Meet the candidates for SBLive's National High School Team of the Year for 2022-23
Dramatic comebacks, perfect records and first-time achievements were commonplace during the 2023-23 high school season.
SBLive set out to identify the boys and girls teams across the country who stood above the rest during the fall, winter and spring.
Here are 20 teams worthy of national recognition following their special 2022-23 seasons.
Austintown-Fitch (Ohio) softball
Wearing a jersey that didn’t fit for the playoffs, sophomore pitcher Sydnie Watts was dominant in the postseason as Austintown-Fitch captured the program’s first state title and finished 22-0-2 overall. In 40 playoff innings, Watts surrendered just two runs on eight hits with 88 strikeouts. Austintown-Fitch defeated Anthony Wayne, 6-1 in the Division I state championship game.
Ben Davis (Indiana) boys basketball
Completing one of the best seasons in Indiana history, Ben Davis got past Kokomo in the Class 4A state championship game to finish 33-0 overall — becoming the 14th undefeated state champion in state history. Head coach Don Carlisle, a 1997 Ben Davis graduate, also won a pair of state titles as a player.
Brentwood (Tennessee) boys soccer
Brentwood captured its second consecutive Class AAA state championship with a dominant 3-0 victory over Station Camp. The Bruins went 25-0 overall and outscored their opponents 99-14 while defeating four defending state champions along the way.
Conway (Arkansas) girls basketball
Coming off a stunning loss to Little Rock Central in last year’s Class 6A state finals, Conway returned with a vengeance to capture the state title with a 62-53 win over North Little Rock. Stanford signee Chloe Clardy closed her standout high school career with 20 points to pace the Wampus Cats, who shook off a three-game losing streak in January to win their final 11 games.
De La Salle (California) baseball
In honor of his late mother, Hank Tripaldi belted a pair of home runs — including the go-ahead grand slam that completed a six-run seventh-inning rally — to lift De La Salle to an 11-8 win over Valley Christian in the Northern California Division 1 championship. The Spartans also rallied back from a three-run deficit in last year’s final. Valley Christian had won 19 straight entering the game.
Duncanville captured its first state title since 1990 with a hard-fought 28-21 victory over North Shore in the Class 6A Division I championship game. North Shore had defeated the Panthers in the 2022, 2019 and 2018 finals and was a perfect 5-0 in championship games. Duncanville ended the season with a flawless 15-0 record while the Mustangs finished 15-1.
Edmond North (Oklahoma) girls basketball
Edmond North completed a perfect 29-0 season and won a second straight Class 6A state championship. The duo of Laci Steele (NC State) and Elle Papahronis (San Francisco) lost 12 total games during their four years of starting for Edmond North.
After dropping a 4-3 heartbreaker to Skyview in the 2022 Class 4A state semifinals, Jackson rebounded to win a state title this spring. The Timberwolves had come-from-behind wins in the quarters and semis and controlled the title game against Glacier Peak, winning 5-1 in a weather-shortened affair. Jackson, which went 28-1 overall, will have a good shot to repeat with state player of the year Yanina Sherwood returning for her senior season.
John Marshall (Virginia) boys basketball
John Marshall cruised to its fifth Class 2 state championship in the last 10 years, drubbing Radford 91-34 in the finals. The Justices finished 28-0, winning their final 19 games by double figures. John Marshall’s dominance at the Class 2 level has created controversy for the Virginia High School League.
One of the most dominant softball programs in the country, Lake Creek has won 85 of its last 86 games and went 44-1 this season en route to a second straight Class 5A state title. Florida signee Ava Brown, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, compiled a 27-0 record with a 0.53 ERA and 292 strikeouts this spring. She finished her high school career with a perfect 81-0 record.
Liberty North (Missouri) girls soccer
Liberty North completed a dream 22-0 season with an overtime victory over Nerinx Hall in the Class 4 state championship game. The Eagles were a state semifinalist a season ago who captured the program’s first state title in June.
Link Academy (Missouri) boys basketball
Link Academy closed the season as the top-ranked team in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 after winning its first GEICO Nationals title. The Lions went 27-1 with their lone loss coming to Montverde Academy. Link was hoping to avenge that defeat at the GEICO Nationals, but the Eagles stumbled in the opening round.
Lone Peak (Utah) girls basketball
Lone Peak pulled away from Skyridge in the fourth quarter to secure its second consecutive Class 6A state title. BYU signee Kailey Woolston was the star for Lone Peak, which finished 24-4 overall following a good showing at the State Championships Invitational.
Long Island Lutheran (New York) boys basketball
Long Island Lutheran routed Stepinac in the Class AA Tournament of Champions final for its ninth title. The New York power closed its strong season with a 23-3 overall record.
Magnolia Heights (Mississippi) baseball
Led by Ole Miss signee and state player of the year Cooper Pratt, Magnolia Heights ended the season on a 36-game winning streak, including a decisive sweep in the Class AAAAA championship series. In 10 playoff games, Magnolia Heights outscored the opposition 92-10.
Miami Central (Florida) football
South Florida’s most dominant program in recent seasons went 14-0 in the fall, including big wins over IMG Academy and American Heritage in the 2M state championship game. Miami Central has four consecutive state titles in three different classifications. The Rockets are 46-6 during that span and haven’t lost to a Florida team since 2020.
Mill Creek’s storybook season ended with an emphatic 70-35 victory over Carrollton in the Class AAAAAAA title game. The 70 points were a school and championship game record for Mill Creek, which had never won a state title.
St. Amant (Louisiana) softball
With Addison Jackson leading the way, St. Amant finished 32-2 overall and won its second straight state title with a 4-0 shutout of Sam Houston in the Division I non-select final. Jackson, a future Boston College Eagle and two-time Louisiana player of the year, belted 28 home runs as a senior and went 28-2 in the circle with a 0.93 ERA and 288 strikeouts to just 81 hits in 188 2/3 innings.
St. John Bosco (California) football
After dropping an early-season game to Mater Dei, St. John Bosco rebounded to defeat the national power in the playoffs. The Braves then stomped Serra, 45-0, to claim the CIF Open Division state championship. St. John Bosco, which ended the season atop the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25, had more than 40 players with at least one Division I scholarship offer.
Stoneman Douglas (Florida) baseball
Stoneman Douglas rode MaxPreps National Player of the Year Christian Rodriguez to a third consecutive Class 7A state title, but this championship was different. The Eagles finished a perfect 29-0 and outscored their opponents by 215 runs to finish No. 1 in the final SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25. Rodriguez, a Florida signee, went 12-0 record with a 0.69 ERA and 117 strikeouts as a senior.
