By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Less than 10 percent of high school students who apply for admission to Massachusetts Institute of Technology near Boston are accepted each year, but that didn’t discourage Beechwood senior Noah Fisher.
While he was filling out an MIT online application, Fisher came across a link that read, “Interested in playing sports.” He had no idea that one of the premier colleges in the nation had an intercollegiate athletic program. But he played varsity football for Beechwood the last three years, so he clicked on the link and entered some information.
Beechwood football player Noah Fisher, right, and coach Noel Rash pose with trophy after state semifinal game. (Photo provided)
Last week, Fisher was one of 11 Beechwood student-athletes who signed a letter-of-intent to play college sports. He was accepted into MIT and plans to major in mechanical engineering with a focus in computer science while playing football.
“There’s a ton of qualified applicants who don’t get in,” Fisher said. “A lot of people are very smart, get high scores on the ACT and have a 4.0 GPA, but you have to show balance and that you’re able to do stuff outside the classroom as well.”
Fisher was the starting offensive center on Beechwood teams that won the Class 1A state football title the last three seasons. He’s also a straight “A” student who scored a 36 on the ACT and participated in the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program.
He could attend any in-state college without paying tuition, but he said MIT will provide “a good path to take me toward robotics and robotic engineering.”
Fisher has been taking advance placement courses for college credits. One of them was an IT Lab that got him interested in computer science engineering. His long-range goal is to design computer controlled robotic devices.
“Going into robotics, it’s not like I’m isolating myself to be in one field the rest of my life because there’s so many different things you can do with it,” he said. “I play football, so I’m obviously interested in sports. I’m sure I can take robotic applications and in some way get involved in sports with it.”
The MIT football team competes on the NCAA Division III level and does not offer athletic scholarships. The roster for the 2018 team that finished with a 9-2 record included offensive lineman Josh Mitchell, a Campbell County High School graduate.
Playing sports actually complements what MIT professors convey to students in the classroom, according to Fisher.
“It’s all about collaborative working and collaborative projects there,” he said. “In the real world, you’re not going to be designing something like a car by yourself. You’re going to be doing that with other people, so the ability to work with a team is very important and valued.”
Jolly accepts basketball scholarship from Thomas More
Reid Jolly ended the speculation about the next step in his athletic career when the Campbell County senior accepted a scholarship offer from Thomas More University to play basketball.
Colleges were recruiting Jolly for football and basketball. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound senior decided to stay with basketball after being voted one of the top 10 high school players in Kentucky for the 2018-19 season.
Jolly averaged 22.5 points and 9.9 rebounds on a Campbell County team that made it to the semifinals of the state tournament for the first time and finished with a 31-5 record. He was named to the state all-tournament team after getting 60 points and 27 rebounds in his final three games.
Thomas More did not offer athletic scholarships while it was affiliated with NCAA Division III, but the university will begin competing on the NAIA level during the 2019-20 school year.
Jolly will be joining a Thomas More team that finished 16-9 with four seniors in the starting lineup during its final season in NCAA Division III.
Newport basketball players make college commitments
Two senior forwards on the Newport boys basketball team that made it to the 9th Region semifinals last March announced commitments with NCAA Division II programs this week.
Tahj Harding, who averaged 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds, is going to Virginia Union University. He was voted 9th Region Player of the Year by members of the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches.
Mahki McGuire, who averaged 16.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, is going to Lee University in Tennessee. He made a team-high 70 3-pointers for the Wildcats, who won the 9th Region All “A” Classic.
Simon Kenton girls place fifth in state archery tournament
Simon Kenton placed fifth in the girls state archery tournament on Tuesday with a 1,985 team total that was only 12 points behind Pulaski County’s winning score of 1,997.
The best individual score by a local archer was 291. Simon Kenton sophomore Paige Robbins placed 10th in the girls standings and St. Henry junior Brennan Eilers tied for 20th in the boys with that score.
Ryle placed 10th in the boys team standings with a 1,984 total. Bullitt Central took the title with a 2,020.
