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Prep Sports Notebook: Cooper golfer remains on top in all-state point standings following latest victories


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Rylan Wotherspoon of Cooper will remain on top in the Mr. Kentucky Golf point standings after winning the Kentucky Golf Coaches Association All-State Tournament over the weekend in Lexington.

The junior finished the 36-hole tournament at the University Club of Kentucky with a 3-under 140 and won the medalist trophy by a two-stroke margin. He carded a 3-under 69 on the Big Blue course in Saturday’s first round and an even-par 71 on the Wildcat course in Sunday’s final round.

Rylan Wotherspoon

On Monday, Wotherspoon picked up another victory in the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Championships. He shot 3-under 69 at Kenton County Willows to win the Division I title for the third straight year.

In last week’s all-state point standings, Wotherspoon was on top with 525 points accumulated in 11 events. The player who ends the season with the highest point total is named Mr. Kentucky Golf. Last year, Wotherspoon finished fourth in the point standings to earn first-team all-state honors.

Justin Gabbard of Highlands placed ninth in the All-State Tournament last weekend with a two-day total of 145.  The other local golfers on the Top 20 leader board were Ryan Butler of St. Henry (146) and Luke Muller of Highlands (149).

Madison Central won the boys team title. Highlands placed sixth with St. Henry ninth and Ryle 10th in the 15-team standings. Cooper placed seventh in the girls tournament. The team’s top individual scorer was Eva Maley, who placed 16th with a 14-over 158.

High school regional golf tournaments will be played next week. State tournaments are scheduled Oct. 5-7 for boys and Oct. 8-10 for girls at Bowling Green Country Club.

Vinson announces commitment with NKU men’s basketball team

Highlands senior Sam Vinson, the leading scorer in Northern Kentucky boys high school basketball last season, has accepted a scholarship offer from Northern Kentucky University.

Sam Vinson

Vinson announced his commitment in a Twitter post last week. The 6-foot-4 guard had received offers from other Division I programs, including Miami of Ohio, Bellarmine and George Mason.

“So proud of this young man,” Highlands coach Kevin Listerman said in a post. “Shows all of his hard work has paid off. Glad I get to coach him one more year.”

Last season, Vinson averaged 24.7 points per game, which ranked ninth in the final statewide statistics. He also pulled down 8.7 rebounds per game for his Highlands team that made it to the 9th Region final.

Vinson was named 9th Region Player of the Year by local coaches following his impressive performance in the regional tournament. In three games, he had 80 points and 30 rebounds. He made all 12 of his free throw attempts in the championship game and ended up shooting 80.2 percent on the season. His final field goal percentage was 52.9.

Soccer game will decide All “A” Classic state tournament berth

Holy Cross will play Brossart in the sectional round of the Kentucky All “A” Classic  boys soccer playoffs with the winner advancing to an eight-team state tournament that begins Saturday in Frankfort.

The sectional game between the two regional champions is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Brossart.

In the girls sectional playoffs, Newport Central Catholic defeated Brossart, 4-0, last week to earn a berth in the small-school state tournament that also begins Saturday at Capital View Park in Frankfort.

Several fields will be used to practice social distancing during the two state tournaments. Opening-round games on Saturday are scheduled in the morning for girls and the evening for boys. A complete state tournament schedule is posted on the allaclassic.org website.


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