Ryle shuts out Dixie Heights in Ninth Region title game

By Richard Skinner, NKY Enquirer
Ryle shuts out Dixie Heights in Ninth Region title game

The Ryle offense scored 66 runs more than any team in the Ninth Region this season and averaged almost eight runs per game, but its pitching staff is pretty good, too, mainly because of its depth and that depth was on display Thursday night.

Junior Ethan Brennan, who had made only three starts all season, but was used in the toughest relief situations, tossed a complete-game three-hitter and Ryle executed just enough offensively to beat Dixie Heights, 4-0, in the Ninth Region championship game before a crowd of 1,200 at Florence Freedom’s University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium.

It’s the first regional baseball title since 2007 for Ryle (32-7), which advances to the state tournament where it will face 10th Region champion Harrison County (24-7) in a first-round game at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington.

Brennan needed just 79 pitches, 59 of which were strikes, and allowed only five base runners, just three in the first six innings.

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“That’s his strength (control),” said Ryle coach Pat Roesel. “That’s why I picked him. He gets ahead of hitters and has very good command. There were other guys we could have used, but I felt the way he pitched the last two times out that he was going to be on and he was.”

Brennan said he knew while warming up in the bullpen prior to the game that he had good stuff.

“I was thinking this could be my day so I was feeling pretty good from the start,” said Brennan, who was selected to the all-tournament team. “You definitely have to control your emotions, because baseball is a long game, but I was pretty amped for it.”

Brennan used a fastball that occasionally hit 80 mph with a good curve and was constantly ahead of Dixie’s hitters the entire game. He threw a first-pitch strike to 20 of the 25 batters he faced and went to a three-ball count on just two batters, including a two-out walk to Matt Wehrle in the seventh. That walk put runners at first and second for a Dixie team that had come from behind to win all four of its postseason games, including Wednesday’s dramatic 6-2 semifinal win over Beechwood when it scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Brennan proceeded to strike out Dixie’s Casey Cox to end the game.

“I knew what they had done, but I just had to keep it out of my mind and focus on finishing it,” said Brennan.

Ryle scored single runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings off Dixie sophomore starter Henry Kerns thanks to getting the leadoff batter on base each time. Junior first baseman Tom Deters led off the second with a single and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by senior shortstop Tyler Lonnemann, who was also selected to the all-tournament team. Junior Mason Forbes, who was selected most valuable player of the tournament, led off the third with a single and eventually scored on Deters’ sacrifice fly. Junior right fielder Eric Clarkson led off the fourth with a double and scored on Lonnemann’s single and Forbes led off the fifth with a walk and eventually scored on Deters’ second sacrifice fly of the game and Ryle’s third.

“Kerns he was lights out and we had to scratch and claw every inning,” said Roesel. “He wasn’t going to give us any big hits. It just proves the resiliency of this team. We’ve won pitching and we’ve won hitting and we had pitching and some really good small baseball today.”

Ryle allowed just two runs in the three regional tournament games combined and Thursday’s shutout was its second straight as Josh Bellew and Tanner Pulice combined to blank St. Henry in Wednesday’s semifinal round.               

“Our starters they come in and throw strikes,” said Forbes, who was 6 for 9 with a walk, a hit by pitch, five runs scored, two doubles and a triple in the three tournament wins. “Ethan Brennan was lethal. He was hitting the outside corner all day and had people looking silly out there.”

Forbes said the loss to Boone County in the 33rd District championship game was a wakeup call for the entire team.

“Since our first game of the season our motto has been ‘RTS, Road to State,’ and we let down in districts and came right back in region and now we’re ready for state,” said Forbes. “We’re still hungry.”

Ryle 4, Dixie Heights 0

WP-E. Brennan (6 Ks). LP-Kerns. Hitting Leaders: DH-McGee 2B. R-Lonnemann 2 RBI; Deters 2 RBI; Clarkson 2B. Records: Dixie Heights 27-13, Ryle 32-7.

All-Tournament Team: Ryle – Mason Forbes (MVP), Tyler Lonnemann, Ethan Brennan, Thomas Baumann; Dixie Heights – Garrett Combs, Seth Caple, Ethan Harrison; St. Henry – Mitchell Kuebbing, Peter Markgraf; Beechwood – Ethan Stringer, Jason Suchanek; Highlands – Quinten Murray; Covington Catholic – Nico Pangallo; Boone County – Trey Ganns; Newport Central Catholic – Josh Cain.

Ryle offense too much for St. Henry

By John Lachmann 
Kypostsports@yahoo.com
   
FLORENCE, Ky. – Ryle entered Wednesday having scored 58 more runs than any team in Region 9.  And the Raiders wasted no time demonstrating their offensive prowess.

   Ryle belted three extra base hits in a four-run first inning en route to an 8-0 win over St. Henry in a regional semifinal at the Florence Freedom’s home field. 

   “The first inning put me at ease a little bit,” Ryle coach Pat Roesel said. “We came out really strong, we hit the ball really well, so that gave Josh a little bit of a relaxation feeling.”

   All nine Raiders starters finished with at least one hit, an impressive feat considering just two played all seven innings.

   Senior shortstop Tyler Lonnemann tripled to lead off the game, and he came home on senior second baseman Jackson Brennan’s single. Junior left fielder Mason Forbes doubled to put runners on second and third, and senior designated hitter Tyler Mason’s grounder to first plated Ryle’s second run.

   After senior center fielder Thomas Baumann launched a ball just left of the left field foul pole, he smashed a gapper to make it 3-0. He would score on a dropped fly ball an out later.

   “It’s always good to start off – right even before you even go out there – and you already have the lead, so you have that much to work with, more ease,” Bellew said.

   Junior first baseman Tom Deters singled in the third and eventually scored on a double steal to extend the Raiders’ lead to five.

   In the top of the fourth, Lonneman, Brennan, Forbes and Mason all singled to open the inning to plate two more runs, and senior catcher Jake Ashley capped the scoring in the fifth with an RBI single that scored senior third baseman Dylan Plvan, who had opened the frame with a double.

   Junior right-hander Josh Bellew went five scoreless frames and struck out eight to earn the win. His only hiccup was the third, when the leadoff runner singled and was balked to second, and the next batter walked, and another balk moved the runners to second and third.

   “He got a little tight there in the third inning, but the fourth and fifth innings he was really strong, and we only took him out because we had the lead and to get some guys some work,” Roesel said.  

   Roesel would not reveal what he said to Bellew, but he responded by striking out the side. He also fanned all three batters in the fifth to end his night with eight whiffs and just three hits and one walk allowed.

   “Coach came out and talked to me, told me to settle down, so then I focused on the three batters coming up and mowed them down, 1-2-3 after that,” Bellew said.

   Ryle senior right-hander Tanner Pulice came in for the final two innings, and he retired all six batters he faced, striking out a pair.

   The Raiders will face Dixie Heights in the regional championship game, which will be played at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

RYLE 401-210-0—8 15 0 
SHHS 000-000-0—0 3 3

   WP: Bellew (8 K’s). LP: Rose. HITTING LEADERS: R—Lonnemann 2-4, 3B; J. Brennan 2-4; Forbes 2-3, 2B; Mason 2 RBI; Baumann 2-4, 2 2B; Plvan 2B; Ashley 2-3. RECORDS: Ryle 31-7, St. Henry 17-19.


Read more: http://www.kypost.com/dpp/sports/ryle-offense-too-much-for-st-henry#ixzz2UljMFnSu

SBDM Election for Minority Parent Representative

Sent today to all parent and student addresses in Infinite Campus.

All parents of Ryle students for 2013-14, please stop by the school on Wednesday, May 29th (7 a.m. until 3 p.m.) to vote for a minority parent representative for the Ryle SBDM Council.

The following parents have been nominated for minority parent representative:

• Christina Gonzales
• Berkeley Johnson

A resume for each candidate has been posted at the school office.

When must a school have an election for minority representatives?
If a school has 8% or more minority enrollment as of the October 1 preceding the initial parent or teacher election, reported by the Superintendent’s Annual Attendance Report (SAAR), the school must have minority representation on the school council. If a minority member is elected to the council in the initial parent or teacher elections, or if the principal is a minority, then the school council is not required to elect additional minority members. Otherwise, an additional election to select a minority parent and a minority teacher must be held.

An election for minority representation will result in an increase from six members to eight on a single council.  This does not require an Alternative Model application to be filed, because KRS 160.345 requires this membership increase.

Minority council elections are the only times that the principal is responsible for the electoral process.

Who qualifies to run for minority council representative?
For the purposes of school-based decision making, “minority” is defined as ^"American Indian; Alaskan native; African-American; Hispanic, including persons of Mexican, Puerto-Rican, Cuban and Central or South American origin; Pacific Islander; or other ethnic group underrepresented in the school."

- Kentucky Association of School Councils (KASC)

All parents of 2013-14 Ryle students are eligible to vote.

High school athletes learn that social media profile can come back to haunt them

NOTE:   As we work with our students to ready them for the world that lies beyond their schooling days, are we keeping up with the times? Digital Literacy is a key for success today and our students need to know how to respond to new challenges. The following is from The Oregonian, written by Jerry Ulmer.

Kendrick Bourne had cleaned up his act. No more smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol or partying. And he buckled down in the classroom, too.

But the 6-foot-2 wide receiver knew he had one more very important thing to clean up before college football recruiters would come calling: his Facebook page.

In his first three years at Northeast Portland's Benson High School, Bourne had little regard for what he posted online. And last fall, as he sought a fresh start and pursued a scholarship as a senior at Milwaukie  it was coming back to haunt him.

 "I was just saying like, 'Just got done smoking,' or 'Just left a party,' or 'Turned up drunk' or something," Bourne said. "Posting pictures of me smoking, just stuff that wasn't cool. It wasn't benefiting me. My coach at Milwaukie was telling me that, but I didn't believe it was true. I really learned that it was affecting me."

Messages sent on a whim on Facebook and Twitter, and on photo apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, can have a far-reaching impact that can affect an athlete's future and create a negative image for a school or program.

"In general, social media is a disaster for athletes," said Michael Abraham, coach for the Team Concept AAU girls basketball program. "In terms of the forum that it's provided, it's abused way more than it has helped. Kids get so much braver and make so many poor decisions because they don't see the immediate accountability for their actions. There's no positive to it."

In Bourne's case, his postings jeopardized a college scholarship.

"I know there were coaches who were worried about it," said Dirk Knudsen, a recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. "I know at least one Division I school that wanted him had expressed some concern, 'What are we getting into?'

"When people ask me, 'Why is this kid getting recruited over that kid?' and there's no apparent reason, I have to advise them that I have seen pictures on some of our top athletes' pages with bongs and alcohol, and n-bombs and f-bombs. What you're telling the school is, 'I don't really care too much about all of this.'"

For college recruiters, whose contact with athletes is limited by NCAA rules, social media can provide a window into an athlete's character. College football programs can't have contact with high school athletes until Sept. 1 of their junior year but can track them on social media.

"The first thing we do is see the film and see the talent, and the second thing we do is get on Facebook or Twitter and follow them, friend request them," said Ryan Gunderson, Oregon State's assistant director of player personnel. "You can tell a lot about a kid right away."

Sometimes, Gunderson said, what the Oregon State staff discovers can be a deciding factor in whether to offer a scholarship.

"How many red flags are going to enter into your vision to say, 'Hey, this talent isn't worth all these red flags,'?" Gunderson said. "A Facebook profile, Twitter profile, can turn that off immediately. If you see pictures of bad stuff or them using bad language, that's an immediate red flag."

Ryle turns on offense, drops CovCath

by Richard Skinner, NKY Enquirer  Ryle turns on offense, drops CovCath

The Ryle baseball team showed Monday that a couple of shaky offensive performances in the last week were nothing more than rare occurrences as it flexed the muscles – and lineup balance – that made it Northern Kentucky’s highest-scoring offense when it needed to do so the most.

Ryle pounded out 12 hits, got the leadoff batter on base in every inning and scored in five of the seven innings in knocking off Covington Catholic, 7-2, in a Ninth Region tournament first-round game at the Florence Freedom’s University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium.

Ryle (30-7), which finished as the No. 1-ranked team in the final Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches’ poll, advances to face St. Henry in Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal.

St. Henry’s Craig Rose drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the top of the eighth to score Alex Conradi to break a 2-2 tie, and senior Mitchell Kuebbing went the distance as the Crusaders downed Highlands 3-2 in Monday’s final first-round game. Ryle beat St. Henry (17-18) in their only meeting this season, 11-1, on April 25.

Kuebbing, who has signed with Longwood University, mixed a fastball that hit 87 mph at times with a solid curve to strike out 11 and allow just seven hits. He walked none, but did hit three batters and needed 110 pitches.

Rose had given St. Henry a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run single, but Highlands (19-18) scored a run in the third and tied the score in the sixth when Quentin Murray led off with a triple and pinch-runner Brady Murray scored on Evan Allen’s suicide squeeze bunt.

Ryle may have to play Wednesday’s game without cleanup hitter Tyler Mason. The senior first baseman was hit in the head in an accidental collision at first base with CovCath senior David Zalla in the first inning, and despite remaining in the game momentarily he left the field after the inning and has a concussion, according to Ryle coach Pat Roesel.

The Raiders entered Monday’s game having lost two of their last three games, 7-3 to Highlands in the regular-season finale, and 3-1 to Boone County in the 33rd District championship game.

Ryle 7, Covington Catholic 2

WP-Hoard (10-1). LP-Davis. Hitting Leaders: R-Lonnemann 2-4, J. Brennan 2-5; Forbes 3-4, 2B, 3B. CC-Pangallo 2-3; Schreiver 2 RBI. Records: Ryle 30-7, Covington Catholic 23-14.

St. Henry 3, Highlands 2

WP-Kuebbing (11 Ks). LP-Cochran. Hitting Leaders: SH-Conradi 2-4, 2 2Bs; Rogers 2-4; Markgraf 2B; Rose 3 RBI. H-Ramey 2-4, 2B; Schultz 2-4; Murray 3B. Records: St. Henry 17-18, Highlands 19-18.

Have a Great Memorial Day!

Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women that have served our country.  

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Announcements 5-22-13

Happy Wednesday!

There is a meeting after school today for any boy or girl interested in running cross country next year.  The meeting will be held in Room 131.

The library is open today to return books and pay fines.

Archery Club members who did not attend the dinner last Wednesday should pick up their certificates from Mrs. Klaas this week.

Seniors need to pay for lost locks, school fees, lunch charges, library fines, textbook fees, etc ASAP.  You cannot go to Kings Island or walk at graduation without paying these fees.  See Ms. Bain in Room 216.

Attention FCCLA members: Officer applications for the 2013-14 school year can be picked up in Room 213.  Completed applications should be returned to Ms. Dews, Ms. Bain or Ms. Sanders by the last day of school.

Student Council elections for officers will be held today after school in Room 217.

Returning boys basketball players need to pick up a summer schedule in Room 112 today.

Honors Night is tonight at 7 pm.  Graduation - Friday night at 7:30 pm.

Good luck to Baseball Team in District Finals tonight @ Conner! Game time 5:30 versus Boone.