A handful of Ryle baseball players gather at the high school, talking through the postseason ahead. They like their chances in the upcoming 33rd District Tournament at Conner. They like their chances in the 9th Region, too. The key, they say, is keeping things simple. “At the end of the day,” says senior Anthony Coppola, […]
Author Archives: Marc Hardin
Posted inTrack & Field
Dixie Heights track and field reloads for another run at the region
Steve Saunders has been the boys track and field coach at Dixie Heights High School for 39 years. He knows the place as well as anyone. “When you’ve been around as long as I have, you learn a lot,” said the 70‑year‑old coach, who began his Dixie Heights career in 1988. Saunders knows Dixie Heights […]
Posted inSports
Prep roundup: Raiders hot April, Cook breaks Scott record, plus other fast-happening news
A lot of high school coaches like to say they are senior-friendly, but Ryle softball coach Dave Meier is really good to his seniors. The coach likes to give them extra chances on the playing field, and he shows more patience. He also likes to let his seniors know that some perks come with the […]
Posted inSoftball
St. Henry softball rediscovers its swagger
There’s something going on with the St. Henry High School softball team. The girls are playing with renewed vigor after suffering through nine losing seasons in a row. They are hitting a ton. They are smiling a lot. Enthusiasm is sky high with high fives, handshakes and hand claps. They are pumping themselves up with […]
Posted inSports
Prep roundup: Hughes steps down at Cooper, Bryan Stevenson Tournament underway Friday
Scott Hughes has stepped down as Cooper High School’s girls soccer coach after 10 seasons, closing out the longest and most successful run in the program’s 19-year history. For Hughes, a soccer lifer, the decision was more than a year in the making and anything but easy. “I had been thinking about it, and I […]
Posted inSoftball
Pioneers-Braves: a softball rivalry that defies logic
The Simon Kenton–Grant County softball rivalry refuses to obey the laws of probability. The ongoing series between 32nd District high school adversaries has become a back-and-forth tussle that has blurred the lines of expectations with its surprising results. “Our rivalry is like a box of chocolates,” Simon Kenton coach Chris Young said. “You never know […]
Posted inBaseball
Camels keep grinding in closely contested season
The Campbell County High School baseball team is playing so many one-run games that the players are starting to see them in their sleep. They’re usually followed by dreams of winning the 10th Region tournament championship, something no current Camel has experienced as a varsity player. When the Camels wake up, reality sets in and […]
Posted inSoftball
Notre Dame unearths some diamond stars under new coaching staff
Mickie Terry-Snead is talking about the Notre Dame Academy softball team while being about as far away from her squad as possible. “We’re trying to make a run this year,” the coach said of last season’s Ninth Region tournament semifinalist. The Pandas were eliminated by a single run last year in a loss to eventual […]
Posted inBaseball
Pioneers ready to operate at Doc Morris Invitational
Simon Kenton baseball coach Brady Smiley was playing one of his trivia games with ballplayers one day during the offseason. It’s an activity combining aspects of preparedness and high school history in a playful format. “I’m big on the fact you have to learn how to compete before you learn how to win,” said Smiley, […]
Posted inSports
The Mustang who can do everything — and still get her sleep
Cold Spring has produced its share of athletes, but every once in a while, one comes along who seems to move through the world with a different operating system. That’s Rachel Shewmaker, Bishop Brossart’s all-around three-sport dynamo heading to Bellarmine University on a soccer scholarship. Shewmaker is currently tearing it up on the softball diamond […]