By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Ryle junior Tiger Bartlett and Campbell County sophomore Olivia Holbrook were first-place finishers in the boys and girls 5,000-meter races at the Ryle Invitational cross country meet on Saturday.
Olivia Holbrook
Holbrook, who placed seventh in last year’s Class 3A girls state meet, crossed the line in 19 minutes, 11 records on Saturday. The next two finishers were Oldham County junior Tula Fawbush and Ryle sophomore Allison Kopser, who placed second and fourth in last year’s state meet.
Bartlett’s winning time in the boys race was 16:13 with Campbell County sophomore Jonathan Christopher placing second. They are two of the top returning runners in Class 3A, Region 5 after placing sixth and seventh last year.
St. Henry won the Ryle Invitational boys team title by a tight 79-85 margin over Oldham County. The lead runners for the Crusaders were Dixon Ryan (fourth), Jake Durrett (ninth) and Jeff Stewart (14th).
Last year, St. Henry won the Class 1A boys state championship with those three runners among the team’s top five finishers.
The top three girls team scores in the Ryle Invitational were posted by Oldham County, Louisville Sacred Heart and Ryle. Oldham County placed third in last year’s Class 3A state meet.
Highlands senior has more than 500 all-purpose yards in three games
Highlands won its first football game of the season Friday and senior Charlie Noon surpassed the 240 mark in all-purpose yards for the second consecutive week to help Bluebirds defeat Campbell County, 44-13.
Charlie Noon
Noon caught nine passes for 122 yards and one touchdown to account for most of his 241 total. He also rushed for 70 yards on eight carries and netted 49 yards in punt and kickoff returns.
One week earlier, Noon had 73 yards rushing, 76 yards receiving and more than 100 yards in kickoff and punt returns during a game against Simon Kenton. His three-game total is above 550 all-purpose yards.
Last year, Noon passed for 1,307 yards and 14 touchdowns, completing 86 of 148 passes for 58.1 percent. But the Highlands coaching staff decided to use him in multiple positions this season and it’s paying off.
Noon is the team’s leading pass receiver with 18 catches for 234 yards and two touchdowns. He has also rushed for a team-high 143 yards on 12 carries for an 11.9 average.
St. Henry volleyball team wins bracket at Tournament of Champions
The St. Henry volleyball team won the silver division bracket at the Nike Tournament of Champions-Southeast held in Florida over the weekend.
The Crusaders, who won the Kentucky state tournament last year, finished 1-2 in pool play to earn a berth in the silver division bracket. On Saturday, they won three consecutive matches against Florida teams to come home with a championship banner.
In the final match, Winter Haven won the first set, 25-16, and St. Henry won the next two, 25-23 and 16-14, to run their season record to 9-3. This weekend, St. Henry will play in the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament that includes many of the top teams in the state.
CovCath grad scores touchdown in first game with new college team
Covington Catholic graduate AJ Mayer scored a touchdown in his first game as reserve quarterback for Arkansas State on Saturday when the Red Wolves defeated Grambling State, 58-3, in their season opener.
After Arkansas State took a 37-0 lead in the third quarter, Mayer replaced starting quarterback James Blackman. The redshirt junior transfer from Miami of Ohio completed 5 of 6 passes for 23 yards and capped a 53-yard drive with a 2-yard run into the end zone.
Arkansas State’s next game is at Ohio State, a team that beat Notre Dame, 21-10, in a nationally televised game on Saturday. Mayer’s younger brother, Michael, is a starting tight end for Notre Dame. He had five catches for 32 yards and one fumble in that game.
