Name game: Distinguishing between Cincinnati high school athletes with similar monikers
What's in a name? How unique is a name?
With about 130 high schools in the Enquirer's coverage area, there are bound to be a few pairs of athletes who share or have very similar names.
This project started when I noticed Isabel O'Brien and Isabella O'Brien on two Kentucky volleyball rosters. The list originally included fall athletes but expanded as the winter and spring seasons unfolded.
The Enquirer can help differentiate between athletes who, whether they know each other or not, have similar names.
Maddy Brauch, Madi Brausch and Maya Brausch
Maddy is a multi-sport star at Beechwood. Last fall, she scored seven goals and had an assist for the soccer team. On the track, she helped the Tigers win the 2023 Class 1A team state championship. Brauch ran a leg of the state champion 4x200 and 4x400 meter relay teams, the runner-up 4x100 meter relay team, and took second in the open 400-meter dash.
Madi's running career at Wilmington has resulted in regional appearances on the track and the cross-country course. She has personal bests of 2:40.32 at 800 meters, 5:45.96 at 1,600 meters, 12:03.91 at 3,200 meters, and 20:01 on the cross-country course.
Maya was a key contributor for Ursuline's 2022 state championship volleyball team. In three years, she totaled 806 digs, 80 assists and 39 aces.
Sophia Bross, Addy Brus and Emma Prus
Bross, a junior outfielder on the Ursuline softball team, is hitting .286 with four stolen bases and one RBI this season. Her role is increasing with the Lions as she is already on pace to outpace her 2023 season.
Brus is committed to playing volleyball at Saint Louis University after an outstanding career at St. Ursula. In 2023, she earned Girls Greater Catholic League first team and Division I All-Ohio second team. As a senior, she posted 298 kills, 251 digs, 33 blocks, 19 aces and 18 assists.
Prus appeared in two games for the Madeira girls soccer team in 2023. She scored a goal in each game, wins over Finneytown and Deer Park.
Molly Creech and Morgan Creech
Molly was one of three St. Ursula volleyball players with over 200 kills, finishing the 2023 campaign with 247 terminations, 67 digs and 22 assists. She will be the Bulldogs' top returning hitter as both Addy Brus and Molly Dorger are graduating.
Morgan led the Badin girls soccer team with 15 goals and 40 points. The senior had four multi-goal games and recorded 10 assists on the season. For her career, she scored 21 goals and assisted on 11 more.
Molly Dornheggen and Lauren and Paige Dornheggen
Molly appeared in nine soccer games as a freshman at McNicholas. She scored eight goals and assisted on four more. The best performance of her freshman season saw her net two goals and dish an assist in a 6-1 win over Fenwick on Sept. 13. She also averaged 2.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on the basketball team.
Molly's cousins, Lauren and Paige, are senior twins at Turpin. On the basketball court, they combined to average 8.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game as the Spartans went 8-16. Paige was also the main goalkeeper on the soccer team last fall. She appeared in 15 games and finished the season with a 0.901 save percentage and held six opponents scoreless. Lauren played in 18 games as a defender and recorded her lone career goal against Milford on Sept. 5, 2023.
Ashley Fancher and Austin Fancher
Ashley, a keeper, has appeared in 33 games in two years for the Loveland soccer team. She has only allowed 16 goals and contributed to 10 shutouts in that span. This year, the Tigers finished with a 9-4-5 record and were fifth in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.
Austin set records as Reading's running back last fall. He led the Cincinnati Hills League with 1,660 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. In a Sept. 1 win over Summit Country Day, he entered his name in the OHSAA record books with 366 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Cash Harney and Eugene Harney
Cash Harney transferred from Beechwood to Covington Catholic and made an instant impact for the Colonels. On the football field, he made 44 tackles and led the team with five interceptions as the Colonels advanced to the Class 4A state championship. He also completed three passes for 22 yards and ran the ball 13 times for 150 yards and a touchdown. On the basketball court, he averaged 11.7 points and 2.9 rebounds as the Colonels finished the season as a Ninth Region semifinalist with a 26-6 record.
Eugene has been a standout football player and wrestler at Sycamore for two years. On the gridiron, he was second in the Greater Miami Conference with 1,251 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He also made 75 tackles as a linebacker, forced two fumbles and intercepted two passes. As a wrestler, Harney compiled an 84-8 record over the past two years. He won the 150-pound state championship in 2023 and the 157-pound state title in 2024. He is also a three-time GMC champion.
Clay Hayden and C.J. Hayden
Clay is one of the best quarterbacks in Kentucky. In his junior season at Beechwood, he was second in Class 2A and fourth in the state with 3,910 passing yards. He also threw 48 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Headed into his senior season, he has thrown 5,900 career yards and 71 touchdowns. The Tigers return most of their key players and will be a frontrunner to win the 2A state championship.
C.J. is a force on the football field for Indian Hill. He is committed to Iowa State as a preferred walk-on. He missed his senior season because of an injury but caught 25 passes for 364 yards and three touchdowns as a junior. Hayden returned to the basketball court as a senior and averaged 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Ava Hensley and Eva Hensley
Ava is a two-time All-GMC honoree as a center fielder for the Fairfield softball team. The junior, who is committed to Akron, has played three games so far this season and has a .455 batting average and on-base percentage. For her career, she is hitting .411 with 43 RBI, 22 doubles, 14 stolen bases, four triples and four home runs.
Eva is committed to Ohio University for cross country and track and field. The Oak Hills senior has run in the Division I cross country state meet every year of her high school career, finishing in the top 50 every year. She has also run at the track and field state meet in the 3,200 meters. Hensley recently ran a personal best of 2:24.75 in the 800 meters, and also has marks of 5:12.79 in the 1,600, 11:03.36 in the 3,200 meters, and 18:16.20 on the cross country course.
Trace Jallick and Luke Jileck
Jallick was one of the top receivers in the ECC, catching 120 passes for 1,267 yards and 12 touchdowns as Anderson advanced to the Division II state semifinals. On the hardwood, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game as the Raptors went 14-9.
Jilek played a key role on Turpin's football team. He ran the ball 28 times for 56 yards and caught 32 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns. He also handled punting duties while contributing to the Spartans' kickoff return team.
Vivian Momper and Lizzy Mumper
Momper has been a key contributor to Madeira's soccer team. As a junior, she appeared in nine games, scoring seven goals and distributing seven assists. In her three seasons with the varsity squad, she has 27 goals and 17 assists. She has also run in three indoor track and field state championship meets. On the outdoor circuit, she finished fifth in the 200-meter state championship as a freshman and has run on the 4x200 and 4x100 meter relay teams at the state meet.
Mumper, a sophomore at Roger Bacon, also plays soccer. Last fall, she appeared in 18 of the Spartans' 19 games, recording three goals and an assist. She was also the third-leading scorer for the lacrosse team as a freshman, tallying 15 goals, three assists and 13 draw controls. In the second game of this season, she tallied three goals and an assist in a win over Fairmont.
Isabel O’Brien and Isabella O’Brien
Isabel, a freshman on the Beechwood volleyball team, had 299 digs, 237 kills, 101 aces and 36 blocks last season as a young Tigers team went 25-13 and advanced to the Ninth Region tournament.
Isabella, a junior hitter for Walton-Verona, played all 91 sets for the 17-18 Bearcats. She contributed 302 digs, 198 kills, 82 aces and 18 blocks.
The Tigers swept the Bearcats on Sept. 26, 2023. Isabel had six kills, two digs and a block. Isabella countered with six kills, six digs, three aces and two blocks.
Jackson Smith and Jackson Smith
Smith has had quite the multi-sport career at Walton-Verona. On the track, he won the 2023 Class 1A 100- and 200-meter state titles and ran a leg of the winning 4x200-meter relay as the Bearcats won the boys team title. On the football field, he completed 20 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown and ran the ball 58 times for 375 yards and five touchdowns. Unfortunately, his senior season was cut short after just four games when he tore his ACL. Smith is committed to Indiana Wesleyan.
Another Jackson Smith was Lakota West's starting quarterback as a freshman. He started the first two games before the Firebirds moved to a three-man rotation. He appeared in seven games, totaling 199 yards and a touchdown.
E.J. Walker and E.J. Walker
Walker is a four-star basketball recruit at Lloyd Memorial. This season, he averaged 16.9 points and 11.1 rebounds for the 25-9 Juggernauts. For his varsity career, he has 1,322 points and 840 rebounds. He has 28 division I offers and is receiving heavy interest from the likes of Wisconsin, Purdue and South Carolina.
Another E.J. Walker was a kicker and punter for the Northwest football team. Last season he converted four of his five field goal attempts and 12 of his 15 point-after attempts. His longest career field goal was a 41-yarder against Ponitz on Oct. 6, 2023. As a punter, he placed 13 of his 46 kicks in 2023 inside the 20-yard line and established a new career-long of 54 yards.
Kai Woolfolk and Kai Workman
Woolfolk was a defensive leader for the Mason football team last fall. The senior linebacker led the Comets with 101 tackles, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Workman flourished as a sophomore on Ryle's football team. After not appearing in a game as a freshman, he recorded 51 tackles, a sack and two fumble recoveries for the 8-5 Raiders.
Do you have any other names to add? Email Brendan at bconnelly@gannett.com or send him a message on X @BConnellysports.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Common names among Cincinnati high school athletes in 2024
