This annual county battle between the Simon Kenton Pioneers (6-6-1 overall) and Scott Eagles (3-8-1) at Chlorine B. Menefee Stadium in Independence had the usual tenacity.
The result stayed in doubt all the way until the end but the Pioneers broke their three-game losing streak to the Eagles with a 2-1 victory. Simon Kenton had gone 0-3-1 in its last four games after winning five of its previous six.
“I thought we did a good job maintaining our composure,” said Jeremy Wolfe, Simon Kenton head coach. “There’s times where we ruffled a little bit. But I thought we responded well. I think that probably let us win the game.”
Junior goalkeeper Aiden Taylor had 14 saves for the Eagles to two for Simon Kenton freshman goalkeeper Miles Mullen.
“We’re a family around here,” said Connor Sandusky, Simon Kenton defender. “We always put in work for each other. We had a big team breakfast this morning. We all care for each other and we all hustle for each other.”
Junior forward Dominick Dornbusch scored for Simon Kenton for his team-high 12th of the season. Junior Charlie Woodring scored his first goal of the year for Scott and senior forward Carlos Marshall had his second assist.
Marshall assisted that play. But he did not see many touches in the second half.
After a number of chances in the second half, the Pioneers scored the game-winner with 16:05 left in the game on a counter. Senior midfielder Ayden Theobald slid a nice pass to sophomore Erick Herrera for his first goal of the season. Theobald has a team-high five assists.
“We just try to find feet. Getting that through ball in the middle on that switch was amazing,” Theobald said. “Erick had a good finish. That’s all we can ask for.”
Scott has lost five of its last six games.
“I thought we played well. We owned the middle,” said Chris Rogers, Scott head coach. “We just couldn’t finish. That free kick there at the end was not executed. They’re afraid to shoot from long distance. If it deflects off someone and goes in, it’s still a goal, right?”
Both teams return to action Tuesday. Simon Kenton travels to Conner (8-2-1) for an 8 p.m. game. Scott plays host to Pendleton County (4-4-1) at the same time in region play.
Boys soccer
Campbell County 2, Beechwood 1
The Camels edged the Tigers in a non-region game Saturday. Both teams are 5-6-1 on the season.
“We played them in Soccerama (at Dixie Heights) five weeks ago and they handled us,” said Kyle Newman, Campbell County head coach. “We’ve come a long way. Rematches don’t happen often. I’m proud of our guys.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Alexander Jenkins had 13 saves for the Camels and freshman Warner Platt had five at goalkeeper for the Tigers.
Sophomore Blake Cole scored the game-winner with 12:49 left in the game for the Camels and sophomore Austin Bush had the assist. That marked the first goal for Cole and fourth assist for Bush.
“We kept possession and kept shooting,” Cole said. “You’re bound to put one in. That’s what happened.”
Junior forward/midfielder Noah Rittinger scored the first Campbell County goal for his team-high ninth this year and junior forward Tate Glass had his third assist. Sophomore Andric Aguilar scored his third of the season unassisted for the Tigers.
“We came out and got one early then we hit a rough patch before halftime,” Rittinger said. “But we came through.”
The Camels play host to Harrison County (5-3-1) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Beechwood plays host to Covington Catholic (5-6) at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Ryle 2, Henry Clay 0
The host Raiders (5-2-2) won their fourth in a row knocking off the Blue Devils team (6-5-2).
Raiders junior goalkeeper Landon Barth saved both Blue Devil shots.
“It’s helping us build a lot of confidence,” said Stephen Collins, Ryle head coach. “We started off slow. We have a real young team this year. We have five seniors. Three of them start. We play some freshmen and sophomores up here. It’s about getting better every day and getting ready for district season, which starts Thursday.”
The Raiders scored the only goal they needed with 6:10 left in the first half. Senior defender/midfielder Shoopa Snowden found junior forward/midfielder Josh Line for the score. That marked Line’s first goal and Snowden’s second assist of the season.
“It feels good because we have been struggling to score in some of these games,” Snowden said. “When we score the first one, we can put as many away as we create.”
Ryle added an insurance goal with 2:44 left in the game. Senior midfielder Lucas Munich found freshman striker/forward Brice Denigan for the score. Denigan has six goals good for second on the Raiders. That marked Munich’s first assist this year.
“It really showed in the second half. They didn’t really touch the ball because we were possessing well,” Munich said. “That’s why we won the game. It shows the passion we have. The captains help us stay focused.”
Ryle plays host to Dixie Heights (9-1-1) on Tuesday in a crucial 9th Region game at 8 p.m.
Highlands 3, Lexington Lafayette 1
The Bluebirds (5-4-2) came back from Lexington with a win over the Generals (6-5).
Highlands senior midfielder Caden Schroeder, forward Colin Pieper and junior midfielder Chad Gesenhues had the goals. Senior defender Ashton Foley had two assists and senior goalkeeper Conner Mathis had eight saves.
Highlands plays host to Newport Central Catholic (10-0-2) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The Bluebirds have won 12 straight in the series.
Bishop Brossart 10, Calvary Christian 0
The Mustangs (7-3-1) goal-ruled the Cougars (1-10-1) to win the All “A” 10th Region crown and win their sixth straight. Junior Landon Guidugli had a hat trick of three goals and one assist for Bishop Brossart and freshman Max Runge added a hat trick of three goals.
Brossart faces Calvary Christian again in a 37th District seed game Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Other Boys Soccer Scores:
Cooper 3, Henderson County 1
Cooper 4, Apollo 0
Newport Central Catholic 2, Roger Bacon (Ohio) 0
Covington Catholic 6, Cincinnati (Ohio) Country Day 0
Dixie Heights 0, Tates Creek 0
Walton-Verona 6, East Jessamine 0
Girls soccer
Cooper 5, Madison Central 2
The Jaguars (8-3-1) used their quickness to build a 5-0 lead on the visiting Indians (5-2-1) from the 11th Region.
Dynamic junior striker Maleah Alexander had a hat trick helping Cooper build that lead. Alexander has 15 goals on the season to lead the Jaguars.
Cooper had a lapse allowing Madison Central sophomore forward Natalie Knecht to score twice in the final 11:22 of the game. Jaguars Head Coach Scott Hughes agreed it’s better for that to happen up 5-0 during the regular season than in the post-season.
“I think we have to do a better job of possessing out of the back and we have to pick up our speed of play,” Hughes said. “The slower we go, the easier we are to defend. One of the strengths should be our speed and we are not using it. Overall, I like where we’re positioned within the district. It’s a matter of sharpening ourselves to reach the goals we set for ourselves.”
Senior midfielder Adelle Richardson scored the third Cooper goal with 11:38 left in the first half. The Jaguars led 3-0 at halftime and added another one in the first two minutes of the second half when sophomore defender/midfielder McKayla Harsley found Alexander for that hat trick.
Junior defender/midfielder Kathrynne Day scored the final goal for Cooper. Senior midfielder/striker Peyton Jones and sophomore McKayla Harsley had assists.
Cooper outshot Madison Central, 12-5 including 8-3 on goal. Senior goalkeepers Leah Watkins and Allie Ames combined to make one save as the Jaguars played nice defense in front of them for the first 68 minutes of the game.
“I definitely think it was a good game, especially in the first half,” said Ava Priar, Cooper senior defender. “I think in the second half, we started to lack communication. I think if we focus on that going into district seedings, everything else will fall into place.”
Cooper travels to Villa Madonna (8-4) on Monday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Bishop Brossart 9, Calvary Christian 0
The ‘Stangs (5-3-2) downed the Cougars (2-6) to win the All “A” 10th Region crown. Seniors Jill Planeaux, Lauren Gooderson and Brooke Shewmaker made the all-tournament team for Brossart.
Brossart travels to Campbell County (5-3-5) on Monday for a key 37th District game.
Scott 4, Harrison County 0
The Eagles (2-4-1) downed the Fillies (1-10) to end a four-game losing streak in 10th Region play.
“It’s really good for our confidence,” said Bob Matola, Scott head coach. “We used a different line-up than they’re used to. They’re starting to hop around and produce. We had our bows with Simon Kenton and Campbell County in the first half. We’ve fallen apart in the second half a couple times.”
Sophomores Josie Puthoff and Addy Wolf had one goal and one assist each. Puthoff has four goals and three assists this year.
“We’re starting to get better as the season goes on,” Puthoff said. “Our defense and passing is getting better. We have a lot of trouble scoring. It’s one pass here and one pass there.”
Senior Allison Clemons and junior Kayla Hermann scored the other two Scott goals. Senior goalkeeper Gabriella Cox had two saves and freshman Lilly Nunn had one.
Scott travels to Newport Central Catholic (3-7) on Monday. Game time is 6:30 p.m.
Other Girls Soccer Scores:
Ryle 5, Cabell Midland (West Virginia) 0
Ryle 3, West Jessamine 1
Grace Christian (Tennessee) 1, Ryle 0
Walton-Verona 7, Smith County (Tennessee) 1
Walton-Verona 1, Beech (Tennessee) 0
Harding Academy (Tennessee) 3, Walton-Verona 1
Holy Cross 2, Lexington Christian 2
Siegel (Tennessee) 3, Holy Cross 0
Hume-Fogg Academy (Tennessee) 2, Holy Cross 0
Conner 2, Cincinnati (Ohio) Country Day 1
Campbell County 1, George Rogers Clark 1
Holmes 1, Dayton 0
Simon Kenton 4, DuPont Manual 1
Beechwood 4, Norwood (Ohio) 0
Pendleton County 3, Ludlow 0
Volleyball
Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament Results
The Notre Dame Pandas (12-3) took fifth place in the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament. They lost to Mount Notre Dame (Ohio), 2-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-19) to start the day Saturday.
The Pandas rebounded to beat Sacred Heart, 2-0 (25-15, 25-9). Sophomore hitter Riley McCloskey had an astounding .889 (eight kills on nine attempts and no errors) hitting percentage against the Valkyries.
“I think it’s important because we’re working hard and going to practice to get better,” McCloskey said. “Our confidence is going up because we’re proving that we can beat these bigger teams.”
Notre Dame finished the tournament with a 2-1 (25-10, 14-25, 25-18) win over St. Joseph Academy (Ohio) in the final game. The Pandas are 4-2 against out of state competition.
“We definitely took steps forward in this tournament,” said Jenna Leistner, Notre Dame associate head coach. “Our one loss was a tough one so we’re definitely holding our heads high after the weekend. It was much needed. It’s nice to go to a tournament where there’s such good competition from other areas. The more teams we play that are at our level or better than us makes us just that much better.”
Notre Dame travels to Roger Bacon (Ohio) on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. game.
The St. Henry Crusaders (13-5) went 2-1 on the second day in the silver bracket. They beat St. Joseph Academy (Missouri), 2-0 (25-18, 25-17), lost to Mercy Academy, 2-0 (25-23, 25-20) then knocked off Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, North Carolina) by a 2-0 (25-16, 25-22) score.
The Crusaders travel to take on Bishop Brossart (8-3) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Ryle (8-6) dropped all three games in the silver bracket Saturday. The Raiders lost to Mercy, 2-0 (25-16, 25-14), St. Joseph Academy (Missouri), 2-0 (25-18, 25-21) then Toledo (Ohio) Notre Dame, 2-1 (25-16, 21-25, 25-19).
Ryle travels to Cooper (12-2) on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. 33rd District game.
Cooper Wins Capital City Classic
The Jaguars (12-2) ventured south and won the tournament losing just one game.
Cooper knocked off Southwestern, 2-0 (25-10, 25-22) and Adair County (25-9, 25-9). The Jaguars then beat Franklin County, 2-1 (21-25, 25-20, 15-4). The Jaguars had 112 kills, 29 aces, 105 digs and 13 blocks in the four games.
“They played really well,” said Michelle Isaac, Cooper Head Coach. “It was exciting to watch. We worked on our game this weekend. It didn’t matter the opponent. We needed to work on stuff that we needed to get better and we did that pretty well. We know we have some tough games coming up.”
Senior hitter Holland Morris had 32 kills and seven aces with senior Rylie Depue recording 30. Sophomore Audrey Schilling had 16 kills and 19 digs and junior setter Sadie Smith had 88 assists. Senior defensive specialist Chloe Fortner had 38 digs and nine aces.
“We just really played together as a team,” Depue said. “We started off slow, especially the last game. But we really picked it up and things fell into place.”
Cooper takes on Ryle (8-6) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a 33rd District game.
Simon Kenton Goes 5-1 in Tournament for Heroes
The Pioneers (6-10) finished 5-1 at Henry County losing to Collins in the title game. They beat Collins, Eminence, Jeffersontown, Henry County and Owen County facing a number of teams from the 8th Region.
“When we look at us from start to now, we had a negative hitting efficiency at the beginning of the season,” said Amy Marx, Simon Kenton Head Coach. “In one match recently, we were at 40 percent. We’ve been in the 10s to .200, which is quite an improvement.”
Junior hitter Sophie Spanier had 34 digs and 16 kills for Simon Kenton. Sophomore Keira Hans had 28 kills, 28 digs and seven aces and junior setter Sadie Rehkamp had 76 assists, six aces and 10 digs. All three made the all-tournament team.
“Playing better teams is going to help us find what we’re good at and what we need to work on,” Spanier said. “I think that keeping up our energy up helped us a lot.”
Junior hitter Alisha Hawkins had 22 kills and 11 digs. Freshman middle hitter Jenna Kitchens had 24 kills, 28 digs and 10 aces.
Simon Kenton plays at Frederick Douglass (9-4) on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
South Oldham 3, Scott 2
The Eagles (13-4) lost the final game 15-11 in the road loss at the Dragons (9-6). Senior Makaylah Mitchell had 19 kills and seven blocks with freshman Milyn Minor recording had 16 kills and 14 digs. Senior Laine Morman had 18 kills reaching 1,000 for her career. Senior setter Audrey Griffin had 32 assists and 24 digs.
Scott travels to Walton-Verona on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Other Volleyball Scores
Walton-Verona 2 (25-15, 25-23), Williamstown 0
Eminence 2 (25-19, 25-17), Walton-Verona 0
Ballard 2 (25-20, 25-17), Walton-Verona 0
Williamstown 2 (25-21, 25-19), Dayton 0
Eminence 2 (25-12, 25-12), Dayton 0
Ballard 2 (25-17, 25-10), Dayton 0
All “A” State Golf Results
The St. Henry Crusader boys shot 326 to finish fourth at the state tournament and Bishop Brossart took 10th with 346. St. Henry sophomore Kevin Carter shot 74 to finish seventh and senior Kevin Tobergte tied for ninth shooting 76.
The Bishop Brossart girls took fifth shooting 389 and St. Henry placed seventh shooting 404. Emma Laker shot 84 to lead the ‘Stangs.
