By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The second round of the boys and girls state tennis tournament on Tuesday in Lexington was postponed after steady rain forced matches to be moved inside and only the first round was completed.
In their first-round matches, Northern Kentucky state qualifiers were 5-0 in boys singles, 4-1 in boys doubles, 4-2 in girls singles and 4-2 in girls doubles.
The winners included Covington Catholic senior Alex Yeager, the No. 4 seed in boys singles, and CovCath’s top-seeded doubles team of Kalei Christensen and Blake Hussey with matching 6-0, 6-0 victories.
The Colonels won the state doubles title the last two years with Yeager and Christensen as partners. This season, Yeager moved to singles and Hussey replaced him in doubles.
In girls state matches, 9th Region champions Kayla Johnson of Cooper and Ryle doubles partners Avery Love and Niveditha Salvaraju also posted straight set victories.
Gabrielle Browning and Hope Dupin of Simon Kenton won their girls doubles match in a third-set tiebreaker. In a girls singles match, Riley Ritter of Campbell County lost both sets on tiebreaker points.
Here are the local players remaining in the state tennis tournaments that will resume Wednesday:
BOYS SINGLES
Alex Yeager (CovCath), Shayaan Ahmad (Villa Madonna), Neel Reddy (Beechwood), Naveeth Selveraju (Ryle), Finlay Mackay (Walton-Verona).
GIRLS SINGLES
Kayla Johnson (Cooper), Sadie Jones (Beechwood), Julia Lyons (Villa Madonna), Kaylin Lovell (Scott).
BOYS DOUBLES
Kalei Christensen & Blake Hussey (CovCath), Will Tribble & Jacob Kramer (CovCath), Griffen Derry & Collin McClure (Dixie Heights), Louis Schlosser & Isaac Macke (Beechwood).
GIRLS DOUBLES
Avery Love & Niveditha Salvaraju (Ryle), Cassidy Derry & Isabella Norvell (Dixie Heights), Isabella Mcelwee & Malia Christensen (Notre Dame), Gabrielle Browning & Hope Dupin (Simon Kenton).
Region winners get top seeds for state track meets
Northern Kentucky track and field athletes have the top-seeded time or distance in 19 events going into boys and girls state championship meets for Class 1A on Thursday, Class 2A on Friday and Class 3A on Saturday at the University of Kentucky.
The seeds are based on results from region qualifying meets in each class. Local athletes topped the charts in 11 boys and eight girls events with two Class 2A competitors posting the fastest qualifying times in dual events.
Lloyd senior Josiah Lockridge is the top seed in the Class 2A boys 100 dash (10.88) and 200 dash (22.35). Covington Catholic senior Will Sheets is the top seed in the Class 2A boys 800 run (1:56.28) and 3200 run (9:40.00).
Campbell County has the fastest time in the Class 3A girls 4×800 relay (9:29.10). One of the runners in that group is senior Olivia Holbrook, who is also the top qualifier in the girls 800 run (2:11.53).
Here is a complete list of the top-seeded qualifiers from Northern Kentucky:
CLASS 1A GIRLS
4×200 relay — Brossart 1:48.21. 4×400 relay — Brossart 4:08.89. 4×800 relay — Brossart 9:49.92. 800 run — Lily Parke (Beechwood) 2:18.34. Pole vault — Anna Curtsinger (Brossart) 9-6.
CLASS 1A BOYS
4×100 relay — Beechwood 43.33. 4×200 relay — Beechwood 1:30.72. 1600 run — Mark Antrobus (Villa Madonna) 4:29.30. 200 dash — Charlie Ford (NewCath) 22.18.
CLASS 2A BOYS
100 dash — Josiah Lockridge (Lloyd) 10.88. 200 dash — Josiah Lockridge (Lloyd) 22.35. 800 run — Will Sheets (CovCath) 1:56.28. 3200 run — Will Sheets (CovCath) 9:40.00. Pole vault — Paul Klosinski (CovCath) 14-7.
CLASS 3A GIRLS
4×800 relay — Campbell County 9:29.10. 800 run — Olivia Holbrook (Campbell County) 2:11.53. Shot put — Ella Goetz (Notre Dame) 39-8.
CLASS 3A BOYS
800 run — Nicholas Kopp (Dixie Heights) 1:55.46. 1600 run — Paul Van Laningham (Cooper) 4:07.53.
Baseball teams lose 8th Region games in the rain
Simon Kenton and Walton-Verona were knocked off in the semifinals of the 8th Region baseball tournament on a rainy Tuesday at Thomas More University Field in Florence.
In the first game, North Oldham scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take an 8-5 lead. Simon Kenton had bases loaded in the top of the seventh, but the Pioneers failed to score.
Spencer County edged Walton-Verona, 3-2, in the second game. After Spencer County scored two runs in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly and throwing error, Walton-Verona wasn’t able to score in the sixth or seventh innings.
Semifinal games in the 10th Region baseball and softball playoffs were cancelled Tuesday due to wet fields and rescheduled for Wednesday.
9TH REGION SOFTBALL AT THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY
Wednesday
Championship game: Highlands vs. Holy Cross, 5:30 p.m.
10TH REGION SOFTBALL AT PENDLETON COUNTY
Wednesday
Harrison County vs. Mason County, 5 p.m.
Campbell County vs. Montgomery County, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 6 p.m.
9TH REGION BASEBALL AT THOMAS MORE STADIUM, FLORENCE
Wednesday
Highlands vs. Dixie Heights, 5 p.m.
Conner vs. Beechwood, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 8 p.m.
10TH REGION BASEBALL AT CAMPBELL COUNTY
Wednesday
Harrison County vs. George Rogers Clark, 5:30 p.m.
Campbell County vs. Montgomery County, 8 p.m.
Thursday
Championship game, 6 p.m.