A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Prep Sports Notebook: Hergott could become first two-time winner of Mr. Kentucky Football award


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Beechwood quarterback Cameron Hergott was named the state’s Class 2A Player of the Year by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association on Monday. That makes him eligible for Mr. Kentucky Football, the association’s highest award that he won last year.

The annual award is given to the state’s top senior player based on voting by KFCA members. Hergott could become the first two-time winner because the state legislature passed a bill that permitted students to repeat a school year due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beechwood quarterback Cameron Hergott was named most valuable player in a state championship game for the third time last Friday. (Photo by Dale Dawn)

In his second senior season, Hergott was the offensive leader of the Beechwood team that won the Class 2A state championship game last Friday to complete a 15-0 season.

The Tigers also won the 2020 Class 2A state title with Hergott running their offense. He was named most valuable player in the last two Class 2A state championship games as well as the 2018 Class 1A state final won by Beechwood.

This season, the dual threat quarterback recruited by Eastern Kentucky University passed for 2,323 yards and 32 touchdowns while rushing for 1,8111 yards and 29 TDs.

That gave him a combined total of 4,134 yards, which was 71 percent of Beechwood’s team total of 5,827 yards during the undefeated season.

The KFCA named a player of the year in each of the other five classes in Kentucky high school football. Those five seniors will be on the ballot for Mr. Kentucky Football along with Hergott. The winner of this year’s award will be announced later this month.

Hergott played four seasons of varsity football at Beechwood after transferring from Highlands as a sophomore. During his career with the Tigers, he passed for 8,537 yards and 97 touchdowns, rushed for 4,187 yards and scored 63 TDs.

According to state records posted on the khsaa.org website, Hergott passed for more yards than any other quarterback while playing for a Northern Kentucky team.

Three former Highlands quarterbacks were the local career passing leaders going into this season. Gino Guidugli topped the list with 7,516 yards, followed by Patrick Towles (7,431) and Jared Lorenzen (6,821).
Lorenzen played four varsity seasons and the other two were three-year starters for the Bluebirds.

Tanner Morgan passed for 5,421 yards in two seasons at Ryle and 4,882 yards in two seasons at Hazard for a combined total of 10,303 that ranks ninth in the state record books.

Hergott did break the local record for most career touchdowns passes with 97. The previous record-holder was Guidugli with 92, followed by Lorenzen with 89.

NewCath basketball player scores 111 points in first three games

Newport Central Catholic basketball player Rylee Turner opened her senior season in impressive fashion by scoring 111 points and collecting 33 rebounds in the first three games. And it started with the 6-foot forward getting 50 points and 13 rebounds in a win at Louisville Butler on Nov. 30.

Rylee Turner

That is the fourth highest point total ever recorded by a Northern Kentucky girl, according to state basketball records posted on the khsaa.org website. Jaime Walz of Highlands scored 60 points in 1995 and 53 points in 1996 in games against Conner. Jennifer Lyons of Bellevue netted 54 points against Our Lady of Providence in 1977.

In back-to-back games over the weekend, Turner had 21 points and 10 rebounds against Notre Dame on Friday and 40 points and 10 rebounds against Simon Kenton on Saturday. She has been a double-figure scorer for the Thoroughbreds in 28 consecutive games over three seasons and had nine of more rebounds in about half of them.

Going into a home game against Campbell County on Wednesday, Turner is averaging 37 points and 11 rebounds per game for NewCath (1-2). She shot 54.2 percent from the field and 78.5 percent from the line in the first three games.

Ryle cross country runner finishes second in AAU national meet

Ryle freshman Allison Kopser ran the second fastest time in the girls 5,000-meter race at the AAU National Cross Country Championships last Saturday at McAlpin Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C.

Allison Kopser

Kopser, 14, finished second in the 5,000-meter race in a time of 18:28 that was 28 seconds behind national champion Caryn Rippey, 18, of Pennsylvania. Kopser did receive a medal for being the top finisher among the 52 runners who were ages 16 and under.

There were 85 runners from several states in the girls 5,000-meter race, but only four clubs entered full teams in the competition. Kopser ran for the BCK Thoroughbreds that posted the top team score in the 15-18 girls age group race.

The Thoroughbreds’ other top finishers were Nora True (sixth place), Renae Kopser (ninth), Audrey Shelton (15th), Emilie Zengel (22nd), Angel Harris (27th) and Lexi Baker (28th).

Last October, the Kopser sisters led their Ryle team to the Class 3A Region 5 championship. Allison won the region meet and Renae placed third. One week later, Allison placed fourth in the Class 3A state meet.

St. Henry volleyball player came close to breaking team record

Taylor Preston led the St. Henry volleyball team to its first state championship since 1981 this fall, but she wasn’t able to break the team record for most career kills during her senior season.

Preston, a University of Oklahoma recruit, finished her four-year varsity career at St. Henry with 1,353 kills. The team record is 1,387 set by 2018 graduate Maria Tobergte.

St. Henry coach Maureen Kaiser said Preston’s career total is “fantastic” when you consider she missed two and half weeks with an ankle injury this season and last year’s schedule was curtailed by pandemic regulations.

Preston actually started her high school career at Ryle when she was an eighth-grader. Kaiser said she had 102 kills in varsity matches that season, so her overall career total is 1,455.

 

 


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