Latest news with #KHSAA
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Covington Catholic tennis standouts sweep singles, doubles at KHSAA state championships
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association's boys tennis state tournament again belonged to the Covington Catholic Colonels. A year removed from claiming the doubles title with a runner-up in the singles bracket, the Colonels claimed both titles in 2025. Kalei Christensen and Alex Yeager, who had won the last two doubles state championships, weren't together for a three-peat, but both took home gold. Kalei Christensen, Blake Hussey win the 2025 doubles title Despite his two-time state championship partner now in singles competition, Colonels senior Kalei Christensen still led a doubles team to another state championship. Advertisement Paired now with sophomore Blake Hussey, the pairing of Christensen and Hussey dropped just five total sets through the first four rounds of the tournament. The semifinal rounds began the final day of the state meet. There Christensen and Hussey faced their hardest test yet from Louisville St. Xavier's Jacob Ray and Logan Elliott. The CovCath duo took the match after a pair of 7-5 wins. Colonel sophomores William Tribble and Jacob Kramer played in the other championship semifinal, but an all-Covington Catholic final was prevented by a 6-4, 6-1 win from Louisville St. Xavier's Aditya Shah and Walker Bush. Advertisement In the state finals, Christensen and Hussey grabbed the first set 6-1, but needed a tiebreaker to win set two. Tied 6-6, the Colonels won the tiebreaker 7-1 to take the final set and the state championship 6-1, 7-6(7-1). Alex Yeager wins KHSAA singles gold Covington Catholic's Alex Yeager returns a shot by Christian Academy's Landon Ecarma in the boys KHSAA state singles tennis championship at the UK Hilary J. Boone/Downing Tennis Complex in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 29, 2025. Senior Alex Yeager completed the Covington Catholic sweep and won his third state title after battling through the final three rounds of the state tournament. Yeager swept his first two matches and won 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. His final three matches would all need a third-set tiebreaker. The senior won his quarterfinal match over North Oldham's Samuel Gurevich 6-3, 2-6, 12-10 before a 6-2, 4-6, 10-3 win in the semis against Louisville Collegiate's Colby Berson. Advertisement Yeager needed to play from behind to win in the state finals. Christian Academy-Louisville senior Landon Ecarma beat Yeager 6-3 in the opening set and stormed back in set two to tie Yeager 6-6. In the second set tiebreaker, Yeager scored a 7-3 win to send the match to the final set. Up 11-10, Yeager secured his comeback victory and the singles state championship when Ecarma sent a shot long, giving Yeager a 3-6, 7-6(7-3), 12-10 finals win. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Covington Catholic boys tennis sweeps KHSAA singles and doubles titles
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Montgomery County looking for more march magic this weekend at KHSAA Sweet 16 state tournament
MOUNT STERLING, Ky. (FOX 56) — Montgomery County high school boys basketball head coach Jason Mays wants to make sure his players remember that they're not going to 'Disney World' and stay focused on the task at hand: the KHSAA boys Sweet 16 state tournament. Cayden Reed nails buzzer-beater to knock off GRC, send Montgomery County to Sweet 16 'We want to keep as normal of a routine as possible. I think that's part of having a successful state tournament run so if your kids can sort of feel like they're still on rhythm and they're not going to Disney World, I think it's better for them,' Mays said. Because of this, Mays and the coaching staff decided to not keep the team in a Lexington hotel, and instead drive back and forth from Mount Sterling to Rupp Arena to play in state tournament games. He said sleeping in their own beds and practicing in their own gym is important, and the players are on board. 'Listening to Coach Mays, really, I mean, he's the best coach to ever do it I think. He's one of them. So we listen to him, we play hard, we start on defense, I feel like we got one of the best defenses in the state,' senior guard Cayden Reed said. Reed hit a game-winning buzzer-beater shot in the 10th Region championship game to take down GRC and send Montgomery County back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. FOX 56 Student Athlete of the Week: Montgomery County's Cayden Reed The Indians take on Lawrence County on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Rupp Arena. If they win, they would face the winner of North Laurel and Breathitt County on Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cayden Reed nails buzzer-beater to knock off GRC, send Montgomery County to Sweet 16
MOUNT STERLING, Ky. (FOX 56) — The 10th Region championship game featured one of the most thrilling contests we've seen all season, and it came down to the final buzzer. Montgomery County senior guard Cayden Reed knocked down a three-pointer as the final horn sounded, giving the Indians a 59-56 win over George Rogers Clark on Wednesday night on his home floor. Great Crossing wins 11th Region championship in thriller over Frederick Douglass 'It's awesome. I mean, for this community, I mean, they, ugh they've taken me in like I'm their own man it's awesome,' Reed said, who transferred from Mason County and was ruled ineligible by the KHSAA for part of the season. 'I knew it was going in, I told the fans on the side it was going in, I knew it was going in.' Reed had 16 points, with six assists and five steals to go along with it. Luke Fawns led his team with 18 points. FOX 56 Student Athlete of the Week: Montgomery County's Cayden Reed With the win, Montgomery County is headed to the KHSAA boys Sweet 16 state tournament at Rupp Arena for just the third time in school history. 'Pregame I said 'how hard can you love each other for one more game?' because there's no tomorrow's guaranteed. And they loved each other a lot. That is what belief in one another, we don't play for what's in front of us we play for who's behind us,' head coach Jason Mays said. Douglass, GRC, North Laurel open KHSAA girls Sweet 16 with wins George Rogers Clark, the state champion in 2022 and state runner-up in 2023, got bounced early last March with point guard Malachi Ashford out with an injury. He led the Cardinals with 19 points in this game, trying to will his school back to Rupp Arena but fell one game short. Montgomery County will take on Lawrence County on Thursday, March 27 at 1:30 p.m. in the first round of the state tournament at Rupp Arena. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Kentucky legislature aims to protect student-athletes from abuse
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — A new bipartisan bill aims to protect Kentucky student-athletes from abuse. Introduced on Tuesday, Senate Bill 120 would give coaches, parents, and athletic staff more resources to recognize and report abuse, according to a news release. 'High school sports should be a place where Kentucky kids are able to learn, grow, and compete in a healthy and safe environment,' said Sen. Chambers Armstrong. 'This bill gives our coaches and school personnel more tools to spot and report child abuse, helping Kentucky's student-athletes stay safe.' Member of extremist 'sextortion' group pleads guilty to racketeering, child murder plot in Kentucky 'We deserve better': Gun safety advocates demanding changes in Kentucky gun laws New Kentucky legislature aims to protect student-athletes from abuse Lawmakers cited a recent investigation that found at least 80 cases of alleged sexual misconduct by Kentucky middle and high school coaches over the last 15 years. The Kentucky High School Athletics Association (KHSAA) said it fully supports SB 120, with commissioner Julian Tackett stressing the importance of giving school personnel clear guidance on their legal obligations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers seek to raise awareness about coach sex abuse following Courier Journal report
A bipartisan bill filed Tuesday is the first by a Kentucky legislator to raise awareness about child sex abuse in sports. Senate Bill 120, filed by Sens. Cassie Chambers-Armstrong, D-Louisville, and Steve West, R-Paris, will update an existing law for high school sports to add information regarding mandatory reporting around child abuse and neglect for students, parents and coaches. Sex abuse is a form of child abuse. The bill comes two months after The Courier Journal published a four-part project, Silence & Secrets, which found at least 80 cases of alleged child sexual misconduct in the last 15 years by Kentucky middle- and high-school coaches. "Protecting our student-athletes is a responsibility we all share," West said in a press release. "This bipartisan legislation strengthens our ability to identify and report abuse, ensuring that Kentucky's young athletes can compete in a safe and supportive environment. By equipping coaches and school personnel with the tools they need, we are taking a necessary step toward preventing harm and holding offenders accountable." Kentucky High School Athletics Association Commissioner Julian Tackett said the association is in support of the bill. "Nothing is more important than the safety of these students who parents have entrusted to our school programs," Tackett said in a press release. "Any step we can facilitate to help our school administrators, coaches, parents and students know the right steps and their obligations under current law will be beneficial to students." The Courier Journal requested an interview with the KHSAA, but did not immediately receive a response. The bill is the first to focus on mandatory reporting in athletics, based on a Courier Journal analysis of legislation filed by the General Assembly since 1998. State law already requires all public school employees to take training on child sex abuse within 90 days of being hired and then every two years after. Senate Bill 120 would expand that requirement to all schools participating in KHSAA sports, including private schools. It includes a two-pronged approach: First, the bill will require information to be added to the KHSAA's Athletic Participation Form, known as a sports physical. The information will: Specify that an athlete may report instances of child abuse to any adult; Specify that anyone who has reasonable cause to believe a child is being abused must report under Kentucky law; Include references to instructions on how to report child abuse. The KHSAA's physical is currently seven pages long, including a two-page health history and a one-page physical examination form that asks questions about eating disorders, heart health and concussions. No question on the form refers to abuse, sexual or otherwise. A sports medicine committee — including members of the Kentucky Medical Association and two athletic trainers — advises the KHSAA on the form. Secondly, the bill will require the KHSAA to include notification about the duty of mandatory reporting and the procedures for reporting into any training for administrators or coaches, such as the rules clinic that all coaches — from head coach to volunteer — are required to attend before each season they coach. "It's sort of a reminder that Kentucky law considers you mandatory reporters: Here's what that means and here's what you have to do," Chambers-Armstrong said. Since both parts of the bill are just additional reminders to existing paperwork and training, there would be no cost to school districts if the bill were to become law. Following two Louisville school coaches charged in separate cases of sex abuse of students on the same day, The Courier Journal began to try to answer the questions: How often are coaches sexually abusing children, and what's being done to stop it? Following 18 months of reporting and digging through archives, the newspaper learned there is no central database or clearinghouse that lists all coaches accused or convicted of sex abuse of a student, and the KHSSA said it was a personnel matter for individual schools and school districts. The investigation explored the many ways the legislature, school districts and even entire communities remained silent about child sex abuse in sports. From Paducah to Prestonsburg, it explored multiple cases, including everything from inappropriate text messages to rape. "(Silence & Secrets) did such a good job of laying out that it's not just as an issue impacting one person, one community, one sport, but this is a huge systemic problem," Chambers-Armstrong said. "And systemic problems require systemic solutions — and that's our job as a legislature is to pass systemic solutions and when we see something that is impacting so many kids. We have got to do something about it." The Courier Journal's series also highlighted several solutions, including one regarding the statue of limitations for sexual abuse survivors who often take decades to come forward about their abuse. Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville, also filed a bill during this year's legislative session to remove the statute of limitations on civil lawsuits for child sex abuse. Willner has filed a similar version of the bill every session since 2022. "We know that this is a huge, pervasive problem — that this is going to have lifelong impacts on kids," Chambers-Armstrong said. "We should also be training people on this as well, particularly when you read the stories, and you talk to kids who have been through this. "There is always someone who knew something was happening, who saw something was happening, and if we can just remind those folks that they have an obligation under the law to do something about it and protect kids, hopefully that's how we begin to change cultures and keep kids safe." More Kentucky politics: With Barr reportedly in the running, here's who else could seek McConnell's seat Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative sports reporter, with a focus on the health and safety of athletes. She can be reached at skuzydym@ Follow her for updates at @stephkuzy This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Courier Journal Silence and Secrets project prompts legislation
