By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Proceeds from the Tom Potter Classic high school football preseason scrimmage games being played this week will go to a scholarship fund set up by the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association.
But one of the games has also been designated as a fundraiser for Team “B”elieve, a organization providing support for Brian “B” Eviston and his family as he battles ALS, a degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Part of the gate receipts from the Newport Central Catholic at Covington Catholic scrimmage game at 7 p.m. Friday will go to Team “B”elieve because both teams have a connection to Eviston.
The 1996 NewCath graduate was a three-year starter on the Thoroughbreds football team. He played quarterback his last two seasons and one of his teammates was his younger brother, Eddie, who is now head football coach at CovCath.
Eddie said his brother was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, last November. That’s when Team “B”elieve began planning fundraisers and the football scrimmage game became one of them.
“Team ‘B’elieve kind of started as a way to kick off some fundraising, but it’s also there to support him and his family mentally and spiritually, being it with prayer or anything else,” Eddie said. “But, obviously, there’s a financial piece to it all and now we’re gong to have this football game Friday to raise some money.”
Brian and his family will use the money to offset expenses for any equipment or home modifications he may need if the disease progresses. They can also use it to cover travel expenses if Brian is chosen to participate in any of the medical trials being conducted to find a cure.
“He’s in a couple of databases at different hospitals that might be doing those trials,” Eddie said. “We got some good news in a sense that Boston’s Massachusetts General is going to do a third trial with a test drug that’s had a pretty successful rate so far. We don’t know if his name will get called for that or not. Right now, we’re just praying he’ll get the opportunity to go up there and receive that treatment and see how he responds to it.”
Admission to the NewCath-CovCath scrimmage game will be $6 for adults and $4 for students. There will be a Split the Pot raffle to raise additional money for Team “B”elieve.
Donations can also be made to gofundme.com/team-believe.
The first Tom Potter Classic scrimmage game on this week’s schedule is Boone County at Cooper at 7 p.m. Thursday. Two games set for 7 p.m. Friday are Newport at Dayton and Holy Cross at Bellevue. On Saturday, Scott will play at Boone County at 10 a.m.
Beechwood, St. Henry fill coaching vacancies in different sports
Two head coaching vacancies were filled during the final weeks of summer vacation with Beechwood hiring Kevin Gray for baseball and St. Henry hiring Steve Brown for girls’ basketball.
Gray was the head baseball coach at Ludlow the last four years and his teams compiled a 42-55 record. He spent eight years on the coaching staff at Newport Central Catholic before going to Ludlow.
The new coach is taking charge of a highly successful Beechwood baseball program. Under former head coach Bob Mullins, the Tigers won 25 or more games each of the last five seasons and claimed two All “A” Classic small-school state championships.
Last season, Beechwood had mostly underclassmen in the starting lineup and still finished with a 28-9 record. The team now plays home games on a new field that has synthetic grass.
“I am extremely honored and privileged to be named the head baseball coach at Beechwood,” Gray said in prepared statement. “The rich tradition both academically and athletically is incredible. The Beechwood baseball program is well established and respected, not only in Northern Kentucky, but in the state of Kentucky. The facilities at Beechwood are second to none.”
Brown coached the junior varsity girls’ basketball team at St. Henry the last four years. He’s moving up to the head coaching position to replace Paul Sturgeon, who was in charge of the program the last four seasons.
St. Henry had a 62-62 record in four years under Sturgeon. His first three teams earned a berth in the 9th Region tournament, but the Crusaders were eliminated in the district playoffs last season and finished with a 16-15 record.
Soccerama games include rematch of state tournament teams
Notre Dame girls’ soccer players will get a rematch with West Jessamine, the team that knocked them off in last year’s state tournament, in the annual Soccerama scrimmage games on Friday and Saturday at Dixie Heights High School.
West Jessamine, last year’s 12th Region champion, eliminated Notre Dame, 2-1, in a penalty kick shootout in the first round of last year’s state tournament. The scrimmage game between the two teams is set for 8 p.m. Friday.
There are nine other games on the Soccerama schedule. Admission each day will be $5 for adults and $3 for students. A weekend pass for all games is $7. Here is the complete schedule:
FRIDAY GAMES
Villa Madonna vs. Pendleton County, 5 p.m.
Boone County vs. Newport Central Catholic, 6:30 p.m.
Simon Kenton vs. St. Henry, 8 p.m.
SATURDAY GAMES
Cooper vs. Dayton, 8 a.m.
Scott vs. Walton-Verona, 9:30 a.m.
Ryle vs. Campbell County, 11 a.m.
Beechwood vs. Brossart, 12:30 p.m.
Dixie Heights vs. Hamilton (Ohio), 5 p.m.
Highlands vs. West Clermont (Ohio), 6:30 p.m.
Notre Dame vs. West Jessamine, 8 p.m.