LINK Streetscapes: Where to take in the madness of March

Powered by Merk and Gile, Injury Attorneys, 513-481-5678

BY MARIA HEHMAN | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

For basketball fans, there are few things more exciting than the month of March. Basketball games on every day and at nearly every hour, anticipating to see if your team will make the next round.

These games are only as exciting as the atmosphere where you watch them. This Streetscapes, we’re headed to Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties to check out the best bars for March Madness.

Skyline Tavern

For a true college experience, Skyline Tavern will throw patrons into the thick of it.

Revelers can see Northern Kentucky University’s campus from this bar, so it’s bound to be packed and full of energy during the NCAA tournament.

For newbies to Skyline Tavern, this is your typical college dive bar – it’s the perfect spot to go and relive your college days. Buckets of beer and their famous wings fuel patrons as they cheer on NKU. For those truly camping out and making a day of March Madness games, they also offer a large pub menu with staples like burgers, wraps and sandwiches.

Although just a stone’s throw away from Northern’s campus, Skyline Tavern does celebrate other fan favorites like University of Kentucky and Xavier University. They offer all the bar basics from cocktails to canned classics, all for incredible prices.

If there’s one place to be to watch an underdog NKU seed beat the number one seed Houston, it’s this bar.

Covington Yard

When the weather gets warmer, there are few places as fun as Covington Yard.

Covington Yard is meant to feel like a best friend’s backyard, with lawn chairs for patrons who want to sit back and chat and cornhole for those itching to play. There’s plenty of entertainment to keep kids and adults busy in between games. With Covington Yard being nearly all outdoors, they have huge projector televisions so bar goers can see the winning basket from every spot in the yard.

Unlike an actual backyard BBQ, there’s no added work. Food trucks serve as the pit masters, so every guest can truly relax.

With options of tacos, nachos, burgers, wings and waffles, everyone in the group is covered. In true backyard fashion, everyone is welcome at the yard. Kids and dogs are just as commonplace as adults. Covington Yard makes for a great meeting place for large groups, even on the busiest days there is no bad spot at the yard.

Their interior bar offers more coverage from the rain or sun, but still has interior TV’s to watch every game.

Located in the hub of Covington’s bar scene, it can get really busy at the yard during March Madness. Environments like this erupt with excitement when teams win a nail biter, and is truly one of the most exciting places to be this March.

859 Taproom and Grill

Those looking to watch a good game with quality beer, and maybe a bit more serene atmosphere, 859 Taproom and Grill offers all you want with college basketball, and nothing you don’t. Of course, there will still be passionate fans rooting on their teams, but for those wanting something a bit more family friendly, 859 is the spot.

The perfect pair to basketball will always be beer, and 859 does not mess around. They have the largest beer wall in NKY with over 60, yes, 60 beers on draft; no fan will go thirsty. For halftime hungries their menu does not disappoint, tacos and Wagyu burgers come in nearly any creation imaginable. The 859 Bourbon Wagyu burger with bacon, cheddar cheese, onion tanglers and drizzled in a bourbon glaze will keep you full game after game.

Whether fans are cheering on local favorites or a team hours away, rest assured, with seventeen TV’s, patrons will never have to miss a minute of madness.

What to Know if You Go:

Skyline Tavern

Location: 430 Johns Hill Road, Highland Heights

Facebook: facebook.com/SkylineTavern

Hours: Monday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Phone: (859) 441-6713

Covington Yard

Location: 401 Greenup Street, Covington

Hours: Monday closed, Tuesday through Friday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Website: covingtonyard.com/home

Phone: (859) 993-9273

859 Taproom and Grill

Location: 8720 Bankers Street, Florence

Hours: Monday closed, Tuesday through Thursday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Website: the859taproom.com

Phone: (859) 534-2802

Bogo Bogo

NKY Norsemen win state hockey title

The Northern Kentucky Norsemen Hockey team won the Kentucky high school state championship on March 3-5 in Louisville. The team is made up of hockey players of high school age across Northern Kentucky. The Norsemen are led by head coach Eric Kathman. This is the team’s third state title in the last seven years, winning in 2017 and 2019 as well.

Kathman has been coaching hockey for over 25 years and knows the excitement that exists around this hockey community in Northern Kentucky but also feels the love from those who are part of the Norse family.

The Norsemen community came out to celebrate the team’s success at the Northern Kentucky Ice Center in Crescent Springs on March 12.

The Norsemen will play next in Plymouth, Minnesota for the National high school tournament, March 23-27.

Highlands, Ryle share top spot in softball preseason rankings

The reigning Ninth region champion Highlands Bluebirds and Ryle Raiders, who are

EACH WEEK,

coming off a semifinal appearance in the ninth region tournament, were voted CoNo. 1 in the preseason rankings for ninth region softball.

The vote was taken by the coaches from the region, the next three teams rounding out the top five were Dixie Heights, Conner and Cooper.

The Cougars and Jaguars will be battling with Ryle in the tough 33rd district.

Next up in the ranking is Boone County, Notre Dame and Beechwood.

Rounding out the top 10 is Dayton, Villa Madonna and Holy Cross.

The KHSAA softball season got off to a frigid start on March 13 with temperatures in the 30’s.

The coaches also released the top 10 players in the region, Highlands Kennedy Baioni taking the top spot.

The top 10 players were:

1. Kennedy Baioni, Highlands

2. Ella Steczynski, Dixie Heights

3. Madison Goddard, Ryle

4. Harper Kinman, Boone County

5. Avery Parsons, Ryle

6. Ava Scott, Cooper

7. Emily Schmeltz, Cooper

8. Kendall Blau, Cooper

9. Mollie Sharp, Conner

10. Bailey Markus, Highlands

Other Receiving Votes: Allivia Scott, Carley Cramer, Claire Poage, Jalyn Cain, Katelynn Murphy, Laney Hatridge, Laney Schuster, Mckenzie Gifford, Mckenzie Runion, Mckenzie Sullivan, Michelle Barth, Payton Godfrey, Rebecca Blaker, Riley Hopkins and Tori Danneman

KHSBCA releases preseason watch list

The Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association has released its 2023 preseason All-state watch list for each region.

Players from NKY made the watch list in three separate regions from the Eighth to the 10th. From the Eighth, Simon Kenton’s Logan Cones, Chad Atchley and Daniel Uhl all made the list. Walton-Verona was represented by Lance Coleman.

In the Ninth Region, catchers Ethan Bosley from Dixie Heights and Jonathan Fitz from Covington Catholic were included.

Conner and Ryle were well represented with the Cougars having five players placed on the list and the Raiders with four. Brody Mangold, Ayden Lohr, Oliver Kerns, Jeffrey Vest and Rex Richter were all included from Conner. Landon Sawyer, Roman Furuta, T.J. Schira and Dylan McIntrye were included from Ryle.

Highlands was represented by Jack Hendrix. The three-time defending regional champ Beechwood Tigers will be led by the two players from this list, Ben Meier and Sam Stacy.

Kicking off the 10th region is future Kentucky Wildcat baseball player Aydan Hamilton from Campbell County. Along with Hamilton, the Camels had four other players named to the list: Jake Gross, Parker Schweitzer, Max Lause and Evan Clark. Campbell County is the two-time defending 10th Region champ.

Evan Moore and Colin Combs from Bishop Brossart were also included as was Leo Brown from Scott.

Russell retires after 25 years of coaching

After 25 years coaching the high school game, Aric Russell has announced his retirement as Campbell County’s boys basketball coach. He finishes with 459 wins coaching boys and girls.

Russell got his start in coaching high school basketball at Newport with the girls team where he coached for three seasons and won 51 games in the three-year span.

Russell then coached the Newport boys from 2001-10, winning 124 games with the Wildcats and leading them the Ninth Region title for the first time in 58 years.

He took over at Campbell County in 2010 and coached the Camels the last 13 seasons. He guided the Camels to a 37th District title in his second season and then won 10 more consecutively from 2014-23.

The 284 wins at Campbell County is the most in program history and the 459 wins in total is third most in Northern Kentucky history.