By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
With the first full week of preseason practice underway, the Northern Kentucky Boys Basketball Coaches Association released its listing of the top 10 teams and top 10 players for the upcoming 2022-23 season.
Covington Catholic was voted the area’s No. 1 team by the coaches. The Colonels have three starters returning from last year’s 9th Region championship team that made it to the state semifinals. One of them is senior point guard Evan Ipsaro, who was voted first-team all-state last year in a statewide coaches poll.
A Miami University of Ohio recruit, Ipsaro averaged 21.7 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 57 percent from the field and 90 percent at the foul line. But those lofty numbers weren’t enough for him to be voted the No. 1 player in the local coaches preseason poll.
Holy Cross senior point guard Jacob Meyer, the leading scorer in the state last season with a 38.2 average, was voted the area’s top player by a slim margin over Ipsaro.
Meyer, who was named second-team all-state last year, set a 9th Region record for most points in a season (1,109) and needs 916 this season to become the 9th Region’s all-time boys scoring leader.
The other players in the coaches top 10 are E.J. Walker and Jeremiah Israel of Lloyd, Landen Hamilton of Conner, Will Herald of Highlands, Caleb Brooks of Cooper, Cameron Boyd of Beechwood, Ayden Hamilton of Campbell County and Brady Hussey of CovCath.
The coaches’ list of top 10 teams includes: 2-Cooper, 3-Lloyd, 4-Conner, 5-Holy Cross, 6-Highlands, 7-Newport, 8-Campbell County, 9-Simon Kenton, 10-St. Henry.
Six of those teams won 20 or more games last season, but none of them came close to matching CovCath’s 30-5 record. Over the last 10 years, the Colonels have compiled a 310-68 record, won two state championships and six region titles under head coach Scott Rutzsatz.
State soccer playoffs resume Tuesday with two local teams in action
The opening rounds of the boys and girls state soccer tournaments continue on Tuesday with two local teams needing wins to advance to the quarterfinals.
The final first-round game in the girls bracket will be Brossart at East Carter at 7 p.m. The winner of that game will take on a Lexington Catholic team that knocked off Highlands, 5-0, on Monday.
This is the second time in three years that Brossart (13-8-4) is the 10th Region representative in the girls state playoffs. The Mustangs will be facing a 16-6-1 East Carter team that has two players — Ellie Thomas and Emersyn Elliott — who are among the state’s top 25 in total points scored.
One of the eight first-round games in the boys state soccer tournament on Tuesday will be Montgomery County at Ryle at 7 p.m. The Raiders are returning to the playoffs after making it to the state semifinals in 2020 and 2017.
Montgomery County (15-9) has allowed only two goals in its last seven games and posted shutouts in all four district and region tournament victories. Ryle (17-4-2) has scored two or more goals in 15 of its last 19 games with only one shutout.
Cross country teams will compete in four region meets on Saturday
Region cross country meets are scheduled for Saturday when local teams will be competing at two sites to qualify for the boys and girls state championship meets on Oct. 28-29.
Last year, Conner became the first local team to win the Class 3A boys state meet and St. Henry took home the Class 1A boys state championship trophy.
The Class 1A and Class 3A region meets will be at Ryle on Saturday. The time schedule is 1 p.m. for Class 3A boys, 1:45 p.m. for Class 3A girls, 2:30 p.m. for Class 1A boys and 3:15 p.m. for Class 1A girls.
Highlands, Scott and Holmes are the local teams that will compete in the Class 2A region meet on Saturday at Masterson Station in Lexington. Those races will be at noon for boys and 12:45 p.m. for girls.