Under-the-radar athletes

this is part of the Simmons superlatives - a recap of the top high school athletes in warren county chosen by jeffery simmons

One thing I've learned over the years doing these lists is that being underrated is sometimes harder than being great.

If you're the quarterback throwing for 4,000 yards, people notice. If you're dropping 40 points in a basketball game, people notice that too.

But every successful team has players who make everything work while rarely getting the headlines. Sometimes they're overshadowed by teammates. Sometimes they play positions where stats don't tell the whole story. Sometimes they're just so consistent that people start taking them for granted.

These are the athletes I don't think got enough credit during the 2025-26 school year.

1. Harmoni Kennerly, WCHS flag football/basketball

What I like most about Kennerly is that she doesn't search out the spotlight - She just does her job.

In basketball, she was rarely used early. But once she got more playing time, you could tell she was intent on doing something coaches absolutely love: making it hard not to play a kid.

Kennerly did it by boxing out, hitting the glass, setting picks and defending up. She wasn't worried about points. She was worried about helping her team win.

Then came flag football.

If most people think about the Lady Pioneers, they immediately think of Dorlia Haycox, Ariyanna Rippy or Maci McBride. But Kennerly was a huge reason Warren County's offense became so difficult to stop.

She was part of a three-headed monster on the outside with McBride and Allie Melton that absolutely decimated defenses. The problem for opponents was simple: all three receivers could hurt you.

You'd like to double-team somebody. But who?

Eventually teams had to leave Kennerly in one-on-one coverage and she made them pay to the tune of 855 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

Not bad for somebody who still feels under-the-radar.

2. Aubrey Oleksik, WCHS volleyball/basketball/softball

Can you be under-the-radar and also have every coach in the school wanting you on their roster? Apparently so.

Oleksik may not be the "star" in any sport, but she's the glue in almost every one she suits up for.

In volleyball, she developed into an all-district caliber player who could impact matches from the front row or the back row. In basketball, she became one of the players coach Kyle Turnham trusted most. In softball, she stepped into a difficult role in center field and immediately showed off the athleticism everybody at WCHS already knew she possessed.

The thing about players like Oleksik is they don't always lead teams in scoring - They just make every team they're on better. And coaches notice that stuff.

That's why every coach in the building would love to have her.

3. Noelle Bratcher, WCHS soccer

Let's do a quick exercise: Who was Warren County's second-leading scorer in soccer this year?

A lot of people would have to think about it. The answer is Noelle Bratcher.

And she wasn't just second as an afterthought - she was a prime-time performer (a PTPer for the Dick Vitale fans still out there). She scored nine goals and added seven assists while helping fuel one of the Lady Pioneers' best offensive seasons in recent memory.

She may not be a legendary goal scorer like the Toneys and Mullicans that made history in the Lady Pioneer uniform, but Bratcher is cut from the same cloth.

She's hyper competitive, ultra skilled and absolutely the type of player you can build a roster around.

The scary part? She's far from done writing her story on the pitch. I have a feeling a lot more people are going to know her name by this time next year.

4. Addison Steakley, WCHS basketball/soccer

I feel like Steakley has been on this list every year she's been in high school. At some point you'd think that would mean she'd no longer qualify as under-the-radar, but here we are.

Even while watching her in basketball this season, I constantly felt like people slept on how good of a shooter she is and how many different ways she impacts games.

Sure, she averaged over eight points per game and made six 3-pointers in a game. Sure, she earned all-defensive honors. But those things don't really explain why coaches love having her on the floor.

She's tough. She's reliable. She does all the little things right.

She's probably more heralded for her soccer ability, where she's already earned all-district recognition, but I've always thought her basketball game deserved more attention too.

She's just a super solid kid and every program needs kids like that.

5. Izzy Pitts, WCHS tennis

What is special about Pitts, to me, is that I think she'd be a really good player in just about any sport at the high school level. She just happened to choose tennis.

And then she got so good at it that she basically never loses anymore.

That's not meant as an exaggeration - Pitts helped lead one of the best girls tennis seasons Warren County has had in years, earning all-district honors while helping the Lady Pioneers capture a district championship and a district doubles title.

The thing about tennis players is they often don't get the same visibility as athletes in football, basketball or softball. Meanwhile, they're quietly dominating.

That's what Pitts did this year.

I don't know if she's underrated inside the tennis community. But county-wide? Absolutely.

And that's why she rounds out this list.