Cooper girls embrace quest to Rupp

BY EVAN DENNISON | LINK nky SPORTS EDITOR

Maybe they were a year ahead of schedule last season when they advanced all the way to the state semifinals of the KHSAA Sweet 16 Tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

But make no mistake, Cooper’s girls basketball team isn’t flying under anyone’s radar this season.

And the Jaguars are just fine with that.

“Our girls are just so locked in and they’re together all the time. We talked about coming into the season we had a pretty good idea we were going to be ranked one of the top teams in the state and in the region. We knew that our role was going to change a little bit as far as how people were talking about us and how people are going to challenge you every single night,” Jaguars coach Justin Holthaus said.

Challenge accepted as the Jaguars are 27-3 headed into Friday’s Ninth Region semifinals at Truist Arena. They’ve played the top flight teams in the region, and from around the state. Their only losses to in-state competition are to the No. 1 (Sacred Heart) and No. 2 (DuPont Manual) teams in the final statewide media poll. They’ve gone 12-0 against region opponents and defeated five top-20 teams in the state.

They’ve continued to show progress, now a much more mature team from the one that had just one senior on the roster last season.

They’re led by Ninth Region KABC Player of the Year and Miss Kentucky Basketball candidate Whitney Lind. Lind committed to Lehigh in June and her credentials throughout her career as a Jaguar warrant strong consideration for best player in the state on one of the best teams in the state. She’s led the team in scoring and rebounding since eighth grade as she approaches Lexi Held’s all-time program scoring record of 2,430 points.

But what makes this team special is how they distribute the ball. If teams want to key in on Lind, several others can hurt their opponent. They’ve got five other players that average at least six points per game.

“We’re very versatile. We have a lot of girls that do a lot of different things,” Lind said. “We have girls that can hit threes, we have girls that get offensive rebounds and put them back when we miss. We have confidence in every single person it’s going in or we’re going to get the rebound. When you have that confidence in each other, when you share it, good things happen.”

Lind, Kay Freihofer and Yamilet Rondon-River bring the senior leadership. They’re a tightly bonded unit that puts team over self. And they play hard no matter who the opponent is. Despite beating teams by an average of 24.7 points per game, the focus on a game-bygame basis is just that - playing hard, especially on the defensive end.

“No matter who we play, we just always have to do what we do and play hard. We stress a lot on our defense and get a lot of stops and turn it into baskets,” Freihofer said.

Cooper allows 37.3 points per game, good for seventh in the state. It’s where they hang their hat.

“When we talk about what’s going to win us games, what’s going to win us district championships, region championship, it’s going to be on that defensive end so our girls really have bought into it,” Holthaus said.

While they haven’t had as much adversity as last season that came with nine losses before the state tournament and Freihofer breaking her hand, they know things could turn at any moment at this time of year where if you lose, things suddenly come to a halt.

“Our kids have bought into that mindset of competing every single day in practice and finding that high level,” Holthaus said.

The Jags aren’t going anywhere either. Even when the three seniors previously mentioned graduate, the pipeline is stocked full. Liz Freihofer, Logan Palmer, Bella Deere, Maleah Alexander and Payslee Jones will take over the senior leadership roles next season.

Damaysia Knox will also be a senior after missing the second half of the season to injury. Knox transferred in this season from Ohio, getting comfortable with her new surroundings but suffering an injury 13 games in. Knox holds a University of Dayton offer.

That’s before mentioning exciting prospects in sophomore Zene Thompson and eighth grader Haylee Noel, who impressed so much over the summer during AAU she received an offer from the University of Arkansas.

But first things first, another chance to play at Rupp Arena, the lifelong dream of a kid growing up in Kentucky to reach the state’s pinnacle at the state tournament. Cooper is just two wins away from doing so and they know they can’t get too far ahead of themselves.

“One game at a time,” Lind said. “No matter who it is, we have to be proud of the effort we put out there and be proud of the defense we play.”

Covington firefighters to restart weekly fish fry

Covington firefighters are back with weekly fish fries as of Friday, Feb. 24.

Fish fries will be held every Friday through April 7 at the International Firefighters Union Hall 38 on Howell Street in Covington. All money raised during the event will go to benefit the hall.

Drinks will be served starting at 4 p.m., and food will be available from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Uniformed professionals, including police, other firefighters, nurses, members of the armed services and medical first responders will receive a $1 discount on meals. The Peaselburg Neighborhood Association will also provide desserts.

Contact the Covington Firefighters’ administrative office at (859) 431-0462 for more information.

Holmes Middle School teacher named finalist for Gold Star Chili Teacher Award

Blackwood began working at Holmes Middle School in 2008. She started out as an instructional assistant before going back to school in 2012. She’s been working as a full-time teacher at Holmes since 2019.

Teachers are nominated for Gold Star’s award by either parents or colleagues for their ability to “go above and beyond for their students,” said Sarah McGough of Gold Star Chili in a release from Covington Schools.

Members of the public will cast votes for the winner of the contest, which will be announced in April. The winner will receive a $1000 grant for their classroom and a $500 donation for their school district. They will also receive a Gold Star Chili-themed gift basket and up to 30 tickets to see a performance at the Children’s Theater of Cincinnati.

To learn more about the award and see how to vote for Mrs. Blackwood or any of the other candidates, visit goldstarchili.com.

Vietnam veteran shares story for virtual NKY History Tour series

From a young swim instructor at Beechwood Swim Club in Fort Mitchell to a Marine on the battlefields of Vietnam, Fred Hellmann’s has always carried one message through life: never give up.

Hellmann wrote his autobiography “Never Give Up: A Vietnam Veteran’s Memoir” to tell his story.

The Behringer-Crawford Museum recently hosted Hellmann as part of its NKY History Hour, a virtual event that invites guest speakers to share local history.

namese mortar round on July 6, 1967, which hit him in nine different places on his body. He still carries with him at least 35 pieces of the shrapnel from that explosion.

At the end of his military service, Hellmann had accumulated eight medals including the Combat Action medal and the Purple Heart medal. He was honorably discharged at the rank of Staff Sergeant in 1969. The 79-year-old is now retired and spends the majority of his time with his family.

“Never Give Up” includes Hellmann’s family’s letters, entry reports from unit diaries and photographs, many of which were taken by Hellmann himself.

“As Marines lie out in the open and bullets whizzed by within a foot of my head, I took these pictures,” Hellmann said. “The American fighting man is needed … so, we go … because it’s our job.”

Fort Thomas welcomes two Highlands High interns

Rachel Blackwood, a science teacher at Holmes Middle School, was recently honored as a finalist for the Gold Star Chili Teacher Award.

Gold Star and the school held a surprise ceremony for Blackwood and her students on Feb. 15. Gold Star Chili named Holmes as one of 10 finalists out of 800 nominations, according to communications from the school district.

Hellmann was raised in Crestview Hills and graduated from Covington Catholic High School in 1962. He attended the University of Kentucky and later worked at The Hellmann Lumber Company in Covington.

After becoming eligible for the draft in the fall 1965, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was sent to Vietnam in August 1966.

Hellmann was wounded by a North Viet-

Fort Thomas City Administrator Matt Kremer welcomed two new city interns, Jake Bowling and Ben Schuh, at the recent city council meeting. Both bring an interest in finance and business.

“Jake is a senior at Highlands High School who plans to study mathematics at the University of Kentucky,” Kremer said. “Ben is a senior at Highlands High School with plans to study business in the future.”

Both are enrolled in a dual-credit course in Northern Kentucky University’s entrepreneurial mindset class, taught at Highlands by business teacher Elise Carter.