By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The first state sanctioned region tournaments in boys lacrosse and boys volleyball are scheduled to begin this week and Ryle senior Konnor Farnsworth could be competing in both of them.
Farnsworth is one of the leading scorers in both sports for the Raiders. He has more than 110 kills as an outside hitter in volleyball and he provided 14 goals and 16 assists in lacrosse through the first 12 games.
Ryle tied for the top seed in the 5th Region lacrosse tournament and the volleyball team has the best record in the 6th Region tournament. If both teams have to play on the same day, Farnsworth will have a tough decision to make.
The Ryle boys volleyball team finished the regular season with a 19-3 record and won 11 of 12 matches against other 6th Region teams.
The tournament bracket also includes Calvary Christian, Collins, Dayton, North Oldham, Oldham County, Scott, Shelby County and Walton-Verona.
The opening match will be Collins at Shelby County at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The winner will face Ryle in a quarterfinal match at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Scott High School. The semifinal and championship matches will all be played Saturday.
The winner and runner-up in the 6th Region volleyball tournament will advance to the first round of the boys state tournament.
Last year, Ryle made it to the quarterfinals in an open state tournament sponsored by the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association and Farnsworth was named second-team all-state.
The Raiders also gained some tournament experience last month when they went 4-1-1 at the Franktown Showdown in Frankfort.
The schedule for the 5th Region boys lacrosse tournament at Dixie Heights High School has not yet been posted. Matches are supposed to start on Thursday, but the top two seeds — Ryle and Dixie Heights — should receive byes that put them in the semifinals.
Teams were seeded according to won-loss records against region opponents. Ryle and Dixie Heights both had 4-1 records, followed by Covington Catholic (3-2), Cooper (3-2), Walton-Verona (1-3) and St. Henry (0-4).
There are only four teams in the 5th Region girls lacrosse tournament at Cooper High School. The first-round pairings on Saturday will be Notre Dame vs. Dixie Heights at 11:30 a.m. and Cooper vs. Ryle at 1:30 p.m. The winners will meet in the region final at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Notre Dame has a 14-1 record with its only loss coming to an out-of-state opponent. The Pandas have one of the state’s leading goal scorers in senior Hannah Powers with 74 in 14 matches. Cooper senior Samantha Sanderfer was second in the state in total points. She has 50 goals and 31 assists for 81 points.
In boys and girls lacrosse, the region winner and runner-up will advance to the first round of state tournaments.
6TH REGION BOYS VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
Wednesday
Collins at Shelby County, 6 p.m.
Thursday at Scott High School
Walton-Verona vs. North Oldham, 6 p.m.
Scott vs. Oldham County, 7:30 p.m.
Friday at Scott High School
Dayton vs. Calvary Christian, 6 p.m.
Ryle vs. Collins-Shelby County winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday at Scott High School
Semifinal matches, 3 and 4:30 p.m.
Championship match, 7:30 p.m.
5TH REGION GIRLS LACROSSE TOURNAMENT
Saturday at Cooper High School
Notre Dame vs. Dixie Heights, 11:30 a.m.
Cooper vs. Ryle at 1:30 p.m.
Monday at Cooper High School
Championship match, 7:30 p.m.