A few reasons why it was a decade to remember in Northern Kentucky high school sports

By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

My fourth decade as a Northern Kentucky high school sports reporter came to a close at midnight and it’s truly been one of the 10 best years that I can remember for a number of reasons.

Here is a list I put together of the top 10 storylines that made 2010-19 a special decade to be a prep sportswriter.

Ryle players celebrate 2019 state championship.

Best decade ever for basketball

Over the last 10 seasons, basketball teams in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties posted a winning record in both the boys and girls state tournaments while winning four state championships.

In boys basketball, 16 teams from the three counties that won regional titles compiled a 22-14 record in state tournament games from 2010 to 2019. Covington Catholic led the way with a 10-2 record in four appearances, winning the 2014 and 2018 state titles. Cooper was state runner-up in 2017.

There were also 16 girls basketball teams from the three counties that played in state tournaments over the last 10 seasons. They compiled a 17-14 record with Holy Cross (2015) and Ryle (2019) winning state titles. Notre Dame was state runner-up in 2013.

The 9th Region boys and girls basketball tournaments played at BB&T Arena last season set a record for attendance with 22,264 fans coming out to watch the games, according to the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Association.

Most amazing upset

Three months after the decade began, the Newport boys basketball team won its first 9th Region championship in 48 years by upsetting Holmes, 60-34, in the 2010 title game. Holmes was the defending state champion and entered that game with a 25-5 record that included two wins over Newport by double-digit margins earlier in the season.

Best regional rivalry

Volleyball teams from Notre Dame and St. Henry met in the 9th Region  championship final eight times in the last 10 years and five of those matches were decided in the last set. The fact that the two powerhouse programs turned their regular season match into a fundraiser for breast cancer research makes their rivalry something special on another level.

Austin Myers

Best high school career ever

Campbell County wrestler Austin Myers finished his high school career in 2015 with a 182-0 record and won four consecutive state titles in the 220-pound weight class. Myers won 61 consecutive matches during his senior season to become the first Kentucky high school wrestler to post a perfect career record. He went on to win a weight class title at the National High School Wrestling Championships.

Playoff run to remember

Jake Ohmer lived the dream of every Kentucky schoolboy during the 2017 basketball playoffs. The Scott senior guard made a game-winning 3-point shot in the 10th Region championship game to put the Eagles in the state tournament. He then scored 41, 32 and 33 points in three games at Rupp Arena and received a scholarship offer from Western Kentucky University for his awe-inspiring effort.

State title nobody expected

Holy Cross winning the 2015 girls state basketball tournament was a monumental accomplishment. Nobody expected the small Catholic school to become the first 9th Region team to claim a girls Sweet 16 state title, but the Indians did it by holding all four of the state tournament opponents to 40 points or less. In the final seconds of the state championship game, senior Abby Hassert provided a storybook ending by making a field goal and free throw to clinch a 35-32 win over Allen-County Scottsville.

Ally Niece

Everybody loves a comeback story

After missing most of her senior season while recovering from knee surgery, Simon Kenton basketball player Ally Niece returned to the lineup for the 2018 post-season playoffs and led her team to the 8th Region championship. Niece was named the tournament’s most valuable player after getting 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the regional final in front of a sellout crowd on her home court.

Proud football tradition

Over the last 10 seasons, Northern Kentucky football teams had a 12-8 record in state championship games. Three of the state title teams posted perfect 15-0 records — Highlands in 2011 and Covington Catholic in 2017 and 2019 — but the most exciting  season finale came in 2014 when Highlands scored 28 unanswered points in a 49-42 come-from-behind win over Owensboro to claim the Class 4A title under first-year head coach Brian Weinrich.

Fear the Beard

Conner’s baseball team made an impressive late season run in 2014 that was inspired by coach Brad Arlinghaus, who stopped shaving and had “Fear the Beard” t-shirts printed for his players to create a fun atmosphere. The Cougars responded by winning 11 straight games to claim district and regional championships and reach the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.

Ethan Shuley

Back-to-back state championships

Ethan Shuley became the first Highlands cross country runner to win back-to-back state championships when he placed first in the 2014 and 2015 Class 2A boys state meets. Shuley also won the 1600-meter and 3200-meter events in the 2016 state track meet. After putting his running career on hold to do mission work in Ukraine, he was a sophomore on the Brigham Young University men’s cross country team that won the NCAA Division I national title last fall.

Soccer state finalists

Northern Kentucky girls soccer teams played in seven of 10 state championship games during the decade with St. Henry (2010) and Notre Dame (2011, 2013) taking titles. In boys soccer, Covington Catholic won the area’s first state championship in 2015 and nearly made it two in a row, losing on a penalty kick shootout in the 2016 state final.

Longest regional championship game

Dixie Heights won the longest championship game in the history of the 9th Region boys basketball tournament in 2011 when the Colonels edged Newport Central Catholic, 79-76, in a four-overtime thriller. Dixie Heights had three players foul out during the extra periods and still managed to claim its first regional title since 1957.