It was an eventful week for Owensboro High School athletics, as Landon Black, Broderick Devine, Byaruhanga Mutabazi, Phoenix Barnett, Trevor DeLacey, Heleina John, and Addison Hill all signed letters to compete at the college level.
Black, Divine, and Mutabazi all helped usher in a new era of Red Devils soccer, which culminated with the 2024 9th District Championship title and its subsequent appearance in the Regional Championship.
Both Black and Mutabazi will be attending Kentucky Wesleyan College, while Divine is heading to Georgetown College.
“Kentucky Wesleyan has a great, longtime culture,” Black said. “What really did it for me is the level of care that the players and coaches show. Coach Parent, Coach Coral, and Coach Keller all did an amazing job of recruiting me. I was able to go to spring practices this past weekend and it reiterated for me how much I love it there.”
Mutabazi reiterated Black’s sentiments, acknowledging it was his best option. He started hearing from schools this past season and focused on his dribbling to make his dream of playing collegiately a reality. This past season, Mutabazi finished fifth on the team in goals with 12 and added four assists.
For Divine, his recruitment process picked up after his junior season, after he started training.
“Georgetown gave me a lot of culture and taught me a lot,” Divine said. “I loved the coach and tour, and they gave me a chance.”
DeLacey has been the Red Devils starting quarterback for the past two seasons, finishing this year with 1,801 passing yards and 20 total touchdowns. A multisport athlete, DeLacey is also on the baseball team, but stated that football has always been his true love.
Playing college football wasn’t always on his radar, but enough people in his corner helped reignite his dream, and he choose Georgetown.
“I wanted something close to home,” DeLacey said. “My mom went there, and my dad was there for a little bit. I love the coach; he coached me when I was a little kid. I love his coaching.”
Addison Hill burst onto the scene for the Lady Devils softball team as an eighth grader in 2021, hitting .275 with 15 RBIs. This season, she is hitting .393 with three RBIs and is a perfect 6-6 in steal attempts. Committed to Wabash College, Hill acknowledged that her travel ball coach was instrumental in her recruitment process.
“I went to Wabash for a visit and the campus was really nice,” Hill said. “The coach was great, and I talked to the players there. …It made me realize I should give it a try.”
Heleina John arrived at Owensboro as a junior in 2023 and was instrumental in the Lady Devils winning the 3rd Region Championship. This past year, she took her game to another level, averaging 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. Hearing from Brescia and a few other schools, John decided on Midway due to it being the perfect distance from her home.
“The process was good and I thought everything went smoothly,” John said. “I liked the coaches, and I liked the team. I actually have an old teammate from last year currently there in ALyrica Hughes.”
Lacrosse is still growing in Kentucky and when Phoenix Barnett realized Owensboro had a team, she wanted to play after learning about the sport from the show Teen Wolf. Falling in love with the sport, she started as an offensive midfielder before transitioning to goalie. She received college offers from Murray, Northern Kentucky, KWC, and Murray, but chose to attend Transylvania University.
“It was my first college visit I had ever been on and the environment and people there were very welcoming. There was no pressure. I would advise anyone to try Transylvania.”
