By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Boys volleyball teams from Ryle and Simon Kenton will play a pressure-packed match at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals of the Region 6 tournament at Simon Kenton.
The season ends for the loser of that match. The winner advances to the region final and gets a berth in the first round of the state tournament.
Simon Kenton upset No. 3-seed North Oldham, 3-1, on Wednesday to make the region final four in its first season of competition. The match ended with a 27-25 decision in the final set.
The Pioneers entered the tournament as the No. 4-seed with loses to North Oldham, No. 1-seed Ryle and No. 2-seed Oldham County during the season.
Ryle posted a 3-1 win over Simon Kenton on April 21 with a 25-23 score in the final set.
The other region semifinal match at 7:15 p.m. Thursday is Oldham County vs. Walton-Verona. The championship final is set for noon on Saturday.
Eight first-round matches in the state tournament bracket will be played May 11 with region champions hosting region runner-up teams. The final rounds of the state tournament will be played May 15 and 16 at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester.
Statewide football realignment approved by KHSAA
A statewide high school football realignment approved by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association on Wednesday has three local teams in new classes for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
The realignment moves Brossart from Class 1A to 2A, St. Henry from Class 2A to 3A and Covington Catholic from Class 4A to 5A.
The other 18 teams in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties will remain in their current classes, but most of them will have new district opponents. The only district that will remain the same is Campbell County, Ryle, Simon Kenton and Great Crossing in Class 6A.
The complete statewide realignment approved by the KHSAA is posted on the khsaa.org website.
In another action, the KHSAA directed staff members to create a plan and regulations to add pickleball in the fall and girls flag football in the spring of the 2027-28 school year.
Covington Latin grad posts 19 wins in college tennis
Covington Latin graduate Sara Wantanabe had a combined total of 19 wins in singles and doubles for the University of Cincinnati women’s tennis team during the spring season.
In doubles, the junior won 10 matches with the last four coming in the No. 1 doubles position. She also posted nine victories in singles, including seven at the No. 3 position.
Wantanabe was a three-time Region 9 singles champion in high school and made it to the 2023 state final her senior season.