Northern Kentucky prep athletes are fast becoming favorites with the LaRosa’s MVP selection committee. Coaching resignations continue to come swiftly in the area. Local college commitments are quickly happening as well, and so is the fastest 1,000 words in sports.
FIELDS PAUSES HIS COACHING CAREER
Dixie Heights High School’s Chad Fields loves teaching history at his alma mater. He loves coaching Dixie Heights student-athletes and he loves his family. As children get older and family and school schedules become more crowded, something has to give for a busy man like Fields. Eventually, the Dixie Heights boys basketball coach needed to make a tough decision.
The 1998 Dixie graduate made that decision last week. Fields stepped aside as head of the boys basketball program after two seasons. He indicated he may be out of coaching for just a few years.
“My wife and children have been incredibly supportive,” Fields said as he discussed his coaching career. “I’d just like to take a small pause on coaching to get every last moment I can with them before my daughter graduates for college.”
Two years ago, Fields, a longtime assistant, took over a Dixie Heights program losing eight seniors including four of its top five scorers. The Colonels made it to the 9th Region tournament championship game before losing to Covington Catholic in coach Roddy Stainforth’s final year. They finished 22-7. Stainforth, a Dixie classmate of Fields’, resigned after the season to concentrate on school administrator duties as assistant principal. He’s now the Dixie Heights principal.
The Colonels finished 7-18 with just four seniors in Fields’ first season and showed well late. They won four of their final seven regular-season games including a double-overtime classic at Cooper that gave them momentum for the next season.
Dixie Heights more than doubled its win total in Fields’ second year with winning marks across the board. The Colonels finished the 2023-24 schedule with a record of 18-14. They were 10-9 against 9th Region opponents and 4-2 vs. 34th District foes. Dixie lost by just two points to Lloyd in the district final. The Colonels made the region tournament after its first absence in 22 years and lost to CovCath by two in the first round.
Senior Hudson Blank, a key catalyst for the Colonels in Fields’ two seasons at the helm, is graduating. But second-leading scorer Griffin Derry, second-leading rebounder Max Rubemeyer and fellow starter Owen Niehues are expected to return.
“I’m sure I’ll be back coaching at some point but want to ensure they are not getting my leftovers after teaching and coaching,” Fields said of his family.
Fields teaches advanced placement United States history at Dixie Heights. He’s also head of the school’s social studies department.
“The Dixie Heights community is the best,” Fields said. “And I will still be super involved teaching here.”
Fields’ departure creates a second opening for a 9th Region head boys basketball coach after Holmes recently filled the position with Sam Elsbernd. Boone County is also looking for a new coach.
COOPER DIVER THIRD STRAIGHT LOCAL LAROSA’S MVP
Cooper High School senior diver Peytton Moore is the latest Northern Kentucky prep athlete earning a weekly LaRosa’s MVP honor. Moore, a New Mexico State University commit, is the current MVP of the week. That makes it three in a row for the area and two for Cooper this calendar year. LaRosa’s has named six area athletes MVP winners over the last eight weeks, eight in the last 14 weeks. A total of 11 Northern Kentucky prep athletes have earned the honor in 2023-24.
Here is an abbreviated version of Moore’s LaRosa’s MVP bio.
“Cooper’s Peytton Moore has won five straight regional diving championships and three Kentucky state championships. She holds the state championship diving record (537.70 points). Her freshman year, she won a state championship, the first girls diver in school history to accomplish the feat. She won state a second straight year as a sophomore. She was state runner-up as a junior and state champion again as a senior.
“Peytton has earned numerous honors including KHSAA all-region four times. She also has competed in one meter, three meter and platform diving competitions at the national level in both USA and AAU diving meets.”
COVCATH MULTI-SPORT STAR NAMED LAROSA’S MVP
Senior Brady Hussey is Covington Catholic’s second LaRosa’s honoree this school year following another two-sport standout, Willie Rodriguez. Hussey earned the LaRosa’s honor for the week of April 16. Here is an abbreviated version of his MVP bio.
“Brady Hussey is a two-sport all-star at Covington Catholic, excelling in both tennis and basketball. He once was named to the state all-tournament team in each sport in the same year, the only CovCath athlete to achieve the honor. Brady was named by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation as the winner of the 11th annual Wah Wah Jones Award, recognizing a Kentucky male high school senior multi-sport athlete who exemplifies the essence of a student-athlete.
“Brady was also a first-team all-NKAC Division I selection multiple times. From a long-line of elite players in his extended family, Brady is a three-time regional champion and 9th Region Player of the Year. He led his team to the state championship in 2023 and twice been a state semifinalist in singles.
“In basketball, Brady was the third-highest scorer on the CovCath team, averaging about 14 points a game. He led in three-point shots made and field goal percentage. Hussey was also the second-leading rebounder. He is a 1,000-point career scorer for the Colonels. He was also previously NKAC Division I Basketball Player of the Year.”
PIONEERS WRESTLER ALSO A LAROSA’S MVP
Senior Gabby Ocasio is Simon Kenton’s second LaRosa’s honoree following basketball player Travis Krohman. She earned the honor for the week of April 9. Ocasio is continuing her wrestling career at Lindsey Wilson. Here is an abbreviated version of her MVP bio.
“Simon Kenton has an elite wrestler in three-time All-American Gabby Ocasio, who has won two Kentucky state wrestling championships and is a major competitor on the world stage as well. She is a three-time Puerto Rico World Team member and in 2023 won a Bronze medal in Mexico City. She has also won a national championship.
“Gabby, an undefeated 46-0 this season with 43 pins, won her second Kentucky state wrestling championship, at 145 pounds. She won in 2022 at 138 pounds. She finished state runner-up last season. This is the first season girls wrestling is a state-sanctioned sport in Kentucky. Previously, local girls competed in a state tournament organized by state wrestling coaches.
“Ocasio is the first female wrestler to reach 100 wins at Simon Kenton. She is the first in school history to be a two-time female state wrestling champion.”
BEECHWOOD LINEMAN SIGNS WITH ILLINOIS STATE
Beechwood junior two-way lineman Mattox Kelly has signed to play college football at Illinois State. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound lineman plays defensive end, offensive tackle and tight end. Illinois State gave Kelly his first offer. He also had an offer from Eastern Kentucky.
HOLY CROSS BASKETBALL PLAYER COMMITS
Holy Cross senior basketball player Aaliyah Hayes has committed to Kentucky State University. Hayes, a 5-foot-10 shooting guard, helped Holy Cross win the 2024 All “A” Classic state championship. She averaged 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game as a senior.
CRUSADERS FOOTBALL UNDERWAY
The St. Henry High School football team held its first-ever practice Tuesday at the school. The Crusaders have a football team for the first time under coach Tim Odom, who played prep football at Cincinnati Moeller and college ball at Ohio State. St. Henry originally planned on a 2026 start for football but moved up the timeline to 2025. St. Henry starts middle school and junior varsity football this year. Odom previously coached in the Cincinnati area at Moeller, Glen Este and Lakota West. Odom was head coach at Simon Kenton from 1990-94. He led the program to its first playoff victory in 1993.
SPEED READS
Covington Catholic (17-2) remains the lone local team ranked in the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Power 25. The Colonels rank 20th. Unranked Ryle also received votes. Louisville Trinity is ranked No. 1.
Highlands (16-4) is the area’s lone softball team ranking in this week’s KHSAA state coaches poll at No. 20. South Warren is ranked No. 1.
Highlands softball coach Milt Horner nailed down career win No. 100 on Monday as the Bluebirds blanked Newport 16-0 in three innings at home. Highlands, the two-time defending 9th Region champion, has an unblemished 5-0 record in regional play.