The prep year is winding down, but coaching news is heating up along with the weather. With the end of seasons rapidly approaching, things are quickly ending up here in the fastest 1,000 words in sports.
END OF AN ERA AS BARTH RESIGNS
Jeff Barth was expecting to begin his 16th season as Walton-Verona head football coach later this year. But there has been a change of plans and Barth is leaving Walton-Verona and heading to Ludlow. Barth is a new teaching hire in the social studies department in the Ludlow School District. He informed Walton-Verona football players of the development on Thursday.
“Thursday was a very difficult day,” said Barth, a social studies teacher at Walton-Verona. “These are my guys. I poured my heart out to them and let them know this was a career decision. It positively impacts me and my family. This was an opportunity that presented itself and I needed to jump on it.”
Barth said he wasn’t actively looking for a new job. But he saw a posting for the open position at Ludlow. He thought about what it would be like to have an eight-mile commute to work instead of a 30-mile commute. He had a talk with his wife. Barth applied for the position and got the job.
“Walton-Verona has been outstanding to me,” Barth said. “I could not have asked for better kids, a better athletic director and a better community. This in no way shape or form has anything to do with the people at Walton-Verona. I loved every minute there. I had to do this because it brings work closer to home and that’s important for a lot of reasons. It’s a 12-minute drive to Ludlow.”
Barth and his family live in Southgate. He’s a 1995 Highlands High School graduate.
“This will cut down on my daily commute quite a bit. I’m about to have 200,000 miles on my Prius,” Barth said. “I won’t even have to get on the interstate. It frees up more time with my family. And I’ll still be working in a great school district in Ludlow.”
At Ludlow, Barth reunites with Woody McMillen, the man he replaced as Walton-Verona football coach 16 years ago. McMillen teaches history at Ludlow and is head coach of the football team.
“I remain in contact with coach McMillen just about every week,” Barth said. “He started football at Walton-Verona. He’s a mentor of mine and the reason why I’m a football coach. We’ve shared playbook ideas and social studies curriculum ideas.”
Barth’s son is 12. His daughter is turning 10 this summer. He figures he has about eight years left in the classroom.
“Because of the commute, I was leaving the house at 6:45 a.m. and getting home at 9:15 p.m.,” Barth said. “Over time, you start missing stuff with your family and missing kids’ games. My kids have six and eight years left before they finish high school. I want to see them a lot more than I have.”
Barth leaves Walton-Verona as the record-holder in every football coaching category. The second coach in program history, he more than anyone is synonymous with Walton-Verona football. Barth coached 15 seasons and 180 games. He took over for McMillen in 2009. He posted a career record of 117-63, good for a .650 winning percentage. Barth averaged nearly eight wins a season and had at least nine wins in seven seasons. Barth’s only losing years were his first and his last. The Bearcats finished 4-6 last year.
Walton-Verona went 2-8 Barth’s first season in 2009 then ripped off seven consecutive winning years and 13 straight non-losing seasons. They won a playoff game 11 years in a row. They advanced to the regional final five times, including four straight years from 2018-21. The Bearcats made the state semifinals once in 2018.
“We had a fantastic freshman football class last season. Good players are in the system,” Barth said. “I feel like the program is in good shape.”
Barth joins forces with McMillen on the Ludlow football coaching staff as an assistant. He plans to attend the team’s first summer practice.
“I’m pulling back from coaching,” Barth said. “Not being a head coach also gives me more time with my family.”
BOONE COUNTY HIRES A SOCCER COACH
Boone County is introducing new girls soccer coach Ian Bohman Wednesday. The introduction is happening at 7:30 p.m. at the Boone County High School Performing Arts Center. Bohman, a former Cooper goalkeeper, is the son of former Cooper girls soccer coach Steve Bohman. The elder Bohman assisted at Boone County, Conner and Holmes.
Ian Bohman is currently the Boone County freshman boys basketball coach. He also teaches history at the high school. He replaces John Hicks as head of the girls soccer program. Hicks compiled a two-year record of 12-23-3, including a 7-10-3 mark in 2023. The team increased scoring by 10 goals his second season while holding steady on scoring defense.
The Rebels put together a 4-4 record over the final eight games of last season. Conner eliminated them in the first round of the 33rd District tournament. The Rebels expect the return of three seniors next season. They include goalkeepers Ava Mayfield and Jordan Cropper. There should be six juniors including goal-scoring leader Avery Jones.
RYLE TRACK STAR WINS LAROSA’S MVP
Ryle senior Tiger Bartlett is the LaRosa’s MVP for the week of May 14. Bartlett is a Raiders track and cross country standout. He committed to the college track and cross country teams at Cincinnati. He hopes to study mechanical engineering. Bartlett is the fourth Northern Kentucky athlete in six weeks to be a LaRosa’s MVP. He is the seventh in the past 11 weeks and the 12th honored by LaRosa’s this school year.
Highlights from Bartlett’s LaRosa’s MVP bio:
“In track, Ryle senior Tiger Bartlett holds school records in the mile run and the 3200. His junior year at the 2023 Class 3A regional track and field championships, he won the 1600 meters. He finished fourth in the 3200 to help the Raiders take the team championship. Bartlett was state runner-up in the 1600 and finished fourth in the 3200. He was first-team all-region and first team all-state.
“In cross country, Tiger is a two-time regional champ, in 2022 and in 2023. He was first-team all-state and all-region three times and twice the Northern Kentucky cross country runner of the year. He has been academic all-state three times. Tiger holds the school cross country record in the 5000 meters in 14:51. He set it at the Great American Cross Country Festival in North Carolina, where he finished seventh overall. He was running in a field of top runners from several states. His time was the fourth fastest time in Kentucky history. In track, his time of 1:58.41 is the fourth fastest time in the 800 meters in Kentucky. His 4:19.39 in the 1600 is also the fourth fastest time in Kentucky.”
BEARCAT LEADS KENTUCKY IN BATTING
Walton-Verona senior softball standout Danielle Oldfield continues to lead Kentucky in batting average. She was hitting .722 as of the last KHSAA statistical update. Oldfield had 52 hits in her first 72 at bats with 21 doubles, six triples and three home runs. She ranks third in Kentucky in doubles, third in slugging and 15th in triples. She has a 5-5 record as a pitcher.
SPEED READS
Covington Catholic beat Conner, 3-2 in nine innings in the final to win the 9th Region junior varsity baseball tournament. CovCath finished with a 30-3 record. The Colonels defeated Ryle 2-1 in 13 innings in one semifinal. Conner outlasted Cooper 12-11 in eight innings in the other semifinal.
Senior Mason Howard is the Walton-Verona baseball team’s new career wins leader with 20. The pitcher picked up the win with a two-hit shutout and 10 strikeouts in an 11-0 victory over Lloyd Memorial. He also went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI.
Conner softball pitcher Mollie Sharp ranks third in Kentucky with a 0.90 ERA. Sharp, a senior, surrendered 17 earned runs in her first 132 innings pitched. She ranks 12th in the state with 230 strikeouts. At the time of the last update, she had a record of 12-8 and was batting.463, second on the team.
Dixie Heights basketball player Catherine Buddenberg received a college offer from the Transylvania women’s basketball team. Buddenberg led Dixie Heights with 12.9 points per game as a junior. She was second with an average of 4.3 rebounds.