middle school boys who qualified for the Dream Mile (recently) in track. He qualified for the KHSAA State Championship in cross country as an individual in both 7th and 8th grade. He’s put in several hundred miles this summer in anticipation of this season and he has some pretty lofty goals.”
Meserve called Proctor the team’s “X” factor. He battled a nagging injury last year and, if healthy, is expected to make some noise this season. The Hornets haven’t qualified for state as a team since 2019 and have their eyes on snapping that streak.
Girls’ Cross Country: A relatively young team, junior Izzy Ross is the only upperclassman. A former regional runner-up, Ross will be leaned on to help lead her team to another top-two finish at regional and to keep their streak of 27 consecutive state appearances going.
Joining her is Carolina Jones, transfer Anna Stovall, and middle-schooler Ellen Meserve.
“Carolina is really a jack-of-all-trades type of athlete,” head coach Wes Meserve said. “She runs cross country and also plays basketball, softball, and track. Because of her versatility, she’s an outstanding track athlete who has qualified for middle and high school state in events ranging from the hurdles to javelin.”
Volleyball: The Lady Hornets return three of their top contributors from a year ago in senior libero Lily Lindauer, junior setter Caroline Connor, and junior Klaire Swihart. Swihart spent the past two seasons as a middle hitter but has transitioned to the outside.
Someone to keep an eye on is freshman Bella Bryant. She made varsity as an 8th-grader and according to her coach is one of the hardest workers on the team.
“The girls had a rocky season last year. I sat down with each player and talked about their individual and team goals,” head coach Janna Burton said. “As a team, the consensus was to have fun and get better. My goal for the team was to build resilience. The girls have struggled with fighting through and staying tough when they were down. This year our goal as a team is to maintain resilience and push through even when it might not be going our way.”
