By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Cooper High School seniors Sean McNeil and Dante Hendrix began playing sports together in grade school and they both became exceptional athletes. In the past few weeks, the long-time friends and teammates made their college commitments after helping each other manage the recruiting process.
“Me and Dante have the majority of our classes together,” McNeil said, “so when we had downtime between classes we’d always talk about what’s the smart move here, should I wait and see (before making a commitment) or go ahead and do it. It’s really nice to have someone to relate to who’s going through the same process.”
Hendrix accepted a scholarship offer from Indiana State University to play football and McNeil decided to join the basketball program at Bellarmine University in Louisville.
McNeil said he was recruited to play shooting guard for Bellarmine, one of the top NCAA Division II basketball programs in the nation. That’s the position he played for Cooper the last three years. He averaged 16.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season while shooting 45.5 percent from the field.
“They’ve been following me since my freshman year,” McNeil said of the Bellarmine coaches. “I’ve been down there (to the campus) multiple times and they’ve always treated me so well. Every time I’ve been there it felt like home and they have a successful program. I think it’s probably the best place for me.”
Hendrix is a two-way starter on the Cooper football team at wide receiver and defensive back. Last season, he was one of the leading pass receivers in the state with 53 catches for 1,150 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had seven interceptions on defense.
He’ll be joining an Indiana State team that’s a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Two years ago, the Sycamores made it to the FCS playoffs and won a first-round game.
Hendrix also plays basketball for Cooper. He and McNeil will be teammates one last time during the 2016-17 season and the Jaguars are considered one of the top contenders for the 9th Region championship.
“There’s a lot of us on our team that want (a regional title) really bad because we’ve dedicated so much time and love the game,” McNeil said. “It’s definitely a goal (Dante) and I have had from the beginning when we started playing basketball together.”
Simon Kenton runners sweep first-place medals
Simon Kenton cross country runners Kyle Mastin and Sophia DeLisio were first-place finishers in the boys’ and girls’ races at the Grant County Invitational last Saturday.
Mastin covered the 5,000-meter course at Sherman Elementary School in 16:59 to take the boys’ title against a field that included most of the top runners in Northern Kentucky.
Two weeks ago, Mastin was the top local finisher in the Louisville St. Xavier Tiger Run. The junior placed 13th with a time of 17:04 in the season-opening meet that included more than 300 runners from Kentucky and Indiana.
DeLisio won the 5000-meter girls’ race at the Grant County Invitational in 20:00 to lead her team to a second-place trophy. The sophomore crossed the finish line 16 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
DeLisio also got the season off to a good start with a third-place finish in the girls’ race at the Louisville St. Xavier Tiger Run. Her time in that event was 20:04 and Simon Kenton finished third in the team standings.
Campbell County plans to improve athletic complex
Campbell County High School will build an athletic field house, make additions to its football stadium and install six outdoor tennis courts during the final phase of a six-year construction project.
The contract for the $6 million final phase was awarded to Morel Construction at a special Board of Education meeting last week, according to David Rust, superintendent of Campbell County Schools.
Expanding the parking area and adding an entrance to the school complex off of Old US 27 were also included in the plans. The project is scheduled to be completed before the beginning of the 2017-18 school year.
The field house will have a 20-yard indoor practice field that can be used by sports teams and cheerleading squads. The addition to the football stadium will include a supplemental concession stand, ticket booth and restroom facilities.