By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
When the Covington Catholic boys’ basketball team made it to the semifinals of the state tournament in 2015, there were three freshmen on the varsity roster who soaked up all the excitement while watching games from the bench.
CovCath senior guard C.J. Fredrick
The Colonels were upset in the 9th Region final the last two years and those freshmen are now seniors who have one last chance to make a return trip to the “Sweet 16” at Rupp Arena.
With preseason practice beginning all across the state this week, CovCath has such a strong core of senior veterans that it’s considered the top boys’ basketball team in the 9th Region. There’s a good chance the Colonels will get some first-place votes when the statewide preseason polls are published next month.
“That’s something we’re not trying to look at and just focus on the early stages of practice and what we need to do as a team,” said CovCath senior guard C.J. Fredrick. “And that starts with defense. We’ve got to get better on defense.”
Fredrick was the leading scorer on last year’s team with a 19.7 average that could have been even higher if he hadn’t missed 15 games with a broken bone in his foot.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard made a strong comeback over the summer playing in elite camps and tournaments. He received several offers from NCAA Division programs before making a commitment with the University of Iowa.
CovCath’s other returning senior starters — point guard Aiden Ruthsatz, forward A.J. Mayer and 7-foot center Jake Walter – have also made college commitments.
Walter accepted a scholarship offer from nationally ranked Xavier University and Ruthsatz plans to continue his basketball career at Christian Brothers University, one of the top NCAA Division II teams in the country.
Scott Ruthsatz
Mayer, a three-year starter at quarterback on CovCath’s football team, decided to play that sport in college. He made a commitment with Miami University of Ohio last summer.
With those four seniors returning, CovCath is expected to continue its run of success under head coach Scott Ruthsatz, who has a 165-42 record in six seasons with the program. But the Colonels’ last two seasons ended with disappointing losses in the regional final that kept them from playing in the state tournament.
“It’s very motivating,” Fredrick said of the team’s season-ending loss to Cooper in the 2017 regional final. “It’s something that’s been on our minds all through the off-season. We definitely have something to play for this season, and that’s to get back to being regional champions and making it to Rupp Arena.”
Fredrick is considered one of the leading candidates for Mr. Kentucky Basketball, the annual award that goes to the top senior in the state. He would be the first CovCath player to earn that honor.
“Personally, I’m just trying to get better with my ball-handling skills and score more off the dribble,” he said. “I just want to play as hard as I can and get as many wins as we can.”
Simon Kenton football team one win away from perfect season
If the Simon Kenton football team wins its home game against Ryle on Friday, the Pioneers will finish the regular season with a 10-0 record for the third time in the last five years and give their program a 90.4 winning percentage over that five-year span.
Simon Kenton has compiled a 56-6 record since 2013. The final records for the last four teams were 12-1, 11-2, 13-1 and 11-2. This year’s team is 9-0 going into Friday’s game.
The only local team that comes close to the Pioneers’ recent run of success is Beechwood with a 52-13 record over the last five years that includes a 6-2 record this season.
This is Jeff Marksberry’s 17th season as Simon Kenton’s head coach. His first 12 teams compiled a 77-71 record and he now has a 133-77 record with the Class 6A program.
In this week’s Associated Press state poll, the Pioneers are ranked No. 3 and Ryle is ranked No. 7 among the state’s Class 6A teams going into Friday’s match-up.
Last week, Simon Kenton senior quarterback Matt Shearer had three touchdowns rushing and two passing in a 65-40 win over Campbell County that clinched a district title. Ryle is coming off a 54-28 win over Conner that also clinched a district title. Senior running back Jake Chisholm rushed for 288 yards and five TDs in the Raiders’ victory.
Simon Kenton’s only loss during the 2016 regular season was to Ryle, 32-25. The Pioneers had won the five previous games played between the two teams.
Simon Kenton cross country runners sweep conference titles
Simon Kenton cross country runners Kyle Mastin and Sophia DeLisio posted the fastest times in the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Championships last Saturday at Idlewild Park in Burlington.
Mastin covered the 5,000-meter course in 16:06.10 to win the Division I boys’ race. He was one of six runners in the large-school meet who finished before the 17-minute mark.
DeLisio won the Division I girls’ race in 19:57.20. She was the only girl who broke the 20-minute mark in the meet’s large-school and small-school divisions.
The first-place finishers in Division II were St. Henry senior Ethan Snyder (16:45) in the boys’ race and Newport Central Catholic freshman Abby Jones (20:10) in the girls’ race.
The winning teams in Division I were the Covington Catholic boys and Highlands girls. The Division II championship trophies went to the St. Henry boys and Brossart girls.
