Beechwood wins Class 2A state championship game in dramatic fashion for second consecutive year
Jake Conrad kicks a game-winning 36-yard field goal for Beechwood with 1:50 left on the clock in the Class 2A state championship final against Lexington Christian. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
LEXINGTON — Sportswriters usually roll their eyes when someone uses the dusty old cliche that “football is a game of inches.” But that line actually does...
Former Highlands High School standout and coach Homer Rice honored with statue at Georgia Tech
Rice speaks during a ceremony at Georgia Tech (Photo from Georgia Tech Athletics)
The Georgia Institute of Technology unveiled a statue on campus in Atlanta to pay tribute to Dr. Homer Rice, a 1945 graduate of Highlands High School and the Bluebirds’ football coach from 1954-1961.
(Photo from Georgia Tech Athletics)
Rice went on to serve with great distinction as the Georgia Tech athletic director...
Beechwood returns to Class 2A state championship game looking to carry on program’s winning tradition
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The winning tradition of the Beechwood football program is literally etched in stone. Each of the 15 years that the Tigers have won a state championship is chiseled into a marble monument outside the athletic building on campus. Players touch the football helmet on top of the monument as they head out to the field before each home game.
The Tigers will try...
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops agrees to contract extension, anxious to continue building program
By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Mark Stoops is staying put.
The Kentucky football coach agreed in principle to a contract extension that will keep him on the Wildcat sidelines through June 2028, the school announced Tuesday. Three days ago UK ended the regular season with a 9-3 record and finished second in the SEC East for the first time since divisions were split in 1992.
Stoops will receive a one-year...
Former Kentucky assistant Tony Barbee compares Wildcats to Gonzaga following lopsided loss
By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
It was a blowout and not even close.
Kentucky notched its sixth consecutive victory with an 85-57 rout of Central Michigan Monday night. A month that began with a 79-71 loss to top-ranked Duke in the Champions Classic, the Wildcats racked a dozen victories while dealing with a mixture of injuries and illness.
All six victories — by double digits — provided challenges...
Russ Brown: Louisville football facing a widening gap in Cup series against Kentucky’s superior program
By Russ Brown
Kentucky Today
Louisville’s fans, who comprised the majority of the crowd of 55,018, probably left Cardinal Stadium Saturday night wondering how much longer they are going to have to wait before the Cards defeat arch-rival Kentucky again after the latest dominating Wildcat victory.
That’s the biggest question looming over UofL’s program because UK has had all the answers...
Boys Basketball Preview: Highly talented returning starters make CovCath top pick in coaches poll
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
After playing in the 9th Region championship game for eight consecutive years, Covington Catholic lost a one-point game to St. Henry in the first round of last year’s region tournament and bowed out with a 24-4 record.
St. Henry was the only local team that beat the Colonels last season and they have their top three scorers returning. That’s why CovCath...
Billy Reed: UK’s Stoops had much better team and it showed; he also took Cunningham out of his game
So many bettors fell in love with the shimmering talents of Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham that the Cardinals were made a three-point favorite over Kentucky.
Wildcat coach Mark Stoops must have gotten a bit angry when he saw that bit of disrespect. He respected Cunningham as much as anybody. Yet he also knew he had the better team.
The much better team, actually.
Billy Reed is a member of...
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis leads Wildcats to dominating 52-21 win over rival Louisville
By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
The Governor’s Cup is staying in Lexington.
Kentucky continued its recent dominance in the series against rival Louisville with a 52-21 victory Saturday night, giving the Wildcats their third consecutive win over the Cardinals, all in convincing fashion. Last year’s contest was canceled because of the ongoing pandemic, with both schools playing a conference-only schedule...
Girls Basketball Preview: Ryle voted No. 1 in coaches poll with four starters returning from 23-3 season
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
After winning three consecutive 9th Region championships, the Ryle girls basketball team lost a close game in the region semifinals last season and said goodbye to senior guard Brie Crittendon, a four-year starter who played on the 2019 state championship team.
The Raiders were voted No. 1 in this year’s Northern Kentucky preseason coaches poll because...
Kentucky’s Sahvir Wheeler impresses North Florida in Wildcats Friday night rout of Ospreys
By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll’s squad has played against lot of point guards this season and teams such as UCLA, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Arizona State.
In his opinion, none have been better than Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler. The Wildcats’ guard dazzled his way through the Ospreys’ defense Friday night, scoring 12 points and dishing out 14...
Beechwood riding 22-game win streak into Class 2A state final after first playoff victory against Mayfield
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
One streak continued and another one ended Friday night when Beechwood blasted Mayfield, 38-7, in a Class 2A state semifinal game at Beechwood.
It was the 22nd straight win for Beechwood over the last two seasons and gives the current team a 14-0 record going into the state championship game against Lexington Christian (14-0) that’s set for at 4 p.m....
Keith Taylor: Governor’s Cup was a casualty of the pandemic, but it’s back; UK and UofL face off Saturday
The pandemic took away a lot of things and the Governor’s Cup was one of its casualties.
Kentucky and Louisville had played football on a yearly basis since the rivalry was renewed in 1994 but the two programs didn’t play each other because both schools were forced to play a conference-only schedule last year. Both programs waded through uncharted waters in the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic...
Beechwood looking to break losing streak against Mayfield in Class 2A state semifinal game on Friday
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
All of the scouting reports and videos the Mayfield football coaches have studied to prepare for Friday’s Class 2A state semifinal game at Beechwood point to one undeniable fact — none of the 13 opponents the Tigers have faced this season were able to keep senior quarterback Cameron Hergott from leading his team to victory.
Hergott hopes to do...
Jeff Marksberry steps down as head coach of the Simon Kenton football program after 22 seasons
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Jeff Marksberry is stepping down as head coach of the Simon Kenton football team after 22 years and his long-time assistant Roy Lucas Jr. is taking charge of the program.
Marksberry’s teams compiled a 159-103 record and finished 15 of 22 seasons with a winning record. The Pioneers had a 19-17 record in playoff games and made it to the Class 6A state...
