By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Dave Wirth resigned as Covington Catholic’s head football coach on Tuesday, according to a press release from the high school. CovCath teams compiled a 49-27 record in six seasons under Wirth, including a 10-6 record in state playoffs games.
The Colonels lost to Highlands in the third round of the playoffs each of the last four years. Wirth replied to an email on Tuesday night, but he would not make a comment. CovCath athletic director Mike Guidugli’s statement in the school’s press release was: “We are grateful to Coach Wirth for his commitment of time and hard work and especially appreciative of his dedication to the young men of CCH over the last six years.”
Wirth will reportedly continue as a religion teacher at CovCath. The school plans to begin its search for a new head football coach immediately.
Wirth was an assistant coach at CovCath for two years before taking his first head coaching job at Hamilton Badin High School in Ohio in 2003. His teams had a 25-27 record in six seasons at Badin and won two Greater Cincinnati League Central Division championships.
Wirth took charge of the CovCath football program in 1999. His first two teams finished with a 6-6 record. In the last four years, the Colonels compiled a 37-15 record under Wirth with eight of their losses coming in games against Highlands.
Last season, Highlands edged CovCath, 37-34, in the Class 4A regional finals.
Dale Mueller of Highlands has been named national Coach of the Year in football for the 2013-14 school year by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Mueller was chosen from among eight sectional finalists for the 2013-14 national award. It took members of an advisory committee several months to review the criteria submitted for each finalist and rank them according to a point system. The criteria include coaching record, affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, community activities and coaching philosophy.
Mueller resigned as Highlands football coach following the 2013 season and remains the school’s athletic director. He spent 20 years in charge of the Bluebirds’ football program, compiling a 250-36 record and winning 11 state championships. Before coming to Highlands in 1994, Mueller was head football coach at Withrow and Sycamore high schools in Ohio.
His career coaching record overall is 309-67 in 29 seasons. More than 500 coaches of boys’ and girls’ high school sports from across the country will receive state, sectional and national awards for the 2013-14 school year from the national federation.
Campbell County basketball player Deondre Jackson has accepted a scholarship offer from Kentucky State University in Frankfort. The 6-foot-3 senior guard is averaging a team-high 17.3 points for the Camels. He was also the leading scorer on last year’s team that won the 10th Region championship and played in the “Sweet 16” state tournament.
Jackson will be joining a Kentucky State team that competes on the NCAA Division II level as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Campbell County’s season record has dipped to 13-6 after losing four of its last six games. The Camels played the last two games without 6-foot-8 junior center Matt Wilson, who is sidelined with a sprained ankle.
Wilson was averaging 13.9 points and 11.2 rebounds when he injured his ankle in a game against Calvary Christian on Jan. 12. Campbell County coach Aric Russell said Wilson will be out of action for two or three more weeks.
Scott sophomore guard Jake Ohmer is the leading scorer in Northern Kentucky boys’ basketball with a 22.2 average and it’s easy to see why when you look at his shooting percentages.
Ohmer has made 134 of 273 shots from the field for 49.1 percent and 114 of 135 free throws for 84.4 percent. He has put up 101 3-point attempts and made 39 of them for 38.6 percent.
Ohmer got off to a great start this season. On Dec. 6, he set a school single-game scoring record with 42 points in a home game against Lexington Dunbar. A few weeks later, he broke that record by getting 51 points against Stewart Creek of Tennessee in the semifinals of the Lloyd Invitational. In the game against Stewart Creek, he made 19 of 28 field goals attempts for 67.9 percent overall. He was 5-of-8 from behind the 3-point for 62.5 percent.
Two of the leading contenders for the 9th Region boys’ basketball title will square off Friday night when Covington Catholic plays Holmes at 8 p.m. in a high school double-header at the NKU Bank of Kentucky Center. The first game will be Ryle versus Conner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to see both games will be $7 at the door.
CovCath and Holmes played games on the college-sized court at the Bank of Kentucky Center last Friday during the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic. CovCath defeated Newport Central Catholic, 58-48, and Holmes defeated Cooper, 66-55. In last year’s post-season playoffs, Holmes beat CovCath, 72-62, in double overtime in the 34th District final at the Bank of Kentucky Center. They met again on that same court in the 9th Region final and CovCath came away with a 56-51 victory. The Colonels went on to win their first Kentucky “Sweet 16” state championship.