By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Football players from 20 local high schools will have three days to practice before the annual St. Elizabeth Healthcare East-West All-Star Game that has the opening kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Dixie Heights.
The game will feature some of the top senior players from last season when 11 of the 20 teams in the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association finished with a winning record.
Evening practice sessions are scheduled for 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Scott High School for the West team and Dixie Heights High School for the East team. Guest speakers involved with high school, college and pro football will meet with teams before each practice.
The West team includes players from Beechwood, Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Holmes, Holy Cross, Lloyd, Ludlow, Ryle and Scott. The East team includes players from Bellevue, Brossart, Campbell County, Covington Catholic, Dayton, Dixie Heights, Highlands, Newport, Newport Central Catholic and Simon Kenton.
Before the all-star game, one deserving student-athlete from each of the 20 teams will receive $500 from St. Elizabeth and the football coaches association to be used toward his college education. After the game, awards will be presented to the outstanding performers on both the East and West teams.
Admission to the all-star game will be $8 with proceeds going to the college scholarship fund. Gates will open at 6 p.m.
Local high schools select new head coaches in girls basketball
Two girls head basketball coaches in Northern Kentucky are leaving one program to take charge of another.
Aaron Stamm resigned as Conner’s head coach after nine seasons to return to Ludlow, where his head coaching career began. He still lives in Ludlow and said the move will give him a chance to spend more time with his family.
In Stamm’s nine seasons at Conner, his teams compiled a 161-101 record. Over the last four years, the Cougars went 81-31 and reached the 9th Region semifinals three times. Last season, Conner posted a 23-3 record and was ranked No. 1 in the state at the end of the regular season.
Steve Brown is leaving St. Henry to become the head coach at Scott. He was a varsity assistant at St. Henry for four years before becoming head coach in 2017. The Crusaders finished 14-15 and 17-11 under Brown the last two seasons.
Holmes has named a new head coach in girls basketball for the third straight year. Alissa Brown, who coached the junior varsity team last season, is now in charge of the varsity program.
Villa Madonna senior named Student-Athlete of the Year in softball
Brooke Meier of Villa Madonna was named Student-Athlete of the Year in fast-pitch softball by Midway College and the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.
Meier was one of the leading hitters in the state with a .602 batting average and 1.096 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, she had a 2.49 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 106 innings. She will be attending Mount St. Joseph University on an academic scholarship to major in biology and continue playing softball.
Savannah Jordan of Conner was named Student-Athlete of the Year in girls basketball earlier this year. She scored more than 1,000 points during her varsity career and maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. She received an academic scholarship to study engineering at the University of Louisville.
Meier also earned varsity letters in volleyball, soccer, basketball and track. She was one of 23 Villa Madonna students who received a Triple Threat Award from the KHSAA for participating in a different high school sport during the fall, winter and spring.