A promising young coach and a veteran coach are heading in opposite directions on the Northern Kentucky high school sports sidelines. Elsewhere, a big-time player recently won a major award plus the latest in local college football commitments.
Campbell County seeking new coach
The Campbell County High School girls volleyball team is seeking a new head coach following the departure of Mikah Freppon. The Camels finished 6-18 this past season and lost to Scott in the first round of the 37th District tournament.
“Coach Freppon stepped down. It was difficult decisions, as she loved coaching volleyball at Campbell County High School,” said school athletic director Michael Florimonte. “She will be getting married and wanted to focus on her family at this time in her life. Coach Freppon did a fantastic job for Campbell County and we wish her happiness as she steps away from coaching.”
Freppon is engaged to be married in October of 2026. The Campbell County girls volleyball head coaching position is listed along with other open positions at the school including head football coach and boys track and field head coach.
The Camels had 10 players on the roster this year, according to the KHSAA. Five of them are seniors, including the team’s lone 10th Region Volleyball Coaches Association selection: honorable mention Hope Hamilton. They expect the return of four seniors for next season including kills leader Amerie Mullins, blocks leader Lydia Fry and digs leader Kendyl Hartman.
Freppon, a former Newport Central Catholic and Lewis University volleyball player, finished her three-year stay at Campbell County with a record of 32-53. The high-water mark was 19-14 her first season as a 23-year-old first-time high school head coach in 2023. Freppon guided the Camels to the 10th Region tournament title a year after they finished 10-16. They earned a berth in the state tournament. It was their first winning campaign since 2019 and Freppon was lauded for her leadership and enthusiasm.
But then came two tough seasons at Campbell County. In addition to the back-to-back losing seasons the last two years, the Camels have also put together consecutive nonwinning records against regional competition for the first time in 21 years, posting a 2-5 mark both those years. They have also fallen off in the district, going 0-4 this season and 1-3 in 2024, matching the district losses from the previous six years combined. The Camels went 30-7 in district play from 2018-23.
Freppon, also a special education teacher at Campbell County, was a well-decorated player at NewCath. She was an all-area first-team standout, a three-time all-9th Region selection and a four-time all-district pick. She played on four NCAA Tournament qualifiers at Lewis and finished with more than 1,300 career assists in college.
When Freppon was hired in 2023, she said she’d like to be at Campbell County for a number of years. When she applauded her five seniors of this season with an October 1 Facebook post, she said, “Last night, we had the honor of celebrating our five incredible seniors. Each one of them has poured their dedication, love, and heart into this program, and it has shown in every practice, every game, and every moment of leadership they’ve given. Their commitment has left an impact that will be felt for years to come.”
New coach named at Walton-Verona
Walton-Verona has named Emily Haubner as a new coach in the athletic department.
“We would like to introduce Emily Haubner as our new boys volleyball head coach,” said Walton-Verona athletics in a Facebook post. “Mrs. Haubner brings experience coaching on the girls side in previous years. Welcome Coach!”
Haubner, a social studies teacher at Walton-Verona, has previously been a girls volleyball assistant. She replaces Angela Hummeldorf on the boys side. Hummeldorf guided the Bearcats to a 4-12 record last season, 3-8 in Region 6, with just one senior on the roster.
Top Bearcats expected back for 2026 are kills leader Shawn Sinkhorn and assist leader Tristan Clifton, both seniors. The 2026 KHSAA boys volleyball season starts in March.
Boys volleyball became a KHSAA-sanctioned sport last year. There were eight regions, and nearly 60 competing teams, a number that is growing. Next year, nearly 80 teams will compete.
Two-way talent wins Hornung Award
Ryle senior football player Jacob Savage is the 2025 Paul Hornung Award winner. The honor is emblematic of Kentucky’s top high school football player. Savage, a two-way veteran, helped lead the Raiders to the KHSAA Class 6A state tournament semifinals. They lost on Friday to South Warren. Savage has committed to Indiana University.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound standout finished his senior season with a team-leading 1,222 yards rushing. The team captain added 29 total touchdowns, 24 on the ground in 13 games. He ranked in Class 6A’s top 10 in rushing yards. Savage added 12 receptions for another 204 yards with five TDs. He’s a top-10 state finisher in points and second in Class 6A with 174.
On defense, Savage was the Ryle leader with 112 total tackles, ranking fifth in Class 6A. He added a team-best 15 tackles for loss. He did not play in Friday’s state tournament semifinal loss to South Warren. Savage suffered a knee injury in the regional final against Frederick Douglass.
Savage, a two-time area tackles leader and two-time 1,000-yard rusher, will accept his honor on Dec. 10 at Wildwood Country Club in Louisville. The Paul Hornung Award was first handed out in 1993 by the Louisville Quarterback Club. Hornung played football, basketball and baseball at now-defunct Louisville Flaget. He later won the Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame. Hornung was part of four title winners in the NFL and league MVP in 1961. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Paul Hornung Award is the first of four statewide high school football player of the year awards. The Gatorade Player of the Year, the Associated Press Mr. Football award and the Kentucky Football Coaches Association Mr. Football award are also on the docket.
Local quarterback college-bound
Dixie Heights quarterback Mason Fields has made a commitment to Hillsdale College. Hillsdale is an NCAA Division II football program. It’s a small, liberal arts school located in southern Michigan.
Fields finished 156-of-267 passing for 2,669 yards and 28 TDs with eight interceptions this past season as a senior. He was a second-year starter in 2025.
His emergence at quarterback between his sophomore and junior seasons allowed the Colonels to move Armani Gregg from QB to tailback in 2024. Gregg wound up rushing for more than 1,300 yards that season as a feature back.
Fields held nearly a half-dozen college offers, including one from D-2 William Jewell.