By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Beechwood showed why it was ranked among the top 10 volleyball teams in the latest statewide coaches poll with an impressive run during the All “A” Classic state tournament on Friday and Saturday in Owensboro.
The Tigers won six straight matches to claim the small school state championship for the second straight year under head coach Matt Long. After going 3-0 in pool play, they won three matches in the championship bracket, including a 25-12, 23-25, 25-10 decision over Louisville Holy Cross in the final.
Beechwood, ranked No. 8 in the state coaches poll, didn’t lose a set in its first five matches, including a 25-17, 25-10, win over Brossart in the semifinals. The Tigers lifted their record to 18-1 with the loss coming against top-ranked Louisville Assumption on Aug. 22.
Beechwood senior Isabel O’Brien was named the All “A” Classic state tournament’s most valuable player. The other Tigers on the all-tournament team were seniors Rachel Lewandowski, Macy Armstrong and Skylr Estep and freshman Kennedy Sturgeon.
Brossart’s all-tournament nominees were seniors Aubrey Rebholz and Josie Reckner. The Mustangs (19-1) won three pool-play matches to reach the championship bracket. After defeating Metcalfe County in the opening round, they lost their first match of the season to Beechwood.
Locals teams have won 12 of the 18 All “A” Classic state volleyball tournaments. St. Henry leads the way with eight titles, followed by Beechwood and Holy Cross with two each.
With four weeks remaining in the regular season, Beechwood has matches against three state-ranked teams on its schedule, including No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 5 St. Henry and No. 6 North Oldham. The Tigers defeated St. Henry in the 9th Region All “A” Classic final to return to the state tournament.
Brossart stops state’s top rusher to clinch one-point win
Brossart’s football team stopped the state’s leading rusher on a two-point conversion attempt to pull out a 21-20 victory over Nicholas County on Friday night.
With 1:38 left in the fourth quarter, Nicholas County senior running back Jayden Watkins wasn’t able to reach the end zone and his team lost for the first time in five games. After the ensuing kickoff, Brossart was able to run out the clock and lifted its record to 3-2.
Watkins ended up rushing for 220 yards on 34 carries to raise his state-leading total to 1,171 yards. He also scored twice and ranks third in the state with 14 rushing TDs.
Brossart took a 13-0 lead in the first half before Watkins scored on two breakaway runs to put the home team ahead. The Mustangs regained the lead, 21-14, on a touchdown run by freshman Tommy Busby and two-point conversion run by quarterback Landen Spaulding in the third quarter.
Dixie Heights graduate playing for nationally ranked team
Dixie Heights graduate Evan Wibberly is a senior center on the 2-1 University of Louisville that moved up to No. 19 in the latest Football Bowl Subdivision national coaches poll.
Wibberly played in the first three games for the Cardinals, including Saturday’s 41-31 win over No. 16 Southern Methodist University that lifted Louisville into the FBS rankings. The 6-foot-5, 304-pound senior was listed as the starting center in the first two games and is now No. 2 on the depth chart.
Wibberly started his college career at Western Kentucky. He made 11 starts during the 2023 season and was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. He returned for the 2024 season and played in all 14 games for the Hilltoppers. After playing the 2025 season at Kentucky, he transferred to Louisville.