By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Golf outings, youth sports camps and car washes are a few of the fundraisers organized by high school teams and their booster clubs that have been cancelled this summer due to strict coronavirus regulations.
To offset the loss of their usual moneymaking projects, a couple of local high school teams are selling protective face masks that have become a prevalent accessory during the ongoing pandemic.
Dayton football coach Jesse Herbst said Tuesday that his team has raised $800 in two weeks selling face masks with the Greendevils logo printed on them for $20 each.
He passed on the idea to Simon Kenton girls soccer coach Rob Zoeller, who said his team’s boosters have sold close to 100 reversible masks bearing their school initials and Pioneer Strong logo at that same price.
“The reality is we’re missing out on some fundraising opportunities right now,” Zoeller said. “We’re just trying to make sure we’re taking care of our program and our kids, and being responsible about it.”
Jimmy Journell, a regional representative for Adrenaline Fundraising, has been managing the face mask sales for both local teams. He got the idea from a friend who was making face masks for business and government clients.
“He told me what he was able to do and I was like, ‘Hey, why not put it all together and see if we can use them as a fundraising item to help teams raise some money and give people a product that’s in need right now.”
Rob Zoeller
Journell prints flyers with a description of the face mask and picture of what it looks like with the team logo. The flyer also includes a way to make the $20 online purchase using a credit card. The two local coaches posted the flyers online and were happy with the response they received from people looking to support their teams.
“A couple of people said $20 is a little pricey,” Herbst said. “I tried to explain to them it’s not just for the mask, it’s a fundraiser. And it’s a one-of-a-kind commemorative thing, something for your scrapbook.”
No one knows when high school sports will resume. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association will make that decision in compliance with state government guidelines.
When the Dayton football and Simon Kenton girls soccer teams do take the field, the players will be able to spot fans in the stands by the distinctive face masks they’ll be wearing.
“It’s just another option for folks,” Zoeller said. “I know it’s kind of hard to find masks and if we have some custom made with Simon Kenton on them they can use them for other things at school and in the community. It’s a good way to support the school and our program.”
CovCath’s 7-foot-1 basketball player makes commitment with NKU
Noah Hupmann, the 7-foot-1 center on Covington Catholic’s regional champion basketball team last season, has made a commitment with Northern Kentucky University.
Hupmann, who transferred to CovCath for his senior season, averaged 5.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 60.8 percent (59 of 97) from the field. No statistics were posted on his total blocked shots.
In the 9th Region championship game against Highlands, Hupmann made all six of his field goal attempts, including one 3-pointer, for 12 points. He also pulled down five rebounds and blocked two shots.
The lanky center is the first CovCath basketball player recruited by NKU since it became an NCAA Division I program in 2012.
Local players posted state’s best free throw shooting percentages
The top two free throw shooters in Kentucky high school basketball last season were Walton-Verona sophomore Brant Smithers and Conner junior Riley Osterbur, according to statistics posted on the khsaa.org website.
Smithers made 91 of 102 free throws for 89.2 percent, followed by Osterbur at 87.8 percent (86 of 98). Scott junior Grant Proffitt was fourth in the final stats at 85.7 percent (120 of 140).
On the girls side, three local players finished among the state’s top seven free throw shooters. Ryle senior Maddie Scherr was third at 86.6 percent (103 of 119), Walton-Verona senior Emma Strunk was sixth at 85.7 percent (174 of 203) and Campbell County senior Jalyn Jackson was seventh at 84.9 percent (119 of 139).
