It’s a matchup of the top two softball teams in the Ninth Region.
It also carries more weight than bragging rights on the softball diamond.
When Notre Dame (10-3) and Highlands (19-5) meet on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., it will also represent a game for breast cancer awareness.
Highlands junior Morgan Pompilio has been thinking about this game for years. Now as an upperclassmen and with the confidence to do so, she made it a possibility.
“I’ve been motivated by my grandma when she was going through her fight with cancer,” Pompilio said, the starting second baseman for the Bluebirds. “When I was little and watching her go through with it then it was rough. I just want to show support for those going through that battle.”
Pompilio learned about a grant provided from Interact for Health where she had to provide a proposal for the grant to make the game happen. Pompilio and her mother Kelly then started to put together a proposal.
“Morgan did all the work, she created all the proposals and budget,” Kelly Pompilio said. “She wanted to create an impact and continue to shed the importance of breast cancer awareness and getting the word out.”
A St. Elizabeth mobile mammogram bus will be at Highlands High School from 2-4:30 p.m., so teachers can have mammogram screenings. Cancer hits home for a lot of people, much like it did at Highlands High School when English teacher Beth Brubaker was going through her battle with cancer while pregnant. Brubaker persevered and wrote a book with her husband Jason called ’25 months’, chronicling her journey.
Brubaker will give a speech prior to the game along with recognition and celebrations for those who have shown the incredible strength, resilience and courage of cancer survivors and those impacted by cancer. Swag bags will be given to survivors. Both teams will wear pink socks, pink belts and pink bows.
Other treats and fundraising opportunities will take place throughout the contest.
All proceeds collected at the game will be given to the Karen Wellington foundation and Ky Thoroughbreasts Dragonboat Team. The game is partnered with St. Elizabeth and Kentucky Cancer Program.
As for the game itself, the two teams are 7-0 each against 9th Region opponents entering Thursday’s contest at the Bird Cage. It’s a rematch of the 2024 9th Region championship game. Highlands owns the last three 9th Region titles, Notre Dame’s last one coming in 2017 with runner-up finishes in 2019 and 2024. Others will challenge come region tournament time, but if the bracket shapes out where the two are drawn on opposite ends, don’t be surprised to see another rematch come late May in the region title game.