Milestones, memories

By MARK MAYNARD and ROCKY STANLEY / The Independent

January 01, 2009 04:06 pm

— Career miletones, a trip to the state baseball finals and successful coaches retiring were all part of the area sports landscape in 2008.
Lawrence County’s baseball sent off coach Randy Keeton with a state runner-up finish in June. The Bulldogs fell 4-1 to Pleasure Ridge Park, ending the coaching career of Keeton, who amassed 523 victories in a Hall of Fame career.
The Bulldogs’ improbable run to the championship game in Keeton’s farewell season was selected as the top story by the sports staff at The Independent.
Here’s a look at the Top 10.
1.Lawrence County baseball reaches championship. Keeton made the decision to retire before the season. He led the Bulldogs to four regional championships and five regional runner-up finishes in both the 15th and 16th Regions.
The Bulldogs secured career victory No. 500 for Keeton on April 17 against Morgan County. Lawrence County then made it a truly season to remember by winning the 15th Region title, then the sectional title and making it all the way to the state finals against powerhouse PRP.
Lawrence County’s 32-8 record was the best in school history.
2.Raceland and Johnson Central football teams dominate. These teams were easily the story of the football season. Both teams were ranked in the top five of their respective classes all season.
The Rams completed only the second undefeated regular season in school history under coach Randy Vanderhoof. Raceland took a 12-0 record into the state quarterfinals before losing to Lexington Christian Academy 27-20 after holding a 20-3 lead.
The Rams were ranked No. 1 in Class A for the first time in history as well and placed four players on the small school All-Area team.
Johnson Central was 9-1 in the regular season, losing only to powerful Belfry, before going on a nice playoff run as well. The Golden Eagles defeated Covington Catholic and gave eventual state champion Fort Thomas Highlands its toughest game of the playoffs before falling 35-21.
The Golden Eagles finished 11-2 under coach Jim Matney and had 11 players named to the large school All-Area team.
3.Brandon Webb shines again. Arizona’s ace right-hander from Ashland won a National League-best 22 games with a 3.10 earned run average. He was an All-Star for the third consecutive season and finished runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award for the second straight season (after winning it in 2006).
He became only the fifth pitcher ever to finish either first or second in the Cy Young voting for three consecutive seasons.
4.Bill Mike Runyon retires. Paintsville’s wildly successful boys basketball coach called it quits in style, taking the Tigers to the State Tournament for the eighth time in his career.
Runyon won 536 games and eight regional titles. Beginning in 1985, the school made three consecutive State Tournament appearances capped by a semifinal showing in ’87 with John Pelphrey.
The Tigers made their mightiest run from 1995-98, highlighted by a state championship in 1996 and runner-up finish two years later. In between, Paintsville reached the semifinals.
Runyon’s last season saw the Tigers finish 30-4, losing to eventual runner-up Covington Holmes in the state quarterfinals.
5.Amber Riddle powers Lady Vikings — twice. As a junior, Rowan County’s Riddle became Kentucky’s all-time home run leader with 38 and carried her team to the 16th Region championship.
Riddle’s 19 homers, 65 runs, 77 runs batted in and two grand slams last spring were all state records. She went 3-for-3 including a grand slam in Rowan County’s 11-3 romp over Russell in the regional finals.
The terrific performance came on the heels of Riddle’s outstanding basketball season, when she received the Most Valuable Player award at the 16th Region Tournament after helping lead the Lady Vikings to the championship.
Riddle signed in November to continue her softball career at Morehead State University. She has a .495 career batting average and needs only five RBI to reach 200.
6.Julie Ditty makes history. The talented left-hander from Ashland enjoyed arguably the best year of her pro tennis career at age 29.
In September, Ditty swept the singles and doubles divisions at the ColemanVision Tennis Championships in Albuquerque to become the career leader in USTA Pro Circuit titles. She surpassed Paul Goldstein and Nana Miyagi Smith, who won 30 titles apiece.
In recognition of Ditty’s accomplishment, USTA officials presented her with a Julie Ditty bobblehead during the OLBH Tennis Classic in Ashland.
Ditty added a doubles crown at Lawrenceville, Ga., in October for her 33rd championship.
For the season, Ditty won 76 matches and ended 2008 with $173,304 in prize money and a career-best doubles ranking of 85.
7.Rose Hill basketball. The Royals handed Elliott County its only loss against a 16th Region team, defeating the Lions on their homecourt in the All “A” Classic regional tournament semifinals. Rose Hill then made a nice charge in the All-A state tournament.
Elliott County got some revenge in the overall regional tournament, eliminating Rose Hill in the semifinals.
Then in May, two of the players who led Rose Hill’s run — Dakotah Euton and Chad Jackson — transferred to Scott County. It was a move that stirred headlines throughout the state. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association initially ruled the players ineligible before reversing itself in August.
8.Elliott County basketball. The Lions won their second consecutive 16th Region championship by defeating East Carter in the finals. Elliott County then gave eventual state champion Mason County its biggest scare of the Sweet Sixteen before losing 66-62.
Elliott County was a 26-game winner and entered the 2008-09 season as one of the biggest favorites in region history. The Lions were 9-1 through December, including a 3-1 showing in the prestigious Beach Ball Classic.
Elliott County also debuted at No. 1 in the The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhaus Ratings.
9.Gibson umpires All-Star Game. Area product Greg Gibson was selected as one of the umpires for the Major League All-Star Game that was played in Yankee Stadium during the summer. Gibson, who has previously umpired in both the divisional playoffs and league championship series, was on the left-field line for the All-Star Game.
It was even more historic since it would be the last All-Star Game ever in Yankee Stadium.
10.Greenup County baseball. The Musketeers fashioned a 36-7 season that included a 16th Region and sectional title.
Greenup County had the misfortune of playing Lawrence County in the opening game of the State Tournament. The teams came into the game with a combined 35 consecutive victories.
Along the way for the Musketeers, pitcher Tyler Hieneman put together a state record with 37 straight scoreless innings late in the season.

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