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A decade of greatness

The athletes, teams and games that defined Warren County high school athletics in the 2010s

EISENHOWER'S TERRY LEE TALASKY

How do you boil a decade of greatness down to just a few words and a few athletes.

Well, you don’t, exactly.

But just for fun, we thought we’d take a look at some of the very best athletes, games and teams over the ten years, and there was no shortage to choose from.

State champions, district champions and school record holders all make up our best of the decade in Warren County high school athletics, but there were many deserving candidates you won’t find on here, only because we had to stop somewhere!

And truly, we could write books about many of these amazing athletes, but offering just a brief glimpse will certainly bring you back to their amazing accomplishments.

YOUNGSVILLE'S JAKE HOGG

So read, enjoy and take a quick trip down memory lane of the best there was from 2010 through 2019.

– – –

Kalil Slaughter (Sheffield): The fastest sprinter in Warren County history was not only a state champion, he shattered the state record in the 200 meter dash at the 2012 PIAA championships. He also earned gold in the 100 that year and was the anchor of the 4×100 relay team that also medaled at Shippensburg. A 3-sport standout, he shined on the football field and basketball court for the Wolverines as well.

Lydia Latimer (Warren): There’s an argument to be made that Latimer is the most decorated high school athlete Warren County has ever seen. The star player on the 2018 WAHS volleyball team that made a perfect run all the way to the state finals, she shattered multiple school records along the way, earning a Division I scholarship to Cleveland State. She was also a 4-time District 10 champion in the high jump, as well as a D-10 champ in swimming.

Casey Vincent (Eisenhower): Another catalyst on a team that made a run to a state final, Vincent was dominant on the mound throughout his four years, leading the Knights to that state championship game in 2015. He threw multiple no-hitters along the way, and when he wasn’t on the mound, he was starring at the plate and at shortstop. Currently a senior at St. Bonaventure, he was also a decorated soccer and basketball player for the Knights.

05/26/12 Patrick Waksmunski / Sheffield's Kalil Slaughter reacts after winning gold and breaking the state record in the AA 200 meter dash with a time of 21.78 seconds.

Alexa Bupp (Warren): A superb softball player, Bupp was an unquestioned leader on the 2014 District 10 title team and had a stellar 4-year career. Her senior season, she posted a 13-2 record with a 0.61 ERA and also hit .455 with 12 extra-base hits. She also was a standout basketball player and went on to have a great career at the collegiate level for Penn State Behrend.

Jake Hogg (Youngsville): One of five current high school athletes on the list and just a junior, Hogg already has a 4th place finish at states in the high jump on his resume. The two-time District 10 champion, he broke Olympic silver medalist Mike Shine’s school record in earning his first D-10 title as a freshman. Bright things are ahead, but he is already one of the best of this decade.

Margo Loutzenhiser (Warren): A standout in other sports as well, Loutzenhiser chose to focus on basketball at the high school level. What she did throughout her four years was phenomenal. She was a key cog for coach Lisa LaVan as a freshman, helping the Lady Dragons to their first District 10 title in program history. She went on to cap her career with bookend D-10 titles on her way to becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer. She is currently a freshman at Gannon.

Hank Morrison (Warren): Morrison capped a terrific high school baseball career by throwing a complete-game shutout in the District 10 championship game against Cathedral Prep in 2012. He also starred at the plate, and went on to a stellar 4-year career at Mercyhurst before being drafted by the Minnesota Twins and spending a couple of years in their minor league system. He was also a standout basketball player for the Dragons.

Jen Isenberg (Sheffield): A 1,000-point scorer and maybe a whole lot more if not for injury, Isenberg was as dominant and skilled player that was one of the best to ever put on a Wolverine uniform. She continued to battle through injury in college to have an impressive career with Pitt-Bradford. She was also a standout track and field athlete, earning a seventh-place state medal in the javelin.

EISENHOWER'S JAYDON HAYES

D.J. Fehlman (Warren): What can you say about Warren County wrestling’s all-time wins leader? Fehlman was simply dominant. He was a 4-time District 10 champion, 3-time Northwest Region finalist and a 2-time state medalist. He is currently putting together a dominant senior season at Lock Haven. Fehlman was also a star football player for the Dragons.

TerryLee Talasky (Eisenhower): Another on the short-list of best sprinters in Warren County history, Talasky has multiple District 10 and state medals to her name in the 100, 200 and 400, setting multiple school records along the way. She was a star on the track all four years and was also a standout soccer player for the Lady Knights. She is currently a sophomore at Seton Hill University.

Corey Craig (Youngsville): Craig was a star for the Eagles on the baseball diamond as well as the gridiron. He was one of the leaders on a Youngsville football team that put together that magical undefeated regular season of 2011, throwing for over 1,000 yards. As good as he was in football, he was even better in baseball, starring for the Eagles for four years before going on to play at California University of Pennsylvania.

Louie Head (Eisenhower): A true 3-sport star, Head made a magical run to the state wrestling finals as a senior and is one of just a handful of county wrestlers to eclipse 100 career wins.

Head shined under the brightest of lights, playing a pivotal role in helping the Knights to the state title game in baseball in 2015. He also starred on the gridiron as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in District 10, throwing for over 1,000 yards and leading the team in rushing as as a senior.

SHEFFIELD'S JEN ISENBERG

D.J. Hahn (Warren): Hahn and Paige Wilson were catalysts as seniors in leading the Warren Lady Dragons to the first District 10 title in program history in 2016, beating McDowell. A 1,000-point scorer, Hahn did a little bit of everything for the Lady Dragons, and also went on to have a standout career throwing the javelin in track and field. She is currently a senior at Cal U.

Matt Sandberg (Warren): What didn’t Sandberg do during his time in a Dragon uniform. He won two District 10 doubles titles in tennis, including with his younger brother Nate as a senior in 2012. He was a standout on some very good Dragon soccer teams, scoring 30 goals as a senior. He was also a very good basketball player, starring on a 19-6 Dragon team under coach Jeff Berdine as a senior along with the likes of Hank Morrison, Preston McMeans and Austin Jerman.

Paige Wilson (Warren): Star student, star athlete, their wasn’t anything Wilson didn’t excel at as a Dragon. A District 10 champion in both basketball and softball, she also enjoyed a standout volleyball career. She was a 1,000-point scorer, leading the way with the aforementioned Hahn to the D-10 title in 2016. She was an all-state catcher in softball, playing big roles in the back-to-back D-10 titles in 2014 and 2015 and is currently a senior at California University of Pennsylvania.

Austin Jerman (Warren): Another 3-sport star, Jerman became the all-time leading passer in Dragon football history and helped lead them to their last playoff win over Conneaut and was also an excellent defensive back, earning first-team all-state honors with eight interceptions. He was also just the second quarterback in District 10 history to throw for 2,000 yards in a season at the time. He was also a District 10 javelin champion and a solid basketball player.

Lex Nyquist (Warren): Currently a senior at Warren, Nyquist has had a remarkable career in both volleyball and softball. She played a pivotal role at setter in helping lead the Dragons to the state championship game in 2018 and shattered the program record for career assists. She has earned all-state honors in both sports, also starring at shortstop on the diamond. She will continue her volleyball career next year at Bloomsburg University.

Logan Jaquay (Eisenhower): A senior, Jaquay is on his way to breaking Fehlman’s career mark for wrestling victories. He earned a state medal as a sophomore and eclipsed 100 wins last season as a junior. An unquestioned leader for the Knights, Jaquay has his sights set high as he looks to finish his high school career in style.

Naomi Hahn (Warren): Another current high school student-athlete on this list, Hahn has had a decorated career in both track and cross country for the Dragons. She qualified for states all four years in cross country, earning a state medal as a junior, and also has a D-10 title and multiple state appearances in track as well. She will continue her academic and athletic career at Division I Virginia Military Institute next season.

Ethan Finch (Sheffield): The fifth and final current student-athlete on the list and just a junior, Finch put together one of the best season’s in Warren County history as a sophomore. At 170 pounds, he made a run to the District 9 title, earning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors in the process. He shined again at regionals, and finished one win shy of a state medal at Hershey. Great things lie ahead for Finch, that is for sure.

Aidan Morrison (Warren): Another athlete who did it all, Morrison starred in baseball, football and basketball for the Dragons. He was the Day 1 starter at catcher as a freshman, capping his career by helping lead the Dragons to a District 10 title. In football, he broke the single-season school record for tackles as a senior from his middle linebacker spot, and also earned all-state honors as a punter his sophomore year. He was a multiple-year starter in basketball as well and is currently at Division I Canisius.

Ellie Lobdell (Warren): Yet another player who played a pivotal role in the 2018 state runner-up volleyball team, she started out at setter as a freshman and eventually moved to the outside. As a softball player, she put together an 18-2 record and 0.62 ERA on the mound. At the plate, she hit .477 with 10 home runs and 29 RBI. She is currently a freshman at Cal U.

Jaydon Hayes (Eisenhower): Another 3-sport star, Hayes dominanted on the football field and basketball court and also was a member of the state-runner up baseball team for the Knights. A 1,000-point scorer, Hayes was a must-watch on the court. He was a star runner, receiver and defensive back in football, leading the team in receiving as a junior and rushing as a senior as the Knights moved to a more run-heavy attack.

Meghan Loutzenhiser (Warren): The oldest of the Loutzenhiser sisters was a standout softball player and basketball player as a Lady Dragon. She played a pivotal role on the D-10 title team as a junior, hitting .492 with 26 RBI, both second on the team. She put together a great senior season on the mound, going 15-2 with a 1.18 ERA in helping the Lady Dragons repeat. She was also a tremendous basketball player.

Shane Burns (Warren): One of the most decorated Warren tennis players in recent memory, Burns won back-to-back District 10 singles titles in 2012 and 2013. He was a obviously a key cog for both of those teams in capturing back-to-back District 10 team titles as well.

Mackenzie Bickling (Warren): Warren girls’ soccer all-time leading scorer, Bickling was a catalyst for the Dragons for four years, three of which came playing for her father. The Lady Dragons won their first District 10 title in 2019, a year after Bickling’s graduation, but their is no doubt she still had a major hand in it.

Preston McMeans (Warren): One of the most accomplished players of the Jeff Berdine-era, McMeans amassed 1,120 points during his brilliant career for the Dragons, helping lead them to the state playoffs in 2011-12. He was also a star baseball player, delivering what turned out to be the game-winning hit in the 2012 District 10 title game against Cathedral Prep.

Brooke Messinger (Youngsville): A standout cross country and track and field athlete, Messinger was a multiple-time state qualifier in the former.

Sabrina Anderson (Warren): A highly decorated track and field athlete, Anderson earned D-10 titles in the 110 hurdles and as a member of the 4×100 relay team. She went on to have a stellar career at Slippery Rock and has ventured into other endeavors like American Ninja Warrior.

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