By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The annual East-West All-Stars football game for recently graduated seniors will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Dixie Heights High School as part of an all-stars series sponsored by St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
The series begins Wednesday with volleyball matches for juniors and seniors at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Dixie Heights. The other all-star games to be played at Dixie Heights are baseball at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Monday and softball at 5:30 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Tickets for the all-star football game are $8, cash only, at the gate. Proceeds from the game are used to provide $500 to 20 players for their post-secondary education plans. This year’s recipients will be announced during halftime on Thursday.
Chad Montgomery of Bellevue is head coach of the East team that includes players from Bellevue, Brossart, Campbell County, Covington Catholic, Dayton, Dixie Heights, Highlands, Newport, Newport Central Catholic and Simon Kenton.
Ben Nevels of Holmes is in charge of the West team that includes players from Beechwood, Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Holmes, Holy Cross, Lloyd, Ludlow, Ryle and Scott. The West team won last year’s all-star game, 20-12, in overtime.
Baseball coaches name Players of the Year selected in three divisions
Ryle sophom*ore AJ Curry and Covington Catholic junior Jackson Reardon were voted co-winners of Division I Player of the Year on the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference all-star baseball teams.
Curry, a newcomer to the area, has a .580 batting average that’s tied for first in statewide statistics going into the state tournament. With him in the lineup, Ryle won its first 9th Region championship since 2013 and will play East Carter in the opening round of the 16-team state tournament at 10 a.m. Friday at Legends Fields in Lexington.
Reardon finished the season with a team-high .463 batting average for CovCath. He also led the Colonels in hits (56), run scored (47), RBI (36) and extra base hits (34) during a 31-6 season.
The other Player of the Year awards went to Highlands senior Zach DeSylva in Division II and Bellevue senior Aidan Dickerson in Division III.
The Northern Kentucky Baseball Coaches Association named a Player of the Year in two divisions. They were Curry in Division I and Beechwood senior Michael Detzel in Division II.
Bill Krumpelbeck of CovCath was voted Coach of the Year in the 9th Region and Division I and Rob Sanders of Bellevue was voted Coach of the Year in Division II.
The 9th Region players selected for the state’s junior showcase games are Dylan McIntyre of Ryle and Reardon of CovCath, who was named 9th Region Player of the Year. The sophom*ore showcase selections were Curry of Ryle and Brady Bushman of Conner.
Here are the top players in each position that the coaches selected in Division I and Division II:
DIVISION I
DH — Alek Yuskewich (CovCath). C — Chris Henson (Boone County). 1B — Daxton Straus (Campbell County). 2B — Luke Abeling (Dixie Heights). SS — Jackson Reardon (CovCath). 3B — Trevor Pulsfort (Scott). OF — AJ Curry (Ryle), Mark Nowak (Cooper), Charlie Dieruf (CovCath). P — Logan Cones (Simon Kenton), Eli Wagner (CovCath).
DIVISION II
DH — Brody Benke (Highlands). C — Aiden Dickerson (Bellevue). 1B — Noah Thornberry (Calvary Christian). 2B — Nick Keener (Bellevue). SS — TJ Sorrell (Bellevue). 3B — Michael Detzel (Beechwood). OF — Kaden Wright (Lloyd), Tyler Fryman (Beechwood), Carson Shea (St. Henry). P — Zach DeSylva (Highlands), Mason Howard (Walton-Verona).
Memorial for Mike Yeagle will be June 14 on Beechwood football field
A public memorial service for Hall of Fame football coach Mike Yeagle, who passed away last week at the age of 63, is scheduled for 4 p.m, Friday, June 14 on the Beechwood High School football field.
During his 15 years as head coach, Beechwood teams had an 8-2 record in Class 1A state championship games and compiled an overall record of 183-27 for an 87.1 winning percentage.He was the first Kentucky high school football coach to lead his team to four consecutive state titles from 1991 to 1994. Two of those teams posted perfect 15-0 records in 1991 and 1994.
Yeagle is a member of the Beechwood Hall of Fame, Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame and Buddy LaRosa High School Sports Hall of Fame. Memorial donations in his name may be made to Beechwood Independent Schools c/o Athletic Program and/or Academic Program.
