Prep Sports Report: Ryle volleyball coach said girls practicing with boys is “great asset to the team”

By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Ryle volleyball coach Tasha Lovins said there are several reasons the Raiders have an 8-0 record going into the Louisville Volleyball Invitational Tournament that starts Friday with teams from seven states in the mid-season event.

“I don’t think we came into this season knowing what to expect because we graduated girls that had been in the program for years,” Lovins said. “But I knew we were bringing back a good core (of players) and it was just trying to figure out how everyone fit in. And I think we’ve done that really well.”

The Raiders maintained their perfect record with a 3-0 win over Cooper on Thursday.

Going into that match, junior setter Morgan Heater had distributed the ball so well that four of her teammates had 40 or more kills. The hitting leaders were seniors Lucy Trapp with 80 and Karsyn Griffin with 60.

On defense, junior libero Ria Furuta had a team-high 128 digs with Griffin and sophomore Francesca Hansel also surpassing the 100 mark.

Two members of the Ryle team who don’t show up in the statistics have also played a role in the early season success. Max Kidd and Konner Farmsworth are two former football players who practice with the girls.

“They’ve been a great asset to the team,” coach Lovins said. “The girls are fine with them running drills and playing against them. They enjoy it and see how it makes them better.”

Farmsworth is a senior and Kidd is a sophomore. They are the sons of Ryle assistant coaches and plan to play on the high school boys volleyball team this spring when it becomes a fully sanctioned sport.

With their size and strength, the two boys provide a different challenge to their teammates during practice than the girls don’t often get in matches. Lovins said they’ll both be making the trip to Louisville on Friday to sit on the bench and support their practice partners.

“If you ever get to a boys volleyball game, they are always cheering and supporting each other, which is really cool to watch,” Lovins said. “I think that’s another thing these guys bring to our team. They’re constantly cheering and encouraging the girls.”

Brossart girls advance to All “A” Classic state soccer tournament with playoff win

The Brossart girls soccer team defeated Beechwood, 2-0, in the sectional round of the All “A” Classic state playoffs on Wednesday to earn a berth in the eight-team state tournament bracket for the third time in the last four years.

The 10th Region champions got goals from freshman Kylie Smith and junior Rachel Shewmaker in the victory against Beechwood, a team that was making its debut in the small-school soccer playoffs as 9th Region champions.

Junior goalkeeper Madeline Broering made nine saves to post her third shutout of the season for the Mustangs (5-3-2). They will play Hazard (2-3-2) in the opening round of the All “A” Classic state tournament at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept 21 at Louisville Collegiate High School.

Shewmaker has a team-high total of 19 points (8 goals, 3 assists) for Brossart. Last fall, she finished her sophomore season with 18 goals and 16 assists for a total of 52 points and was a first-team selection in the 10th Region coaches all-star voting.

The Brossart boys soccer team will visit St. Henry at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for their All “A” Classic sectional showdown between the 10th Region and 9th Region champions. Their regular season game on Aug. 17 ended in a 2-2 tie.

The Walton-Verona boys and girls soccer teams that were 8th Region champions lost their sectional playoff games on Wednesday. Louisville Collegiate defeated the boys team, 8-0, and Louisville Brown defeated the girls team, 4-1, in a doubleheader at Collegiate.

Highlands, Simon Kenton baseball teams have new coaches with different resumes

The head baseball coaches hired by Highlands and Simon Kenton this week have drastically different resumes.

Brian Benzinger is taking charge of the Highlands program six years after he stepped down as head coach at New Richmond in Ohio. Benzinger compiled a 375-121 record in 20 years with that team.

At Simon Kenton, Brady Smiley was promoted from assistant to head coach of the Pioneers. He was the pitching coach on the team that won the 8th Region championship last spring.

“I’m beyond thankful to get this opportunity and stay with this great group of kids,” Smiley posted on his X account. “So ready to get to work with my guys.

The former head baseball coaches at both Simon Kenton and Highlands who retired last spring built successful programs.< Troy Roberts guided Simon Kenton teams to 274 wins, three 8th Region championships and two state runner-up trophies in 12 seasons. Jeremy Baioni had a 319-258 record in 15 seasons at Highlands with four 9th Region titles and a pair of state runner-up finishes.

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