Highlands Volleyball Takes Care of Walton-Verona

Bluebirds Face Dixie Heights on Thursday

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands senior Lauren Buemi gets in position during a recent match.

The Highlands Bluebirds volleyball team may have a huge upcoming 9th Region game.

But the next game on the schedule listed a visit from the Walton-Verona Bearcats from the 8th Region. Highlands (9-2 overall) still took care of the Bearcats by a minimum 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-19) win.

"I think a lot of high school teams have a tendency to overlook opponents. That's not a good thing to get into," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "We do have to keep our eyes on what is in front of us. I think we were able to reset and do that. The Walton program as a whole has really grown. They have some really tough athletes. There were a couple sections where we were like, 'Okay. Get your hands back on the wheel. Let's steer this thing home.' You can't really mess around with many teams in our area."

Sallee liked how all 16 players on the bench received action. This includes sophomore defensive specialist Annie Ellison and junior middle blocker Carly Cramer.

"I say in my head, 'Don't get nervous. You can do it and I usually end up doing fine," Ellison said. "For club, I've played at that (higher-speed varsity) level so I'm used to it. For varsity, you have to be more prepared and step it up instead of just taking it slow on (junior varsity)."

Highlands had 37 kills and assists, 12 aces, three solo blocks and 53 digs. Senior middle blocker/right side hitter CC Shick again led the Bluebirds with 15 kills, one solo block and seven digs. Senior outside/right side hitter Sophia Sarakatsannis had three aces, four kills, one assist and a team-high 12 digs. Senior middle blocker Avery Cavacini had seven kills, one solo block and one dig. Senior middle blocker/right side hitter Lauren Buemi had seven kills, one solo block and one dig.

Senior setter Madison Opitz had most of the saves with 31 to go with four digs, one kill and one ace. Senior Honor Valentine had 11 digs and five aces with senior defensive specialist Madison Clore recording eight digs, two assists and two aces.

Dixie Heights (2-1) comes to Fort Thomas for a 7:30 p.m. game. Highlands is 1-2 against 9th Region opponents with both losses coming against teams from the 33rd District.

Highlands Bests Walton-Verona

Bluebirds Win on Senior Night

PHOTO: G. Michael Graham, Fort Thomas Matters. Highlands freshman guard Alyssa Harris brings the ball up the court in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team (17-7 overall) knew this would be another tough one.

The Walton-Verona Bearcats (18-6) came to Fort Thomas a few weeks after finishing runner-up in the All "A" State Tournament at Eastern Kentucky University. But Highlands withstood the challenge in a 51-46 victory.

Tenth Win for Highlands Girls Hoops

Bluebirds Pull Away from Bearcats

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Ashley Hayes (2) makes a move in a recent game.

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team took advantage of the opportunity for another big win Thursday.

Highlands used the combination of nice offense and tenacious defense to pull away from the visiting Walton-Verona Bearcats, 55-44 in a non-region game. The Bluebirds have won six straight against the Bearcats. The last Walton-Verona win in the series came 56-49 in Walton on Feb. 4, 2012. Both teams are 10-5 overall.

Bluebirds Dominate Bearcats to Open Season

The score does not indicate it necessarily.

But like a lot of teams, the defense is head of the offense to start the season. The Highlands Bluebirds recorded 10 hits to go with excellent pitching and error-free defense on their way to a 12-0 victory over the host Walton-Verona Bearcats (1-1) to open the season Wednesday.

Growing in Small Ways

Bluebirds fall on road in overtime

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Bryce Traylor looks to make a move in a recent game against St.Henry. Traylor had 15 points in the 70-62 overtime loss at Walton-Verona on Thursday.

The early end results may be similar to the recent past.

But the 1-5 record of the Highlands Bluebirds basketball program do not reflect the tremendous improvement shown this season. The 70-62 loss at the Walton-Verona Bearcats (4-3 overall) on Thursday is another example.

Improving on the Road

Ladybirds even record with road win

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Lauren Epperson prepares to shoot a free throw in a recent game. Epperson had 10 points and eight rebounds in Highlands' 55-39 road win at Walton-Verona on Thursday.

The Highlands Ladybirds basketball team (2-2 overall) saw more improvements on their weaknesses in a 55-39 road win over the Walton-Verona Bearcats (4-1).

Ladybirds rebound with convincing win

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands junior Kiersten Clukey (right) makes a move in Tuesday's game against Notre Dame. Highlands moved to 12-3 with a convincing win over Walton-Verona on Thursday.

The Highlands Ladybirds basketball team took out its frustrations of Tuesday's loss to Notre Dame on the Walton-Verona Bearcats on Thursday.

Highlands inches closer to 20-win plateau with run-ruling

PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Jake Whitford homers in a recent game. 

The home field of the Highlands Bluebirds baseball team has not been kind to 32nd District opponents this week.

Highlands Saturday Hoops Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team hit the road to Crestwood on Saturday and brought back a 57-47 win over the South Oldham Lady Dragons.

Highlands has won three in a row to move to 3-1 overall and South Oldham fell to 2-1. This marked the first road game of the season for Highlands.

NewCath records fifth second-round shutout since 2004

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team can easily add this clause to the old saying, “Winning is contagious.”

Shutting out second-round Class 2A playoff opponents is also contagious.

The Thoroughbreds did that for the third straight year and fifth time since 2004 with a 36-0 blanking of the Walton-Verona Bearcats on Friday at Newport Stadium. The 8-4 Thoroughbreds advanced to their 14th consecutive regional title game as a result.

Throughbreds handle Rebels to open 2A title defense

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters

NEWPORT – The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team did not figure to have much trouble with the visitors to open the Class 2A playoffs.

That proved to be the case in a 47-14 rout of the Owen County Rebels on Saturday afternoon at Newport Stadium. The defending 2A state champions have not lost in the first or second round of the playoffs since 1999.

The Thoroughbreds led 47-0 at halftime and enforced the running clock in the second quarter. The teams agreed to play eight-minute quarters with the running clock in the second half. NewCath (7-4) has won six in a row.

Soccer: NewCath girls win 9th All "A"; Bluebird boys handle Bearcats

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic's Michaela Ware (white) and Beechwood's Madison Williams go after the ball in Saturday's game while teammates converge. NewCath won 5-0 to win the All "A" 9th Region crown at Farris Park.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

COVINGTON – It has been a while since the Newport Central Catholic Lady Breds soccer team has been to the All “A” State Tournament.

NewCath took a step closer to making it to Elizabethtown with a 5-0 victory over Beechwood at Farris Park on Saturday. NewCath advances to the Sectional contest against either Paris or Bishop Brossart after the regions were separated this year. The two play for the 10th Region crown on Sept. 7. NewCath captured three straight All “A” state titles from 2005 to 2007.

That is mostly because NewCath has played in the same region with the St. Henry Lady Crusaders. St. Henry had won the previous five 9th/10th Region All “A” Tournaments and even captured the All “A” state titles in 2008, 2009 and 2011 in addition to winning the overall state championship in 2010 to go with All “A” State runner-up finishes in 2010 and last year to Lexington Christian.

But St. Henry chose not to partake in the All “A” Tournament this year. Scheduling may have been the big issue.

“The All ‘A’ is tough to schedule because you have to keep three games open for Elizabethtown if you feel like you have a team that can go deep,” said Kevin Turnick, NewCath Head Coach. “You can get the three games, lose the three games or try to finagle a schedule where you can work it out with another school that says, ‘I’ll play you later on down the road if I don’t get to the All ‘A.’ You just somewhat manage your schedule. I think we’re going to keep our game with Beechwood and we hope Villa Madonna does the same just in case we don’t get down to Elizabethtown. It all depends on what you want to do. In my experience, we’ve gone down there and beaten teams 6, 7 or 8-0. In the end of the year, what is that really doing?”

Freshmen forward Taylor Tolle led NewCath with a hat trick of three goals and junior midfielder MiKayla Seibert scored the other two. Tolle credited her teammates for getting her in position to score.

“(My teammates) were making good through passes and switches (to the middle of the offensive box),” Tolle said. “You just have to get to an open spot, not get offsides, try to get past the defenders and punch it through.”

The Lady Breds outshot the Lady Tigers, 18-5. NewCath goalkeeper Meg Martin saved all five Beechwood shots and Cara Schwartz recorded 13.

NewCath did a good job defensively in front of Martin. The Lady Breds booted out all the balls that entered their defensive box.

“We make sure we have our marks on the outside,” said Erin Ackerson, NewCath junior defender. “If (opponents) have a person in the center, we make sure we stay on them so they can’t any through balls over. It’s about keeping tight in the defensive third (of the field).”

The Lady Breds played without six key players Saturday. Three seniors were already out in Sam Bunzel, Amanda Schabell and Caroline Kinnett. Kinnett is out for the year with Bunzel and Schabell possibly returning soon.

Then during the game, Chandler Cain, Allie Otten and Donnelly Simmins came out because of either injuries or heat exhaustion. All could return soon.

The temperatures hit the 90s Saturday. But NewCath covered its bench to give the players and coaches shade while Beechwood’s bench was shaded by trees. The teams played four 20-minute sessions because of the heat.

“I was definitely concerned about the safety on both sides,” Turnick said. “The younger kids stepped up. We tried to get into a rhythm of keeping possession and not running all over the place. We also tried to get as many subs in as we could in critical spots to keep people fresh.”

Tolle scored her first two goals a minute into the game and with 22:15 remaining in the first half. Seibert received her first goal toward the end of the half by booting a corner kick that Schwartz tried to play. But it went off her into the goal.

NewCath put the game away in the second half. Seibert scored her second goal with 16:45 left in the game and Tolle added her final one with 8:15 left.

“That (second-half run) was critical because in our semifinal game against Villa (Madonna) and even going back to our game against Ryle on Monday, the confidence somewhat dropped when we started losing some starters,” Turnick said. “Things fell apart. On Thursday, we took a different approach to practice and kind of shocked the players some. We wanted to make sure the reason they’re here to play soccer is the energy and passion of playing. Beechwood is not a bad team. We kept things simple and we played the way we’re used to playing.”

NewCath travels back to Farris Park to face Holy Cross on Wednesday. Game time is 5 p.m.

Boys Soccer:

Highlands 6, Walton-Verona 0:

The Bluebirds (2-2) held the Bearcats without a shot in a Saturday afternoon contest at Tower Park.

Andrew Barnes, Cole Davis-Roberts, Nathan Tippenhauer, Jimmy Penrod and Vadim Lightner all scored for Highlands. Teammate Jordan Jarvis tallied two assists with Penrod, Logan Groneck and Eric Schurr making on each.

Highlands travels to defending 9th Region champion Boone County on Tuesday. Game time is 8 p.m.

Brannen takes job at Walton-Verona

 

 

G. Michael Graham Photo. Grant Brannen (black sweatshirt) watches during team introductions at a game earlier this year. Brannen guided the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds basketball team for seven years before taking the same postion at Walton-Verona on Tuesday.

 

 

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

One of the hottest boys basketball head coaching jobs in Northern Kentucky came open Tuesday.

Veteran Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds Head Coach Grant Brannen announced he’s taking the same position at nearby Walton-Verona. This comes after the Thoroughbreds finished 30-3 this past season with Ashland Invitational, All “A” State and 36th District championships.

“I have been a part of the NewCath family since I was in the second grade,” Brannen, a 1998 NewCath grad, said. “For over 15 years, I loved every minute of teaching and coaching at my alma mater. Graduating, teaching, and coaching at NCC was a dream come true. This is a special place and will always be a part of my family’s life.”

NewCath finished 146-62 in Brannen’s seven seasons as head coach. The Thoroughbreds recorded six 36th District titles and four All “A” 9th Region titles during that span. NewCath finished 9th Region runner-up in 2011 to Dixie Heights and 2012 to Boone County. Eventual state quarterfinalist Covington Holmes bounced NewCath, 55-50 in the first round of the 9th Region Tournament this year.

Brannen said his daughter Caroline and son Jefferson “will eventually be Thoroughbreds.” Brannen’s wife, the former Anna McSorely, graduated from NewCath in 1999.

“Grant is an unbelievable coach, an even better teacher, and an even better person,”said Rob Detzel, NewCath Director of Athletics. “It is a sad day for NCC, as we are losing one of our great alums. We are, however, very happy for Coach Brannen and wish him nothing but the best at his new position.”

Brannen teaches Sociology, Geography, United State and World History in addition to Health and Physical Education at NewCath. He will also teach at Walton-Verona.

Brannen took over as head coach for Detzel in 2006 when Detzel took the AD position. Detzel succeeded former head coach Ron Dawn years before that.

“It is with mixed emotions that I inform all that Grant Brannen is not returning as a teacher and coach next year,” said Carl Foster, NCC Principal. “We are losing a great coach and more importantly, an excellent role model for our student-athletes. We thank him for his commitment to our students in the classroom and the success he has built with our basketball program.”

Two starters graduate from this year’s team in Michael Bueter and Nick Seibert. The Thoroughbreds graduate three other seniors in Jake Haas, Colin Dupont and Brennan Devoto.

But NewCath does return a lot of talent starting with rising 6-foot-8-inch senior Jake Schulte and rising juniors Zach Pangallo and 6-6 Drew McDonald. The Thoroughbreds also have some talent coming up like 6-4 rising sophomore Ben Weyer.

“I want to thank the coaching staff and all the young men who I had the honor of coaching,”Brannen said. “I am thankful for the experiences and memories we share.”

Brannen has a huge task in front of him at Walton-Verona. The Bearcats finished just 9-21 last year. They lost 53-47 to Simon Kenton in the 32nd District semifinals at Williamstown.

NewCath has begun the process of filling in the opening. A couple media outlets have reported that Ron Dawn has accepted the offer to return to his old position. Dawn guided the Thoroughbreds to the All “A” and 9th Region championships in 2000.

Dawn coached the NewCath girls program for four years between 2008 and 2012. He guided the Thoroughbreds to the All “A” championship in 2010 and the 9th Region crown in 2011.

Baseball Roundup: Bluebirds dominate W-V, NCC falls

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds baseball team handled Walton-Verona, 8-0 in its home opener Friday.

The domination for Highlands (2-2) started on the mound. Joey Cochran threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout with six strikeouts.

“Joey Cochran pitched great,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands head coach. “That’s always key. He threw strikes and let our defense make plays behind him, and we did make plays behind him.”

Senior leadoff hitter Hector Molina continued his solid start to the season. He had four hits and scored four runs.

“Hector’s been playing really well,” Baioni said. “I think he’s had 10 or 12 hits at this point. He gets on base and wreaks havoc. He really gets us going.”

Quentin Murray had a clutch two-run single in the second to push the Bluebird lead to 5-0. Highlands then received consecutive RBI doubles from Gabe Schultz and D.J. Mills in the bottom of the sixth to finish off the Highlands scoring.

The Bluebirds play two more games today back at Highland Park. The Bluebirds face Beechwood at Noon and Covington Holy Cross at 3 p.m.

Covington Catholic baseball 13, Newport Central Catholic 3:

The Thoroughbreds (0-3) continued their early-season struggles with a loss to the Colonels in the All-Catholic Tournament.

CovCath pulled away in the top of the seventh with nine runs to break open a tight 4-3 advantage. The Colonels outhit the Thoroughbreds, 12-5.

Nick Davis recorded the win for CovCath. He pitched into the fifth and struck out four.

The Colonels saw four players recorded two hits each. They were David Zalla, Matt Litzler, Max Boyle and Noah Galvin. Litzler had a double.

The Thoroughbreds had just one extra-base hit. That came in the form of an Alex Grau double.

Connor Bartels took the loss for NewCath. He pitched four innings and struck out six.

NewCath takes on Ryle at Morscher Field on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Highlands comes up with huge win over defending 8th Region champs

G. Michael Graham Photo. Highlands senior Vanessa Fisse (15) makes a move on Walton-Verona's Shelby Mullikan (15) in Saturday's game in Fort Thomas while teammate Ava Abner (22) gets in position. Highlands won 44-40 for its 21st win of the season.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team knew it would be tested Saturday as both teams geared up for the postseason.

Like many teams, Highlands has had its struggles in big games this season. But the Bluebirds (21-7) came through for a 44-40 home victory over the Walton-Verona Bearcats for their 15th win in 18 games. The Bearcats (16-8) won the 8th Region crown last year and had won four in a row coming into the game.

“Just being able to come through in a close game is great, especially a week before Districts start,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands head coach. “It’s about a year of maturity and doing the little things. We executed on offense and made some stops defensively.”

Every small thing made a huge difference in this one. Highlands needed to hit some outside shots because Walton-Verona packed the lane against the Bluebirds Twin Towers of Jesse “Dirt” Daley and Leah Schaefer.

The Bluebirds came through making 12-of-36 shots for 33 percent, including five three-pointers. On the other side, the Wildcats made 13-of-37 shots for 35 percent.

Schaefer still led Highlands with 10 points and Daley managed seven. But five of Daley’s points came from the free-throw line as Walton-Verona constantly challenged her when she attacked the basket.

“As you get older, you realize it’s not about how many you score,” Daley said. “It’s about whether the team wins. The amount of points and assists I had helped my team win. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. That’s what we did.”

Those seven points put Daley into elite company as she joined the Highlands 1,000-point club for her career. The 1,000th point came at a crucial time with 36.9 seconds remaining. It gave Highlands a 42-38 lead.

Daley became the 16th girl in Highlands history to make the club. Schaefer also hit a free throw at home to reach quadruple-digits in the Bluebirds’ 64-30 season-opening win over Dixie Heights on Nov. 27. Daley has played basketball with many of her teammates for years.

“It means a ton,” Daley said of doing it the same season with Schaefer. “We’re really close. It’s cool to be able to walk back here in 20 years and see my name on the wall.”

Highlands made its free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Bluebirds hit 15-of-21 for 71 percent overall, including 8-of-11 in the fourth quarter for 73 percent. Walton-Verona made 13-of-15 free throws for 87 percent.

Brianna Adler made all six attempts on her way to nine points for Highlands. Adler made two with 49.2 seconds to put the Bluebirds up 41-36 and two more with 6.5 seconds remaining to make the final score.

“In a close game like this, you have to make your free throws,” Adler said. “If you don’t, opponents have a good chance of catching up with you. We all have our own (free throw) routine. We shoot free throws every day in practice for at least 20 minutes.”

Hailey Ison scored with 38.6 seconds following Adler’s first pair of free throws to trim the Highlands advantage to 41-38. Ison then made two free throws with 29.7 seconds left to make the score 42-40.

Following a Highlands miss, the Bearcats had a chance to win the game. But Courtney Sandlin missed a three-pointer and Adler grabbed the rebound.

The Bluebirds led 33-32 entering the fourth quarter. After a Coffey free throw, Sandlin tied the game with two free throws. But Daley found Schaefer cutting to the rim and Schaefer made two free throws to put Highlands up for good at 36-34 with 5:48 left.

That’s when Ava Abner came up huge for the Bluebirds. Walton-Verona backed off her on the perimeter because Abner does not score much. But she let a three loose and made it to give Highlands a 39-34 advantage.

“It was about time,” Abner said. “I usually rely on my teammates to hit the big threes. They were relying on me for that one. I just did what my team needed.”

At the other end, Michele Judy scored with 2:50 left to make the score 39-36 Highlands. Walton-Verona took two timeouts with less than two minutes left before Judy Missed a shot near the basket and Coffey grabbed the rebound setting up the dramatics in the final minute.

Defensively, the Bluebirds contained the Bearcat inside-outside duo of Sandlin and Judy. Judy finished with 12 and Sandlin 11 after they scored 28 and 21 points respectively in a 64-54 win over Newport Central Catholic on Wednesday. Sandlin recently returned from a wrist injury.

“We told them before the game we had to know where those two are,” Richey said. “We can’t let those two beat us. We were going to let some of the other players shoot. But we really had to double down on Judy some.”

The game stayed close in the first quarter before Highlands finished it with a 7-0 run to go up 13-6. Emilie Parton made a three-pointer from the left corner with 45 seconds left to finish the run.

Highlands struggled in the second quarter losing it 16-5. Judy tied the game with 3:13 left in the half and Sandlin made a free throw and shot to put Walton-Verona up 20-16. Following two Daley free throws, Judy scored again to give the Bearcats a 22-18 halftime advantage.

But that lead did not last long. Highlands started the half with a 9-0 run. Adler made a three-pointer before Daley scored a bucket and hit two free throws and Coffey recorded a steal and fast-break score.

Walton-Verona did come back to tie the game at 28. But Vanessa Fisse untied it with a three-pointer to give Highlands a 31-28 advantage. Following an Ison score, Schaefer hit a lay-in in the center before Judy made two more free throws for the Bearcats.

Highlands closes out the regular season against Simon Kenton (23-4) on Thursday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Highlands girls overcome Woodford County; NCC girls fall at W-V

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It took overtime, but the Highlands Bluebirds girls basketball team came through with the big win.

Highlands (19-7) downed the visiting Woodford County Lady Yellow Jackets, 50-45 to win for the 13th time in 16 games in a makeup game Wednesday. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Lady Yellow Jackets (15-12).

Highlands had to rally to win the game. The Bluebirds trailed 26-21 at halftime.

Both teams put three players in double-figures. Jesse “Dirt” Daley led Highlands with 12 with Leah Schaefer and Brianna Adler scoring 11 each. Adler made three three-pointers and Emilie Parton hit two more.

Chelsey Ford and Anastayzia Reed led the Lady Yellow Jackets with 11 each. Teammate Jessica Morgan scored 10.

The Bluebirds travel to Lloyd Memorial (7-15) on Friday. Game time is 8 p.m.

Walton-Verona girls 64, Newport Central Catholic 54:

The Thoroughbreds (18-8) lost their fourth in a row to the defending 8th Region champions.

NewCath led 24-22 at halftime. But the Bearcats (15-8) pulled away in the second half.

The Thoroughbreds had no answer for the combination of Courtney Sandlin and Michele Judy. Judy scored 28 and Sandlin had 21 for Walton-Verona.

NewCath saw three players reach double-figures. Nikki Kiernan led the way with 19 and Alexus Mayes scored 13. Michaela Ware added 10 for the visitors.

The Thoroughbreds made seven three-pointers. Mayes had three with Ansley Davenport and Ware connecting for two each.

NewCath travels to Notre Dame (17-5) on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. contest. Notre Dame is 8-0 in 9th Region play.