By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
With high school basketball at the halfway point on the regular season schedule, three games in the Bluegrass-Buckeye Charity Classic on Friday will give local teams a good idea of where they stand five weeks before the playoffs begin.
Six of the top 10 teams in the Northern Kentucky boys’ basketball coaches poll will play in the 16th annual classic at BB&T Arena on Friday. All proceeds from the games will be donated to charities in Kentucky and Ohio.
The triple-header begins with Cooper vs. Holmes at 5:30 p.m., followed by Scott vs. Dixie Heights at 7 p.m. and Covington Catholic vs. Newport Central Catholic at 8:30 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s 9th Region championship game at BB&T Arena.
CovCath (13-4) is the top-ranked team in the region this season with Cooper (13-3) and Dixie Heights (13-3) next in line. That makes them the favorites in the three classic games, but they’re not taking their opponents for granted.
Scott (13-4) will bring a six-game winning streak into its game against Dixie Heights. The Eagles are averaging 71.7 points per game with a fast-paced style of play that has caused problems for previous opponents.
“When we start running and start getting transition points, it’s hard to play with us,” said Scott senior guard Jake Ohmer. “The four games that we lost we tried to slow it down and play half-court and we just couldn’t. We’ve got to run.”
Ohmer was the leading scorer in Northern Kentucky the last two seasons and he’s on top again with a 27.1 average. The other five teams in the classic also have high-scoring guards – Rico Hollis of Holmes, Adam Kunkel of Cooper, Hunter Meyer of Dixie Heights, Cole VonHandorf of CovCath and Brennan Hall of NewCath.
Cooper has won its last six games without two of its starters in the lineup. Senior swing player Sean McNeil has a strained knee ligament and junior point guard Chris McNeil is out with a broken bone in his wrist. CovCath is still playing without junior C.J. Fredrick, who sat out the last six games with an injured foot. That could have an effect on how the Colonels do in Friday’s game against defending regional champion NewCath.
Advance tickets for the classic being sold at the six participating schools are $8 for adults and $5 for students. All tickets at the door will be $10. Parking will be $5.
All-state football players among That’s My Boy finalists
Two Northern Kentucky football players voted first-team all-state in a statewide coaches poll are among the five finalists for the Brian Williams That’s My Boy Award that goes to the top student-athlete in football each year.
Cooper senior wide receiver Dante Hendrix and Holy Cross senior linebacker Derrick Barnes were the only first-team all-state selections in our area for the 2016 season. The other That’s My Boy finalists are Simon Kenton senior linebacker Brian Carter, Covington Catholic senior tackle Hunter Ziegelmeyer and CovCath senior defensive back Anthony Best.
This year’s winner will be announced during the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the National Football Foundation banquet on Feb. 28. The award goes to the player who scores the highest in a rating system that assigns points for achievements in football, academics and extra-curricular activities.
The award is named for Brian Williams, a former recipient who played football at CovCath. He was killed in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Morgan following coach who recruited him to Minnesota
Tanner Morgan, starting quarterback for the Ryle Raiders the last two seasons, will continue his football career at the University of Minnesota under new head coach P.J. Fleek.
Morgan was recruited by Fleek while he was head coach at Western Michigan University. When Fleek got the Minnesota job last month, Morgan decided to go there and play for him.
The Ryle quarterback passed for 2,747 yards and 27 touchdowns during his senior season. He led the Raiders to a best-ever 12-1 record that ended in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A playoffs.
In his four-year varsity career, Morgan became the 10th Kentucky high school quarterback to pass for 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns. He was one of eight players nominated for the 2016 Mr. Kentucky Football Award.