By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Covington Catholic singles players Brady Hussey and Jackson Poulos earned berths in the state high school tennis tournament for the first time by winning quarterfinal matches in the 9th Region tournament on Monday at CovCath.
In the semifinal round on Tuesday, both of them will play state tournament veterans when Hussey meets Peter Laskey of Highlands and Poulus takes on Kuzu Wantanabe of Covington Latin. Both matches are scheduled to start at 3:45 p.m. at CovCath.
Highlands senior Peter Laskey clinched a return trip to the state tournament with a win in the 9th Region quarterfinals. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
Laskey is a senior who qualified for the state tournament in singles or doubles four consecutive years prior to the 2020 season that was cancelled due to the pandemic. Wantanabe is a junior who made it to the round of 16 in singles at the 2019 state tournament.
Hussey and Wantanabe are the top two seeds in the 9th Region singles bracket. They’re expected to win semifinal matches and meet in the championship final on Wednesday.
The doubles semifinals are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday at CovCath. Eli Back and Eli Hornsby of Highlands are the top seeds. Joey Case and Matthew Marlette of Villa Madonna are seeded No. 2.
Case and Marlette survived an upset bid in the quarterfinals by winning a third-set tiebreaker against Matthew Erickson and Josh Finseth of Highlands.
CovCath has a one-point lead over Highlands, 11-10, in the team standings. They’re the only contenders for the team title going into the semifinals. Villa Madonna is in third place with six points.
The opening rounds of the 9th Region girls tennis tournament were postponed on Monday due to rain. Matches are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Notre Dame and CovCath. The top four seeds in singles received first-round byes and should be on the court for second-round matches at 2 p.m. The top two seeds in doubles are scheduled to play at 3:30 p.m.
The top seeds in girls singles are juniors Sara Wantanabe of Covington Latin and Ellie Zureick of Cooper. Two years ago, Zureick defeated Wantanabe in the region final and they’re expected to meet again in the title match.
Notre Dame has the top two teams in the girls doubles bracket. Lauren Janzaruk and Taylor Meenach are seeded No. 1 with Hailey Fullkenkamp and Samantha Bailey right behind them at No. 2.
9th REGION BOYS TENNIS SEMIFINAL MATCHES
Tuesday at Covington Catholic
SINGLES (Seeds before names)
1-Brady Hussey (CovCath) vs. 4-Peter Laskey (Highlands), 3:45 p.m.
2-Kuzu Wantanabe (Covington Latin) vs. 3-Jackson Poulos (CovCath), 3:45 p.m.
DOUBLES (Seeds before names)
1-Eli Back-Eli Hornsby (Highlands) vs. 3-Kalei Christensen-Alex Yeager (Holy Cross), 5 p.m.
2-Joey Case-Matthew Marlette (Villa Madonna) vs. 4-Ryan Bosch-Andrew Kennedy (CovCath), 5 p.m.
BOYS QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
SINGLES
Brady Hussey (CovCath) def. Shayaan Ahmad (Villa Madonna), 6-0,6-0
Peter Laskey (Highlands) def. Matthew Pham (Dixie Heights), 6-0, 6-0
Kuzu Wantanabe (Covington Latin) def. Matthew Zureick (Cooper), 6-1, 6-0
Jackson Poulos (CovCath) def. John Laskey (Highlands), 6-0, 6-1
DOUBLES
Eli Back-Eli Hornsby (Highlands) def. Chris Harpum-Justus Guard (Ryle), 6-3, 6-1
Kalei Christensen-Alex Yeager (Holy Cross) def. Daniel Kyntchev-Tre Lohre (CovCath), 6-2, 6-1
Joey Case-Matthew Marlette (Villa Madonna) def. Matthew Erickson-Josh Finseth (Highlands), 6-4, 4-6, (4)
Ryan Bosch-Andrew Kennedy (CovCath) def. Luke Salzman-Nick Noll (St. Henry), 6-0, 6-0.
Local basketball coach who won national championship passes away
Bob Jones, a three-sport athlete at Bellevue High School who went on to win a national championship as a college basketball coach, passed away last Friday at the age of 81.
Bob Jones
After being promoted from assistant to head coach of the Kentucky Wesleyan College men’s basketball team, Jones guided the Panthers to the 1973 NCAA Division II national championship and a 24-6 record in his first season.
He spent eight seasons in charge of the Wesleyan program, compiling a 119-90 record, before returning to Northern Kentucky and becoming head coach of the Campbell County boys basketball team in 1981.
The Camels won more than 200 games under Jones, who was named 9th Region Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1988. Campbell County was region runner-up in 1988.
Jones is a member of the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors, Bellevue High School, Georgetown College and Northern Kentucky Sports halls of fame.
Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at Grant’s Lick Baptist Church in Alexandria. A funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church.
CovCath remains among state’s top baseball teams after first loss
Covington Catholic’s baseball team lost its first game of the season on Saturday, but the Colonels still rank No. 2 in the state’s Rating Percentage Index, a statistic that measures teams based on records and strength of schedule.
Cincinnati Moeller edged CovCath, 3-2, in nine innings Saturday in the final game of the Reds Futures High School Showcase at Great American Ballpark. It was the first loss in 28 games for the Colonels.
CovCath started this week with a .687 Ratings Percent Index. The state’s top-ranked team is Louisville Trinity at .702. Trinity won games against St. Henry, 10-6, and Ashland Blazer, 6-2, on Saturday to run its record to 28-1.
