Keeping up with fast-paced prep sports news in northern Kentucky is a daunting task. To wit: Notre Dame has a rapid rise. College commitments arrive in swift succession. Offers are coming in quickly, especially at Holy Cross where a ring ceremony is in the plans. Scott has a new baseball coach. Football, football, football. It’s all here in the fastest 1,000 words in sports.
Dragan Named Scott Baseball Coach
Patrick Dragan is the new head baseball coach at Scott High School. The school made the announcement on Friday. Dragan, a former Cooper baseball player, began leading Scott’s fall baseball workouts on Wednesday.
Dragan replaces Kevin Goins who departed in July after six seasons with Scott to coach at Lafayette, his alma mater. Goins came to Scott after coaching at Carroll County. The Eagles finished 17-19 his final season, an improvement over his 11-20 mark of 2023. Dragan arrives at Scott after coming over from the Boone County School District. He has coached with Conner baseball and Cooper basketball.
Dragan, from Burlington, is a 2015 Cooper graduate and a 2019 Transylvania University grad. He was a two-time Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference baseball all-star at Cooper and earned the Randall K. Cooper Coaches’ Award his senior season. He batted .355 with an on-base percentage of .450 and a fielding percentage of .940 in his Jaguars career. He was active two seasons at Transylvania, playing second base, shortstop and centerfield.
Dragan has the distinction of winning a 33rd District boys basketball championship as a player and coach at Cooper. As a Cooper assistant, he was part of the Jaguars’ most recent district championship squad. He played on the 2014-15 Cooper team that won the 33rd District crown. He was teammates with future Divison I basketball players and eventual overseas professionals Sean McNeil and Adam Kunkel.
The Scott baseball team lost seven seniors to graduation following the 2024 season. The Eagles were 37th District runners-up and played in the 10th Region tournament. They lost in the first round to George Rogers Clark. Scott last won the district tournament crown in 2021 under Goins.
The Eagles expect the return of five new seniors, including Trevor Pulsfort. He was Scott’s leader with a .350 batting average, 33 RBI and a pair of home runs last season. Also expected back are top pitchers Brock Ronnebaum, a senior, and sophomore Ty Cook. Ronnebaum finished 1-1 with a 3.61 ERA while Cook went 4-0 with a 2.39 ERA, leading all starters.
Notre Dame Nationally Ranked
The Notre Dame volleyball team is No. 12 in the SBLive Power 25 national rankings after beating Louisville Assumption. The Pandas, ranked No. 1 in Kentucky, could make their debut in another national poll this week. The next American Volleyball Coaches Association Super 25 national girls rankings come out on Friday. The last AVCA poll was Oct. 4.
NDA emerged No. 1 in the latest Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association statewide poll released Tuesday. The Pandas swapped spots with Assumption. The Rockets moved down to No. 2 after losing to Notre Dame. Fully half of the top six are from northern Kentucky. St. Henry is No. 4, Ryle No. 6.
Top Camel Makes A Decision
Campbell County junior baseball player Tyler Schumacher verbally committed to Marshall University last week. Schumacher is a multi-positional talent who can play middle infield, catch and pitch. Last season as a sophomore, he was third-team all-state, all-10th Region, all-37th District and 37th District all-tournament. Schumacher was an academic all-state honorable mention for the second year in a row. He was 37th District tournament MVP as a freshman.
Schumacher led all Campbell County regulars with a .424 batting average last season. He also led the team in hits, doubles, triples and home runs. On the pitching mound, he was co-leader in wins and saves. He put together a 5-1 record with one save for the second straight season to go with a 2.80 ERA. He struck out 43 batters in 35 innings pitched. Schumacher posted a 2.26 ERA as a freshman.
Bearcats Ballplayer Commits
Walton-Verona baseball player Bronson Corpus has verbally committed to Eastern Kentucky University. Corpus, a junior pitcher and infielder, was in a tie for the team lead last season with six home runs. He was third in RBI and runs scored. He hit .260 with nine stolen bases in 10 attempts.
Corpus was a workhorse on the mound, recording 53 innings pitched in 12 appearances including a team-high 11 starts. He allowed just 34 hits. He was the Bearcats’ leader with a 1.45 ERA. Corpus was second with 57 strikeouts while posting a record of 5-4. Corpus went 4-3 as a freshman with a 2.75 ERA including 60 strikeouts in 40 innings.
Newport Star Receives Another Offer
Newport junior basketball player James Turner has added an NCAA Division I college offer from Georgia State. Turner, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound power forward, also has D-1 offers from Penn State, Rhode Island and Duquesne among others.
Turner averaged 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds as a sophomore on a Wildcats team loaded with future college talent. He ranked fourth on the two-time defending 9th Region champions in scoring and second in rebounding. He shot a team-best 57.5% from the field and also led Newport with 42.1% shooting from 3-point range.
Turner has earned many accolades during his Newport career, and he’s been especially valuable in the clutch. Among his honors last season was selection to the 36th District all-tournament team. He added selections to the 9th Region all-tournament team and state All “A” Classic all-tournament team. Newport is the reigning All “A” Classic state champion. Turner is the returning Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Division II defensive player of the year.
Cooper Standout Adds To List
Cooper basketball player Haylee Noel has picked up an offer from the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team. Noel a sophomore, also holds offers from Northern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Bowling Green and Youngstown State among others. The 5-11 combo guard is one of Kentucky’s top backcourt players in the class of 2027.
Noel was third on the Cooper girls basketball team with 7.8 points per game last season. She added a team-high 5.4 rebounds. She shot especially well, hitting 47.6% from the field, 38% on 3-point attempts and 78.7% from the free-throw line. Last season, Noel was a local Division I all-conference pick and all-9th Region honorable mention.
Holy Cross Hoopsters Receive More Offers
Holy Cross seniors Aumani Nelson and Aniyah Carter recently received college basketball offers. Nelson, a 5-8 shooting guard, received an offer from Berea College in late September. She also has an offer from Mount St. Joseph University. Nelson put up an average of 10.5 points per game last season with solid shooting percentages. She shot 40.2% from 3-point range, pacing the Holy Cross regulars. She led the Indians with 78.6% free throw shooting. Nelson has many awards and honors, including selection to the 2024 state All “A” Classic all-tournament team. She was third-team all-9th Region and 35th District tournament MVP.
Carter received an offer last week from Union Commonwealth University in Barbourville. A 5-foot-2 point guard, Carter averaged 7.5 points as a junior, ranking fifth on the team. She scored 255 points after scoring just 47 points as a sophomore. The defensive sparkplug was a member of last season’s state All “A” Classic all-tournament team. Carter received her first college offer from Mount St. Joseph.
Indians Get Their Rings
Nelson and Carter and the rest of the Holy Cross girls basketball team receive commemorative rings this week. They are celebrating the Indians’ 2024 All “A” Classic state championship.
The team is part of a 6:30 p.m. pregame ring ceremony. It comes ahead of Friday’s 7 p.m. football game pitting Holy Cross against Bishop Brossart at Thomas More Stadium. The Holy Cross girls basketball team is the reigning two-time All “A” Classic state champion.
Annual Battle For The Paddle Is Friday
The annual “Battle for the Paddle” takes place Friday as host Bellevue and Dayton renew acquaintances in a 7 p.m. Class A, District 3 showdown at Gilligan Field. Bellevue is 3-2. Dayton is 1-5. It’s also homecoming night at Bellevue. No two Kentucky high school football teams have played more games against each other than Bellevue and Dayton. This is game No. 151 in the series which began in 1926 with Bellevue winning, 12-0. Bellevue leads the series, 97-50-3.
The game became the “Battle for the Paddle” in 2007 in reference to the schools’ locations on the Ohio River. The winner receives a traveling trophy shaped like a paddle. It features game results and the winner keeps it until the conclusion of the next game. Dayton won the maiden battle and has taken home the paddle the last four years. Dayton won last year, 38-14. In between, Bellevue won 12 in a row and leads the Battle for the Paddle portion of the series, 12-5.
Fireman’s Bell Up For Grabs
City rivals Newport and Newport Central Catholic play Friday night for the Fireman’s Bell. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Newport Stadium. It’s the Class A, District 3 opener for both teams. Newport is 4-1. NewCath is 3-3. NewCath won last year, 22-6, for its 26th consecutive win in the series. Newport’s last victory over NewCath was in 1999.
Quarterback Emmanuel Miles and running back Kaleb Cole lead the Thoroughbreds. Miles has completed 60% of his passes for 853 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Cole has rushed for a team-high 476 yards on 6.8 per carry with 10 rushing TDs, 12 total. He also leads the ‘Breds with 45 total tackles. Newport’s offense is led by quarterback Kyle Lee’s 601 yards passing and tailback Rod Thompson’s 10.7 yards per carry. On defense, the Wildcats are led by Sean Hurry’s team-best 41 tackles and 19 tackles for loss by Jaylan Hartness.
Locals Among State Football Leaders
Four northern Kentucky high school football players, including two from Simon Kenton, rank very high in KHSAA statewide statistical rankings. Pioneers quarterback Brady Lee ranks second with 310 yards passing per game. Teammate Grayson Harris ranks second with an average of 145 yards receiving. Beechwood placekicker Colson Lair is in a tie for second with 40 successful extra-point attempts. Newport lineman Jaylan Hartness is in a tie for third statewide with 9.5 sacks.