Class of 2023
Rodney Bedinghaus
Rodney Bedinghaus graduated from North College Hill in 1988. During his time there, he earned 9 varsity letters in football (3), basketball (2), and baseball (4). In football, he played as an Offensive Tackle and was named All-City in 1986 and 1987, All-Southwest Ohio in 1986 and 1987, and 1st Team All-State in 1987. He also participated in the East/West Senior All-Star Game in 1988. In basketball, he was part of the League and Sectional Champions team in 1988. In baseball, he played as a catcher and was part of the Sectional Champions team in 1988. After graduating, he played football at Urbana University on an athletic scholarship.
Mack Griffin
Mack Griffin graduated from North College Hill in 1990 and was awarded the "Yes 95" scholarship. In football, he was a 2nd team All-League player in 1989. In basketball, he was a 1st team All-League player in 1990 and received the Coaches Award that same year. Griffin was also nominated to the McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Team in 1990. He was part of the League, Sectional, District, and Regional Champion team in 1989, and the team made it to the State Runner-Up, Division III in the same year.
Brenda Hein Reilman
Brenda Hein Reilman graduated from North College Hill in 1979, where she played varsity tennis for four years, serving as the first singles player her senior year, earning team MVP honors in 1978. She was also a point guard for the varsity basketball team for three years and the junior varsity team for one, earning the team MVP award her senior year and being named to the HCSAA All-Star team. Additionally, she played left field for the varsity softball team for three years, earning the team MVP award in 1978 and 1979. Brenda was named Rookie of the Year in 1976, Athlete of the Year in 1978, and Senior Athlete of the Year in 1979.
Kim Hein Enderle
Kim Hein Enderle is a former athlete who graduated in 1980. During her high school years, she was an active member of the Girls Athletic Association (GAA) for four years and was its president from 1979 to 1980. She also played tennis for four years, being the 1st singles player in 1979. Kim also played basketball for four years, starting from her JV years up to varsity, and played shortstop in the softball team for four years as well. She received several awards during her high school career, including the Rookie of the Year in 1977, Athlete of the Year in 1979, Senior Athlete of the Year in 1980, and was also named MVP in softball in 1980.
Hank Henderson
Hank Henderson graduated from North College Hill High School in 1980, where he was the Senior Class President and a standout athlete. He earned a total of 11 varsity letters across four sports: football, basketball, baseball, and track. In football, he received Honorable Mention All-League National Division honors in 1977 and 1978, and All-League National Division honors in 1979, where he was named to the 1st Team All-League National Division Offense and Defense. Additionally, he received Honorable Mention All-City Defensive Player honors from the Cincinnati Enquirer and 1st Team All-City Offense Class AA-A honors from both the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post in 1979 and 1980, respectively. He was also awarded the Buddy LaRosa’s Sports Feature Award by Hank Zureich and was team captain. In basketball, he received Honorable Mention All-League National Division honors in 1980. After high school, he played football at Kent State University on an athletic scholarship.
LaTosha Johnson Bell
LaTosha Johnson Bell is a former athlete who graduated in 2003 and was awarded the Anthony Munoz Scholar Athlete that same year. In volleyball, she was a 1st Team All-League player in 2000, 2001, and 2002. She was also recognized as a 2nd Team SWOVBCA All-City player in 2002 and received an Honorable Mention for the SWOVBCA All-City and the Cincinnati Enquirer All-Star Division II-IV in 2000 and 2002, respectively. She was part of the league champion teams in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and contributed to the Sectional and District Championships in Division III in 2002. In basketball, she was a 1st Team All-League player in 2002 and received an Honorable Mention for the Cincinnati Enquirer All-Star in the same year. She had a career point of 1032 and was part of the Sectional, District, and Regional Championship team in Division III in 2003. Her team also reached the State Final Four in Division III with a 21-5 overall record in 2003.
Shamika Johnson Karikari
Shamika Johnson Karikari, a graduate of North College Hill in 2003, excelled in both volleyball and basketball during her high school career. In volleyball, she received 2nd Team All-League honors in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and was recognized as an Honorable Mention for SWOVBCA All-City and Cincinnati Enquirer Division II-IV in 2002. Her teams won League Championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002, and also achieved Sectional and District Championships in Division III in 2002. In basketball, Shamika received Honorable Mention from the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2002, and her team won Sectional, District, and Regional Championships in Division III in 2003, reaching the State Final Four with an impressive overall record of 21-5.
Jeff Riga
Jeff Riga, a graduate of 1986, was a star athlete at North College Hill. In golf, he played varsity for four years and was named to the 1st Team All-League in 1984 and 1985. Jeff was also a talented baseball player, playing shortstop for the JV team in 1983 and the varsity team from 1984-1986. During his time on the varsity team, he was named to the 1st Team All-League in 1985 and 1986. In 1986, he had an impressive season, leading the city in triples, ranking fourth in the city in batting average, and placing in the top 20 in the city for both RBIs and stolen bases. He hit three home runs in a single game and had 70 at-bats with only one strikeout.
Joanna Sears
Joanna Sears served as the Head Varsity Girls Basketball Coach at North College Hill for five seasons from 2000-2005. During her tenure, the team achieved an impressive overall record of 72-39 and a league record of 51-21. In 2003, under Sears' leadership, the team made history by becoming the Sectional, District, and Regional Champions in Division III and reaching the State Final Four. Sears was recognized for her outstanding coaching by being named the Cincinnati Enquirer Coach of the Year in Division III in 2003 and also received the Miami Valley Conference James Wright Award.
Tim Sies
During his time at North College Hill, Tim Sies served as the Head Varsity Wrestling Coach for 12 seasons from 2005 to 2017. Under his leadership, the team won 10 consecutive league championships from 2008 to 2017, as well as 19 team tournament championships. Sies also coached 74 individual league champions, two sectional champions, 30 district qualifiers, and three state qualifiers (in Folkstyle, Greco-Roman, and Freestyle wrestling). He received 10 consecutive League Coach of the Year awards from 2008 to 2017. Sies established the Everette Howard Memorial Wrestling Invitational and the NCH Middle School Wrestling Invitational, and was instrumental in establishing the NCH wrestling practice facility.
Ron Simmons
Ron Simmons graduated from North College Hill High School in 1968 and was a standout athlete, earning 12 varsity letters in football (4), basketball (4), and baseball (4). He started in three sports during his junior and senior years and was the Sports Pennant Runner-Up for most points in 1968. Simmons was part of the league championship teams in football (1967) and basketball (1968). After high school, he received a basketball scholarship to Sue Bennett College where he earned his A.A. in 1970. He then served in the United States Air Force from 1970 to 1974, where he was a captain on the Air Force All Interservice Basketball Team in Okinawa. Simmons returned to school and earned a B.S. in a double major and an M.S. from Eastern Kentucky University. He also completed coursework towards an Ed.D. from the University of Kentucky. Throughout his career, Simmons held various positions in the public and private sectors, including university professor, administrator, and executive. He was also a participant in Leadership Kentucky in 1986.
Valencia Stallings
Valencia Stallings graduated from high school in 2012 and was a star athlete in basketball, track and field, volleyball, softball, and Trojanettes. In basketball, she received several honors such as 2nd Team All-League (2010), 1st Team All-League (2011, 2012), 2nd Team All-City, Division III (2011), 1st Team All-City, Division III (2012), 2nd Team All-Southwest Ohio, Division III (2011), and 1st Team All-Southwest Ohio, Division III (2012). Stallings was also named the Player of the Year for the Miami Valley Conference, Gray Division in 2012. In addition, she led the league with 315 rebounds and 17 rebounds per game in 2012. She was awarded the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati High School "Female Athlete of the Year" in 2012. In track and field, Stallings was a part of the League Championship teams for 4x100 and 4x200 in 2011 and 2012, as well as a League Champion in the Long Jump in 2012. She was also a District Champion for 4x200 in 2011 and 2012 and a Regional Champion for 4x200 in 2012. Stallings was a State Champion for 4x200 in 2012. Additionally, she received 1st Team All-League honors for Volleyball in 2011 and 2nd Team All-League honors for Softball in 2009. After high school, Stallings played one season of Women's Basketball at Wilberforce University before transferring to Northern Kentucky University where she became the Captain of the Northern Kentucky University Dance Team.
David Thinnes
David Thinnes was a talented athlete who graduated from NCH in 1973 and earned 9 varsity letters in Golf (4), Basketball (3), and Football (2). He is also part of the Inaugural Class of 1986 NCH Hall of Fame with his father, Nelson C. Thinnes. David's success in golf earned him Honorable Mention All-League (1971), All-League (1972, 1973), and Honorable Mention All-City (1972, 1973). He was also named City Player of the Week in 1973 and held the #1 spot with a 39 stroke average from 1971-1973. As a basketball player, he was a point guard and earned Honorable Mention All-League in 1973. In football, he played as a quarterback and place kicker and was named All-League (1972), Honorable Mention All-City (1972), and City Player of the Week (1972). He also led the league in kick scoring and passed for the most yards in the city in 1972.
Ben Wapole
Ben Wapole graduated from NCH in 1996 and was the editor of the NCH Sports Express. He was responsible for sports reporting on NCH games, and also worked as a statistician for the football and boys basketball teams. Wapole was also the editor for the boys basketball preview and published game programs. In addition, he was instrumental in gathering information for the history of NCH Athletics. His work helped to document and preserve the rich history of sports at NCH for future generations.