By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Holy Cross has a chance to become the first 9th Region girls basketball team to win back-to-back All “A” Classic state championships going into this week’s tournament at Corbin Arena that starts on Wednesday.
A smile swept across Holy Cross senior guard Miyah Wimzie’s face when asked about her team’s chances of taking the small-school state title once again.
“We’re going to go down there and make history and actually do it,” she said. “We’ve just got to go down there and play our game. If we play our game, we should be fine.”
Holy Cross senior guard Miyah Wimzie (Photo by Bob Jackson)
Two of the eight girls opening-round games on Wednesday will be Holy Cross vs. Whitefield Academy at 10 a.m. and Walton-Verona vs. Mayfield at 11:30 a.m. The boys tournament gets underway on Thursday with Newport vs. Lexington Sayre at 8:30 a.m. and Walton-Verona vs. Augusta at 1 p.m. on that eight-game schedule.
Last year, the Holy Cross girls won their first three games by double-digit margins and got past Bardstown Bethlehem, 65-61, in the championship final. Wimzie is one of three starters returning from that team along with senior forward Aailyah Hayes and senior center Julia Hunt, who was named the state tournament’s most valuable player.
With those three seniors leading the way, the Indians have a 15-5 record this season and were ranked No. 11 in the state based on a poll of sportswriters from all 16 regions.
None of the players on the Newport boys team have been in the All “A” Classic state tournament before, but the Wildcats are among the leading contenders for this year’s title based on their 17-3 record and No. 6 state ranking.
The small-school state tournament could give coaches, teams and fans from other parts of Kentucky a chance to see Newport point guard Taylen Kinney in action. The sophomore floor leader averaging 19.9 points and 3.1 assists per game has scholarship offers from a long list of Division I college teams.
Kinney did not play in Newport’s last two games due to an ankle injury, but the Wildcats won both of them with balanced scoring and good defense. He is expected to be back in the lineup for Thursday morning’s game.
The Walton-Verona girls team is returning to the All “A” Classic state tournament for the first time since three consecutive runner-up finishes in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The boys team is back after a one-year layoff.
Boone County’s football coach stepping down after five seasons
Boone County joined the list of local high schools looking for a new head football coach when Bryson Warner resigned after leading the Rebels program for the last five seasons.
Bryson Warner
Warner compiled a 13-36 record in five seasons at Boone County, where he played high school football. None of his teams finished among the top four in their district to qualify for the Class 5A playoffs. But the 13 wins more than doubled the program’s victory total over the previous seven seasons when the Rebels went 6-71.
“We want to express our gratitude for the hard work and leadership that Coach Warner and his staff brought to the team,” school administrators said in a press release. “His impact reaches far beyond the wins and losses, shaping the character of our players by serving as a mentor for each player.”
The Rebels ended the 2023 season with a 55-21 win over Walton-Verona that gave them a 2-8 record. Their leading rusher in that game was junior Braxton Graves with 136 yards and three touchdowns. He was among the starters who will be returning next season.
Brossart, Holy Cross and Scott are also in the process of finding a new head coach for their football programs.
Dixie Heights sweeps Region 6 girls bowling titles for first time
Alyssa Bechtol
Dixie Heights swept the Region 6 girls bowling titles for the first time with Alyssa Bechtol winning the individual stepladder final and the Colonels defeating Boone County, 3-0, in the team bracket final last week.
Bechtol is the first Dixie Heights girl to win a region championship since 2013. The eighth-grader defeated Alexis Tignor of Cooper, 247-195, in the final. Earlier in the week, Bechtol led the Dixie Heights team that ended Cooper’s five-year reign as girls region champion.
On the boys side, Holy Cross claimed its first Region 6 team title with a one-pin victory over Ryle, 200-199, in a fifth game tiebreaker. Tyler Ketron of Cooper defeated Antonia Williams of Boone County, 238-227, in the individual stepladder final.
The top two teams and top four individuals in each region qualify for the state bowling tournament Feb 5-7 at Ten Pin Lanes in Louisville.
