By Terry Boehmker
NKy Tribune sports reporter
Kyler Padgett is looking forward to taking a Caribbean cruise with his family this summer. The vacation will give him an opportunity to shift gears and relax after his non-stop high school sports career comes to an end.
Padgett is one of the few multiple-sport athletes you’ll find on the local high school level these days. He has earned eight varsity letters playing football, basketball and baseball for Conner over the last three years.
While a growing number of high school athletes are devoting themselves to one sport year-round to develop the skills that will attract college recruiters, the idea never appealed to Padgett. When one season ended, he always looked forward to starting a new one.
“Going through high school, it was a thing where I didn’t want to quit one of the sports,” he said. “I just wanted to continue doing what I want to do with all my friends on each of those teams.”
Padgett has been an impact player in all three sports at Conner. He was the quarterback in football, point guard in basketball and he’s currently the leading hitter on the baseball team. The fact that he’s an honor student who has taken several college advance placement courses makes his high school career even more impressive.
“Kyler has a winner’s attitude,” said Conner basketball coach Jim Hicks. “Everything he does, whether it be in sports or in the classroom, he puts his heart and soul into it.”
Going from one sport to another without a break between seasons wasn’t easy for Padgett. When the basketball team started practice, he was still playing football. He would get off to a late start in baseball because basketball season had not ended yet. But he always managed to work his way into the starting lineup on each of the teams.
“It’s been nice to play a big part in each of those three main sports,” he said. “I just try to go out and do what I need to do and get the job done for the team.”
This spring, Padgett is a catcher and first baseman on the Conner baseball team that’s ranked among the top 10 in the area. In the first 21 games, he batted .467 with 12 stolen bases and 13 runs scored to lead the team in all three of those categories.
Conner baseball coach Brad Arlinghaus said Padgett deserves consideration for 9th Region Player of the Year for what he’s done this season.
“Kyler is the heart and soul of our team,” Arlinghaus said. “When he gets on base, he makes our offense go. I have had some pretty good base runners in my 10 years and he is probably the best. His aggressiveness on the base paths helps us generate runs and it excites the rest of our team. Now his teammates are being more aggressive on the base paths as well because of the example he sets.”
In basketball, Padgett received a Mr. Hustle Award from the Northern Kentucky Basketball Coaches Association for the role he played in his team’s successful season. Conner made it to the semifinals of the 9th Region tournament with him as one of the floor leaders.
But the most impressive statistics of Padgett’s high school career were in football. In addition to passing for 1,842 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, he was the team’s leading rusher with 729 yards and 10 TDs. The Cougars made it to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs and posted an 8-4 record with him leading the offense. He was among the finalists for the That’s My Boy Award that goes to the top student-athlete in Northern Kentucky high school football each year.
Padgett said he was recruited by several small college football teams, but he turned them down. He plans to close the book on his athletic career and enroll at the University of Kentucky to major in exercise science.
“It’s definitely going be a big change in my life, but I’m ready to focus on what I need to get done in school and get into the work place,” he said.
Padgett earned numerous awards during his high school sports career with his hard work and dedication. He set an example that one Conner coach hopes others will follow.
“Too many coaches and parents want their kids to concentrate on one sport,” Arlinghaus said. “He fought off that pressure and has had a successful career in all three sports. He is an example that you can play multiple sports and be successful at them at the high school level.”