In its 100th season, the Bellevue-Dayton football rivalry reaches Matchup No. 153 Friday at Dayton as the legendary “Battle for the Paddle” will kick off at 7 p.m. on the Dayton side of O’Fallon Avenue in a Class 1A District 3 matchup at the new Greendevil Stadium. It’s the first district game for both Bellevue (4-2) and Dayton (2-4) this season.
His is a series that dates back to 1926 when Bellevue won the inaugural game with Dayton coming back to win that season’s second game. The Tigers lead the series, played without a break since those 1926 games, 98-51-3. While the Louisville matchup between Male and Manual dates back to 1893, the two Louisville schools have played each other 140 games, 12 fewer than Bellevue and Dayton.
All in the Family: As you might guess, the two head coaches reflect the family tradition of these Ohio River town neighbors. Dayton Head Coach Jesse Herbst, along with his parents — Robert “Butch” and Mary Herbst and brothers Joe and Dr. Robert Herbst are all Dayton alumni. Bellevue Coach Chad Montgomery is a 2001 graduate of Bellevue along with his mother, Mary, brother, Brian, and sister, Angela, along with his wife, Stephanie, all graduates of Bellevue High. Although his father, Rick, is a Dayton grad. And from 2011 to 2018, Chad was the head coach at Dayton, where he was succeeded by Jesse.
Some additional facts courtesy of Bellevue sports historian Mike Swauger:
• Longest winning streaks: for Bellevue, 12 (1980-1986); for Dayton, seven (1929-1935).
• Largest margin of victory: for Bellevue, 61-0 in 2014; for Dayton, 46-0 in 2022.
• Dayton won the first game after the series was named “The Battle for the Paddle” in 2007 and now has won 13 of the last 17 games in the series.
Opening exhibition for NKU men’s hoops for a good cause at UD Arena
Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball will tip off the 2025-26 season in an exhibition doubleheader at the University of Dayton Arena Monday, Oct. 20, as part of the CareSource Invitational. NKU will face Ashland in the 6 p.m. game with Horizon Conference fellow member Wright State playing the Mid-American Conference’s Ohio U. approximately 30 minutes after the end of the NKU game.
Proceeds of the event will benefit Jay’s Light, a nonprofit designed to raise awareness and funds for adolescent mental health programs in memory of UD basketball coach Anthony Grant’s daughter, Jayda, who passed away in 2022 as a result of mental illness.
“Bringing attention to and supporting mental health awareness in our region is important to our program,” NKU Head Coach Darrin Horn said. “What CareSource has been doing in this area is amazing.” CareSource, a nonprofit managed care organization, began supporting college basketball games in 2023 when the University of Dayton hosted Ohio State in a sold-out charity benefit game that raised approximately $500,000 for adolescent and young adult mental health and suicide prevention initiatives.
Tickets for the CareSource Invitational–Dayton are $20 and are valid for both games. They are available online via Ticketmaster. At checkout, enter the promo code “NORSEN” to direct your support to Northern Kentucky Athletics.
Norse No. 6 pick: On Wednesday, the Norse were picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League this season after finishing seventh a year ago with an 11-9 conference record. Here’s the predicted finish: 1. Milwaukee (24 first-place votes) – 428 points; 2. Oakland (7) – 384; 3. Youngstown State (2) – 364; 4. RMU (8) – 345; 5. Purdue Fort Wayne (1) – 287; 6. Northern Kentucky – 274; 7. Wright State – 221; 8. Cleveland State (2) – 217; 9. Detroit Mercy – 176; 10. IU Indianapolis – 115; 11. Green Bay – 93.
NKU guard Dan Gherezgher was named second-team All-League in the preseason after averaging 7.5 points and 1.9 assists a game a year ago although he upped that to 16 points a game over the last 11. Oakland’s Tuburu Naivalurua is the preseason player of the year in the conference.
Lloyd Memorial’s 60-year state championship anniversary celebrated
Lloyd Memorial High School will recognize the 60th anniversary of the 1965 state championship football team during halftime of the October 30 game against Boone County. Former players should contact AD Bill Pilgram (859.727.1555, ext. 729) for more details. That Juggs’ team finished 12-1 with a 27-0 win over Old Kentucky Home in the state championship game.
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @dweber3440.