By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Two mainstays on Simon Kenton girls basketball teams that won 116 games and three 8th Region championships over the last five seasons agreed to play in the 33rd annual Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Games on Saturday, April 11 at Thomas More University.
Haylie Webb and Anna Kelch ended their five-year varsity careers at Simon Kenton this past season on a team that posted a 33-3 record and made it to the semifinals of the Kentucky state tournament.
Both of the senior forwards joined the Pioneers’ varsity team as eighth-graders and were starters each of the last four seasons. Webb had career totals of 1,319 points and 955 rebounds in 161 varsity games. Kelch tallied 1,235 points and 590 rebounds in 159 games.
Webb was recruited by Thomas More. Kelch will be joining a Georgetown College team that made it to the quarterfinals in the NAIA playoffs last season.
The other local players on the Kentucky roster for the girls all-star game are Addyson Brissey of Cooper, Emma Holtzapfel of Notre Dame and Isabella Jayasuriya of Campbell County.
The boys roster includes Anthony Blackaar of Lloyd and Covington Catholic seniors Donovan Bradshaw and Athens McGillis, who climbed to fourth on his team’s list of all-time leading scores with 1,950 points.
Complete rosters for the boys and girls all-star games are posted on the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Games website.
The girls game will begin at 5 p.m. followed by the boys game at 7 p.m. on April 11. Admission prices have not been released. There will be free admission to the Slam-Jam Festival for participating players at 7 p.m. Friday, April 10 at Thomas More.
Proceeds from the all-stars games are donated to the Ronald McDonald House that provides shelter for families of children undergoing medical procedures.
Walton-Verona extends streak of baseball titles
Walton-Verona won its ninth consecutive 8th Region All “A” Classic baseball championship with a 17-2 win over Gallatin County in the title game on Thursday.
Walton-Verona took a 6-0 lead in the first inning when seniors Cole Dryden and Miles Lehmkuhl hit back-to-back home runs and the Bearcats extended the margin to 17-0 in the second. Gallatin County got a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, but it wasn’t enough to escape the mercy rule.
Lehmkuhl went 3-for-3 with two home runs and a double. Dryden, Kainan Held and Bronson Corpus also hit home runs for the Bearcats, who won five straight games after getting off to a 1-3 start.
Held was named most valuable player on the region all-tournament team that included Will Hurles, Dryden and Corpus. In a 2-0 semifinal win over Owen County, Corpus pitched a four-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts.
An Eastern Kentucky University recruit, Corpus has a 2-1 record and gave up only one earned run in 16 innings for a 0.43 ERA. Last season, he had a 5-1 record and 1.68 ERA in 58.1 innings.
Walton-Verona will play the 7th Region champion in an All “A” Classic sectional game later this month. The eight sectional winners will advance to the small school state tournament April 25-26 at Daviess County High School in Owensboro.
The Bearcats played in the last five All “A” Classic state tournaments. They lost in the 2021 and 2023 championship games and went down in the opening round the other three years.
Simon Kenton off to 6-0 start in boys volleyball
The Simon Kenton boys volleyball team is taking a week off for spring break after getting off to a 6-0 start in its first season of varsity competition.
After winning their first five matches in three sets, Simon Kenton handed Calvary Christian (12-3) its first loss of the season, 3-1, on March 27 to remain undefeated under head coach Lacey Maley. Simon Kenton’s team leaders after six matches are senior Nehemiah Kaai with 84 kills, junior Henry Alo with 114 assists and freshman Nicholas Nartker with 42 service aces and 68 digs.
In the latest Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association poll, Simon Kenton was ranked second behind Ryle (7-2) in Region 6 that includes five other Northern Kentucky teams. Ryle is ranked No. 4 in that state behind Louisville teams St. Xavier, Trinity and DeSales.
Simon Kenton has a match at Ryle scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21.