By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Going into the final month of the regular season, high school football players Chase Crone of Simon Kenton and Charlie Noon of Highlands are closing in on career milestones in total yards from scrimmage.
Crone needs 24 yards to reach the 8,000 mark. The senior quarterback already holds the team record with 7,976 total yards, which includes a team record 5,715 passing yards and 2,261 rushing yards.
This is Crone’s fourth year as the Pioneers’ starting quarterback. He had net totals of 2,409 yards as a freshman, 2,470 as a sophomore and 2,331 yards as a junior. He has 766 yards in four games this season.
After missing one game due to an injury last month, Crone returned to action Friday in a home game against Corbin. He passed for 214 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 14 yards and two TDs in his team’s 38-35 loss.
Noon needs 195 yards to reach 5,000 in total yards from scrimmage, but the senior has already surpassed that mark when you add in the yards he has picked up in punt and kickoff returns.
In his first varsity season, Noon posted 2,015 total yards from scrimmage by passing for 926 and rushing for 1,089 as a sophomore quarterback for the Bluebirds. Last year, he played multiple positions and netted 2,130 yards, which included 1,307 passing, 660 rushing and 163 receiving.
This year, Noon has 497 yards receiving and 163 rushing for a 660 total in seven games. The Bluebirds have won five in a row with Noon catching touchdown passes in four of those victories.
Simon Kenton and Highlands will both play district seeding games this week. The Pioneers (3-4) will visit Dixie Heights at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Bluebirds (5-2) have a home game against Boone County at 7 p.m. Friday.
Holy Cross volleyball player announces college commitment
Holy Cross junior Julia Hunt, one of the state’s top college volleyball prospects, announced on Twitter that she has made a verbal commitment with the University of Washington.
The 6-foot-3 middle hitter was being recruited by several Division I college teams after being invited to the USA Volleyball National Team Development Program the last two years.
Last summer, she played on a NKY Volleyball Club team that made it to the quarterfinals of the gold medal bracket at the USA Volleyball 16-under national tournament.
In the latest stats posted by the Holy Cross team, Hunt had 395 kills in 58 sets for a 6.81 average that ranks among the state’s top 10. She also had 68 blocks and 40 service aces for the Indians, who have a 25-4 record.
Hunt was also a college prospect in basketball. Last season, she averaged 16 points and 10.9 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field for her Holy Cross team that posted a 19-14 record.
Notre Dame places second in prestigious volleyball tournament
Notre Dame’s volleyball team returned from the Asics Challenge in Chicago with the runner-up trophy after losing a three-set match to tournament host Mother McAuley in the championship final on Saturday.
There were 24 teams from six states in the prestigious tournament. Notre Dame won its pool to advance to the eight-team championship bracket and upset nationally ranked Louisville Assumption, 25-23, 25-19, in the semifinals.
Assumption entered the tournament ranked No. 19 in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association Super 25 and had not lost to an in-state opponent this season.
In the championship final, Mother McAuley won the first set, 25-21. Notre Dame evened the series with a 25-22 decision, but the hosts won the third set, 25-13, to take the title.
The kill leaders for the Pandas (24-4) in that match were senior Sydney Nolan with 15 and sophomore Ava Tilden with 11. The team’s all-tournament selection was senior libero Kamden Schrand.
Ryle graduate named Offensive Player of the Week in football
Ryle graduate Jake Chisholm was named the Pioneer Football League’s Offensive Player of the Week after the University of Dayton senior rushed for 131 yards on 24 carries and caught five passes for 38 yards in a 27-14 win over Drake on Saturday.
Chisholm, who is averaging 101.8 all-purpose yards per game for the 3-1 Flyers, scored a pair of touchdowns in the win and leads the team in scoring with 36 points in four games.
Last week, Chisholm was named a semifinalist for the William H. Campbell Trophy that recognizes a college student-athlete for academic success, football performance and community leadership.
Chisholm is one of 156 semifinalists from all levels of college football. He earned the honor for being a first-team Academic All-American the last two years and currently has a 3.98 grade-point average majoring in pre-med with minors in biology and chemistry.
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