1Forrest1

Rumor has it that the mass exodus is not done yet. Couple more maybe transferring out. Tough to see.

Right, the whole holding the ball for 3-4 minutes is annoying. Both Holy Cross and Newport did that the other night. I would not be shocked for a low scoring last minute shot to win.

Newport vs Cooper in championship. Big Newport guy here but would love to see Coach Johnson continue his success at Holy Cross with a nice run. Newport has too much for them in my opinion.

Update On New News: Newport Superintendent shut it down. But apparently Tay would still like to enroll at Newport.

Would be wild for Jasper to head home as well.

Sure Newport would think so.

New News! Word around is that Taylen Kinney is suppose to be enrolling tomorrow at Newport. He was at the school today. Looking to get him eligible to play this season.

Week 2 Will keep it short and sweet this week. 1. Lloyd Welcome Juggernauts to the top spot. EJ Walker is handling business. Lloyd will take on St X this week who has some good resume wins. Solid test 2. CovCath Cov Cath received its first L of the season against Great Crossings. Not a bad lose but good to see what they need to work on. McGillis still shooting the ball well. 3. Holy Cross My biggest watch team pick of the season. Coach Johnson has done an amazing job with the team. Tough loss against Winton Woods. let's see if they can stay top 5. 4. Highlands Highlands cracks the top 5. Still looking for a resume win. 4 players averaging double figures in scoring. 5. Cooper Cooper with what I believe is a shocking loss to South Oldham in overtime. Johnson went for a double double with 30 points and 14 boards. No Stats updated yet for South Oldham to see how they played. 6. Beechwood 4-0 Tiger team shooting 54% from the field. 3 tigers averaging double digits 7. Ludlow 4-2 Panther team with also 3 boys averaging double digits. 8. NCC Ian Mann averaging 18 points per game. Have Cooper this week, solid test. 9. Dixie Dixie is a bit behind on stats but Derry is scoring 20 points per game. 10. Newport 3-3 Newport has 3 early losses this year. Trying to figure out things without Kinney seems to be taking longer than expected. Still going to be a tough team as the year progresses. Defense is lacking a bit. 11. St Henry 12. Conner 13. Ryle 14. Heritage 15. Holmes 16. Villa 17. Bellevue 18. Boone 19. Dayton

Same was said the last two years. Record books show Cats.

From what I am hearing could be soon. But the team is preparing for longer if needed. We have to understand that this team is trying to figure things out without Tay. He was such a factor to this team and with his departure they are trying to figure out what combinations will get the same results. There is not a player on that team who can give you what Tay did. I think of it as moneyball. You can’t replace the player but you can replace his stats with a few solid players with decent stats.

Tough loss. Yamil is out. They are still working on personal and who meshes well with each other. Let’s not forget that Covcath was the best team the last two seasons and have been bounced the first rounds each year and Newport won the region. We will have a solid grasp of Newport in the next 3 weeks with who they are playing. Newport plays Campbell County this week who is tough. Let’s see how the play before over reacting.

Week 1 We see Cooper having their first game this week, Newport in a rematch against Campbell County along with Ryle who is looking for something to prove. A Strong Lloyd team looking to handle business with NCC or can the Breds take down the Juggernauts. Holy Cross to be tested with Camels of Campbell County. Player Watch: EJ Walker- Lloyd James Turner- Newport Athens McGillis- Covington Catholic Cash Harney- Covington Catholic Jack Sullivan- Beechwood Griffin Starks- Newport Anthony Blaackar- Lloyd Week 1 Rankings 1. Covington Catholic 1-0 Cov Cath takes over the #1 spot this week. The Colonels take down Lex Cath while shooting 63%. 3 Colonels scored 20 or more point (McGillis, Harney, and Bradshaw.) I under its only one game but if these 3 can stay consistent this team will be very scary come Region. 2. Newport 3-1 Cats took their first loss of the season against a tough Princeton team. Cats were down as much as 17. Newport Sweeps at Hoopfest in Marshall County. All 5 Newport starters are closing in on averaging 10 points per game 4 games into the season. Yamil Rondon has yet to make his season start but be prepared for him to come out hot. Starks and and Turner will be a problem for all teams Newport Face. both Lowe's and Anderson will be key's on both sides of the floor. 3. Cooper 0-0 Cooper looks to have their first games of the season this week hosting Simon Kenton and heading to Henry County to play South Oldham. Looking forward to seeing the Jags get their feet wet. 4. Lloyd 2-0 We all knew Walker was going to be the man at Lloyd this year. He has some help in Blaacker who is currently averaging 20 points and shooting 68% from 3. Walker is averaging a double double which we will be seen a lot from him this season. 5. Holy Cross 1-0 Solid first W against Ryle. Holy Cross pulled down 35 rebounds in the win. Big test at Campbell County Friday. 6. Highlands 2-0 Birds have some shooters. 6 Birds are averaging 10 plus in scoring with Rickard shooting 70% from field Goal and Messmer shorting 60% from 3 point. 7. Beechwood 2-0 Sullivan is leading the way in scoring averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds in two games. Blackburn and McCormack will get their fair share of touches. 8. Ludlow 2-0 Ludlow will see their first real test at NCC on Wednesday night. We will see if Scott and Brandenburg can keep on the trend of averaging 20 points per game. 9. NCC We will see what the Breds are made of when they host Lloyd Tomorrow night. Mann is averaging 18 point per game. Can he get shots up against a tough Lloyd team. 10. Dixie Tough loss to Campbell County and and win at NCC keeps Dixie in the top 10. 11. Conner 12. St Henry 13. Ryle 14. Boone 15. Villa 16. Heritage 17. Bellevue 18. Holmes 19. Dayton

CovCath by a dozen or more.

Newport got down 8-0 to start the game, Princeton went 4-6 in the first quarter from the arc. Down 17 at half. Things started to turn as Newport cut the lead down to 9 at the end of the 3rd. The toughness was there in the 3rd that needed to be there from the start. Mid way through the 4th Newport cut the lead to 3 by stacking stops and getting baskets on the offensive end. With 1 minutes to go Newports Amontae Lowe missed open pull up mid range to cut the lead, there was offensive rebound on that shot that lead to a wide open 3 point attempt by Amontae Lowe was missed and rebounded by Princeton. This lead to Newport having to foul and Princeton made their free throws to end the game. Big takes from the game: -Yamil Rondon will be what Newport needs when he’s able to return from injury. -Newports fight in the second half was very impressive, this could be scary defensive team. At one point Princeton was held scoreless for 5:22 seconds. -James Turner and Griffin Starks will be a lot for teams in Kentucky to handle.

Its Timeeeeeeeeee! Week 1. let's get busy folks. Dec 2nd Holmes VS NCC at Holmes Dayton VS Newport at Dayton St Henry VS Cincinnati Trailblazers (Mason, OH) at St Henry Beechwood VS Grant County at Beechwood Highland VS Scott at Scott Dec 3rd Dayton VS Bishop Brossart at Bishop Brossart Heritage Academy VS Berea at Heritage Conner VS Simon Kenton at Simon Kenton Holy Cross VS Ryle at Holy Cross Dixie VS Campbell County at Campbell County Lloyd VS Dayton Early College Academy (Dayton, OH) At Lloyd Dec 4th NCC VS Boone County at NCC Newport VS Princeton (Cincinnati, OH) at Princeton. Dec 5th Dayton VS Nicholas County at Nicholas County Villa Madonna VS Bellevue at Villa Madonna St Henry VS Grant County at St Henry Ludlow VS Trimble County at Ludlow Beechwood VS Bishop Brossart at Beechwood Holy Cross VS Taft at Holy Cross Dixie VS Walton-Verona at Dixie Boone County VS Paris at Paris Dec 6th Holmes VS Gallatin County at Gallatin County St. Henry VS Conner at Conner Boone County VS Gallatin County at Gallatin County Lloyd VS Ryle at Lloyd Newport VS McCallie School (Chattanooga, TN) at Marshall County Dec 7th Vill Madonna VS Bracken County at Ludlow NCC VS Dixie Heights at NCC Ludlow VS Eminence at Ludlow Highlands VS Western at St. Xavier- Louisville Cov Cath VS Lex Cath at Cov Cath Newport VS Daviess County at Marshall County No Regular Season Games This Week: Cooper

its personal not related to School. No injury. Will see him playing Wednesday against Princeton.

Looks to be correct From my view.

Newport scrimmaged hazard today. played well enough to beat them by 8 without James Turner. Newport simply had too much size and athleticism. On the Yamil issue, the team’s statistician has not updated the roster on KHSAA. My close source says not to fret Yamil will be playing for the Wildcats this season.

Sam Vinson of Highlands

I do not see many other teams being in the mix. 1-4 will be in your regional championship. It’s way too early but pretty confident.

You hit it on the head. He is a winner. He is someone who made it out and made a name for himself. Played/Coached college ball. He did not become a product of his environment. He would have been an amazing leader at Holmes. Compare it to a Mark Pope at Kentucky situation as well.

Be a solid first test for them and New Coach.

One could say top Region in the state of Kentucky. Lots of Solid talent in the region and great coaches. let's get into it. Pre-Season Rankings 1. Newport 2. Covington Catholic 3. Cooper 4. Lloyd 5. Ryle 6. Conner 7. Holy Cross 8. Highlands 9. Boone County 10. Dixie Heights 11. Beechwood 12. Ludlow 13. Bellevue 14. St. Henry 15. Newport Central Catholic 16. Villa 17. Heritage 18. Dayton 19. Holmes Pre-Season Key Players (No Particular Order) · Andy Johnson- Cooper · EJ Walker- Lloyd · James Turner- Newport · Athens McGillis- Covington Catholic · Yamil Rondon- Newport · Cash Harney- Covington Catholic · Jack Sullivan- Beechwood · Landon Lorms- Ryle · Finn Louden- Conner · Griffin Starks- Newport District Projected Winners 33rd: Cooper 34th: Lloyd 35th: CovCath 36th: Newport Newport 32-4 last season First game: at Dayton Dec 2nd Taylen Kinney took his talent to OTE. However, the addition of Yamil Rondon should help ease the burden a bit. He will be out until mid December due to having shoulder surgery. Newport returns James Turner and Griffin Starks down low who proved to give teams problems. Amontae Lowe and DeShawn Anderson are returning guards look to help fill key roles. Anderson looks to be Newport’s key defender in addition to the length of Turner/Starks combo. AJ Lowe transfers back to Newport and looks to have a productive season. Adds an additional big body to bang with bigs for Newport How does Coach Snapp adapt to the loss of Kinney and chasing a 3rd consecutive regional championship since the 50’s? Covington Catholic 26-6 last season First game: Lexington Catholic Dec 7th Coach Jake Thelen’s first year with the Colonels. Juniors Cash Harney and Athens McGillis return. They look to be one of the best back courts in the 9th region this year. Junior Donovan Bradshaw steps into the role as the starting forward. Theresa Junior will have some big shoes to fill with Caden Miller graduating. Nolan Ruthsatz is looking to become more of scorer but his presence will be felt on defense. Covington Catholic looks to get back to the regional title after looking like heavy favorites the last two years and falling short. How does Coach Thelen get Covington Catholic back on top in his first season and avoid the early exit at the regional tournament? Cooper 24-9 last season First Game: at Simon Kenton Dec 10th The departure of transfer Yamil Rondon and graduated Shaun Pouncy leaves Andy Johnson’s hand full with scoring. Andy will take on most of the offensive production this year for them. Senior Isaac Brown will more than likely step into a roll of getting the Jags into an offense. Isiah Johnson and Jaiden Combs will bring that tough football mindset and great athleticism. Coach Sullivan will have his team ready to play on the defensive side of the ball, the question this season, outside of Andy Johnson, where can the Jags find scoring production. Chris Rodriguez will look to play a lot of valuable minutes this year with the departures of Yamil Rondon, the three Pouncy brothers and Evan Blackburn. Can the team find scorers and get back to the regional Championship? Conner 11-17 last season First Game: at Simon Kenton Dec 3rd Nathan Browning’s first year as the cougars head coach. Finn Louden and Landon Warner are the top two scorers for cougars last season. They also return their top 5 scorers from last season. Brady Bushman averaged nearly 9 points game while shooting 44% from the arc. With experience from last season, can Browning and Co get back to the top of the 33rd district and potentially mix things up in the region? Lloyd 25-9 last season First Game: Dayton Early College Academy (Dayton, OH) Dec 3rd EJ Walker is looking to have a great senior campaign with a hopeful run at the region. Walker will be close to averaging a double. Junior Anthony Blackaar is set to have a great junior season, he’s tough at attacking the rim and looks to expand his game beyond the arc this season. Isaiah Sebastian will be a leader for Lloyd and get them into their offense. Isaiah is also one of Lloyd’s best defenders. Jayden Humphrey looks to stay healthy this season, as he missed quite a few games last season and be a productive part of the offense. Elijah Collins and carter Bresser will be the outside threat for this Lloyd team, they both shot above 40% from the arc last year. Can Lloyd make the run in the 9th region tournament this year as they have for the past two years? Ryle 19-12 last season First Game: at South Oldham Dec 2. Raiders being back Landon Lorms who averaged 16 points per game. Anthony Coppla is looking to boost his scoring form 9 point per game last season. Top rebounder Jonathan DeGroffs returns coming off averaging 9 points and 7 rebounds per game. How will the Raiders handle playing 3 top 10 NKY teams away and a top 10 Covington Catholic team at home? If they can grind out two of the 4 the light at the end of the tunnel could be bright. Boone County last season: 18-10 First Game: at Newport Central Catholic Dec 4th Rebels lost the majority of their scoring last year. Look forward to seeing who steps up and takes over. Last season the team saw 4 plays average double digits in points. Top 2 rebounders no longer on the roster. Will be keeping an eye out here. Dixie Heights last season: 18-14 First Game: at Campbell County Dec 3rd Dixie returns Griffin Derry who accounted for 15 points per game and 4 rebounds. Look for him to be the heavy shooter. Max Rubmeyer and Owen Niehues look to help Derry out on the scoring side. Start off the year will Campbell County and a brutal February with match up’s with Newport, Covington Catholic and Cooper Highlands last season: 17-16 First Game: at Scott Dec 2nd Returning Daniel Shick who averaged 10 points per game looks to be the leading scorer for this Bluebird team. Nathan Rickard averaged 5 rebounds per game last season, look for him to be on the board this season and help on the scoring side. Holy Cross last season: 16-13 First Game: Ryle Dec 3rd Big fan of Coach Ricardo Johnson who is going into his second year. Looking forward to him coaching his team up and making some noise. The Indians return top scorers Nate Rominger (16ppg), William McElheney (10pm), and Luke Arlinghaus (12ppg). Rominger and McElheney top rebounders from the last year’s team. Beechwood last season: 16-16 First Game: Dec 2nd Grant County The Tigers return top scorers Jack Sullivan and Carson Blackburn. Blackburn shot 53% and Sullivan 43%. Tigers will be looking at Owen McCormack to help with some of the scoring load as well. Ludlow last season: 18-13 First Game: Trimble County Dec 5th Ludlow return Spencer Brandenburg who averaged 16 points per game and 5 rebounds. Next leader was Joesph Scott at 6 points per game and 4 rebounds. Bellevue last season: 19-12 First Game: at Villa Madonna Dec 5th Bellevue returns scorer Zach Mertens who averaged 15 points per game. St. Henry last season: 10-18 First Game: TBD Dec 5th Caden Kunstek’s 8 points per game and 3 rebounds leads this team in stats after the departure of key players from last seasons Newport Central Catholic last season: 8-22 First Game: at Holmes Dec 2 NCC returns 2 top scorers from last season on Ian Mann (13 points per game) and Louie Collopy (11 points per game)X Villa Madonna last season: 14-15 First Game: Bellevue Dec 5th The Vikings lost lead scorers in Thole and Day. The next in line returning is Brandstetter (6ppg) and Thomas (6ppg). Heritage Academy last season: 12-15 First Game: Berea Dec 3rd Eagles will be senior led by returners Cade Holman (14ppg), Elisha Schults (11ppg, 5rpg), and Alexander Palmer (9ppg, 5rpg) Dayton last season: 5-23 First Game: at Newport Dec 2nd Devils return 3rd leading scorer Chad Nickell who averaged 10 points per game. Holmes last season: 2-22 First Game: NCC Dec 2nd The Bulldogs have a new coach in Samuel Elsbernd. Hate to be that guy but I beat Holmes is kicking themselves in the butt not hiring Ricardo Johnson now coaching at Holy Cross. Can Elsbernd bring the Bulldogs back to the way of old? Look forward to seeing if any underdogs can come out and make some noise. Newport, CovCath, Cooper, and Lloyd are heavy Favorites but can they dethroned in their districts? Will Newport be top dogs without Kinney. Bring on High School Basketball!

He is moving to MI. Unsure about playing basketball. He wants to go to school at UM.

I believe this could be a blessing in disguise. Snapp and Co will adapt this change. All great coaches do. Lowe, Starks, Turner, and Yamil will be play makers. I foresee Starks and Turner being a problem for teams. Yamil’s shooting and Lowe’s IQ will prove to be Huge for the Wildcats. let’s not forget Anderson. He is tough and can make his way to the basket. KOB will be a huge test for them. Newport did lose Noah Silverton as well. look forward to the tricks Snapp has in his pocket!