ECMS Academic Team Claims 2019 Quick Recall State Championship

2019 ECMS Academic Team Quick Recall State Champions

Edmonson Voice Staff Report:
The ECMS academic team won the KAAC state quick recall championship on Monday, March 18, 2019, by defeating Meyzeek Middle School of Louisville.   The championship culminates a season of practice and competition that began on August 14, 2018.  

The win makes the third consecutive year that the team has competed in the finals, something unprecedented for a school the size of Edmonson County.​

The best teams in the commonwealth came to Louisville with dreams of being state quick recall champions, but the ECMS team dominated the competition at the KAAC Governor’s Cup State Finals.  ECMS began the tournament on the morning of March 17th with a 37 to 13 victory over Phillip Sharp Middle School from Pendleton County.  Next ECMS defeated Boone County’s Conner Middle School by a score of 40 to 11.  The last game of the day, ECMS outscored Pikeville Middle School by a score of 44 to 12 to advance to the “Smart Sixteen” playoffs on Monday.

HOF Head Coach Greg Grey instructs team members during a break.

ECMS drew Winburn Middle School for its first game on Monday, which was a strong rival against EC. The team is known for possessing the best academic team in the Lexington area.  ECMS controlled the match from the opening of the game and ended the game with an impressive 44 to 21 victory.  In the quarterfinals, ECMS defeated a perennial quick recall power, Holy Name School of Henderson, by a score of 46 to 17.   Rockcastle County fell to ECMS in the semifinals by a score of 44 to 27.  The championship game pitted ECMS against the best team in Louisville, Meyzeek Middle School.  ECMS controlled the tempo and scoreboard from very early in the championship match.   At halftime, ECMS had a commanding 29 to 8 lead.  Meyzeek opened the second half with an impressive run but a timeout from EC helped stop the Meyzeek momentum, and ECMS stepped up it game.  ECMS ended its championship run with a 43 to 28 victory. 

The team not only received its championship quick recall trophy and player medals but also claimed individual written assessment honors.  Jonas Miller placed first in the state social studies assessment for the second year in a row.  Brody Johnson placed 8th in the state in both arts and humanities and in language arts. 

ECMS Principal Brandon Prunty said he was very proud of the group's accomplishments, as always. 

"I'm glad to see that all their hard work culminated in a state championship in quick recall," he stated. "They gave a dominating performance from start to finish, against very strong teams. They set the tone in each match as the team to beat and no one was able to overcome that."
​

Jonas Miller and Brody Johnson accept individual written assessment awards.

A very thankful Head Coach Greg Grey had plenty to say:

​“I want to start by thanking everyone who follows and supports our academic team.  Our team was so excited with the escort we were given as we returned to Brownsville.  We love Edmonson County and wanted to make it proud.  Today was an absolutely amazing day.   The other coaches and I knew we had an outstanding team, but I never believed we would dominate quick recall so completely.  There were no two players in the state that could compare with Brody Johnson and Jonas Miller.  Brody’s speed in most areas, but especially in math, simply awed most of our competition.  The depth of knowledge Jonas has in social studies and many other topics is amazing." 

Final scoreboard.

Celebration from the return to Brownsville after a welcome-home parade.

Coach Grey continued:​

"Our other starters, Evy Bolton and Emma Sackett, really stepped up their game for the quarterfinals and semifinals matches.  We truly operated like a fine tuned engine at the state finals," Coach Grey continued.  "When we substituted, every player came in with intensity and looked to score early and often.  All of the coaches are extremely proud of the team’s achievements and of the individual achievements in testing.  I want to thank our coaches Alan Florence, Nick Skaggs, and Robin Grey for all they did to make this championship a reality.  We began the year with a dream of a state championship, and that dream was achieved through the hours of practice, competition, and study of our players.  Thank you Brody, Jonas, Evy, Emma, Glenna, Alex, Brycen, Lyla, Ace, Ashton, and Ian. You will always have a special place in my heart and memories.”