By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
His senior season didn’t end the way he wanted, but Jacob Savage of Ryle was named winner of the Paul Horning Award that’s given to Kentucky’s top high school football player each year by the Louisville Quarterback Club.
Savage was Ryle’s team leader in rushing yards (1,222) and touchdowns (29) and made a team-high 112 tackles at linebacker this season. But the 6-foot-1, 220-pound two-way starter injured his knee during the Raiders’ third-round victory in the Class 6A playoffs and did not play Friday in a 36-20 loss to South Warren in the state semifinals.
Last year, Ryle made it to the state championship finals for the first time since 2006 in Savage’s first season as a starter on both offense and defense.
He finished with team-high totals of 1,085 rushing yards, 26 touchdowns and 141 tackles in 15 games.
“Jacob has not only grown as a football player, but also as a leader and student of the game,” said Ryle coach Mike Engler. “The one thing that stands out is the fire and enthusiasm he has in everything he does. He leads by example and is relentless as a player and student.”
Savage has a 4.0 grade point average and made a commitment with Indiana University, currently ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff bracket. He’s considered a candidate for Mr. Kentucky Football, the award that goes to the state’s best senior player each year.
Savage led the Raiders in tackles each of the last four years. He set a team record with 509 tackles in 43 games for an 11.8 average. His career numbers on offense include 2,853 rushing yards, 65 touchdowns and 392 points.
“When all is said and done, Jacob will go down as one of the best linebackers and running backs to ever play at Ryle,” Engler said. “Indiana is getting more than a player. They are getting a fantastic citizen and person.”
Cross country runner qualifies for two national meets
Cooper cross country runner Paul Van Laningham will compete in two high school national championship meets his month to close out his remarkable senior season in that sport.
On Saturday, Van Laningham placed fifth in the a multi-state region qualifier to earn a spot in the Brooks Cross Country Championships scheduled for Dec. 13 in San Diego. He finished the qualifier in 14:59.54 on a 5,000-meter course in North Carolina that drew runners from 14 states. The winning time was 14:52.13.
This coming Saturday, Van Laningham will be competing in the NXN national championships sponsored by Nike in Portland, Oregon. He qualified for that meet by finishing third in a field of 264 runners at a region qualifier. He completed that race in 14:52.7, seven seconds behind the winning runner.
In Kentucky high school meets this fall, Van Laningham recorded the state’s fastest time of the season (14:39.50). He later won the Class 3A boys state meet in 15:01.12, eclipsing the course record (15:19.87) he set the previous year.
He became the first Northern Kentucky cross country runner to win the Class 3A boys state title twice.
Van Laningham has made a verbal commitment with the University of Wisconsin. He’ll be joining a men’s cross country team that placed 19th in the 2025 NCAA Division I championship meet last month.
Local players on NCAA volleyball tournament teams
Three college volleyball teams that have players from Northern Kentucky high schools on their rosters were selected for the NCAA Division I tournament that begins this weekend.
The bracket includes No. 2 seed Louisville (24-6) that has junior libero Kamden Schrand in the starting rotation. The Notre Dame Academy graduate has a team-high 447 digs for the Cardinals, who will host Loyola University of Chicago on Friday.
St. Henry graduates Alivia Skidmore and Abby Schaefer are on the Western Kentucky (27-5) team that will take on Marquette in the first match on Friday at Louisville.
Skidmore, a 5-foot-10 sophomore outside hitter, is the Hilltoppers’ offensive leader with 362 kills and 397 points. As a senior defensive specialist, Schaefer is second on the team in digs with 232.
Xavier University (26-4) will make its first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2007 with sisters Emma and Julia Grace and Ava Tilden, who are all Notre Dame Academy graduates.
Emma, a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter, is Xavier’s team leader in kills (373) and points (412.5) going into a match against Michigan on Friday in Pittsburgh. Julia and Tilden are freshmen who play libero and outside hitter for the Musketeers.
The winners of Friday’s matches will advance to the second round on Saturday. All of the matches are expected to be televised on the ESPN+ channel in the host cities.