St. Henry volleyball team will be playing with heavy hearts this season

Maureen Kaiser has a penchant for promptness. But the St. Henry District High School volleyball coach was unable to ramp up the preseason practice schedule in a timely manner this year. The Crusaders lost one of their biggest supporters when Kaiser’s father, Dan Shea, passed away July 23 at the age of 85.

“It’s been an emotional time,” Kaiser said. “My dad was a big part of the Crusader family. He was my biggest fan when we won the 2021 state championship.”

A friend to many and a coach for a lucky lot, Mr. Shea was not only a devoted husband to his loving wife, Lorraine, for 59 years and a supportive father and grandfather, but he was also St. Henry volleyball star Elizabeth Tabeling’s neighbor.

“Just really sad. I was torn up,” Tabeling said. “I was super close with him. He lived just a few houses away from me here in

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Grand Garden Estates in Edgewood. I can stand in a room and look out a window and see his house.”

It’s a room with a view to a lot of memories for Tabeling, who can’t imagine her neighborhood without the Newport Central Catholic High School sports hall of famer saying hello. Tabeling can’t imagine a St. Henry home volleyball match without Shea cheering them on to victory, which happened a lot last year.

The Crusaders finished 25-8 with a 13-2 record against 9th Region competition and an unblemished 6-0 mark as 34th District champions. They advanced to the regional tournament semifinals before bowing out against eventual state champion Notre Dame Academy.

The goal this season is to retake the region, return to the state final for the third time under Kaiser and capture the crown for the second time in three years. Defending state champion Notre Dame is in the way. Mr. Shea and his family are on the Crusaders’ minds.

“Dad had so much fun watching us win state, he wanted to see me win another one,” Kaiser said. “The girls are reminding me we have unfinished business because my dad didn’t get to see me win state again.”

Every year, the Crusaders come up with a new slogan or a keyword to help motivate them. They recently used the word “family.” They have used the word “thrive.” Last season, they recounted favorite Bible verses.

“We always have something to motivate us each year,” Kaiser said. “The girls usually come up with something good, so I’ll be curious to know what they do this year.”

Tabeling said everything usually comes naturally for the team. She figures something will come to them over time, with a state championship to follow.

“Mr. Shea couldn’t talk after he got to the hospital. But he could give hand signals,” Tabeling said. “My coach told her father we have a state championship to win for him, and he gave a thumbs-up.”

Tabeling is a stabilizing force for the Crusaders. Coach Kaiser calls the senior “my go-to girl” when tough times call for tender measures.

“She’s our sweeper, and all the girls look up to her,” Kaiser said. “And we have a lot of girls who are good players.”

Tabeling and senior teammates Anna Guard, Alivia Skidmore and Macy Lentz are four of the best in the state.

Tabeling, who led the team last season in digs and service aces, has committed to Ball State. The volleyball doesn’t hit the court without Tabeling hitting the floor. Kaiser said she has an almost supernatural ability to read the opposing team’s offense.

Guard, a middle hitter who was second in kills, is heading to Eastern Michigan.

“Anna is a beast at the net with regard to blocks,” Kaiser said. “She throws the shot put and discus for the track team, so she is powerful and strong.”

Skidmore, who can hit from anywhere, is going to Western Kentucky. The team’s kill leader, she’s an all-around talent and a powerful offensive player who also can finesse the action.

“She is smooth,” Kaiser said of Skidmore. “She’s one of the best players ever at St. Henry.”

Lentz, a setter who led the Crusaders in assists, is the team’s quarterback. Two other seniors, Audrey Leonhard and Mia Ryan, are key cogs.

“Not only are they good players, but these girls really know each other, which is great to have on a volleyball team,” Kaiser said.

Tabeling, Skidmore and Lentz play together year-round as Crusaders and as members of the same club team. It’s one of the reasons they like to call themselves a family.

Mr. Shea, a longtime parishioner at St. Henry and a substitute teacher in the school district, was part of the volleyball family.

“He was the heart of St. Henry,” Tabeling said. “We’re going to miss him so much, and we’re going to play for him.”

Highlands grad Rom involved in trade to Cardinals

round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Rom was part of three straight 9th Region championship teams at Highlands from 2016-18. He was a 2018 Mr. Baseball honoree and 9th Region tournament MVP that season as Highlands was the state runner-up.

KHSAA state cross-country championship site moved back to Kentucky Horse Park

After a three-year run at the Bourbon County Cross Country Course in Paris, the KHSAA state cross-country championship is headed back to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington for the fall contests.

Over 440,000 high school students compete in cross-country each year, making it the sixth-most popular high school sport for girls and seventh-most popular for boys.

Northern Kentucky programs look to build off a very successful 2022 campaign. The Beechwood girls, St. Henry and Conner boys won state team titles in their respective classes, while St. Henry’s Dixon Ryan, Covington Catholic’s Will Sheets and Scott’s Maddie Strong won individual state titles in their respective class.

Drew Rom’s Major League debut won’t end up being with Baltimore after all.

The 23-year-old left-hander was traded from the Orioles to the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-player deal centered around Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty headed to Baltimore as the Orioles make their playoff push.

Rom and Cesar Prieto were traded to St. Louis in exchange for Flaherty at the trade deadline on Aug. 1. Rom has pitched 86 innings in Triple-A Norfolk this season with a 5.34 ERA. He’s struck out 100 and allowed 100 hits in his body of work this season.

The southpaw was called up to the Orioles in May but never logged any game time and was optioned back to Norfolk three days later. Rom was rated as the No. 18 prospect in the Orioles organization, according to mlb.com. Now he gets a fresh start in St. Louis, the Cardinals sellers at the trade deadline as they look to build for the future.

Rom graduated from Highlands in 2018 and was drafted by the Orioles in the fourth

The 2020 KHSAA Cross Country State Championships marked the first time in more than four decades that a cross-country state championship was not decided in its entirety at the Kentucky Horse Park when the state event made its debut at the Bourbon County course. The Class 3A meet was hosted in Louisville in both 1978 and 1979 before all classes moved to the Kentucky Horse Park in 1980, starting a lengthy run at the park throughout several different courses until 2020.

Scott tabs Hensley to guide football program after head coach Owens resigns

When Jake Owens resigned 22 days before the season began, Scott High School was in a pinch to find a coach for the season. Athletic Director Casey Fisk called on a longtime friend to fill in.

The Eagles hired Steve Hensley to be the next head coach of the football program.

Hensley has prior stops as the head football coach at Ludlow and Taylor (Ohio). Hensley coached at Ludlow from 2003-05.

The Owens era ended before it ever really even got started. After accepting the position in February, he informed the team of his resignation on July 27. The Florida native cited personal reasons regarding his family for the departure. Owens was set to replace Eric Turner, who resigned in December after coaching the Eagles the past four seasons.

Turner guided the Eagles to a 21-22 record during his tenure and won two Class

4A, 6th district titles. The Eagles went 4-7 in the 2022 season, losing to Lexington Catholic in the first round of the playoffs. Now comes a jump to Class 5A in the latest KHSAA football realignment, the Eagles paired with Boone County, Cooper, Conner, Dixie Heights and Highlands in the Class 5A, 6th District.

Hensley inherits a team that graduated 19 seniors from the 2022 team, the majority of them playing prominent roles, including top rusher Bennie Hill with 1,448 yards and 17 touchdowns as well as quarterback Dasani Lane, who threw for 732 yards and 10 touchdowns. One of Lane’s top targets in Nolan Hunter was also a senior, Hunter with 24 receptions for 324 yards and five touchdowns. The top four tacklers on the team in Tim Stephenson, Aaron Cummins, Treyvon Brown and Emmanuell Mills were also seniors.

They do return top receiving target Dylan Giffen and his 26 receptions for 322 yards and six touchdowns, along with Boomer Klusman, who led the team with three interceptions.

Scott opens up its season on Aug. 18 at Campbell County.