Staying on top of fast-paced prep sports news in Northern Kentucky is a tough job. In other words, Notre Dame is developing rapidly. College promises keep coming in quick succession. Offers are coming in quickly, especially at Holy Cross, where a ring ceremony is planned. Scott has a new baseball coach. Football, football, football. It’s all packed into the fastest 1,000 words in sports.
Dragan appointed as Scott Baseball Coach
Patrick Dragan is the new head baseball coach at Scott High School. The school announced Friday. Dragan, a former Cooper baseball player, began coaching Scott in fall baseball training Wednesday.
Dragan spent six seasons with Scott, replacing Kevin Goins, who retired in July, as coach at his alma mater, Lafayette. Goins came to Scott after coaching at Carroll County. The Eagles finished their final season with a 17-19 record, bettering their 11-20 record in 2023. Dragan arrived at Scott University from the Boone County School District. He coached Conner Baseball and Cooper Basketball.
Dragan, a Burlington native, graduated from Cooper University in 2015 and Transylvania University in 2019. He was a two-time Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Baseball All-Star at Cooper University and won the Randall K. Cooper Coaches Award in his senior season. During his career with the Jaguars, he had a batting average of .355, an on-base percentage of .450, and a fielding percentage of .940. He played two seasons with Transylvania, playing second base, shortstop, and center field.
Dragan’s accomplishments include winning the District 33 Boys Basketball Championship as a player and coach at Cooper University. As an assistant to Cooper, he was part of the Jaguars’ recent district championship team. He played on the Cooper team that won District 33 honors in 2014-15. He was teammates with Sean McNeil and Adam Kunkel, future Division I basketball players who would eventually play professionally overseas.
The Scott baseball team lost seven seniors to graduation after the 2024 season. The Eagles finished runner-up in District 37 and qualified for the District 10 tournament. They lost to George Rogers Clark in the first round. Scott last won a district tournament crown in 2021 under Goins.
The Eagles expect to return five new seniors, including Trevor Palsfort. He led the Scotts last season with a .350 batting average, 33 RBIs and two home runs. Top pitcher Brock Ronnebaum, a junior, and sophomore Ty Cook are also expected to return. Ronnebaum finished with a 1-1 record and a 3.61 ERA, while Cook topped all starting pitchers with a 4-0 record and a 2.39 ERA.
Notre Dame Cathedral ranked in national rankings
The University of Notre Dame volleyball team defeated the Louisville Assumption to take the No. 12 spot in the SBLive Power 25 national rankings. Panda, ranked No. 1 in Kentucky, could make his debut in another national poll this week. The next American Volleyball Coaches Association Super 25 Women’s National Rankings will be released on Friday. The last AVCA poll was October 4th.
NDA has emerged in first place in the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association’s latest statewide poll released Tuesday. Panda traded places with Assumption. The Rockets lost to Notre Dame and fell to second place. Half of the top six are from northern Kentucky. St. Henry was fourth and Lyle sixth.
The top camel makes the decision
Campbell County junior baseball player Tyler Schumacher filed a verbal complaint with Marshall University last week. Schumacher is a multi-positional talent who can play center field, infield, catcher, and pitch. Last season as a sophomore, he earned third-team all-state, all-10 region, all-37 district and third-team all-district honors. Schumacher received the All-State Academic Award for the second year in a row. As a freshman, he was named MVP of the 37th district tournament.
Schumacher hit .424 last season, leading all Campbell County regulars. He also led the team in hits, doubles, triples, and home runs. On the pitcher’s mound, he was joint-leading in wins and saves. He posted a record of 5 wins, 1 loss, 1 save, and an ERA of 2.80 for the second consecutive year. He struck out 43 batters in 35 innings pitched. Schumacher posted a 2.26 ERA as a freshman.
Bearcats ballplayer commitment
Walton Verona baseball player Bronson Corpuz has verbally committed to Eastern Kentucky University. Corpus is a junior pitcher and infielder who tied for the team lead with six home runs last season. He was third in RBIs and runs scored. He batted .260 and stole nine bases in 10 attempts.
Corpuz was a mainstay on the mound, pitching 53 innings in 12 appearances, including a team-high 11 starts. He allowed only 34 hits. He led the Bearcats with a 1.45 ERA. Corpus finished second with 57 strikeouts while posting a 5-4 record. Corpus went 4-3 as a freshman with a 2.75 ERA, including 60 strikeouts in 40 innings.
Newport Star receives new offer
Newport junior basketball player James Turner has added an NCAA Division I college offer from Georgia State University. Turner, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound power forward, also has D-1 offers from Penn State, Rhode Island and Duquesne, among others.
Turner averaged 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds as a sophomore on a Wildcats team loaded with future college talent. He ranked fourth in scoring and second in rebounds among the two-time Region 9 champions. He shot a team-high 57.5 percent from the field and also led Newport with 42.1 percent from 3-point range.
Turner has earned many accolades during his career at Newport and is especially valuable in the clutch. Some of his honors this past season included being named to the District 36 all-tournament team. He added selections to the Region 9 All-Tournament Team and the State All-‘A’ Classic All-Tournament Team. Newport is the reigning All-‘A’ Classic state champion. Turner returns as the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference Division II Defensive Player of the Year.
Cooper standouts added to list
Cooper basketball player Haley Noel has earned an offer from the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team. Noel, a sophomore, also has offers from Northern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Bowling Green State and Youngstown State, among others. The 5-11 combo guard is one of Kentucky’s top backcourt players in the Class of 2027.
Noel was third on the Cooper girls basketball team last season in scoring with 7.8 points per game. She had a team-high 5.4 rebounds. She shot particularly well, shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point attempts, and 78.7 percent from the free throw line. Last season, Noel was a local Division I all-conference selection and earned All-9th Region Honorable Mention.
Holy Cross Hoops Stars Receive More Offers
Holy Cross seniors Ormani Nelson and Anya Carter recently received college basketball offers. Nelson, a 5-8 shooting guard, received an offer from Berea College in late September. He also has an offer from Mount Saint Joseph University. Nelson averaged 10.5 points per game on solid shooting percentage last season. She shot 40.2 percent from 3-point range, matching the pace of Holy Cross’ regular players. She led the Indians with a 78.6 percent free throw percentage. Nelson has earned numerous awards and honors, including being named to the 2024 State All-‘A’ Classic All-Tournament Team. She earned third-team MVP honors in the District 9 and District 35 tournaments.
Carter received an offer from Union Commonwealth University in Barbourville last week. Carter, a 5-foot-2 point guard, averaged 7.5 points as a junior, ranking fifth on the team. She scored 255 points, compared to just 47 points as a sophomore. The defensive spark plug was a member of last season’s state All-‘A’ Classic All-Tournament team. Carter received his first college offer from Mt.
the indian gets the ring
Nelson and Carter, as well as the rest of the Holy Cross girls basketball team, will receive commemorative rings this week. They are celebrating the Indians’ 2024 All-‘A’ Classic State Championship.
The team will participate in a pregame ring ceremony at 6:30 p.m. It will take place in advance of Friday’s football game between Holy Cross and Bishop Brossard at Thomas More Stadium starting at 7 p.m. The Holy Cross girls basketball team is a two-time All-‘A’ Classic state champion.
The annual Battle for the Paddle will be held on Friday.
The annual “Paddle for the Paddle” was held Friday as hosts Bellevue and Dayton bonded in a District 3 Class A showdown at Gilligan Field starting at 7 p.m. Bellevue is 3-2. Dayton is 1-5. It’s also Homecoming Night in Bellevue. No high school football team in Kentucky has played more games than Bellevue and Dayton. This is the 151st game in a series that began in 1926 with a 12-0 Bellevue victory. Bellevue leads the series 97-50-3.
The game became known as “Battle for the Paddle” in 2007, after the school’s location on the Ohio River. The winner will receive a travel trophy shaped like a paddle. The result of the game is displayed and the winner keeps it until the end of the next game. Dayton won the first match and took home the paddle for the first time in the last four years. Last year, Dayton won 38-14. Meanwhile, Bellevue won 12 straight games and led the battle for the paddle portion of the series 12-5.
pick up the fireman’s bell
City rivals Newport and Newport Central Catholic play Friday night at the Fireman’s Bell. Kick-off is at 7pm at Newport Stadium. It will be the Class A, District 3 opener for both teams. Newport has 4 wins and 1 loss. Newcastle is 3-3. Last year, NewCath won 22-6, giving them their 26th straight series win. Newport’s last win over New Cass was in 1999.
Quarterback Emmanuel Miles and running back Caleb Cole lead the Thoroughbreds. Miles completed 60% of his passes for 853 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. Cole finished with 6.8 yards per carry, 10 rushing TDs, and 12 total yards for a team-high 476 yards. He also leads the Breds with 45 total tackles. Newport’s offense is led by quarterback Kyle Lee’s 601 passing yards and tailback Rod Thompson’s 10.7 yards per carry. Defensively, Sean Harry leads the Wildcats with a team-high 41 tackles and Jaylan Hartness has 19 tackles for loss.
Locals named among state football leaders
Four Northern Kentucky high school football players, including two from Simon Kenton, rank very highly in the KHSAA statewide statistical rankings. Pioneers quarterback Brady Lee ranks second with 310 passing yards per game. Teammate Grayson Harris ranks second with an average of 145 yards per reception. Beachwood placekicker Colson Rea is tied for second with 40 extra-point attempts. Newport lineman Jaylan Hartness is tied for third in the state with 9.5 sacks.
