BY MIKE MARSEE

Contributing writer

Nine Boyle County wrestlers advanced to the final round of the KHSAA State Wrestling Tournament after finishing eighth or better in their respective classes Saturday in a first-round tournament in Union.

Micah Thompson led the Rebels with a third-place finish in the 126-pound class of the first-round tournament at Ryle for state qualifiers from regions 5-8.

Thompson, a freshman, won two matches before a loss in the semifinals sent him to the consolation bracket. He won two more matches there, including a 15-11 decision over Seth Page of Ryle in the third-place match.

The Boyle wrestlers who advanced will compete in the state finals Friday and Saturday in Winchester.

Junior Dakota Phillips (106 pounds) and eighth-grader Kaygen Roberts (113) also reached the semifinals and went on to fourth-place finishes.

Jaimen Carey (150) and Jax Crowe (175) finished fifth; Ethan Masters (120), Jackson Burger (157) and Paul McClure (185) finished sixth; and Judah Carey (138) finished eighth.

Boyle swimmers place at state

Clark Coyle of Boyle County finished fifth in the boys 50-yard freestyle Saturday at the KHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships in Lexington.

Coyle, a freshman, set a school record with a time of 21.20 seconds in the final. He also finished seventh in the boys 100 freestyle with a time of 47.37.

Coyle teamed with Ethan Gover, Beau Bostick and Luke Hamon for a fifth-place finish in the boys 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:28.54, and the same foursome finished ninth in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:21.82.

The Boyle boys finished ninth in the team standings.

Hamon (52.73) finished 13th in the boys 100 butterfly Saturday, and the Boyle team of Kate Hoffman, Natalie Spencer, Abigail Heath and Hannah Bischoff (1:45.38) finished 15th in the 200 freestyle relay Friday.

All-region basketball team

Six area basketball players were voted to the 12th Region Boys Basketball Coaches Association all-region team.

They were among 14 players selected to the all-region team in balloting of the region’s coaches:

Danville — Owen Barnes; Boyle County — Jakei Tarter; Lincoln County — Tramane Alcorn, Colton Ralston; Garrard County — Ethan Cooper; Somerset — Ben Godby, Indred Whitaker; Pulaski County — Cayden Lancaster, Barek Williams; Southwestern — Eli Meece; Wayne County: Kendall Phillips; McCreary Central — Kyle Stephens; West Jessamine — Daniel Waters; Casey County — Ethan Willoughby.

Additionally, 13 area players were voted to the coaches association’s academic all-region team: Danville Christian — Grayson Domidion, Noah Meyer; Boyle County — Jack Little, Christian McGlone; Lincoln County — Colton Ralston; Casey County — Lukas Bowmer; Garrard County — Ethan Cooper; Casey County — Nate Goode, Ryan Hamm, Jax Price, Ethan Willoughby; Burgin — Landon Oaks, Burgin, Jacob Qualls.

Mercer’s Yeast honored

Timberlynn Yeast of Mercer County has been named a 12th Region Girls Basketball Co-Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches.

Yeast, who missed most of the season after suffering a knee injury just before the start of the season, shares the award with Ayden Smiddy of Southwestern in balloting of KABC member coaches in the region.

All regional winners are named finalists for Miss Basketball and are invited to tryouts for the Kentucky All-Star team.

Yeast, who surpassed the 2,000-point mark during her junior year, underwent surgery in December following her injury days before the Titans’ season opener. She made her season debut Thursday in Mercer’s regular-season finale and was allowed to reach the 1,000-rebound milestone in a win over Southwestern in which she had four points and four rebounds in 44 seconds.