PsalmsG

Honestly everyone. I was not sure if it was "Death Valley" or just "The Valley." But I'm clear on that now. It's been corrected in the main stories.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Off to the south of David Cecil Memorial Stadium is a place known as The Valley. It once housed the field of the Highlands softball team and served as a practice field for the football team. It is currently covered in construction. As part of the school’s renovation project, the school is building a few things there. One is a parking lot and the other is a two-story building. The top level will include a weight room overlooking the field. “It’s going to be a phenomenal facility. It’s going to just about double the size of our weight room now,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Football Coach. “With having 100 guys on the varsity team, our weight room is way too small. This is going to make lifting much more efficient. We’ll get a lot more done. It only helps improve these guys as athletes.” The school made some changes to the football field last offseason. Highlands installed a new press box and scoreboard. Weinrich said the hope is to have the field house ready by next offseason. The new weight room will also have new equipment. Camp Week: The Highlands players and coaches held their annual camp this week. The campers ranged from the second through the eighth grade. “We’re just showing them kind of what we do,” said Tyler Robinson, Highlands junior defensive lineman. “Then at the end, we have fun with them so they think it’ll be fun when they come to high school.” The weather turned out fine Tuesday. It rained some in the morning before giving way to sunshine in the afternoon. No Changes to District Opponents: Many people have said the Grant County Braves could go independent for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Grant County Director of Athletics Steve Thompson did write some e-mails to Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commissioner Julian Tacket about some options. But nothing has changed. “I hear a lot of people saying, ‘I read this and I read that,” Weinrich said. “They are definitely in our district. We’ve already got our contracts signed with them.” Highlands has won all six meetings in school history with Grant County. The other two opponents in Class 5A, District 5 will be Covington Catholic and Dixie Heights. The Bluebirds also completed their non-district contracts for 2015 and 2016. Highlands will face seven Class 6A opponents in non-district action. The Bluebirds will take on Cooper, Campbell County, Scott County, Ryle, Louisville St. Xavier, Simon Kenton and Boone County. Highlands has not played Simon Kenton since 1998. This will also mark the first-ever meeting against Cooper. “These guys know each other,” Weinrich said. “We’re a Northern Kentucky team. We’re excited about playing a Northern Kentucky schedule and getting a feel for each other. It’s going to make us feel more a part of Northern Kentucky.” Scott County won the 6A state championship last year. Highlands defeated the Cardinals, 60-37 in 2012. The Bluebirds last played Louisville St. Xavier in 2006. They are 2-4 in school history against the Tigers. “Scott County is right down the road basically. Louisville St. Xavier is down the road in Louisville so they’re not far away,” Weinrich said. “When they both come here, they’ll bring good crowds. Every game will be a local game and/or a good crowd so we’re real excited from a high school football experience. When you play some of these teams so far away, it’s hard to get fans to travel. You don’t necessarily get that feeling all the time.” Highlands hit the road for two long road trips to John Hardin and Paducah Tilghman last year. The two come to Fort Thomas this year. The Bluebirds travel to Warren Central to finish the season this year. Moving on without Feggins: The Bluebirds not only graduated 32 seniors from last year’s Class 4A state runner-up squad, they will be without their leading receiver. Jensen Feggins decided to reunite with his dad, Howard Feggins, at Warren Central for his senior year. Howard Feggins had been an assistant at Norfolk State (Virginia) before taking the job at Warren Central. “Honestly, I’m really happy for Jensen Feggins and his whole family,” Weinrich said. “His Dad has been a college coach. That is such a hard way to live a family life. We’re excited that they get to be a family for a year. I told our guys that they should feel good about themselves that he even considered staying for a minute because he had such a good relationship with these guys.” Feggins had 51 receptions for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. Alex Veneman will now be the leading returning receiver with 35 catches for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Bluebirds will need other receivers like Justin Weyer and Cashel Coughlin to step forward to make up for Feggins’ productivity. “We’re going to miss him. He was a good friend and even better player,” Coughlin said. “I don’t blame him at all for his decision. We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’re going to keep working hard and getting better and not looking back. That’s what Highlands football does.” Highands opens the season on Aug. 29 at Campbell County. Game time is 7 p.m. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands football adjusts to more offseason changes

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The new head coach of the Highlands Ladybirds soccer program is not afraid of high expectations. There was a time when the Blue and White sat near the top of the state of Kentucky and Brian Wiefering wants to see those days return quickly. Wiefering held his first team meeting Monday after being named the new head coach last week. “I’m looking forward to a great season,” Wiefering said. “The goals up front are going to be state championship. People are saying (Highlands) has some good players coming up through the pipeline in five or six years. But at the same time, we have good players now. I hope the girls expect to go undefeated. People say, ‘Soccer is a funny game. How can you expect that?’ That’s the way I’ve always played and coached. If you don’t, you learn from it. It’s going to be a challenge for these girls. We’ll see.” Wiefering, a 1991 Highlands graduate, had been an assistant under Tommy Kearns the past three years. He played at Highlands before going into coaching. He was named the 2013 Club Soccer Coach of the Year by the Kentucky Soccer Association. “Having the opportunity to coach at the school I went to, played for and coached the past three years is extremely exciting,” Wiefring said. “I couldn’t ask for more. Right when the opportunity rose, I called Tommy (Kearns) to get his thoughts. From there, it didn’t take me long to put my name in the pot.” Kearns resigned because of an increased workload responsibility at Fidelity. His wife Nina also resigned her assistant coach position. This will mark the first time neither will be on the sidelines at Tower Park since 1997. “I think some of us expected it and some of us didn’t expect it,” said Brooke Dougherty, rising Highlands senior defender. “I think there will be a lot of changes going from Tommy and Nina’s perspective to Brian Wiefering’s perspective. But I think we’re excited to see how the season will go. I think we have a lot of talent. We had a meeting (Monday) and he planned out the season. We’re excited to see how far we go and I think he will be able to work with the talent we have.” Highlands dominated the soccer scene between 2005 and 2008 winning the state championship in 2005 and 2006 before finishing state runner-up in 2008. The Ladybirds last won a region crown in 2010. They finished 43-43-13 under Tommy Kearns. “I don’t think I met two people that cared for the girls as much as Tommy and Nina. That to me is awesome,” Wiefering said. “I’ve coached club (soccer) for many years. I was the same way with the girls I’ve coached. The girls came first in not only their development as soccer players, but as people.” Wiefering said he learned a huge lesson watching Nina Kearns this past year. She resigned the head coaching position in 2008 to spend more time with the couples’ three children. “The first one-fourth of the year, the girls were afraid of (Nina Kearns) because she demanded respect,” Wiefering said. “That fear turned into respect then really turned into, ‘We’re going to play hard because we want to do this for our coach.’ I thought that was awesome.” Highlands finished 8-8-5 last year winning the 36th District championship. The Ladybirds lost 3-0 to eventual state champion Notre Dame in the 9th Region title game. That team graduated eight seniors but will return a good core. That includes rising seniors Taylor Vaughn, Peyton Bankemper, Allyson Bridewell and rising junior Brooklynn Rivers. “I think as seniors we all tend to get along,” Dougherty said. “We all have a good idea of what we want out of this season. We have a common goal we want to achieve. I think if we go into it focused every practice and every game, Mr. Wiefering said we’ll be fine.” Wiefering said he plans to run a 4-3-3 (defender-midfielder-forward) scheme. He said it is a 4-2-3-1 scheme in reality. “The reason it works so well is I’ve had the philosophy that if you control the middle of the field, you should come out ahead,” Wiefering said. “Having three midfielders should beat the 4-4-2 where there’s only two midfielders.” Another key to success is team chemistry. Wiefering has experience raising teen-aged girls. Wiefering and his wife Heidi have four daughters. “I have to get to know these girls,” Wiefring said. “But at the same time, I’ve raised my girls to be a certain way. That is to be tough, confident and independent. That confidence means if there is something on your mind or something is not right, you need confidence to have a conversation with peers such as your parents or teacher. That’s what I want to see. But I also know every girls needs to be coached a little different. You can get on one girl hard and she’ll respond to that well. If you do that to another girl, she’s going to shut down on you.” Highlands did beat the eventual state champion Pandas this past year, 2-1 in the annual Lexington Catholic Cup. That was the first time Highlands beat Notre Dame since the 2010 regional title game. That marked the third title in school history. Notre Dame did not allow a goal in the postseason. “They are definitely always going to be a strong team,” Wiefering said of the Pandas. “They always have six-plus girls come from the very elite level (club teams). Highlands doesn’t have that because they are involved in more than one activity, which is fine. We’ll have to have very, very focused practices where we are finding girls that are disciplined enough to think their non-dominant foot is technically as capable as their dominant foot. We have to find girls who want to play 90 minutes in a high-paced pressure-type game. Notre Dame is so good that just being fast and athletic is not going to do the job.” Wiefering said he has not hired any assistants yet. Former Highlands player Kristen Pratt-Gerrein helped out the team in 2012. Fort Thomas Sports: Wiefering wants to lead Ladybirds back to top

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter OWENSBORO – The good news is the Highlands Ladybirds softball team can say it’s seen the best teams in Kentucky. They hope to learn from their first-ever experience that ended Saturday in the double-elimination tournament. Highlands (27-14) fell to 3rd Region champion Owensboro Apollo, 12-2 in the morning then 16th Region champion Ashland, 12-0 in the afternoon. Head Coach Rob Coffey said he wanted to aim for the cream of the crop when he took the job back in September, 2012. The Ladybirds won the 36th District championship, their first-ever 9th Region crown and first-ever state tournament game in the historic season. They graduate just center fielder Ashley Grosser and left fielder Kendall Turner. “We just had our speech,” Coffey said. “Our speech was about two years ago. You want to leave the program better than when you came in. Our seniors did. They led us through some thick and thin and really helped turn this thing around. The coaching staff puts a lot of time into it. We tell them what to do and how to do it. They put the time in. Coaching girls is not always the easiest thing to do. You have to have solid seniors to push the program forward. They’ll always be a part of the family.” Turner and Grosser helped Highlands to a winning 18-12 season as junior last year. That Ladybird team lost 3-0 to Notre Dame in the 9th Region semifinals. Highlands went 45-26 the last two years. “I just want to say, ‘Thank You for everything we’ve been through this season,” Grosser said. “It’s been an amazing year – something I’ll always remember. I hope the girls can make it this far next year and the years after that.” The two remember the struggles of the program. The Ladybirds finished a combined 24-33 as freshmen and sophomores. They won the district championship as freshmen, but led Highlands to only its second and third appearances in the region semifinals prior to entering high school. “It was a great season,” Turner said. “It was unimaginable that we beat Ryle, Boone County and all those big teams in the same season. It sets the bar high for the future.” Highlands had been solid defensively most of the season. But the Ladybirds committed five errors in each of the two contests leading to a number of unearned runs. “We didn’t start out well,” Coffey said. “We didn’t feel the energy level was as high as we had been in the past five, six weeks. We tried to mentally prepare them for distractions. But they get in the way. There are a lot of teams that are down here for the fourth, fifth and sixth time in a row. I am not an excuse guy. But we had girls making errors that normally don’t make errors. We had girls who were hitting all year that didn’t hit. But the girls expect to get here again. It’s a new game when you get here the second time.” Highlands managed just one hit off Ashland pitcher Megan Hensley. That was a Turner single in the fifth inning. Hensely finished with six strikeouts. The Kittens smacked eight hits in the win. Sydney Whitt, McKenzie Vanover and Sydney Campbell had two hits each to lead Ashland. Vanover hit a solo home run in the second and finished with three runs batted in. Ashland scored six in the first and finished it with five in the third. The loss to Apollo ended Highlands’ school-record 19-game winning streak. The loss snapped their school-record 19-game winning streak. The Ladybirds had not lost since an 8-6 defeat at East Central (Indiana) on April 22. Apollo (22-10) outhit Highlands, 11-5 smacking five home runs. Katelyn Knotts hit two for the E-gals with teammates Sarah Smith, Savanna Williams and Ashley Adkisson hitting one each. Highlands did not have any multi-hitters in the contest. Shelby Graybill smacked a solo home run in the first inning to put the Ladybirds up 1-0 in the first inning. It was her ninth of the season. But Apollo came back with three in the bottom of the first. Smith hit a two-run home run and Williams hit a solo one to put the E-gals up 3-1. Apollo came back with another run in the third with two outs. Autumn Grady reached on an error and pinch-runner Ashley Spalding advanced to third when Williams singled. Haley Carter then hit a double near the right-field line to put Apollo up 4-1. Highlands came back and scored once in the fourth. Kendall Turner singled with one out and advanced to second when Ashley Grosser singled in front of the plate. However, Turner was thrown out trying to advance to third and Grosser went to second on the throw. Brennah Dutcher came through with an infield single moving Grosser to third. Grosser then scored on an Apollo throwing error. But Apollo came back with two in the bottom of the frame. Smith and Knott hit consecutive two-out home runs to put the E-gals up 6-2. The E-gals then finished the game in the fifth. They scored six runs on four errors. The big blow was Adkisson’s three-run blast. Autumn Grady took the win for the E-gals and Bailey Spencer took the loss. Spencer pitched into the fifth before Miranda Mason took over. Grady had six strikeouts and a walk. Spencer struck out one and walked two. Spencer also took the loss in the second game finishing 21-8 on the year. She threw the first two innings before Mason pitched three. The two combined to strike out two and walk four. “I think we need to keep our heads held high,” Spencer said. “Sure we made some mistakes when we got here. But overall, the season was definitely positive. I’m so proud of everyone on the team.” McCracken County entered the tournament as the top-ranked team in Kentucky per the Kentucky Softball Coaches Association poll. Top 10 programs Lone Oak, Reidland and Heath consolidated to form the school last summer. Coffey said depth will be key to catching teams like McCracken County. “I had two seventh-graders and two eighth-graders in at one time,” Coffey said. “The depth the size of these schools is juniors. We still want to stay with fundamentals. But the more depth we create, the more competition we create in our practices. That’s what’s going to take us to the next level.” There was some huge controversy in the game prior to the second game between Ashland and Johnson Central. Johnson Central’s Rachelle Fairchild clearly hit the ball over the 210-foot temporary fence for a game-winning home run off Hensley. But the umpires huddled and ruled it went through the fence for a ground-double leaving the tieing run at third. Hensley retired the next batter after a long delay to allow Ashland to advance. Highlands can build around seven starters next year. That includes Spencer, Graybill, Dutcher and Haley Coffey. Graybill hit two home runs in the tournament. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands learns valuable lessons in state tournament

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter OWENSBORO – It may not have been a win or go home game situation. But the Highlands Ladybirds softball team wanted to use it to set a tone for the rest of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Fastpitch State Softball Tournament. The 9th Region champions started off the tournament on the right foot overcoming inexperience and jitters in a 4-1 over the experienced 14th Region champion Estill County Lady Engineers. The game took place Thursday at Jack C. Fisher Park. The win was not only their first-ever state tournament victory following their first-ever region championship. The Ladybirds will not be one of four teams to lose their only two games in the double-elimination tournament like a lot of first-time state tournament teams often do. “The two-game elimination really helps us,” said Haley Coffey, Highlands sophomore shortstop. “We don’t know any of these teams out here so we’re just coming out here and playing. They don’t have Notre Dame or (Newport Central Catholic) on their jerseys. We’ll be fine the rest of the tournament.” They come back Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time to face the 3rd Region champion Owensboro Apollo E-gals (21-10) in the next round of the winner’s bracket. They Ladybirds (27-11) will bring their school-record 19-game winning streak into the game. They are still the hottest team in the tournament. “We played jittery in the first few innings – untypical of us,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands Head Coach. “We had some basic plays that we let get by us. But we straightened it back up. We struck out more than I thought we should have in this game. But I think these girls will come out (Friday) a different team. The spectacular of the event had an effect on them (Thursday).” Highlands arrived in Owensboro and toured the facilities prior to playing. The biggest adjustment to Fisher Park is the infield extends beyond the bases making the outfield seem shorter and temporary fences have been put up 210 feet from home plate. Estill County (26-14) won its eighth region crown in 10 years to make it back to Owensboro. But the Lady Engineers fell to 5-15 in the state tournament during that time. They’ve gone back to Irvine located to the east of Richmond without a win five times during that run. Highlands used some timely hitting to overcome three errors. The Ladybirds outhit the lady Engineers, 7-5. Junior third baseman Whitney Quillen led the Ladybirds going 2-for-4 with a double and run batted in. Teammate Shelby Graybill had a two-run home run with two RBI and two runs scored and Rachel Gabbard added a double. “I’m only a seventh-grader so seeing these four fields in a big stadium is overwhelming and amazing,” Gabbard said. “The feeling of being here is incredible. We have to get up, be ready to go and have our energy level up (Friday).” Estill County did not commit any errors. Taylor Wiseman led the Lady Engineers going 2-for-2 with a double. Highlands held Estill County’s top two hitters in leadoff hitter Kennedy Flynn and clean-up hitter Cheyenne Rawlins to an 0-for-3 game. Flynn entered the tournament batting .421 with 26 stolen bases and Rawlins batted .354. Neither team hit well with runners in scoring position. Highlands hit just .167 (2-for-12) and Estill County batted just .125 (1-for-8) in those situations. Highlands sophomore Bailey Spencer improved to 21-6 with the win. She struck out one and did not walk any Estill County batters. Spencer also did not throw any wild pitches. “Bailey is learning that if she can control the game by throwing strikes and keeping girls off-balance, our defense is going to pull us out of some things,” Coach Coffey said. “She helps us sometimes and we help her. It was nice to see.” Michaela Gross (19-11) also pitched a complete game for Estill County. She struck out eight, walked three and also did not throw any wild pitches. Estill County took its only lead in the first inning on an unearned run. McKeely Muncie came all the way to third on a Highlands scoring error and scored when MacKenzie Angel grounded out to second. But Highlands went ahead for good in the bottom of the first. Haley Coffey singled with one out and Graybill blasted a two-run home run. The Ladybirds had a huge chance to break the game open in the third. Quillen led off the inning with a double and moved to third when Haley Coffey grounded out. After Graybill walked, Kendall Turner reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. But Gross struck out Ashley Grosser and coaxed Brennah Dutcher to force Turner at second on a ground out. Highlands did come through with an insurance run in the fourth. Gabbard doubled to left and seventh-grader Chloe Jansen ran for her with two out. Quillen singled up the middle to score Jansen making it 3-1 Ladybirds. “(Coach Coffey) said to just run on any contact and try to get (home) as fast as you can,” Jansen said. “They runner on deck tells you which way to slide if they throw it in. You have to use your instincts to get there.” The Ladybirds added another run in the fifth. Graybill walked and stole second. Graybill then moved to third when Turner singled. Turner stole second before Grosser struck out. Dutcher then grounded out to short scoring Graybill to make the final score of 4-1. Estill County did put its first two runners on base in the second. But Quillen recorded a double play to stifle that threat. “That was huge because they get runners on first and second with no out and (Rawlins) is up,” Coach Coffey said. “(Rawlins) is a masher. Bailey pitched her really well. We tried to keep her off-balance. We got a nice one-hopper to one of our two best defensive players. She executed and got us out of a jam.” If Highlands beats Apollo, the Ladybirds would take on either Scott County or South Laurel at 4 p.m. If they lose, they take on either Johnson Central or Ashland Blazer at 2 p.m. in the loser’s bracket. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Ladybirds Engineer first-ever state tournament win

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It started with a vision that is quickly coming to fruition. The school named Rob Coffey the head coach of the Highlands Ladybirds fastpitch softball team in September of 2012. The prevailing thought among many at that time was to catch the Ryle Lady Raiders. Ryle had won seven of the past eight region titles at that point and captured the 2006 state championship. But Coffey, a 1986 Highlands graduate, did not want to aim for just Ryle. He wanted to aim for the best in Kentucky. The Ladybirds passed Ryle and everyone else in the 9th Region with their first-ever region title, 8-7 win over 24th-ranked Notre Dame a week ago at Northern Kentucky University. Ryle has not even made it out of the rugged 33rd District since Coffey became head coach. Highlands (26-11) will see the best in the state starting Thursday at Owensboro’s Jack C. Fisher Park in the double-elimination tournament. The Ladybirds enter the tournament with the longest current winning streak at 18 in a row. They have not lost since an 8-6 loss at East Central (Indiana) on April 22 as part of a seven-game losing streak. “We plan on getting (to Owensboro) early, relaxing and not stressing too much,” said Payton Leighty, Highlands junior right fielder. “Even though it is Finals week, we’re still trying to stay focused in practice and have fun to make sure everyone is ready. All of our teachers are being great about this. Our principals are trying to help figure out whether to take finals earlier or later. They’re supportive of us going to state.” The lone opponent the Ladybirds have faced is 12th Region champion East Jessamine. The Lady Jaguars beat the visiting Ladybirds, 14-5 on April 12. The first opponent is a team with plenty of state tournament experience in the 14th Region champion Estill County Lady Engineers (26-13) led by veteran head coach Shirley Beard. Beard is in her 14th season as head coach and 29th on staff overall. “Our number one thing is to worry about ourselves and control what we can control,” Coffey said. “However, I do have some people doing research for me. I will sit down and call some coaches. It’s the normal (routine). I’m sure they’re doing the same thing. I’ll try to get as much information as we can. If we do what we are supposed to do, things have been working out for us pretty well.” Estill County is making its eighth appearance in the state tournament in the previous 10 years. The Lady Engineers have gone 5-14 in the state tournament during that time going 0-2 five times including last year with losses to Boyle County (3-0) then Oldham County (10-0) in six innings. They hope to turn that around this year. “We are going to have to play solid defense, hit the ball and get some breaks to go our way,” Beard said. “They don’t quit or give up until that last out.” East Jessamine is the only common opponent of Highlands and Estill County. East Jessamine defeated the Lady Engineers, 6-2 on March 27 in Nicholasville. The big key for the Highlands turnaround from the 8-11 start has been a no-tolerance policy on mental errors. Players were benched if they made the same mental errors they went over constantly in practice. He even said the players wanted the coaches to coach them that way. “The no-tolerance was misunderstood when it came out,” Coffey said. “I had a lot of calls on that. People said Highlands was taking girls out for making errors. That wasn’t it at all. Against Boone County (on April 21) the day after they made the decision to go to the no-tolerance, I had five starters on the bench by the second inning. We lost the game 10-3 understandably. But I never had to take another one out after that.” When Coffey took the job, he wanted to see the team bat between .350 and .400 and the team Earned-Run averages dip to the twos. The Ladybirds are batting .344 (312-for-908) with 273 runs scored, 228 runs batted in, 44 doubles, 13 triples and 10 home runs. Highlands has outscored opponents by an average of about 7.5-3.6. Sophomore catcher Shelby Graybill leads the Ladybirds with a .520 average with 48 RBI and team-highs of 19 doubles and seven home runs. She hit three home runs in a win over Lloyd Memorial. Highlands has two other players batting over .400 in junior third baseman Whitney Quillen (.404) and sophomore first baseman Brennah Dutcher (.457) and five more batting over .300. Dutcher leads Highlands with 50 runs batted in and Quillen has two team-highs with six triples and six stolen bases. Sophomore Bailey Spencer has provided solid pitching all season for Highlands. Spencer (20-6) has a 2.24 earned-run average with 110 strikeouts, 49 walks, 123 hits and 72 runs including 47 earned in 147 innings pitched. They key for Bailey and the Highlands defense is a better start than the region championship game. Highlands had four wild pitches in the first inning of the region championship and fell behind 6-0 before rallying to tie it in the third. “We talked about making outs instead of just taking outs,” Coffey said. “We need to take outs away instead of just taking the outs they give us. That’s been huge for our mentality. We’re doing a lot of things right throwing the ball to the right bases and making it happen.” Eighth-grader Miranda Mason (4-1) helped the Ladybirds to the 36th District championship and threw the school’s first-ever perfect game against Covington Holy Cross in the regional quarterfinals. Mason has 15 strikeouts, seven walks, 40 hits and 23 runs including 10 earned in 40 innings pitched. Junior Payton Leighty threw two games this year as well. Highlands has also received a huge lift from its bench. Players like eighth-grader Taylor Baioni and seventh-grader Morgan Coffey have given the Ladybirds speed on the bases. Highlands hopes to avoid base-running mistakes in the state tournament. “It’s all about the practice,” Baioni said. “Running the bases in practice makes us better. Rob (Coffey) putting us in situations helps us realize how we have to prepare for the games. It’s about being smart on the bases.” Estill County enters the tournament outscoring opponents by an average of about 6.6-3.3. The Lady Engineers are batting .302 (321-1,063) with 82 walks, 104 strikeouts, 227 runs scored, 170 RBI, 62 doubles, eight triples and six home runs. They have just four players batting more than .300 led by junior center fielder Kennedy Flynn at .421. She has a team-high 26 stolen bases. Estill County senior first baseman Cheyenne Rawlins is next at .354 with a team-highs of 19 doubles, three home runs and 25 RBI. Sophomore McKeely Muncie (.352) leads the team with 28 RBI. Senior pitcher Michaela Gross owns a solid 1.34 earned-run average in her third year pitching on varsity. She has allowed just 93 runs including 39 earned in 204 innings pitched with 220 strikeouts, 192 hits and 21 walks. “Overall, our whole team needs to be hitting,” Graybill said. “It doesn’t matter who is on the mound. We need to keep up with what we’re doing. Our fast girls need to get the bunts down and the power hitters like myself, Brennah and Kendall who can smack the ball, need to do their jobs.” The field saw eight teams ranked in the final Kentucky Softball Coaches Association poll win their regions including the top three in McCracken County (1st Region), defending state champion Greenwood (4th) and Madisonville-North Hopkins (2nd). Greenwood and Reidland own three state championships since the tournament began in 1995, which is only behind Owensboro Catholic’s five. Reidland consolidated with Lone Oak and Heath to form McCracken County this year. Directions to Fisher Park in Owensboro: 1. Go North on I-471 for 2.5 miles. 2. Hop on I-71 south and follow to Louisville for 97 miles. 3. Go east on I-64 for 73.4 miles into Indiana. 4. Take Exit 57A and go south on US 231 for 40 miles into Owensboro. It eventually becomes Henderson Road. 5. Turn left on Worthington Road. 6. Take third left onto West 5th Street Road. 7. Address of 3900 West 5th Street Road will be on your right. Total trip is approximately 215 miles in three hours and 25 minutes. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Ladybirds ready to make more history

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter There will be some new faces leading Highlands Ladybirds programs this fall. Tommy Kearns and Whitney Mulroney recently resigned their positions as head coaches of the Highlands girls soccer and volleyball programs respectively. Kearns and Mulroney led the programs for five years both taking over in 2009. Kearns resigned because of an increased workload at Fidelity and Mulroney and husband Kevin, a former Highlands football player, are expecting their first child in the fall. The volleyball position has been filled. Kaitlyn Sallee was named the new head coach last week. “I definitely think it will help because she knows what she’s doing,” said Kaitlin Hall, Highlands rising senior setter. “She’s had that whole experience of playing and coaching in college (at Morehead State) so it will take us a step further than we already were.” Sallee takes over a program that’s gone 13-23 in each of the past two years. The last winning season for the Ladybirds came at 22-20 in 2010. Highlands graduated just Abby Schweitzer and Mallory Seidel from that team made of mostly sophomores. Sallee and staff can build around Hall and middle blocker Jessica Ginter. “I want to say that me leaving Highlands was the hardest decision I have ever had to make,” Mulroney said. “I love Highlands and all of the girls I ever coached there, but this decision was based on my needs for my family and the new baby on the way. Highlands will forever by my home and I am still and always will be a true Bluebird. Highlands will always have a special place in my heart and I will continue to support the school, all athletics and the volleyball team.” The Ladybirds finished 72-105 under Mulroney. They won the 36th District championship in 2012 and finished 10th Region runner-up in 2010. Mulroney coached at Bishop Brossart before coming to Highlands. “The most joyful thing for me coaching at Highlands was the players,” Mulroney said. “I had some incredible girls come through the program and I am so blessed I was a part of their lives and their families. Watching the girls grow into athletes was absolutely amazing, but watching them grow into young, successful women made me beyond proud.” Kearns’ wife and former Highlands Head Coach Nina Kearns also resigned her assistant position leaving just assistant Brian Wiefring on staff. Nina Kearns led the Ladybirds for nine years guiding the Ladybirds to state championships in 2005 and 2006 and a runner-up finish in 2008. The couple has two boys and a girl. “Everybody liked Tommy. He was a really good coach,” said Lydia Graves, rising Highlands senior. “He’s a really nice guy. We were shocked that he and Nina decided to resign at the same time. Nobody knows what we’re going to do or who the new coach is going to be.” The Ladybirds finished 43-43-13 under Tommy Kearns’ guidance with four district championships and a region championship in 2010. Highlands finished 8-8-5 this past year losing 3-0 to eventual state champion Notre Dame in the 9th Region championship game. The Pandas did not allow a goal the entire postseason. “I really appreciate the job that both Tommy and Nina have done for a number of years,” said Dale Mueller, Highlands Director of Athletics. “The job and family situation is forcing them to stop coaching. But I appreciate the experience they’ve given to so many of our girls.” Mueller noted a number of people have applied for the job. He said the school hopes to name the new head coach before school lets out for the summer. June 5 is the last day for students. “Our girls are working out all year long in some way, shape or form,” Mueller said. “So the sooner we can name the coach, the better. The girls are interested in being a great team. It is a great situation to be in.” Lydia Graves said some of the players have reached out to former assistant Stephanie Graves. Coach Graves helped out until a few years ago. The former Stephanie Sandfoss is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 167 career points. The new head coach will be working with a good core of experienced players. That includes rising seniors Taylor Vaughn, Peyton Bankemper, Allyson Bridewell and rising junior Brooklynn Rivers. Fort Thomas Sports: Coaching changes and solid state performances take place at Highlands

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – One giant mountain stood in the way of a trip to the Commonwealth’s version of the softball promised land. The Highlands Ladybirds had taken care of the other 9th Region powers. But they needed to figure out a way to end a six-game losing streak to the defending region champion Notre Dame Pandas to nab their first 9th Region crown in their first-ever appearance in the title game. That included a 3-0 Panda win in last year’s 9th Region semifinals. It also did not help that Notre Dame (28-6) scored six times in the top half of its first at-bat. But the Ladybirds (26-11) dug deep, tied the game, took the lead late and held on for a historic 8-7 victory Thursday at Northern Kentucky University. The win helped Highlands extend its school records for most wins in school history and 18-game winning streak. The Ladybirds also beat the Pandas for the first time since 2011. The win puts Highlands in the state tournament at Owensboro’s Jack C. Fisher Park on Thursday against the 14th Region champion Estill County Lady Engineers (26-13). The game starts at 7 p.m. Central Standard Time. “We had a vision at the beginning of the year that this was our year,” said Ashley Grosser, Highlands senior outfielder. “We just kept pushing and pushing. We anything was possible because we expect more of ourselves. What can you say? I couldn’t do it without my teammates.” A big key for Highlands has been that the coaching staff knows how to handle teen-age girls. It also helps that Coffey has raised two daughters in Haley, a sophomore, and Morgan, a seventh-grader, who play on the team. “Girls are completely wired different than men,” Coffey said. “The wiring in their heads does not react to the wiring in male coaches sometimes. The adjustment before the winning streak is we felt we needed to get inside their heads. We’d pull them aside and start talking about everything outside of softball so we could figure out why they shut down and don’t react to things. I have a great coaching staff. That’s one of the unique things about girls where you learn each one individually. It’s not like boys where you tell them to shut up and get out there.” Highlands struggled against Notre Dame junior pitcher Haylee Smith in last year’s tournament. But the Ladybirds got to her for eight hits and three walks. They also took advantage of one Notre Dame error. Smith struck out seven. Brennah Dutcher led Highlands going 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and a run scored. No one else had more than two hits, but Whitney Quillen tripled and Rachel Gabbard doubled. “We knew Haylee Smith was a dominant pitcher in the region,” Quillen said. “So we tried to shorten up our swings and poke at it. Our Coach (Coffey) said just to score inning by inning and we’ll catch them. Don’t try to score a bunch now. We did. It’s quite an accomplishment.” Highlands pitcher Bailey Spencer may not have thrown her best game. But she did settle down after the first inning. Spencer allowed 10 hits, struck out two and walked seven. Amanda Meagher, Laura Finke and Kennedy Baugh had two hits each for the Pandas. Meagher had two runs batted in with Abby Jones doubling and scoring twice. Kelsey Michael added a double for Notre Dame. Highlands began to cut into the lead in the bottom of the first. Quillen led off the inning with a double and scored when Shelby Graybill singed her home. Dutcher hit in the other Highlands run. The Ladybirds came back to tie the game at six in the third against Smith, who lost to a Northern Kentucky team for the first time this year. Graybill reached first on a fielder’s choice and Taylor Baioni ran for her. Kendall Turner then reached on an infield single before Grosser was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Dutcher then reached on an error scoring Baioni before Gabbard, a seventh-grader, doubled to left field scoring Turner and Grosser. Then with two out, Payton Leighty reached on an error scoring Dutcher to tie the game. “I haven’t seen anything like that,” Coach Coffey said of Gabbard. “It’s been an unbelievable roller coaster ride the entire season. She’s one of those key players who rises to the occasion.” Notre Dame did put a runner on third with one out in the fifth. But Spencer got Sullivan to strike out and Michael to ground out to end the threat. The Ladybirds came through and scored twice in the sixth to go up 8-6. Morgan Coffey walked before Leighty laid down a bunt. The Pandas tried to get Morgan Coffey at second, but the throw went into center. However, they got her at third. Following a ground out that forced Leighty at second, Haley Coffey and Graybill drew walks to load the bases. That’s when things became interesting. Turner appeared to have fouled the ball to the right. But the umpires huddled and ruled the ball hit Turner’s wrist allowing Quillen to score the go-ahead run. “I know that the hand is part of the bat above a certain point,” Turner said. “I know I missed it by a centimeter and a half. (The wrist) was as purple as it will get as soon as it hit the hand. It feels unreal that we’re going to state.” Coach Coffey said he initially felt like many in the stands that it hit Tuner’s bat initially. But he said he then checked Turner and felt differently. “Honestly, I hate winning on that because it’s a shame,” Coach Coffey said. “I took a sprint in the Notre Dame dugout and it’s sad. I’m happy we won. But I feel horrible for them.” Highlands then added an insurance run that proved huge the next inning. Grosser singled to right scoring Baioni. But Notre Dame did not go quietly in the seventh inning. Jones reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on a wild pitch before Meagher drew a walk. Then with two out, Jones and Meagher pulled off a double steal. The Pandas appeared to have tied the game when Michael doubled to right. However, Meagher missed third base and had to retreat leaving runners at second and third with Highlands up 8-7. Following a walk to load the bases, Spencer got Finke to pop out to Dutcher in shallow right to end the game. Notre Dame went 1-2 in the state tournament last year. The Pandas graduate six seniors from this year’s 35th District champion. Fort Thomas Sports: Boro-bound! Ladybirds rally for first-ever region title

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter FLORENCE – They made their second appearance in the 9th Region title game in two years Wednesday. But unfortunately for the Highlands Bluebirds baseball team, two words have kept the Bluebirds (22-18) from bringing the elusive gold trophy back to Fort Thomas. That’s clutch hitting. It cost them in a 3-0 loss to the Conner Cougars at University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium. Conner (25-9) scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh to pull off the win. The Cougars won their first crown since 1979. “That is a phenomenal team over there,” said Brad Arlinghaus, Conner Head Coach, of Highlands. “My heart goes out to them. They battled and deserved this as much as we did.” The Bluebirds have been outscored by a combined 6-1 in those title games. Newport Central Catholic beat them, 3-1 in the title game in 2012. The Bluebirds hoped to win their first region crown since consecutive titles in 1996 and 1997. “Guys are playing their tails off,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands Head Coach. “We didn’t put a few hits together and made some base running mistakes. You simply can’t do that against good teams and win. It just wasn’t mean to be.” Highlands managed six hits off Conner pitchers Blaise Ostertag and Nick Craddock. Jake Whitford led the way going 3-for-3 with a double. “(Ostertag and Craddock) threw the ball well,” Baioni said. “I think we got a little undisciplined at the plate and started to chase some balls that were out of the strike zone. It’s the regional final and these guys were anxious and ready to go. I think that hurt us offensively.” The Bluebirds had two wonderful chances to score. They put runners on second and third with two out in the third. Even Allen walked and moved to third when Whitford singled. Whitford moved to second on a Conner fielding error. But Ostertag got Todd Ramey to pop out. The Bluebirds also put the first two runners on base in the seventh inning. Craddock hit D.J. Mills with a pitch and Luke Hennigan singled pinch-runner Austin Beal to third before pinch-runner Mitch Gesenhues stole second. But Craddock, a freshman, struck out Brandon Hergott and Alex Veneman before coaxing Brady Murray to pop out to end the game. Sophomore Ricky Raisor pitched a great game for Highlands. The Cougars did not move anyone past second until the sixth inning. They only managed three hits off Raisor and relief pitcher Mitch Jones. Jeffrey Schneider was hit by a pitch to open the sixth. Raisor retired Cameron Ross and Ostertag before Jared Williams walked. The Bluebirds brought in Jones at that point. Blake Hart hit a ground ball to the right side that appeared to end the threat. But the ball skipped past Mills into right allowing Schneider to score. Ryan Wared then batted home Williams and pinch-runner Matthew Justice on a triple. The Bluebirds graduate five seniors from the team. They are Allen, Joey Cochran, Ben Vermeil, Gesenhues and Hergott. Highlands won just six games their freshmen years. “The seniors are one of the reasons we’ve come as far as we have,” Baioni said. “Those guys have worked their tails off since the eighth grade and wanted to see this thing through to a regional championship. We fell just short of that. They have nothing to be ashaimed of.” Highlands will also be able to pull up players from successful freshmen and junior varsity squads. They both claimed the 9th Region Tournament crowns. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebirds come up short in region title game

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter FLORENCE – Head Coach Jeremy Baioni said it sometimes takes luck to advance in the postseason. Baioni’s Highlands Bluebirds baseball team received that and a whole lot more in the 9th Region semifinal win over the Dixie Heights Colonels, 7-4 Tuesday. Highlands scored that many runs off seven Colonel errors among other things in the win at University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium. The Bluebirds had just four hits and one walk. But aside from the errors, the Colonels had some wild pitches, balks and even a catcher’s interference. The Bluebirds had five stolen base led by Austin Beal’s two. Highlands (22-18) led 4-3 entering the bottom of the sixth but added three runs with two out. The Bluebirds needed those runs against a team that was down to its final out against Boone County on Monday but rallied to win 2-1. “Anytime you get extra runs against a team like that is good,” Baioni said. “I told the guys they’re not going to give up.” The Bluebirds battle the Conner Cougars (24-9) for the region championship on Wednesday back at the same place. Game time is 7 p.m. Like the Colonels, the Cougars also beat the Bluebirds twice during the regular season. That sixth inning saw Grayson Heck start the run reaching second on a Dixie Heights throwing error. He then took third on a balk and scored on a wild pitch. The Bluebirds led 5-3 at that point. “It was awesome,” Heck said. “Hustling gets you a long way. I pretty much made something out of nothing.” Highlands added two more in that inning. Alex Veneman singled, took second when Brady Murray reached on a catcher’s interference and scored on an error. A second Colonel error allowed Murray to score making the score 7-3 Highlands. Dixie Heights managed six hits. But only Ethan Harrison had more than one hit for either team with two singles. Neither team had an extra-base hit. Highlands starting pitcher Joseph Martin pitched into the fifth. He struck out Evan Hicks with the bases loaded in the fourth. But the Colonels tagged him for three runs in the fifth before Lou Bunning came on and ended the rally. Sophomore Ricky Raisor got the last two outs in the seven to pick up the save. The three pitchers combined for nine strikeouts. “This is the second time Coach (Baoini) has called my number in a big game like this,” Bunning said. “We played (Newport Central Catholic) back in April and it was the same thing. (Joey) Cochran got into a jam. I came in and got the job done.” The Bluebirds struck first with two on the fourth off Dixie Heights starter Nick Niehaus. Todd Ramey singled, stole second and scored when Luke Hennigan singled. Before that, D.J. Mills walked. He moved to second on Hennigan’s single and Beal ran for him. Beal then stole third and the Colonels caught Hennigan between first and second. However, when catcher Seth Caple charged at Hennigan, no one covered home allowing Beal to score and make it 2-0 Bluebirds. The Colonels loaded the bases with one out in the fifth before Henry Kerns lined out to shotstop Jake Whitford. That proved huge because Caple singled in Chris Ruedebusch and Harrison before Nick King singled home Adam Daria to put the Colonels up 3-2. Bunning walked Matt Wehrle before striking out Hicks. “We got into a jam with the bases loaded,” Whitford said. “The pitchers were throwing well. (Kerns) got a little on it. But I was doing what I could to make plays and stop the bleeding and give us back the momentum.” The Bluebirds retook the lead in the fifth on a crazy play. Ben Vermeil batted for Veneman and singled allowing Veneman to reenter. Veneman moved to second when Niehaus hit Murray with a pitch. Evan Allen bunted both of them over. On the next play, Whitford hit a ground ball to first. The Colonels tried to cut down Veneman at home. But that led to two errors also allowing Murray to score and put Highlands up 4-3. The Colonels did score once in the seventh. Kerns walked, moved to second on a ground out, third on a fielder’s choice and scored on the lone Highlands error. The Bluebirds are back in the regional title game for the second time in three years. Highlands lost to Newport Central Catholic, 3-1 in the 2012 title game. The Bluebirds also beat Dixie Heights, 6-4 in the region semifinals that year. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Bluebirds win bizarre region semifinal contest

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – The objective changed from taking care of the underdog to making history. This marked the third appearance in the 9th Region semifinals for the Highlands Ladybirds fastpitch softball program. But in its 14-year history, Highlands had yet to advance past the 9th Region semifinals. The Ladybirds took care of that Tuesday at Northern Kentucky University with a 6-3 victory over the Boone County Lady Rebels. Highlands (25-11) added on to its school records for the most wins in program history and 17-game winning streak. The Lady Rebels (21-8) beat the Ladybirds twice during the regular season. “Since we had our talk about halfway through the season, they turned their season around and focused on what they can do,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands Head Coach. “They believe and trust in their skills. It is completely showing. I’ll put our defense out there with anybody. They have been phenomenal.” Highlands takes on defending region champion Notre Dame (28-5) on Thursday for the region title. Game time is 5:30 p.m. back at NKU. The Pandas beat the Ladybirds, 5-3 on April 16. This marks the first time a team from Boone County will not be playing in the region finals since 2000. The big story of the game was the return of sophomore pitcher Bailey Spencer just nine days after doctors performed emergency Appendix surgery on her. Spencer walked just one and allowed just seven hits. Spencer left runners in scoring position in the first, second, fourth and seventh innings. She retired nine in a row at one point. “I want to be out here with my team,” Spencer said. “Around Saturday, it stopped hurting. I threw over the weekend to see how it felt. We are here to win and we will take it from anyone. (Coach Coffey) said to come back whenever I feel like it. Having such a good defense helped so much.” Spencer outdualed Boone County pitcher Dallis Knotts. Knotts struck out six and walked just one. “I’m happy for (Spencer) and I’m happy for the team,” Coffey said. “Miranda (Mason) did a tremendous job holding down the fort. I couldn’t have asked for anything more out of an eighth-grade pitcher. But Bailey is our ace. She’s a competitor. It was not just good for her, but for the team for her to lift us over the top.” The Highlands defense had some mistakes in the second inning. But the Lady Rebels scored just one run off those two Ladybird errors. Highlands outhit Boone County, 10-7. Whitney Quillen led the way going 4-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Teammate Brennah Dutcher came through also going 3-for-3 with four runs batted in, a home run, double and a run scored. She fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle. “I couldn’t count on my hands how many times (Dutcher) has done that (come up with big hits) during the 17-game winning streak,” Coffey said. “She has done everything for us at the plate. She’s really starting to make a name for herself.” The game started off well for Highlands. Quillen singled and Haley Coffey bunted her to second before Shelby Graybill singled her home. Graybill went 1-for-2 reaching base all four times before Taylor Baioni ran for her. She had two RBI. Boone County came back and tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second. Madison Graham doubled, reached third when Haley Delaney singled and scored on a Highlands error. But the Ladybirds came back to score three in the third to go up 4-1. Quillen led off with a single and moved to second when Haley Coffey grounded out. She stole third then scored when Graybill hit a ground ball to second and Quillen beat the throw home. Kendall Turner then singled Baioni to third and advanced to second on the throw. That’s when Dutcher singled them home and took second on a Boone County error. The Lady Rebels came back with two in the fourth to trim the margin to 4-3. Olivia Jackson singled with one out and took second when Graham grounded out before moving to third when Delaney singled. Sydney Foster then doubled Jackson and pitnch runner Starr Smith home. Boone County did not threaten again until the seventh inning with two out. Makenna Black and Knotts singled before Spencer got Ryley Grau to ground out back to the mound. The Ladybirds added insurance runs in the fifth to make the final score. Knotts hit Graybill with a pitch and Haley Coffey bunted Baioni to second. After Ashley Grosser grounded out, Dutcher cranked one over the center field wall. “(Knotts) is such a good pitcher. She works the corners,” Dutcher said. “I used that to my advantage knowing it was coming. I knew it was going to go somewhere. I just put it in play.” Highlands lost 3-0 to the Pandas on the semifinals last year. The Ladybirds are 43-23 since Coach Coffey took over the program in the fall of 2012. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Ladybirds make history with 25th win of year

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – The Highlands Ladybirds softball team hope to be in this position more down the road. Highands (24-11) came into Monday’s 9th Region quarterfinal tournament as heavy favorites against the Covington Holy Cross Lady Indians (13-20). They showed it by run-ruling the visitors, 14-0 in five innings to advance to the semifinals for the second straight year and third time since 2008. Highlands has won 16 in a row and beat Holy Cross for the third time this year. The Ladybirds beat the Lady Indians, 13-1 on March 30 in the Uncle Pete Noll Invitational and 11-0 in five innings on May 8. “(Holy Cross) is absolutely better than they played (Monday),” said Rob Coffey, Highlands Head Coach. “They have a lot of girls that are going to scrap. They’re going to be around for a couple years because they’re young. That’s what happens in high school. It comes and goes with talent. It was important for us to get on the gas pedal early because there are no losses in the 9th Region Tournament. If you lose, you go home. You can’t play around and let teams hang around because you never know what can happen.” Highlands takes on Boone County (21-7) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Tuesday back at Northern Kentucky University. The Ladybirds lost to the Lady Rebels twice during the regular season. The scores were 6-3 on March 30 in the Uncle Pete Noll Invitational and 10-3 on April 21. The winner takes on either Conner or Notre Dame in the title game at 5:30 p.m. on May 29. But those losses came before Highlands cracked down on mental errors. That’s been a huge key in the winning streak. “When a coach gives you instructions, you have to take it, not get mad at them and learn from it,” said Rachel Gabbard, Highlands seventh-grader. “It’s like looking (a runner) back. That can lose a game for us.” The huge storyline for this game was another stellar pitching performance by eighth-grader Miranda Mason backed up by solid defense. Mason threw the first perfect game in school history retiring all 15 Holy Cross batters. “She’s been incredible,” Coffey said. “We told her all she has to do is throw strikes and we’ll hit and play defense behind her. We did (Monday).” The Highlands offense exploded at the plate with nine hits, nine walks. The Ladybirds also took advantage of two Holy Cross errors. They scored four in each of the first two innings before adding six in the third. “The older girls come into games prepared acting like we’re playing Notre Dame or some other top team,” said Payton Leighty, Highlands junior. “That way we can’t take any days off. The no-tolerance policy (on mental errors) is always in effect. One mistake and you’re out (of the game). That keeps you playing your best.” Ashley Grosser and Brennah Dutcher had two hits to lead Highlands. Teammate Kendall Turner doubled and Haley Coffey recorded a stolen base. Dutcher batted in two with Gabbard batting in three and Turner batting in two. Turner also walked three times. Highlands saw five players score at least two runs. Coffey and Turner scored three runs with Whitney Quillen, Grosser and Leighty scoring twice. A win for the Ladybirds would mark the first semifinal win in school history. The 2008 team lost to Ryle (7-0) in the semifinals and the Ladybirds lost to eventual region champ Notre Dame (3-0) in last year’s semifinals. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Mason's perfect game helps Highlands back to semifinals

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter FLORENCE – They learned their lesson from a year ago. The Highlands Bluebirds baseball team saw the St. Henry Crusaders come out throwing punches. Highlands responded, but the Crusaders won the 9th Region quarterfinal contest, 3-2 behind ace pitcher Mitch Kuebbing. So in this year’s quarterfinal contest, the Blue and White came out as the aggressors against the Beechwood Tigers (25-12) and did not let up in a 10-0 six-inning run-ruling. Highlands forced a third straight run-ruling in the postseason having outscored the competition, 33-0 and saved the pitching staff five innings of work. “It was huge getting on them early,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands Head Coach. “It gave our guys confidence. That’s a great baseball team. We weren’t satisfied from the very beginning. We knew it was going to take a lot of runs. Those guys can bust it open for 8-10 runs. We knew we’d have to play the entire game. Our guys did a good job of that.” Next up for Highlands (21-17) is an 8 p.m. region semifinal contest against Dixie Heights (29-3) Tuesday. The Colonels beat the 36th District champion Bluebirds twice in the regular season. Highlands finished 0-6 against the remaining three opponents who also won their respective districts. Covington Catholic and Conner face off at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The championship game is Wednesday at 7 p.m. “It’s going to be another challenge,” Baioni said. “We have to gear it up to go again. That’s what makes this tournament such a grind. It’s three straight days. You’re playing good teams every single day. You have to bring you’re A game every day if you want to win the game.” The Bluebirds pounded out 15 hits in 28 at-bats for a .535 percentage against the three Beechwood pitchers in Jason Suchanek, Ryan Bankemper and Alex Miller. Eight of the nine slots in the Highlands line-up had at least one hit and five players had two or more. Suchanek is committed to Xavier University. Brady Murray set the tone in the leadoff spot going 3-for-4 with a double, run scored, two runs batted in and two stolen bases. Brandon Hergott also went 3-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and stolen base. Todd Ramey, D.J. Mills and Alex Veneman had two hits each for Highlands. Ramey doubled and had two runs batted in with Mills batting in three and doubling. Veneman scored twice and Whitford doubled. The Bluebirds also created havoc on the basepaths swiping eight bases. Murray and Veneman had two steals each. Evan Allen, Whitford, Ramey and Hergott swiped one each. “It’s key to get in scoring position so we can get someone to hit us in,” Veneman said. “We were fired. It’s the time of the year where step it up and just play some ball. That’s what we’re doing now.” On the mound, Joey Cochran pitched a gem. He allowed just five hits in 22 Beechwood at-bats for a .227 average, struck out two and walked none. Cochran retired 11 in a row at one point. “(Cochran) was dealing from the start,” said Luke Hennigan, Highlands catcher. “We had an idea of going in there and pounding strikes. Don’t look for the strikeout. Get the good pitch and let our defense do the work. When it is game time, we come down and leave it on the field.” Defensively, the Bluebirds committed just one error. On the other side, the Tigers made five. “It helps that we have some guys in the outfield who can run,” Baioni said. “We have guys that can track down balls. We also have guys playing well on the infield.” Highlands scored runs in all but the fifth inning. They left the bases loaded with one out in that frame. But the Bluebirds set the tone in the first inning. Murray singled, stole second and Highlands added two more in the second. Mills singled and Hennigan bunted him to second before he moved to third when Hergott grounded out. Veneman singled him home to make it 2-0 Bluebirds. After Veneman stole second, Murray doubled him home to put Highlands up 3-0 after two innings. The third inning saw the Bluebirds score their lone run to go up 4-0 on a squeeze bunt. Whitford doubles and stole second. With one out following a Kenny Ball walk, Mills laid down a bunt to score Whitford. Highlands added three more runs in the fourth. Hergott singled moved to second when Veneman singled and took third on a Beechwood error. Veneman scored on another Tiger error before Allen singled, took second on an error, stole third and scored when Ramey doubled. Highlands led 7-0 after four. Highlands put the game away in the sixth with three runs. Ramey singled, stole second and Ben Vermeil walked. Mills doubled in Ramey and pinch-runner Austin Beal before giving way to pinch-runner Josh Watson. Watson scored when Hergott singled. Highlands faces a Dixie Heights team coming off a thrilling 2-1 win over Boone County on Monday. The Colonels trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh with two outs against Rebel lefty pitcher and Northern Kentucky University signee Trey Ganns. But they came back to win. Highlands beat Dixie Heights, 6-4 in the region semifinals two years ago. The Bluebirds have three region wins since 2002. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Highlands explodes for another postseason win

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter HIGHLAND HEIGHTS – The visitors needed to play a near-flawless game defensively to end the streak. The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds softball team did that Monday making just one error in the 9th Region quarterfinals against the Conner Lady Cougars. NewCath even outhit Conner, 6-1. But that one hit and one error came in the same inning and Conner capitalized for a 2-0 win. The game took place at Northern Kentucky University. “We’ve struggled throughout the year against slower pitchers,” said Kristin Koors, Conner Head Coach. “We talked about staying focused at the plate and coming up with the big hit when you need to and relying on your teammates. We got the one big hit when it mattered.” NewCath (18-11) lost in the region quarterfinals for the second straight year while Conner (20-15) advanced. The Lady Cougars are a win away from their eighth straight appearance in the region title game and ninth in the past 10 years with their lone region championship coming in 2009. NewCath freshman pitcher Haley Meyers pitched another stellar game. She struck out nine and walked just two. The Conner runs were unearned. Meyers also retired the side in four innings. “(Meyers) has grown up the last couple weeks,” said Denny Barnes, NewCath Head Coach. “The catcher (Kristen Schriber), myself and everyone else had to get in there and get her to take another step and she’s done that. We’re happy with her now. A couple weeks ago, she was somewhat on the fence. But she has some gumption (courage) in there. That’s what she needed.” Conner scored those runs in the bottom of the fourth. Jenna Hicks walked before Brooke Maines laid down a bunt. She reached first when NewCath third baseman Loren Zimmerman grabbed the ball, but it came out allowing Maines to beat the throw to first. “The main objective is to get one out somehow,” Barnes said. “You want to get the lead runner, but that is hard to do on a bunt so you want that out at first base. (Zimmerman) usually does a good job on bunts so it’s hard to get too upset with her. She is one of my best fielders. Kids are not going to be perfect. If we have one error every game, I’ll take it.” Meyers nearly wiggled out of the inning. She struck out Sydney Hines before Elizabeth Sims bunted Hicks and Maines over. Kayla Ellis then doubled to the left center gap to score Hicks and Maines before Alexia Snelbaker flied out to right. NewCath did not have any extra-base hits offensively. But the Thoroughbreds did put the leadoff runners on base in each of the first five innings. Michaela Ware led NewCath going 2-for-3. “Defensively, we’ve stepped up our game over the past week or two,” Koors said. “We’ve been playing smart getting the lead runner and just making sure we keep the ball on the infield and making the plays there.” NewCath left runners on second in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings but could not advance anyone to third. The best chance came in the third. Meyers led off the third with a single and Katherine Schreiber ran for her. Ware laid down a bunt and beat out the throw to third. But Katherine Schreiber tried to make it to third and was thrown out. “We hadn’t got (the timely hitting),” Barnes said. “But, we’re closing the gap on them.” The lack of clutch hitting and untimely errors hurt NewCath in the 36th District championship loss to Highlands. The Ladybirds scored two runs following the two NewCath errors in the 2-1 win. Sims also threw a complete game for Conner. The Birmingham Southern commit struck out six and walked one. NewCath graduates two seniors from this team that won the All “A” 9th Region Tournament. They are Molly Mertle and Taylor Burkart. Mertle played right field and Burkart in left in addition to some pitching. The two played on two district championship teams. “They just need to keep their heads up, come back and do well,” Mertle said. “I think we’ll do well next year.” Like Barnes, Burkhart credited the Campbell County Youth Softball program for helping develop the Thoroughbreds. Barnes said about 700 girls play in it now. “They’re more experienced in the game,” Burkart said. “We’ve worked hard to get to where we’re at.” The Thoroughbreds return six juniors, one sophomore and eight freshmen. The juniors are Casey Kohls, Morgan Martini, Sarah Neace, Kristen Schrieber, Ware and Zimmerman. The one sophomore ins Amber Gries. Fort Thomas Sports: NewCath drops tough 2-0 decision to Conner

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The idea of softball teams from Campbell County competing with teams in Boone County seemed light years away a few years ago. But the gap seems to have closed recently. The Highlands Ladybird and Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds hope to prove that in this year’s 9th Region Tournament to be played at Northern Kentucky University. “I have to give a lot of credit to the Campbell County Softball League,” said Denny Barnes, NewCath Head Coach. “We’re starting to see players come in now that we don’t have to teach how to play fastpitch softball. So we have more time to teach them the finer points of the game. We don’t have to start over every year. I think they have more than 700 girls in their program and Boone County dropped its program.” NewCath (18-10) takes on Conner (19-15) at 11 a.m. and Highlands (23-11) battles Covington Holy Cross (13-19) at 5 p.m. The Ladybirds have won 15 in a row following a 2-1 win over the Thoroughbreds in the 36th District championship Thursday at Winkler Park. Highlands earned a good draw. Holy Cross and St. Henry are the two lone teams in the tournament losing records. The Ladybirds finished 9-3 against the field. They beat St. Henry and NewCath three times, Holy Cross twice and Conner once. Highlands lost to Boone County twice, Notre Dame once and did not play Dixie Heights. Highlands would meet either Boone County or Dixie Heights in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday. “Our motto right now is, ‘Do your job,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands Head Coach. “We have to control what we can control. We can’t control our starting pitcher went out. It’s going to be a really fun tournament goes.” Highlands also beat Ryle in the last game of the regular season. The Lady Raiders have won seven of the past nine region tournaments including a state championship in 2006. But NewCath has an uphill climb to win the tournament. The Thoroughbreds would most likely face defending region champion Notre Dame in the region semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday if they beat the Lady Cougars. Conner has consistently made it to the region championship game winning it in 2009. The Lady Cougars have appeared in eight of the past nine regional championship games. NewCath finished 3-4 against the field with three of the losses coming to Highlands. The other came to Notre Dame. The Thoroughbreds beat St. Henry. Covington Holy Cross and Dixie Heights. The Ladybirds played solid defense in their district tournament wins over Dayton and NewCath. They will need it again behind eighth grade pitcher Miranda Mason. Sophomore pitcher Bailey Spencer is out for the season after her Appendix was removed. “We told her to throw strikes and do what you can to keep them off-balance,” Coffey said. “You have a solid defense behind you. They’re going to hit her. She had a tremendous two days (in the district tournament) on the mound and just really grew up.” Highlands has had solid hitting all season led by sophomore catcher Shelby Graybill. Teammates like Brennah Dutcher, Whitney Quillen and Haley Coffey have had big games recently. But the big asset the Ladybirds have this year is depth. Players like Josie Daley, Brooke Dill and Taylor Baioni give Highlands speed on the base as pinch runners. Dill hustled around third and scored the game-winning run in the district championship game against NewCath. “Normally (Coach Coffey) gives us a head’s up before the game so we can get prepared,” Daley said. “(Advancing on the bases) depends upon where it goes and the distance it gets away from (the fielder) and your speed. It’s so much fun. I’m excited to help them get this far.” NewCath has had consistency on pitching and defense for the most part. Freshman Haley Meyers has taken control on the mound and given the Thoroughbreds a chance to win most of their games. The key for NewCath is eliminating untimely mistakes and consistent hitting. Highlands scored two runs off two Thoroughbred errors on Thursday. NewCath has a number of players capable of putting together big games at the plate. That includes Taylor Burkart, Morgan Martini, Michaela Ware and Molly Mertle. “If we get in a groove, we can go anywhere,” Barnes said. “We’re not putting hits together. That happens a lot.” Highlands made the region semifinals last year before losing to Notre Dame. NewCath made the region semifinals two years ago before losing to Conner. The Thoroughbreds also won the All “A” 9th Region crown and finished 2-2 in the state tournament. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands, NC softball teams hope to make noise in region tournament

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It has been a process. The Highlands Bluebirds baseball team won just six games and did not qualify for the 9th Region Tournament just three years ago. They’ve since won three straight 36th District championships and own their first two region wins since 2002. The Bluebirds stand 20-17 marking the first time they’ve won 20 or more games in a season since 2007 and have clinched consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2008. Highlands would not mind making a run in the region tournament similar to 2012 if not beyond that. The Bluebirds lost 3-1 in the region championship to district rival and state quarterfinalist Newport Central Catholic that year. “A lot of it is making sure the coaches are putting in the work so guys take us seriously,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands Head Coach. “There are a lot of kids at Highlands who want to work hard. They don’t want to just go through the motions. When they see you doing that, they show up and buy in. Highlands was always successful with multi-sport athletes. We’re getting back to that now for all of our sports.” But Highlands has a tough opponent standing in the way of playing another day in the 35th District runner-up Beechwood Tigers (25-11). Highlands takes on Beechwood at 4 p.m. at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium on Monday in the region quarterfinals. The Tigers beat the Bluebirds, 7-4 on May 1. “We’re confident going into the region,” said Joey Cochran, Highlands senior pitcher. “We think we’ll be able to put it all together.” Teams generally need pitching depth to win three games in three days. The Bluebirds have that with the likes of Cochran, Lou Bunning, Evan Allen, Kenny Ball, Mitch Jones, Jacob Noe and Joseph Martin. Many of those arms have more than a week’s worth of rest entering the tournament. The Bluebirds run-ruled both Newport (13-0) and Bellevue (10-0) in five innings on their way to the district championship. Junior Varsity call-up Ricky Raisor threw a no-hitter against Newport with Cochran and Martin throwing four and one innings respectively against Bellevue in a one-hitter. No other team run-ruled both district tournament opponents. Highlands hopes to continue to play with that same consistency in the tournament. The Bluebirds have blown leads late in games and can’t afford to get down to the Tigers like they did against St. Henry in last year’s 3-2 region quarterfinal loss. The Crusaders scored twice in the first inning and the Bluebirds struggled to hit off St. Henry ace Mitch Kuebbing. “Our guys are finally experienced,” Baioni said. “They’ve been in a ton of games against good teams. They understand how important it is to stay focused for seven innings. That’s the best we can do to prepare them for a region-type setting and I think we’ve done that.” Highlands could face a Division I recruit on the mound in Beechwood senior Jason Suchanek. Suchanek is headed to Xavier University. But the Bluebirds have shown they can smack the ball around led by Todd Ramey and Kenny Ball and steal a ton of bases. Bluebirds like Brady Murray, Alex Veneman and Grayson Heck have given opposing catchers fits on the bases this year. They stole five against the Tigers. “We basically try to take the same approach to every pitcher,” Ramey said. “We stay back in the box. The aces usually throw harder than the other pitchers. We try to hit it on a line. We work on different things during the year. We hope everything is clicking (in the postseason).” Highlands finished 5-7 against teams in the region tournament. The Bluebirds beat Bellevue and St. Henry twice and lost to Conner, Dixie Heights and Covington Catholic two times each. They beat Boone County to open the season. Regardless of what happens, the future is bright for Highlands baseball. The freshmen and junior varsity teams captured region tournament titles earlier in the month. “We added a freshman team five years ago,” Baioni said. “A lot of that has to do with the administration buying into the program and what the coaching staff wants to do. A lot of it is the community getting a lot of kids to try out and playing summer baseball. We’re very pleased with where we are now. The freshmen and junior varsity players have worked hard and it paid off.” The winner plays again Tuesday against either Dixie Heights or Boone County. Game time is 8 p.m. The title game is Wednesday at 7 p.m. Highlands has not been to the state tournament since 1973. The Bluebirds are 1-3 all-time in three tournament appearances. Fort Thomas Sports: Bluebirds hope to carry momentum into region tournament

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It turned out to be another great day to be wearing the Blue and White. Both the Highlands Bluebirds baseball and Ladybirds softball teams claimed 36th District championships Thursday. The Bluebirds run-ruled the Bellevue Tigers, 10-0 in five innings at Morscher Field before many of the players and coaches ventured to Winkler Park to see the Ladybirds edge the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds, 2-1. The Ladybirds (23-11) claimed their first district title since 2011 with their 15th straight win and the Bluebirds (20-17) won their third straight. NewCath (18-10) won the previous two 36th softball crowns. The softball title was a defensive struggle with the difference coming down to capitalizing on miscues. The two NewCath errors led to both Highlands runs while the Thoroughbreds did not score any runs after the lone Ladybird error. The first run came in the first inning for Highlands. Haley Coffey hit the ball just to the left of home plate. She ended up at third following a NewCath throwing error before scoring on a wild pitch. “Our backstop is huge,” Haley Coffey said. “I trust every hitter. I knew I could beat out (NewCath catcher Kristen Schrieber’s) throw as long as I dove in. For some reason, we didn’t hit the ball well. With small ball, you put it in play, (opponents) make mistakes and you get runs. That helped us a lot.” The Ladybirds held that lead until the fourth inning. Taylor Burkart led off the inning for NewCath with a walk and Lexi Potts ran for her. Potts scored when pitcher Haley Meyers singled with two outs. But Highlands scored the game-winner in the fifth inning. With one out, Rachel Gabbard walked and Brooke Dill ran for her. Josie Daley bunted Dill to second. Then Payton Leighty hit a ground ball to the left side and reached first on an error. Dill hustled around third and scored on the miscue. “The one thing these girls have changed on their own is the culture of hustle and finishing plays,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands Head Coach. “It’s not just on the bases. It’s running and backing (teammates) up on the infield and outfield covering the bases and getting to the right spots. I’m proud of them for that.” Hits came at a premium in the game as Highlands eighth grade pitcher Miranda Mason outdualed Meyers. Mason allowed five hits and Meyers allowed three. No one had more than two hits and none of them went for extra bases. Tournament Most Valuabe Player Mason struck out two and walked two. She’s pitching in place of regular injured starter Bailey Spencer. “It’s an awesome feeling,” said Ashley Grosser, Highlands Senior. “I couldn’t do it without my team. We boosted up (Mason’s) confidence and told her we had her back.” Spencer had her Appendix taken out Sunday and is out for the season. This came a day after the Ladybirds beat Ryle to end the regular season. “It’s really frustrating because I want to be out there, but I’m glad I can come out to support the team,” Spencer said. “I’m glad Miranda has stepped up in place of me. It’s great seeing them win even though I’m not able to play with them.” Meyers also pitched a good game. She struck out five and walked one. NewCath did have opportunities to score in the first and second innings. In the first, Loren Zimmerman singled with Schrieber on first and two out. The two advanced a base on the Highlands error before Mason got Morgan Martini to ground out to second. The Thoroughbreds loaded the bases with two out in the second. Molly Mertle singled and Haley Meyers walked before Katherine Schreiber ran for her. But after Michaela Ware singled to load the bases, Casey Kohls grounded out to short. “We’ve done a lot of work on defense this year,” Coach Coffey said. “We started last fall trying to solidify different positions and depth. We knew our defense was going to be solid. We felt like we would hit and outscore them in the long run. It turned out to be a different game than everyone expected.” Whitney Quillen and Brennah Dutcher joined Mason on the all-tournament team. Burkart and Zimmerman made it for NewCath. “I have to give Highlands credit,” said Denny Barnes, NewCath Head Coach. “(Mason) screwed us up. She did a great job. We’d have been better off facing (Spencer). We were out in front all day long. We wanted to face them at their best. I wish we’d have had some more hits. But I’m not disappointed in the kids. They fought hard.” The 9th Region tournament takes place at Northern Kentucky University next week. Notre Dame is the defending region champion. In the baseball title game, Highlands scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Bluebirds finished the game with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Highlands beat both tournament opponents by a combined 23-0. The Bluebirds run-ruled Newport, 13-0 in five innings in the semifinals. Highlands came into the postseason as the only team in the district with a winning record. “(Bellevue) plays a tough schedule so it was a good win for us,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands Head Coach. “Whenever you get two games with five innings total, it saves on pitching. That’s huge going into next week. We’re going to need everyone available.” Highlands outhit Bellevue, 9-1. Luke Hennigan led the Bluebirds going 2-for-3 with a run batted in. Jake Whitford and Mitch Gesenhues had two runs batted in and Evan Allen scored twice for the Bluebirds. “We practice like we play,” said DJ Mills, Highlands junior. “We don’t have any players on the team that don’t know their roles. They do whatever they need to do to help the team win.” The Bluebirds once again had another big game on the bases. They recorded five stolen bases. “We executed well offensively,” Baioni said. “We had some hit-and-runs. We also ran the bases well. That’s the biggest thing.” Joey Cochran pitched the first four innings picking up the win for the Bluebirds. He struck out three before Joseph Martin pitched the fifth striking out one. Neither allowed a walk. The baseball 9th Region tournament takes place at University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium starting Monday. The Bluebirds finished runner-up in the tournament two years ago. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands softball, baseball teams claim district titles

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It turned out to be another great day to be wearing the Blue and White. Both the Highlands Bluebirds baseball and Ladybirds softball teams claimed 36th District championships Thursday. The Bluebirds run-ruled the Bellevue Tigers, 10-0 in five innings at Morscher Field before many of the players and coaches ventured to Winkler Park to see the Ladybirds edge the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds, 2-1. The Ladybirds (23-11) claimed their first district title since 2011 with their 15th straight win and the Bluebirds (20-17) won their third straight. NewCath (18-10) won the previous two 36th softball crowns. The softball title was a defensive struggle with the difference coming down to capitalizing on miscues. The two NewCath errors led to both Highlands runs while the Thoroughbreds did not score any runs after the lone Ladybird error. The first run came in the first inning for Highlands. Haley Coffey hit the ball just to the left of home plate. She ended up at third following a NewCath throwing error before scoring on a wild pitch. “Our backstop is huge,” Haley Coffey said. “I trust every hitter. I knew I could beat out (NewCath catcher Kristen Schrieber’s) throw as long as I dove in. For some reason, we didn’t hit the ball well. With small ball, you put it in play, (opponents) make mistakes and you get runs. That helped us a lot.” The Ladybirds held that lead until the fourth inning. Taylor Burkart led off the inning for NewCath with a walk and Lexi Potts ran for her. Potts scored when pitcher Haley Meyers singled with two outs. But Highlands scored the game-winner in the fifth inning. With one out, Rachel Gabbard walked and Brooke Dill ran for her. Josie Daley bunted Dill to second. Then Payton Leighty hit a ground ball to the left side and reached first on an error. Dill hustled around third and scored on the miscue. “The one thing these girls have changed on their own is the culture of hustle and finishing plays,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands Head Coach. “It’s not just on the bases. It’s running and backing (teammates) up on the infield and outfield covering the bases and getting to the right spots. I’m proud of them for that.” Hits came at a premium in the game as Highlands eighth grade pitcher Miranda Mason outdualed Meyers. Mason allowed five hits and Meyers allowed three. No one had more than two hits and none of them went for extra bases. Tournament Most Valuabe Player Mason struck out two and walked two. She’s pitching in place of regular injured starter Bailey Spencer. “It’s an awesome feeling,” said Ashley Grosser, Highlands Senior. “I couldn’t do it without my team. We boosted up (Mason’s) confidence and told her we had her back.” Spencer had her Appendix taken out Sunday and is out for the season. This came a day after the Ladybirds beat Ryle to end the regular season. “It’s really frustrating because I want to be out there, but I’m glad I can come out to support the team,” Spencer said. “I’m glad Miranda has stepped up in place of me. It’s great seeing them win even though I’m not able to play with them.” Meyers also pitched a good game. She struck out five and walked one. NewCath did have opportunities to score in the first and second innings. In the first, Loren Zimmerman singled with Schrieber on first and two out. The two advanced a base on the Highlands error before Mason got Morgan Martini to ground out to second. The Thoroughbreds loaded the bases with two out in the second. Molly Mertle singled and Haley Meyers walked before Katherine Schreiber ran for her. But after Michaela Ware singled to load the bases, Casey Kohls grounded out to short. “We’ve done a lot of work on defense this year,” Coach Coffey said. “We started last fall trying to solidify different positions and depth. We knew our defense was going to be solid. We felt like we would hit and outscore them in the long run. It turned out to be a different game than everyone expected.” Whitney Quillen and Brennah Dutcher joined Mason on the all-tournament team. Burkart and Zimmerman made it for NewCath. “I have to give Highlands credit,” said Denny Barnes, NewCath Head Coach. “(Mason) screwed us up. She did a great job. We’d have been better off facing (Spencer). We were out in front all day long. We wanted to face them at their best. I wish we’d have had some more hits. But I’m not disappointed in the kids. They fought hard.” The 9th Region tournament takes place at Northern Kentucky University next week. Notre Dame is the defending region champion. In the baseball title game, Highlands scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Bluebirds finished the game with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Highlands beat both tournament opponents by a combined 23-0. The Bluebirds run-ruled Newport, 13-0 in five innings in the semifinals. Highlands came into the postseason as the only team in the district with a winning record. “(Bellevue) plays a tough schedule so it was a good win for us,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands Head Coach. “Whenever you get two games with five innings total, it saves on pitching. That’s huge going into next week. We’re going to need everyone available.” Highlands outhit Bellevue, 9-1. Luke Hennigan led the Bluebirds going 2-for-3 with a run batted in. Jake Whitford and Mitch Gesenhues had two runs batted in and Evan Allen scored twice for the Bluebirds. “We practice like we play,” said DJ Mills, Highlands junior. “We don’t have any players on the team that don’t know their roles. They do whatever they need to do to help the team win.” The Bluebirds once again had another big game on the bases. They recorded five stolen bases. “We executed well offensively,” Baioni said. “We had some hit-and-runs. We also ran the bases well. That’s the biggest thing.” Joey Cochran pitched the first four innings picking up the win for the Bluebirds. He struck out three before Joseph Martin pitched the fifth striking out one. Neither allowed a walk. The baseball 9th Region tournament takes place at University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium starting Monday. The Bluebirds finished runner-up in the tournament two years ago. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands softball, baseball teams claim district titles

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter Both state powers will see completely new districts starting in 2015. In the case of the 22-time state champion Highlands Bluebirds, nothing changed from the original draft. The Bluebirds will move up to Class 5A, District 5 with arch-rival Covington Catholic, Dixie Heights and Grant County. Highlands has been in Class 4A, District 7 the past three years. “We are excited about playing the local teams,” said Brian Weinrich, Highlands Head Coach. “These guys all know each other from different places and enjoy competing against one another.” But the final outlook took on two fewer teams than the draft alignment for the five-time state champion Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds. They will still be in Class 2A, District 6 the same three teams as the current alignment in Newport, Lloyd Memorial and Covington Holy Cross minus Bishop Brossart, who is dropping to 1A. The draft also had West Carter and Bath County in NewCath’s district. But the two successfully petitioned the Kentucky High School Athletic Association to move up to Class 3A, District 5 meaning the Thoroughbreds will not have to make a trip to eastern Kentucky for district play. “We have to go find a game somewhere,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “I’m sure it will be somebody who is pretty darn good. We’ll see how it goes. I’m not opposed to traveling as long we don’t do it too much.” Covington Catholic and Dixie Heights had been constant opponents on the Highlands schedule. But Dixie Heights dropped Highlands from the 2012 schedule. The Bluebirds are 62-8 all-time against Dixie Heights. They are also 45-17 all-time against Covington Catholic and 6-0 against Grant County but have not faced the Braves since 2006. Grant County Director of Athletics Steve Thompson e-mailed Kentucky High School Athletic Association Commissioner Julian Tackett about potentially moving to 6A or even withdrawing from district play for a couple years. Pendleton County withdrew from district play in 4A, District 7 for this year and last year and made itself ineligible for the playoffs as a result. “We are a 5A school, but football is not the main sport here and probably never will be,” Thompson said in the e-mail to Tackett. “Also, we are a rural school district. As far as the number of students who participate in football is concerned, we are more of a 3A or even a 2A school in reality. Last year in our district, we were outscored on average of 48-7. We don’t anticipate being able to compete any better by having to play traditional football powers such as Highlands and Covington Catholic. I have seen the athletes that our boys have to compete against and they are just usually so much bigger and stronger than our boys, let alone much quicker. As a result, we get more injuries (and players quitting) and by the end of the season, we are just depleted.” But Weinrich said Grant County decided to stay in the district meaning the Bluebirds had to find seven non-district opponents as opposed to eight. Highlands had to travel to John Hardin and Paducah Tilghman last year because local teams would not play them. Instead of facing teams from eastern Kentucky in region play, the Bluebirds will take on teams from around Lexington. Woodford County, Montgomery County, Anderson County and Madison Southern make up Class 5A, District 6 after Shelby County dropped to 4A. The Bluebirds and Covington Catholic had been in the same region with eastern Kentucky opponents like Ashland and Johnson Central for years. Those two are remaining in 4A. “We’ve stuck in here and fought it out for the last (six) years,” Johnson Central Head Coach Jim Matney told the Ashland Daily Indepdendent. “The whole time we felt like we had the toughest road to go in the state. Had we not been in the same region as Highlands and CovCath, we probably would’ve slipped in there and would’ve at least gotten one state championship.” On the state level, Highlands would face teams like 2013 5A runner-up Pulaski County like it did in 2009 or Harlan County. The Bluebirds knocked off the host Black Bears in the 2010 5A semifinals. They could run into three-time 5A champion Bowling Green in the title game at Western Kentucky University. Things don’t change much region-wise or state-wise for NewCath except that western Kentucky power Mayfield moved up from 1A to 2A. The Thoroughbreds could still run into Walton-Verona or Gallatin County in region play and teams like Somerset, Danville or Prestonsburg in the state semifinals. But both teams can now begin working on the 2015 and 2016 schedules. Weinrich said he had some verbal agreements with other schools. Contracts have been signed with Louisville St. Xavier, Boone County and Scott County. Scott County won the 6A crown last year. He said the other four contracts waiting for signatures are local teams as well. NewCath often faces bigger schools like Dixie Heights, Simon Kenton and Campbell County in non-district play because smaller schools will not schedule the Thoroughbreds. Wagner liked the series against Cincinnati McNicholas but the game did not benefit the Rockets in terms of Ohio playoff points. “It gets tough when you take 45 kids and have to face 70 kids week after week,” Wagner said. “Our kids get beat up a bit. But we’ll play it.” NewCath opens its season on Aug. 22 at Ashland. Highlands opens a week later at Campbell County. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands sees no change from draft district football alignment, NC does

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It was a matter of not only beating the underdog opponents, but the thunderstorms as well. The top-seeded Highlands baseball and softball teams run-ruled their 36th District semifinal opponents by a combined 29-1 before the showers hit Wednesday. The Bluebirds downed the Newport Wildcats, 13-0 in five innings at Morscher Field before the Ladybirds took care of the Dayton Lady Devils, 16-1 in three innings at Winkler Park. Highlands (19-17) scored four runs in the first and never looked back. They added three in the second then finished it off in the fourth with six more. “We’ve tried to take a business-like approach to things,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands head baseball coach. “We tell the guys to go out and do what we’re supposed to do and not worry about who we’re playing. We put the ball in play and things worked out.” Sophomore pitcher Ricky Raisor threw a no-hitter in his varsity pitching debut. He struck out nine. Raisor helped the Bluebird junior varsity team to the 9th Region crown last week. “The mindset going out there was to help the team out, do what I can to pump in strikes and believe in our team,” Raisor said. “That’s what I did. I got the job done.” The Bluebirds pounded out nine hits. Evan Allen went 2-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and two runs batted in. Teammate Jake Whitford went 2-for-4 with a run batted in and run scored. Kenny Ball had two runs batted in and Todd Ramey scored three times. Ball and Luke Hennigan had doubles. The Bluebirds committed no erros behind Raisor and stole 10 bases. Brady Murray, Ball and Ramey stole two each. Highlands returns to Morcher Field in search of its third straight district championship. The Bluebirds take on Bellevue (15-16) at 4:30 p.m. The Ladybirds (22-11) recorded 16 hits and just two errors to two hits and three errors for the hosts. Highlands has hit the ball well in recent weeks. Highlands scored four in the first before adding five in the second and seven in the third to force the run-ruling. The Ladybirds have won 14 in a row. “Dayton is a scrappy team,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands head softball coach. “They come and get their hacks. They’re a very nice up and coming team so by no means did we come in here taking anything for granted. I was glad the girls came out, executed and did some of the things we talked about.” Brennah Dutcher led Highlands going 3-for-3 with a double, five runs batted in and two runs scored. Teammate Whitney Quillen followed going 3-for-3 with a triple, run batted in and run scored. Shelby Graybill and Kendall Turner had two hits with Rachel Gabbard doubling and Payton Leighty tripling as well. Josie Daley added two runs batted in. “I got here last year, but I knew they were really down hitting,” Dutcher said. “Now that we’re up, it just brings everyone up. We feel like a force (hitting the ball).” Highlands also recorded two stolen bases. Taylor Baioni and Haley Coffey had them. Coffey also scored two runs and Ashley Grosser touched home plate three times. Eighth-grader Miranda Mason recorded the win on the mound. She has taken over the pitching duties because sophomore Bailey Spencer is out for the postseason. “I’m just approaching it like I would any other game,” Mason said. “It’s more important. I listened to music to pump up on the way here and just got down to business.” The Ladybirds take on Newport Central Catholic (18-9) for the district championship Thursday back at Winkler Park. Game time is 6 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands baseball, softball best opponents, weather

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It was a matter of not only beating the underdog opponents, but the thunderstorms as well. The top-seeded Highlands baseball and softball teams run-ruled their 36th District semifinal opponents by a combined 29-1 before the showers hit Wednesday. The Bluebirds downed the Newport Wildcats, 13-0 in five innings at Morscher Field before the Ladybirds took care of the Dayton Lady Devils, 16-1 in three innings at Winkler Park. Highlands (19-17) scored four runs in the first and never looked back. They added three in the second then finished it off in the fourth with six more. “We’ve tried to take a business-like approach to things,” said Jeremy Baioni, Highlands head baseball coach. “We tell the guys to go out and do what we’re supposed to do and not worry about who we’re playing. We put the ball in play and things worked out.” Sophomore pitcher Ricky Raisor threw a no-hitter in his varsity pitching debut. He struck out nine. Raisor helped the Bluebird junior varsity team to the 9th Region crown last week. “The mindset going out there was to help the team out, do what I can to pump in strikes and believe in our team,” Raisor said. “That’s what I did. I got the job done.” The Bluebirds pounded out nine hits. Evan Allen went 2-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and two runs batted in. Teammate Jake Whitford went 2-for-4 with a run batted in and run scored. Kenny Ball had two runs batted in and Todd Ramey scored three times. Ball and Luke Hennigan had doubles. The Bluebirds committed no erros behind Raisor and stole 10 bases. Brady Murray, Ball and Ramey stole two each. Highlands returns to Morcher Field in search of its third straight district championship. The Bluebirds take on Bellevue (15-16) at 4:30 p.m. The Ladybirds (22-11) recorded 16 hits and just two errors to two hits and three errors for the hosts. Highlands has hit the ball well in recent weeks. Highlands scored four in the first before adding five in the second and seven in the third to force the run-ruling. The Ladybirds have won 14 in a row. “Dayton is a scrappy team,” said Rob Coffey, Highlands head softball coach. “They come and get their hacks. They’re a very nice up and coming team so by no means did we come in here taking anything for granted. I was glad the girls came out, executed and did some of the things we talked about.” Brennah Dutcher led Highlands going 3-for-3 with a double, five runs batted in and two runs scored. Teammate Whitney Quillen followed going 3-for-3 with a triple, run batted in and run scored. Shelby Graybill and Kendall Turner had two hits with Rachel Gabbard doubling and Payton Leighty tripling as well. Josie Daley added two runs batted in. “I got here last year, but I knew they were really down hitting,” Dutcher said. “Now that we’re up, it just brings everyone up. We feel like a force (hitting the ball).” Highlands also recorded two stolen bases. Taylor Baioni and Haley Coffey had them. Coffey also scored two runs and Ashley Grosser touched home plate three times. Eighth-grader Miranda Mason recorded the win on the mound. She has taken over the pitching duties because sophomore Bailey Spencer is out for the postseason. “I’m just approaching it like I would any other game,” Mason said. “It’s more important. I listened to music to pump up on the way here and just got down to business.” The Ladybirds take on Newport Central Catholic (18-9) for the district championship Thursday back at Winkler Park. Game time is 6 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Highlands baseball, softball best opponents, weather

Baseball: 36th District Semifinals: Bellevue 4, Newport Central Catholic 1: It marked an end to a tough season for the Thoroughbreds (11-23). NewCath struggled this season and will miss the region tournament for the first time since 2010. This comes after region titles in 2011 and 2012 and an All “A” State championship last year. Bellevue scored three runs in the third inning and never looked back. The Thoroughbreds scored once in the fifth but the Tigers earned it back in the bottom of the frame. Jake Pangallo led NewCath going 2-for-4 with a double. Mitch Pangallo added a double. Bellevue outhit NewCath, 8-6. Brian Dill led the Tigers going 2-for-2 with a double and four runs batted in. Teammate Dylan Huff finished 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two runs scored. Grant Moeves pitched six innings in the losing effort for the Thoroughbreds. He struck out three and walked four. Counterpart Briley Seiter also pitched a complete game striking out one and walking two. NewCath graduates five seniors from the team. They are Mitch Pangallo, Jake Pangallo, Tommy Donnelly, Jake Yeager and Kole Zenni. Fort Thomas Sports: NewCath Tuesday Sports Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds softball team handled the in-town rival Newport Ladycats, 7-2 in the 36th District semifinals on Tuesday. NewCath (18-9) pulled away in the bottom of the fourth scoring twice. The Thoroughbreds added one in the fifth and two more in the sixth. The game took place at Winkler Park in Fort Thomas. Freshman Haley Meyers pitched another gem for NewCath. She struck out 12. Meyers also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double. Michaela Ware led NewCath at the plate going 3-for-4 with a double. Loren Zimmerman and Taylor Burkart had two hits and an RBI each for the Thoroughbreds. NewCath faces Highlands or Dayton in the title game on Thursday. Game time is 6 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: NewCath Tuesday Sports Briefs

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter It started with the 9th Region Tournament. Then the Bank of Kentucky Center had huge success playing host to more high school basketball games this past season. A huge crowd attended the boys hoops doubleheader between Covington Catholic and Dixie Heights then Newport Central Catholic and Covington Holmes this past February. On Tuesday, the Board of Control announced the arena on the Northern Kentucky University campus will play host to the Girls Sweet 16 State Basketball Tournament in 2016 and 2017. It has been held at Western Kentucky University’s E.A. Diddle Arena the previous 14 years. That means the 9th Region winners will not have to travel far those years or make hotel accommodations. “I think NKU has really done a great job with the new arena,” said Jaime Walz-Richey, Highlands Head Coach. “It’s going to be able to showcase NKU. I love Western. I have ties to Western. But I think every once in a while, it’s nice for a change. NKU has great facilities that will tailor great to the girls state tournament.” The Bank of Kentucky Center opened in 2008 and seats 9,400. It is slightly bigger than Diddle Arena, which seats 7,326 and opened in 1963. Richey is the state’s all-time career points leader with 4,948. The former 1996 Gatorade Player of the Year led Highlands to three straight region titles between 1994 and 1996 including a runner-up finish in 1994 as a sophomore. Highlands played at Diddle Arena her sophomore and senior years and at the Civic Center in Frankfort her junior year. The Ladybirds last won the region title in 2001. The tournament has never been played in Louisville. It was held at the University of Kentucky’s Alumni Gym between 1927 and 1932. The tournament has also been played at Eastern Kentucky University’s McBrayer Arena in the past. Richey and Newport Central Catholic Head Coach George Stoll agreed things are tough in Kentucky for state championship sites because there is not a centralized location where tournaments can be held unlike other states. Columbus plays host to many Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships. “Louisville could be decent. But to play in the KFC Yum (where the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team plays) is a huge arena. NKU and Western are perfect-sized arenas for the girls state tournament,” Richey said. “We don’t want to play in a large arena where it’s empty. We had some nice-sized crowds at the regionals at NKU. The KHSAA can only do so much. I appreciate the Board of Control giving the opportunity to go someplace else besides Western.” Richey said the local fans need to come out to support the tournament for it to come back to Northern Kentucky. A concern for the tournament coming to NKU is the travel distance for fans in the eastern, western and even southern parts of the state. It is about five hours and 30 minutes from Northern Kentucky to Paducah. “People from Cincinnati may be more interested in coming,” Stoll said. “Since it’s something new around here, I think people will want to see it. There are a lot of people around here who do care about girls high school basketball.” NewCath enters next season as defending region champs. The Thoroughbreds won the region titles in 2003, 2005 and 2011 in addition to last year before losing in the first rounds of the tournament. They ventured to Diddle Arena every time for the state tournament. In other news, the KHSAA extended the state softball tournament at Owensboro’s Fisher Park through 2018 and gave the state football championships to Western Kentucky for another four years, also to 2018. The state football championships have been in Bowling Green since 2009. FORT THOMAS MATTERS: Girls Sweet 16 coming to NKU

Baseball: Newport Central Catholic 12, Newport 0: The Thoroughbreds (10-22) finished 2-2 in 36th District action with a five-inning run-ruling of the Wildcats on Tuesday. Clint Bartels threw a no-hitter on the mound for NewCath. He struck out 10. NewCath pounded out nine hits. Spencer Pangallo led the way going 3-for-3 with a double, four runs batted in and three runs scored. Zack Pangallo followed going 2-for-3 with a run batted in and run scored. Grant Moeves and Tommy Donnelly had two RBI each. Kole Zenni scored three times with Bartels and Jake Pangallo scoring two runs each. The Thoroughbreds swiped 10 bases. Jake Pangallo, Moeves, Spencer Pangallo and Kole Zenni had two each with Bartels and Zack Pangallo stealing the others. NewCath plays again Thursday. The Thoroughbreds play host to Covington Holy Cross at 5 p.m. Fort Thomas Sports: Tuesday Sports Briefs