There were numerous memorable moments and record-breaking performances during this past high school sports season. Here is my top 5.
LANCASTER – The 2024-2025 high school sports season is complete, and it was a remarkable year filled with outstanding team and individual performances, as well as thrilling victories and record-breaking performances.
As the new high school season is about to get underway, I wanted to take one last look at all the memorable moments from last year.
Narrowing it down to the best is never easy, and while there were so many major accomplishments and plenty to be considered, here are my Top 5 Eagle-Gazette sports moments:
1. Fairfield Union girls basketball reaches final four
The Lady Falcons had a magical season under new coach Keith Barr, led by senior sensation Christian Thompson, who returned to the court for her senior season after sitting out the previous year.
Fairfield Union not only went 14-0 in the Mid-State League-Buckeye Division, but it won 27 consecutive games before suffering its first loss during the Division IV state tournament.
Barr led the Falcons to 27 wins and a trip to the Division IV final four in his first season. The Falcons finished with a 27-1 overall record, the most wins in school history, which included Mid-State League-Buckeye Division, Southeast District and regional championships.
Barr, who was named the Division IV State Coach of the Year by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association, was able to bring together a talented senior class and a solid group of underclassmen. What took place throughout the winter was remarkable, as the Falcons continued to win game after game.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I took the job,” Barr said. “I didn’t know what the team chemistry was going to be like, but it was amazing how all the girls clicked. We didn’t have any drama, and it was amazing how everyone came together, and how quickly they came together. Things just took off. The girls took coaching, and they were like sponges.”
When asked what legacy the 2024-25 Fairfield Union girls basketball team will leave, Barr stated, “I told the players they are going to be legends. We have never had a team go 27-0 and make the run they did. This was a special group.”
2. Lancaster girls' cross country wins Division I state title
Winning a state championship is a remarkable feat, and while most teams strive to do so each year, it is largely a pipe dream.
So many things have to fall into place. You must have talent, everyone has to buy in and be on the same page and athletes must perform when it matters the most on the biggest stage. There are no second chances.
The Lancaster girls cross country team checked all of those boxes. The Lady Gales talked about winning a state title before the season started, and that is half the battle, truly believing that you can accomplish such a feat.
Led by senior Marisa Heil and junior Harper Allen, Lancaster won the Division I state cross country championship last fall at Fortress Obetz.
The Lady Gales finished the season undefeated, winning the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division, district and regional championships along the way.
“This team has been different from the start. We have had some very dedicated and talented athletes throughout the years, but no team has ever come in with such confidence and focus on what they wanted to achieve,” Lancaster coach Teresa Tripp said. “They made the decision early and never wavered from it. We fully bought in and supported what they wanted to accomplish. However, it is a coach's job to be realistic, and I knew they were special, but it was about mid-season before I let myself truly know that these young ladies could go all the way. I'm a bit superstitious; I hate to even admit it, so I didn't want to get ahead of myself.”
It was Lancaster’s 10th appearance in the state meet, and it has had tons of talent through the years, but no group could ever get over the hump until this season.
3. Andrew Walton repeats as cross country state champion
Fairfield Union senior Andrew Walton won his second consecutive Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II cross country individual state championship on Nov. 3 at Fortress Obetz.
It was even more special because he helped lead the Falcons to the school’s first-ever team state title.
Even though Walton was the defending champion, repeating wasn’t guaranteed, especially given what he had to go through to get there. Not only did he have the pressure of repeating, his team being one of the favorites to win, but he had also overcome an injury and a sickness.
“I felt a lot of pressure, especially coming off track season, and I almost felt like I was the underdog again,” Walton said. “I had a bad season in the spring, so I felt like I had to prove myself again. But at the same time, I also had confidence because of my experience and racing at a high level and that helped.”
Walton not only brought home the individual state title but also left the favorite in the dust down the stretch. Walton ran an Obetz Fortress course record with a time of 15:00.17, which was just off his regional time of 14:59. He won the race by 21 seconds.
“I felt a little pressure coming in, but I was hungry because I saw all the articles that said another kid was going to beat me, even though I have been running all these good times,” said Walton after last year’s state meet. “I felt like I had something to prove, and it motivated me, for sure.”
4. Fairfield Union boys cross country wins Division II state title
There was no doubt the Fairfield Union boys’ cross country team had been on a mission all season.
After finishing third in the state a year ago, the Falcons had one goal in mind heading into this season, and it was to not only get back to the state cross country meet, but they were determined to win it.
Fairfield Union capped off an unbeaten season by cruising to a 35-point win to take home the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Division II state title at Fortress Obetz.
It was the first team state championship in any sport in school history.
“Honestly, it feels surreal, and just doesn’t feel real yet,” Fairfield Union coach Rob Myers said. “It is one of those things where we have worked so hard for this. These guys have been so dedicated. They don’t miss practice, they don’t miss runs, they don’t miss in the weight room, they don’t miss short runs. Every one of them bought into the dream. Last year when we got third, they were crushed when we didn’t win it. I told them we needed to come up with even more. For them to do this, honestly, I have to keep pinching myself because it doesn’t feel real.”
The Falcons finished with 88 points and were followed by Lexington (123).
5. Lancaster softball reaches first-ever final four
The Lancaster softball team has been one of the top programs in the state the past four years, winning 102 games during that span, but it has felt its share of heartbreak by not making it out of the regional.
The Lady Gales had another opportunity to make history, and this time, they seized the moment. Junior catcher Kendall Brown led off the game with a solo home run to set the tone against Gahanna in the Division I regional title game. The Gales added three more runs in the second inning and then held on for a 5-2 victory over Gahanna in front of a huge crowd at Olentangy High School.
Senior pitcher Ashlin Mowery recorded the last out with a runner on second base when the ball was hit back at her. She fumbled it around before tossing the ball to first in time, and the celebration was on.
The Gales made school history by becoming the first softball team to reach the state tournament. Lancaster (28-3) lost a heartbreaker, falling 2-0 in nine innings against Lebanon during the Division I state semifinal at Akron’s Firestone Stadium on June 7.
“It is amazing because we have worked so hard all year,” Mowery said. “Straight from the rip, that is one of the goals we initially set for ourselves because we knew that we had the talent to do it. To finally bring it home and go to the state tournament, now it’s becoming a little more real.”
Worth a Spotlight
They didn't crack the top 5, but they were too good to ignore. Here are five more worth a spotlight:
6. Liberty Union softball is the Division VI state runner-upafter winning it all in 2024.
7. Fairfield Union's Christian Thompson showed what a special athlete she wasby excelling in three sports.
8. Lancaster pitcher Ashlin Mowery took her game to another level and was at her best on the biggest stage.
9. B-C QB Ethan Thanthanavong had a game for the ages in leading B-C to 44-43 playoff win over Hartley.
10. Marisa Heil caps off a fantastic high school track and cross country career with record-breaking performances in both sports.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at [email protected] for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Reliving the top sports moments of the 2024-25 high school season
Category: General Sports
