North Augusta’s Incredible Run with Al Young Continues

 
In 2014, Al Young retired after coaching boys basketball and track at North Augusta High School for 37 years. The former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated by going on a 10-year tear that has redefined girls basketball at the school. The run continues Friday, when North Augusta plays for yet another state championship. 

Young, born in 1949, was a standout football player at South Carolina State, where he is a member of the school’s Sports Hall of Fame. After college, he was selected in the 13th round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Steelers. Although he played sparingly as a rookie, Young was an offensive star for Pittsburgh in the 1972 AFC title game, catching four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. He also played in one of the most famous games in NFL history, the 1972 AFC divisional playoff game between the Steelers and the Oakland Raiders. That day a rookie running back named Franco Harris made a shoestring catch on a tipped pass and ran for a long touchdown that led Pittsburgh to a win. That play became dubbed “The Immaculate Reception” and is still arguably considered the greatest play of all time. 
 
Following his playing days, Young gravitated to coaching, working in relative obscurity for decades at North Augusta. However, an opportunity came about shortly after he retired. The folks at North Augusta wanted Young to take over the girls basketball program. He decided to give it a go. It turned out to be an amazing decision for the school, the athletic program, and Young himself. 
 
That first season his girls played hard but could only manage an 11-11 record. However, during the 2015-16 season, Young found himself with a talented team returning and buying into his coaching style. That season, the Lady Jackets finished 24-4 and lost by only two points in the state semi-finals. Then, in just his third season at the helm, his squad captured the state championship and finished with a perfect 28-0 record. His Lady Jackets would go one to win four consecutive Class AAAA state titles and a fifth championship in 2023.  

Over the last eight seasons, the North Augusta girls have racked up five state titles, one runner-up finish, one season that ended in the Final Four and a 15-2 campaign halted by COVID. The word dynasty is absolutely warranted. Over the last 10 seasons North Augusta boasts an astonishing record of 247-24. Yes, that really is just 24 losses over the last 10 years. 
 
Here is a look at those ten seasons: 
 
Year Record  
2015-16: 24-4 (Lost in the Final Four by two points) 
2016-17: 28-0 (State Champions) 
2017-18: 26-1 (State Champions) 
2018-19: 27-2 (State Champions) 
2019-20: 28-2 (State Champions) 
2020-21: 15-2 (COVID year) 
2021-22: 21-3 (Lost in Final Four in overtime) 
2022-23: 26-3 (State Champions) 
2023-24: 23-6 
2024-25: 29-1 (Playing for State Title) 

 
 
This season, Young’s team is 29-1 and are primed to win the school’s sixth championship in the last eight campaigns. They are not just winning games, they are dominating their opponents. They have outscored the opposition by nearly 1,000 points - 1,663 to 763. That means they are winning by an average of 30 points per game. The scary part for the rest of the state - they are doing it with a squad comprised of almost all underclassmen. This year’s team features only one senior among its 12 varsity players. The team is led by 5 –9 junior Celena Grant, who averages 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per contest. Sophomore Ashley Walker, a 5-10 wing player, averages 12.6 points per contest along with 4.5 rebounds and a team-best 2.7 steals per game.  

North Augusta will square off for the state title on Friday, March 7 at 2 p.m. against Westside High School (Anderson, SC), a team with an almost-as-impressive record of 24-2.