By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Northern Kentucky high school football coaches put together a list of local players to be considered for all-state honors and Covington Catholic senior quarterback A.J. Mayer was their top pick.
CovCath quarterback A.J. Mayer has passed for 2,437 yards and 33 touchdowns. (File photo by Bob Jackson)
With Mayer running the offense, CovCath has won 13 straight games to reach the semifinals of the Class 5A playoffs and scored a school record 538 points.
The Miami University recruit has completed 142 of 224 passes for 2,437 yards and 33 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He has also rushed for more than 300 yards and 10 TDs.
Ryle senior running back Jake Chisholm is the second name on the coaches’ all-state candidate list. He rushed for a school record 2,315 yards and 33 touchdowns this season. He also set a Northern Kentucky single-game rushing record by picking up 449 yards, a total that ranks seventh in the state record books.
The other eight local players selected for all-state consideration are CovCath linebacker/tight end Kam Butler, Scott wide receiver Nelson Perrin, Highlands offensive lineman Mike Dunn, Ryle offensive lineman Parker Bisek, Campbell County running back Alex Dowds, Beechwood defensive lineman Adam Derry, Ludlow quarterback Justin Blackburn and CovCath linebacker Grant Dyer.
The only underclassmen on the list is Derry, a junior on the Beechwood team that will play Campbellsville in the semifinals of the Class 1A playoffs on Friday. CovCath will play South Warren in a Class 5A semifinal game that same night.
Basketball players who became doctors join NKADA Hall of Fame
Two local high school basketball players who went on to become doctors were among this year’s inductees into the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame.
Beechwood graduate Dr. Katie Pohlgeers and Bellevue graduate Dr. Doug Schulte were two of the 12 former high school athletes and coaches added to the hall of fame during a ceremony on Nov. 16.
Pohlgeers was the career scoring leader on the Beechwood girls’ basketball team with 1,684 points when she graduated in 2001. Schulte played point guard on the Bellevue boys’ basketball team that was runner-up in the 1982 All “A” Classic. He was named Famous Recipe Star of the Year following his senior season.
The other females inducted into the NKADA Hall of Fame last week were Shawna Daly Harney (Simon Kenton), Camey Geiman Eberhard (Brossart), Gina Geraci Grout (Notre Dame) and Megan Crowe Williams (Notre Dame).
The list of male inductees included Rob Hardin (Notre Dame), Matt O’Toole (Dixie Heights), Cory Pelle (Silver Grove), Tim Schlotman (CovCath/Boone County), Jeff Stowers (Covington Latin/Simon Kenton) and Jeff Trame (Holy Cross/Scott).
Mike Bowling, a physical therapist now with St. Elizabeth Healthcare, received the Tom Potter Distinguished Service Award from the association.
Roesel, Schulkens selected for high school baseball Hall of Fame
Pat Roesel, the first and only head coach of the Ryle baseball program that has won nearly 500 games in 25 years, will be inducted into the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 2 in Louisville.
The Raiders have a compiled a 496-366-10 record and claimed two 9th Region championships under Roesel. The 2007 team made it to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.
Newport Central Catholic coach Jeff Schulkens will also added to the KHSBC Hall of Fame next week. His teams won the All “A” Classic state championship in 2013 and four 9th Region titles. The last two regional championship teams made it to the state quarterfinals. His career record now stands at 373-347-4.
