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Prep Sports Notebook: State basketball champion Ryle begins practice with three returning starters


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

When preseason practice got under way for Kentucky high school basketball teams this week, coaches had a rough idea of what each player’s role would be, especially the returning starters.

Ryle girls basketball coach Katie Haitz knows exactly what senior point guard Maddie Scherr brings to the table. She was the unflappable floor leader on the Raiders’ state championship team last season.

Ryle senior Maddie Scherr

“She’s very unselfish and sometimes we have to tell her to shoot a little bit more than she does,” Haitz said. “But she does a great job of getting everybody on the team involved and reading defenses to find openings.”

Scherr, a University of Oregon recruit, averaged 15.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.3 steals last season. The 5-foot-11 guard was named most valuable player at the state tournament and voted first-team all-state in two postseason coaches polls.

That makes her one of the leading candidates for this year’s Miss Kentucky Basketball award that goes to the top senior in the state. The last local player to attain that honor was Sydney Moss of Boone County in 2012.

The Raiders also have senior guard Jaiden Douthitt and junior guard Brie Crittendon returning to the starting lineup. Finding replacements for Lauren Schwartz, the program’s all-time leading scorer, and Juliet McGregor is the challenge facing coach Haitz and her staff.

Junior forward Austin Johnson was expected to fill one of the vacancies, but a knee injury will likely keep her on the sidelines until late January, according to Haitz.

“We were really looking forward to (Johnson) coming back,” the coach said. “It’s an unfortunate thing to happen, but it does give other kids an opportunity as well. I hope they recognize that and take steps toward filling that hole (in the lineup).”

The other players on Ryle’s roster who saw a good bit of action off the bench last season are juniors Jaden Crist and Ashtyn Williams and senior Vilma Laine. Freshman guard Abby Holtman could also have an impact on the team’s future. She has already received a Division I scholarship offer from Wright State University.

Whatever combination the Ryle coaching staff puts on the court, Scherr will be the key to making it work for the defending state champions.

“Based on what we foresee and who’s going to be in there, we’ll make some adjustments on what offense is going to be best for us,” Haitz said. “We’ll definitely be running a lot of things through Maddie, of course. She’s just a great player, and with those other two (returning starters) back with her she’ll have the opportunity to do more.”

Calvary Christian wins first-ever 10th Region title in boys soccer

Calvary Christian claimed its first-ever 10th Region championship trophy in boys soccer Thursday after the Cougars defeated Campbell County, 3-1, in the title game at Montgomery County.

Goals by seniors Josh Moran and Alec Lockard and sophomore Gavin Yusko carried the Cougars to their sixth consecutive victory. Their team will take a 16-4-1 record into a semi-state playoff game against 11th Region champion Lexington Henry Clay (20-1-3) that’s scheduled for Monday.

Brossart will face George Rogers Clark in the 10th Region girls soccer final at 2 p.m. Saturday at Harrison County. Clark won the regional title the last three years. Brossart was regional champion in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

In 9th Region boys soccer semifinal games on Thursday, defending champion Highlands defeated Holy Cross, 1-0, and Covington Catholic knocked off Newport Central Catholic, 2-0. The winners will play in the regional final at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Dixie Heights.

Notre Dame’s soccer team will play in the 9th Region girls championship game for the eighth consecutive year and face a Highlands team that broke the Pandas’ six-year run of regional titles last fall.

In semifinal games on Wednesday, Notre Dame defeated Ryle, 7-0, and Highlands won an overtime match against Dixie Heights, 1-0, to advance to the regional final that’s scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Henry High School.

After a statewide realignment in 2012 created an eight-team brackets in 9th Region soccer, Notre Dame won six consecutive championships before losing to Highlands, 1-0, in last year’s title match.

The two teams faced each other twice during the regular season. The first match on Aug. 19 ended in a 1-1 draw. When they met again on Sept. 14, Notre Dame edged Highlands, 3-2, in the championship final of the Kentucky Challenge Cup in Lexington.

Highlands football program reaches 900 mark in overall wins

The Highlands football team recorded the program’s 900th victory last Friday when the Bluebirds defeated Boone County, 49-0, in a Class 5A district seeding game at Boone County.

Highlands is the first Kentucky high school football program to reach the 900 mark in total wins, according to statistics posted on the National Federation of State High School Associations website after the 2018 season.

When you add the Bluebirds’ five wins this season, the program has a 900-243-26 overall record and 76.9 winning percentage going into Friday’s 7 p.m. home game against district rival Covington Catholic.

The only high school football team in the nation with more wins than Highlands is Valdosta in Georgia with a current total of 925. The two schools behind Highlands are both in Kentucky. Going into their games on Friday, Louisville Male has 899 wins and Mayfield has 893 wins.


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