Jake Feldhaus finishes T5 at the Circle K Junior Championship

Jake Feldhaus shot a 1-over par 73 in the final round of the American Junior Golf Association Circle K Junior Championship on Thursday and finished tied for fifth place.

Feldhaus had a 54-hole score of even par 216 at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Indiana.

Cameron Phillips of McDermott, Ohio won the tournament for the second straight year. He finished regulation play tied with Brady Catalano of Upper Arlington, Ohio at 4-under 212. 

Phillips won on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Golfers from 14 states, Taiwan, China, Canada and the Philippines competed in the tournament.

Feldhaus T4 after two rounds of the Circle K Junior Championship

Jake Feldhaus is two shots off the lead after two rounds of the Circle K Junior Championship, a 54-hole American Junior Golf Association tournament in Columbus, Indiana.

Feldhaus shot an even par 72 in the second round on Wednesday at Otter Creek Golf Course.

He has a 36-hole score of 1-under 143 and is in a three-way tie for fourth place.

Two golfers are tied for second place, one-shot behind the leader.

Ten golfers are within five shots of the lead.

The final round will be played on Thursday.

NFHS announces rules changes for 2025 high school baseball season

Beginning with the 2025 season, high school baseball players will be allowed to apply resin, pine tar or other drying agents on their non-wood bats.

The rule change was announced by the National Federation of High Schools on Wednesday.

The drying agents have been allowed on wood bats for many years. 

Drying agents are not to exceed 18 inches above the knob of the bat.

Another rule change allows an umpire to force a team to forfeit a game if that team fails to remove an ejected coach, player or team personnel from the contest. 

Under the previous rule, only a not removed ejected player was listed as a condition for a forfeit. 

Feldhaus T3 after the first round of the Circle K Junior Championship

Jake Feldhaus is tied for third place after the first round of the American Junior Golf Association's Circle K Junior Championship in Columbus, Indiana.

Feldhaus shot a 1-under par 71 at Otter Creek Golf Course on Tuesday and is three shots off the lead.

The tournament runs through Thursday.

Wayne "Box" Miller chosen for Greater Cincinnati SPJ Hall of Fame

Maysville native Wayne "Box" Miller is one of nine Cincinnati media members chosen for the 2024 class of the Greater Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame.

Miller hosts the pregame, halftime and postgame shows on the Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network and is the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at St. Xavier High School.

He has hosted radio shows in Cincinnati and Dayton and has written three books.

Miller's family moved to Cincinnati when he was in elementary school.

He was inducted into the Morehead State University Alumni Hall of Fame in 2007.

The SPJ Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held on September 16 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at Great American Ball Park. 

Jake Feldhaus qualifies for Circle K Junior Championship

Jake Feldhaus shot a 1-over 73 and tied for second place in the qualifier for the Circle K Junior Championship on Sunday at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Indiana.

Feldhaus has a 9 a.m. tee time on Tuesday for the first round of the championship at Otter Creek. 

The 54-hole stroke play tournament, an American Junior Golf Association event, runs through Thursday.

Golfers will play a practice round on Monday in a Junior-Am fundraising tournament.

Christopher Vining wins the 89th Chippways

Former University of Cincinnati golfer Christopher Vining of Fort Thomas is the champion of the 89th Chippeways tournament. 

Vining, a graduate of St. Xavier High School in Louisville, defeated Trey Cracraft of Maysville 1-up in the championship match on Sunday at Oak Ridge Golf Club, formerly Maysville Country Club. 

Vining beat Bryan Conway in the quarterfinals on Friday and John Hoh in the semifinals on Saturday.

Cracraft, a graduate of Mason County High School and a rising sophomore at Shawnee State University, defeated Izzy Grayson in the quarterfinals and 2022 Chippeways champion Logan Liles in the semifinals.

Bryson Bennett beat Mike Pell in 20 holes in the First Flight.

Gabriel Grutza defeated Vincent Bradley in 21 holes in the Second Flight.

The consolation flight winners were Conway, Todd Curless and Mike Kaelin.

 

Mason County Royals summer basketball highlights

 

Mason County football schedule released

Mason County football coach Joe Wynn released the Royals' 2024 schedule in a post on X on Wednesday.

Mason County will play the same opponents as they did last year. Here is the schedule:

August 23 Russell Home

August 30 Montgomery County Away

September 6 Fleming County Away

September 13 Boyd County Away

September 20 Rowan County Home

Septmber 27 Bye Week

October 4 Holmes Home

October 11 Harrison County Home

October 18 Grant County Away

October 25 Covington Catholic Away

November 1 Lawrence County Home

Jake Feldhaus receives an invite to Kentucky Invitational Tournament

Mason County golfer Jake Feldhaus has received an invitation to the Kentucky Invitational Tournament.

The tournament, sponsored by the St. Xavier golf team, will be played on August 17 at Harmony Landing Golf Club in Goshen.

In last year's KIT, Feldhaus shot a 3-under par 69 and finished regulation play tied with Christian Academy-Louisville senior Brady Smith. 

Smith beat Feldhaus on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Smith would go on to win his second straight state championship.

The Knights of Columbus Joe Donovan Memorial River Run is July 4

The 41st Annual Knights of Columbus Joe Donovan Memorial River Run will take place on July 4 at 8 a.m. in Maysville.

The event, which begins on McDonald Parkway near Limestone Landing, features a 5K run and a two-mile walk.

Here a link to the registration form.

Kenzie Gulley named First Team All-State by KSCA

Mason County center fielder Kenzie Gulley has been named First Team All-State by the Kentucky Softball Coaches Association.

Although there is only one class in softball, the KSCA names all-state teams in three classes based on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association classes for track and field.

Gulley, a rising senior, was named to the Class 2A First Team.

Gulley batted .571 (64 for 112) with 17 doubles, 13 triples and 35 RBI this past season. She stole 37 bases in 38 attempts and scored 54 runs. 

Ethan Johnson wins the Buffalo Trace Stampede

Ethan Johnson of Tollesboro won the Buffalo Trace Stampede, a one-mile run in downtown Maysville, on Saturday with a time of 4:34.21.

Johnson, a graduate of Lewis County High School, is a rising sophomore at Campbellsville University where he is a member of the cross country team. 

Weston Blair of Winchester, Ohio was the runner-up (4:47.88) and Steven Buck of Lexington finished in third place (4:58.55).

Amrita Iyengar of Maysville was the top female finisher with a time of 5:22.37.

Kayla Lykins of Tollesboro was the second female finisher (5:32.78) followed by Brandy Shular of Winchester, Ohio (6:17.66).

Nathan Hauke of Winchester, Ohio was the male Masters winner (5:28.76) and Bridget Fay of Georgetown, Kentucky was the female Masters winner (6:47.55).

Proceeds from the race go to the Mason County Animal Shelter.

Here is a link to the complete results.

10th Region All-Star baseball and softball games set for Tuesday, June 18 at GRC

The 10th Region All-Star baseball and softball games will be played on Tuesday, June 18 at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester.

The games are being organized by Will Jones of 10thregion.com. 

The baseball game begins at 6:30 p.m. The softball game is scheduled at 7 p.m.

It will be the 37th and 38th District All-Stars vs. the 39th and 40th District All-Stars in both games. 

Mason County Royals coach Jason Butler will be the head coach of the 39th and 40th District All-Star baseball team.

Local baseball players scheduled to play include Cole Horch, Connor Butler, Cray Fite, Landon Scilley, Nathan Bisotti and Nick Mains of Mason County and Levi Ripato of St. Patrick. 

Mason County softball players scheduled to play include Kenzie Gulley, Reese Hardeman and Olivia Hughes.

Tickets are available online only at GoFan.

The Commonwealth Cup will run the Laurel Oaks Classic

The Commonwealth Cup is taking over the operation of the Laurel Oaks Classic, the annual 36-hole medal play tournament at Laurel Oaks Golf Course.

July 20 and 21 are the dates for the 32nd edition of the tournament. Jake O'Mara is the defending champion.

More information about this year's tournament is available on the flyer below.

South and Malott win Two-Man Scramble at KSGC

Brady South and Matt Malott won the Two-Man Scramble at Kenton Station Golf Course on Sunday with a 36-hole total of 27-under par 113.

South and Malott had rounds of 57 and 56.

Nathan Cracraft and Jake O'Mara finished second at 115. 

Brett Metzger and Deron Feldhaus took third place at 116.

Other flight winners include:

First Flight

Alex Harris and Brady Bush 121

Second Flight 

James McElroy and Colin McElroy 122

Third Flight

T1 David Cooney and Chris O'Hearn 136

T1 David Farrell and Steve Braun 136

T1 Tony Ring and Brad Hay 136

Fourth Flight

Jason Butler and Russ Young 139

Landon Scilley named Second Team All-State

Mason County shortstop/pitcher Landon Scilley has been named Second Team All-State by the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Scilley, who has committed to Liberty University, batted a team-high .400 for the 10th Region champions with six home runs and 34 RBI. He led the Royals in runs (44), doubles (9) and stolen bases (32 in 35 attempts).

His pitching record was 5-6 with a team-best earned run average of 2.44. He also led the pitching staff in starts (12), innings pitched (63) and strikeouts (103).

Mason County Lady Royals basketball coach Paula Buser resigns

Mason County girls' basketball coach Paula Buser has resigned after two seasons in her second stint as the Lady Royals' head coach.

Buser guided the Lady Royals to the 2A Section 6 championship and a 21-12 record this past season.

Buser, a member of Mason County's first girls' basketball team, coached the Lady Royals from 2000 to 2008. 

When she returned to the bench two years ago, she was Mason County's third coach in three seasons. 

With a record of 185-123 for the two stints she is the Lady Royals' second winningest coach.

Buffalo Trace Stampede is a week from today

The Buffalo Trace Stampede, a one-mile race in downtown Maysville, is a week from today.

The flyer below has the race details and registration information.

Royals fall to Lexington Catholic in state tournament

The Mason County Royals' remarkable postseason run came to end with a 6-0 loss to the Lexington Catholic Knights on Thursday night in the first round of the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Baseball Tournament at Legends Field in Lexington.

Lexington Catholic scored three runs in the first inning, two runs in the second inning and one run in the sixth inning on the way to its eighth straight victory.

Mason County threatened to score in the first two innings. Connor Butler led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple, and Cole Messer and Brady Mefford hit back-to-back singles in the second inning. 

After Cray Fite singled to center field in the third inning the next 13 Mason County batters were retired.

The Royals mounted one last threat with two outs in the seventh when Messer, Mefford and Micah Payne hit back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases, but Lexington Catholic pitcher Burkley Bounds finished off a complete game with his eighth strikeout.

Mason County starter Landon Scilley gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings. He struck out three and walked two.

Mefford allowed one run on three hits in two innings. He struck out two.

The Royals had a 10-11 record following a loss to Scott County on April 26.

After a runner-up finish in the district tournament, Mason County pulled off upset wins over Harrison County, George Rogers Clark and Bourbon County for just the second region championship in program history and the first since 1994.  

The Royals finished the season with a 20-16 record.

Another sucessful and record-breaking year for Mason County track and field

2024 has been another successful and record-breaking year for the Mason County indoor and outdoor track and field teams.

The outdoor season came to an end Friday with the Lady Royals taking fifth place and the Royals finishing tied for 18th place at the Class 2A state championships.

Coach Mark Kachler has compiled a list of more highlights for the teams:

• Three individual indoor track state champions
• One indoor relay state champion
• The Lady Royals girls were indoor state meet runners-up
• Four individual outdoor region champions
• Three outdoor relay region champions
• 27 outdoor state meet medalists
• 13 indoor school records broken
• Five school records broken
• Four outdoor school records established for new events during the trip to South Carolina
• Eight athletes earned All-State honors
• A still undetermined number of athletes earned Academic All-State honors

The awards banquet is scheduled on June 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Longtime basketball rivals will meet in the state baseball tournament

Several Mason County vs. Lexington Catholic basketball games over the years have been memorable contests and a few have been instant classics.

On Thursday night at 8:30 the two schools will meet in the first round of the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament at Legends Field in Lexington.

Lexington Catholic enters the tournament on an eight-game winning streak and has a 26-11 record.

The Knights have only given up 11 runs in their five postseason games. They shutout Great Crossing 4-0 in the 11th Region Tournament semifinals and blanked Franklin County 2-0 in the finals to earn their second straight trip to the state tournament.

Mason County (20-15) won its first region championship in 30 years by avenging regular season losses to Harrison County, George Rogers Clark and Bourbon County.

The Royals shutout Bourbon County 8-0 in the region finals.

Seven Mason County track and field athletes named to all-state teams

Seven Mason County track and field athletes received all-state honors from the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association based on state meet performance.

Ava Thompson (pole vault) and the boys' 4x800 meter relay team of Bryant Curtis, Ed Brannon, Peyton Ullery and Deshawn Overly were named First Team All-State.

Madison Howard (long jump) and Sarah Payne (pole vault and 200 meter dash) were named Second Team All-State.

Fuller and Warman are back-to-back champions of The Commonwealth Cup

Luke Fuller and Justin Warman won The Commonwealth Cup 2-man tournament at Laurel Oaks Golf Course for the second straight year on Sunday.

Fuller and Warman had a 36-hole total of 23-under 121. They shot a 60 on Saturday and a 61 on Sunday.

2022 champions Matt Epperson and Jeremy Martin, who began the final round with a one-shot lead, finished second at 21 under.

Tad Barton and Kevin Lawson took third place at 18 under.

The other flight winners include:

First Flight

T1 Randy Ross and Greg Seibel 137

T1 Rex Schalch and Matt Grayson 137

Second Flight

Austin Barta and Patrick England 137

Third Flight

Anthony Shirley and Tristan Mitchell 141

Fourth Flight

Tyler Sallie and Ryne Sallie 147

Fifth Flight

Stephen Prudente and Issac Sweet 158

Baseball state tournament bracket

The Clark's Pump-N-Shop Baseball State Tournament begins on Thursday at Legends Field in Lexington.

The first round games will be played on Thursday and Friday. The quarterfinals are set for Saturday.

The semifinals are scheduled on June 14 and the championship game is set for June 15.

Here is the bracket: