By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Kara Strong posted the highest qualifying score in the Northern Kentucky high school bowling girls’ singles tournament on Saturday morning at Super Bowl. Then she won five matches in the single-elimination bracket to capture the championship trophy.
It was an impressive performance for the Boone County freshman, who wasn’t sure she would be able to compete in the tournament after being involved in an automobile accident two days earlier. Strong said she was coming home from bowling practice on Thursday night when the car she was riding in was hit from behind by another car.
Bowling singles champions Kara Strong of Boone County and Andy Blood of Cooper. (Photo by Terry Boehmker)
“I had whiplash and three pulled muscles,” Strong said. “The doctor just told me if it starts hurting (while bowling) I had to stop, but it didn’t hurt me at all (Saturday).”
Strong rolled a 191 and 233 in the qualifying rounds. Her highest score was a 257 during the one-on-one matches. She faced two of her Boone County teammates in the final rounds. After knocking off senior Corina Mazur in the semifinals, she defeated senior Samantha Schmitz in the championship final.
“This means a lot to me because now our coach knows I can work my way up to the anchor spot (for team matches),” Strong said.
Last season, Boone County won the Region 6 girls’ team title and finished second in the state tournament. The Rebels have the top four bowlers from that team back this year and are expected to make a run at both titles once again.
Andy Blood of Cooper won the boys’ singles tournament on Saturday. He did not have one of the top 10 scores in qualifying, but he won six matches to take the title.
“I’ve been in several tournaments, but I never got as far as I did (Saturday),” he said. “There were 64 guys in this one and everyone of them is a good bowler. So it takes a lot to get there and I’m just glad I was able to come through.”
Blood won his semifinal match against Andy Campbell of Highlands in extra frames. In the championship final, Blood got off to a rocky start and needed a strong finish to defeat Kevin Jones of Dixie Heights. His winning score was 213.
“I was struggling a little bit when I started out,” Blood said. “But once I found my mark I just kept telling myself, ‘Take it one frame at a time.’ I started throwing a good ball and stayed with it.”
Blood placed 11th in last year’s Region 6 boys’ singles tournament and didn’t advance to the state tournament. He’s hoping to do much better this year after coming out on top in Saturday’s event.
“I’m definitely looking forward to regional now for singles because I feel like I have a good chance,” he said. “I’ll be seeing all these same guys again (at regional) so this was good experience.”
Campbell County wrestling team looking to continue conference winning streak
The Campbell County wrestling team has won the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Championships for seven consecutive years and the Camels will be looking to continue that streak next week.
The NKAC Championships are scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 22 at Conner High School. It’s the first time this season that local wrestlers will compete against each other in weight class brackets.
Campbell County finished on top in the team standings the last seven years and has won a total of 25 conference championships. This year’s team includes five wrestlers ranked among the state’s top 10 in their weight class, including Tanner Yenter (113) and Brady Wells (120), who were both state finalists last year.
Ryle seniors Logan Erdman (126) and Johnny Meiman (160) are the defending state champions who will be on the mats at the conference tournament.
Ryle quarterback among prolific passers in Kentucky high school football
Tanner Morgan
Tanner Morgan added to his impressive passing statistics in his first season as quarterback for the Ryle football team by completing 219 of 374 passes for 2,674 yards.
That is the highest single-season yardage total Morgan has posted in his three-year varsity career. In his previous two seasons at Hazard High School, he threw for 2,550 yards and 2,440 yards.
Morgan will enter his senior season at Ryle with 7,664 total passing yards. If he throws for more than 2,400 yards once again, he’ll become one of the few Kentucky high school quarterbacks to surpass the 10,000 mark in his career.
According to records currently posted on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association website, only seven players have reached the 10,000-yard plateau. The all-time leader is Zach Lewis of Clay County with 13,642 yards.
Football coaches select All Northern Kentucky Team for 2015 season
Brandon Slusher of Beechwood was a first-team nominee on both offense and defense for the All Northern Kentucky Team selected by local high school football coaches.
Slusher was a starting wide receiver and linebacker on the Beechwood team that made it to the Class A state final. He caught 59 passes for 1,150 yards and 20 touchdowns. His defensive stats included 120 tackles, five fumble recoveries and three pass interceptions.
Beechwood and Simon Kenton had five first-team selections on the All Northern Kentucky Team that features the top local players across all classes. Cooper and Covington Catholic had four players nominated.
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback – Kyle Fieger (Beechwood).
Running backs – Dillon Powell (Simon Kenton), Ethan Stringer (Beechwood).
Wide receivers – Brett Slusher (Beechwood), Dante Hendrix (Cooper), Charles Gaines (Lloyd).
Linemen – David Sandlin (Simon Kenton), Ron Rice (Scott), Justin Overstreet (Beechwood), Sander Roksvag (Cooper), Chris Reisiger (CovCath), Bo Hebel (Highlands).
Tight end – Cam Pitzer (CovCath).
Place kicker – Jared Dougherty (Highlands).
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Linemen – Marcus Watson (Cooper), Tucker Mueller (Simon Kenton), Maleek Lawrence (NewCath), Jacob Steins (CovCath).
Linebackers – Dalton Finnell (Simon Kenton), Brett Slusher (Beechwood), Trey Hicks (Scott), Aidan Keller (Cooper).
Defensive backs – Trent Kincaid (Simon Kenton), Isaiah Ebarb (Conner), Deondre Pleasant (Scott), Adam Piccirillo (CovCath).
Punter – Aaron O’Hara (Ryle).
Athlete – Carson Plessinger (Campbell County).
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterbacks – Tanner Morgan (Ryle), Kyler Padgett (Conner).
Running backs – Roberto London (Scott), Jake Smith (NewCath).
Wide receivers – Luke Vance (Simon Kenton), Tanner Nyers (Conner), LaShunn Townsend (Lloyd), Nelson Perrin (Scott).
Tight end – Jake Long (Ryle).
Linemen – Kyle Sand (Cooper), Tyler Kunkel (Conner), Evan Richardson (Highlands), Jacob Newberry (Campbell County), Eric Bruner (Lloyd), Bryson Hightchew (NewCath), Jakob Turner (Lloyd).
Tight end – Jake Long (Ryle).
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Linemen – Justin Overstreet (Beechwood), Ron Rice (Scott), Tyler Robinson (Highlands), Elliot Smith (Cooper), Jack Lohre (Dixie Heights).
Linebackers – Carson Plessinger (Campbell County), Cam Pitzer (CovCath), Kobe Tallon (NewCath), Johnny Meiman (Ryle), Derrick Barnes (Holy Cross).
Defensive backs – Dante Hendrix (Cooper), Austin Beal (Highlands), Chad Michels (Cooper), Jacob Harney (Simon Kenton).
Punter – Trent Wrobleski (NewCath).
Athlete – Deondre Pleasant (Scott).
