By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The 16th annual Playing for a Purpose high school volleyball fundraiser sponsored by the Notre Dame and St. Henry teams is scheduled for Saturday in the Dixie Heights High School gym.
Proceeds from the match will go to I Have Wings, a local group that funds breast cancer research, support and awareness. Freshmen and junior varsity matches are scheduled for 4:30 and 6 p.m. Breast cancer survivors will be honored before the varsity match at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets priced at $10 are available online with free admission for children ages 6 and under. More than 1,000 of the 1,400 tickets have already been sold.
In the latest Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association poll, Notre Dame (21-6) was No. 2 and St. Henry (19-12) was No. 5. Over the last three years, Notre Dame has compiled a 7-0 record in varsity matches between the two perennial powers.
St. Henry’s last victory over Notre Dame came in the 2021 9th Region final and the Crusaders went on to win the state tournament. The Pandas were state champion in 2022, state runner-up in 2023 and made it to the state semifinals last year.
St. Henry lost its last two matches against Ryle and Cincinnati Ursuline and faces Beechwood on Thursday. Notre Dame will visit Ursuline on Thursday. Ursuline was the Ohio Division I state runner-up last year and has a 15-6 record this season.
Cooper runner enters NKAC meet with state’s fastest time
Cooper senior Paul Van Laningham, who has recorded the state’s fastest 5,000-meter time in cross country this season, will be among the runners competing in the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday at Idlewild Park In Burlington.
In late September, Van Laningham won the Louisville Trinity Invitational in a time of 14 minutes, 38.50 seconds that remains the best time in Kentucky for this season.
He added another gold medal to his collection last Friday when he finished first in 14:51.50 at the Nike Town Twilight Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., that included more than 400 runners from several states.
Last year, Van Laningham won the Class 3A boys state championship meet at Kentucky Horse Park in 15:19.87. The University of Wisconsin recruit eclipsed the state meet record of 15:20.38 on that course.
Starting times for the NKAC Championships on Saturday are 9 a.m. for girls varsity and 9:45 a.m. for boys varsity. Runners will compete in one race and results will be separated to determine champions in two divisions. Last year, Van Laningham placed second behind Covington Catholic senior Will Sheets in the boys race.
Defending champs return to 9th Region soccer tournaments
The Covington Catholic boys and Highlands girls soccer teams that won 9th Region championships last season will be back in the brackets for next week’s tournaments.
CovCath defeated Holy Cross, 3-0, in a 35th District boys semifinal match Tuesday to earn a region berth for the 14th straight year. The Colonels (11-7-2) will face Beechwood (10-6-1) in the district final at 7 p.m. Thursday at Holmes with both teams advancing to the region playoffs.
Highlands defeated Newport Central Catholic, 1-0, in the 36th District girls final on Tuesday and will take a 9-9-2 record into next week’s region tournament that begins Tuesday. This the 10th consecutive year that the Bluebirds have advanced to the region round as district champion.
The eight-team field for the 9th Region boys soccer tournament is Conner, Cooper, Dixie Heights, St. Henry, CovCath, Beechwood, Highlands and NewCath. A draw to determine first-round pairings is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Holmes.
The 9th Region girls bracket will include Highlands, NewCath, Conner, Cooper, Dixie Heights, St. Henry, Notre Dame and the winner of the Beechwood at Holy Cross match on Wednesday. First-round games will be scheduled on Tuesday with district winners hosting district runner-up teams. A draw is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Henry