Kathy Mahon Appiarius is a 1987 graduate and was a multi-sport athlete competing in soccer and basketball. As a soccer player, Kathy earned First Team All Conference, All City and Honorable Mention All State in the 1986-’87 season. She played a pivotal role in taking down No. 1 Finneytown in the second round of the Division III girls high school sectional, recording 10 saves to record her sixth shutout of the season. As a basketball player, Kathy led the Highlanders to a historic State Runner-Up season in 1986. During that season, Kathy received All Conference Honors and became a Metro County Conference All-Star. After Oak Hills, Kathy went on to play soccer for four years at Xavier University as a two-time team captain and helped lead the Musketeers to being ranked #20 in the NCAA. Today, she gives back to the Highlander Community as a teacher at Rapid Run Middle School.
Ashley Ruberg King is a 2002 graduate of Oak Hills and was standout three sport athlete. She was a 4-year varsity letter winner in Swimming, Cross Country, and Track and Field, as well as a soccer player for two years. As a Cross Country athlete, she was the first Oak Hills female to break the 19 minute in a 3.1 mile race and currently sits 3rd on the all-time record board. Ashley also placed 5th at the All-American Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships. Following High School, Ashley ran 4 years of Cross Country and Track for University of Louisville where she was team Captain for three of those years. She has a top 10 time on Louisville’s leader board in the 5k, 10k, and Steeplechase and was a member of National Honor Society of Collegiate Athletes. Ashley still runs competitively and has posted a 2:54 Marathon time, qualified for the Boston Marathon, and runs Ultra-Marathons. She won her first 50 miler with a time of 6:56:29. Ashley was also an assistant Cross Country coach for seven years at Oak Hills.
John Maher played three varsity sports, graduating in 1972. He was one of the first in school history to qualify for the state tournament in wrestling. John earned a varsity letter three years in track. In football, he was voted MVP his senior year by his teammates. John credits his great coaches at Oak Hills for guiding him to set goals and continue his education. After attending Middle Tennessee State University on a football scholarship, John settled in the Nashville, Tennessee area and taught and coached for ten years before beginning his second career as a home builder/developer. John Maher Builders has built thousands of homes and has land holdings suitable for thousands more. John and his company have won numerous awards throughout the years. The Nashville Business Journal honored John as one of the twenty five people that most influences business in Williamson County. In 2017, John received the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce Community Partner Award which illustrates his commitment to and impact on the city in which he builds. In May of 2018, John received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Oak Hills High School. Since athletics and education played such a large role in John's life, he has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to support charities, school projects, and provide scholarships to worthy recipients. As a thank you to Oak Hills and in recognition of his most influential coaches (Wil Rutenschroer and Frank Shaut), John donated $100,000 for the original artificial turf for the Rutenschroer/Maher Field and $100,000 for a future wrestling room to honor Coach Shaut. John has been married to his college sweetheart, Margie, for 42 years and is proud of his four children, Beth, Jennifer, Kathleen, and Jack.
Jeff Schroeder was a 2002 graduate of Oak Hills who starred as a football player and track and field athlete. During his high school career, Jeff left his mark on the Oak Hills record books. He was a part of the school record 4x100m team and still holds the school record for the 300m Hurdles and 110m High Hurdles. In 2001, he was the GMC champion in the 300m Hurdles and the 110m High Hurdles, with a winning time that is still a GMC record. In addition, he still holds the GMC Hurdle record with a time of 14.0 seconds. In 2002, he defended his crown by winning both races again and was named the GMC Track and Field athlete of the year. Jeff was district champion in the 110 High Hurdles, 300m Hurdles, and anchored the District winning 4x400m relay. Jeff finished 5th place at state in the High Hurdles in 2002, was named 1st team All-State and still holds the 20th fastest High Hurdle time in Cincinnati History. As a football player, Jeff was a 2 way starter on the only playoff team in school history. He was a team Captain his Senior year as well as 2nd-Team All-GMC. In 2002, Jeff had 14 receptions in a game against Colerain. Following High School, Jeff went on to play football for Miami University where he played 152 straight quarters spanning three seasons. Jeff was nicknamed “the bulldog” by teammate Ben Roethlisberger for his tenacious play as a receiver. Jeff was an integral member of Miami’s success in the early 2000's, including their 2003 MAC championship and was awarded their “Tip of the Spear Leader” award.
Steve Oliverio graduated from Oak Hills High School in 1980 where he played varsity soccer and baseball for the Highlanders. He was a large part of the 1980 state championship baseball team, going 8-0 in the playoffs and recording the final out of the state championship game. As of 2019, Steve still held the record for most innings pitched (161) and most career strikeouts (220). His high school ERA was 1.05 in 1979. Following High School, Steve attended Cumberland University and the University of South Alabama on a baseball scholarship. During his two seasons at South Alabama, Steve held an overall record of 23-7 on the mound. He also was named to the Sunbelt All-Conference team in 1982 and 1983 and earned All-American honors in 1983. He was drafted in 1983 by the Cincinnati Reds in the Amateur Entry Draft. He pitched for the Cincinnati Reds Organization from 1983-1988 before being traded to the Mariners and Astros in 1989. During his time in the Reds organization, he held an overall record of 47-36 with a 3.67 ERA. He helped lead the team to two Eastern League championships in 1985 and 86’ as well as regular season champs in 1987. Steve had two of his best seasons during these championship runs, boasting a record of 16-5 and 14-7 in 85’ and 87’ respectively He also served as a minor league pitching instructor for the Reds organization in Billings, Montana. As a coach, he was a part of the 1994 Pioneer League championship team. Upon retiring from baseball, Steve was an educator throughout Northern Kentucky for 19 years. He coached softball at Boone County High School and Ryle High School. He helped lead both teams to many championships and State appearances He also ran a private baseball academy, where he gave pitching and hitting instruction to youth players. Steve was married to his wife Patti for 32 years, and had two children, McKell and Seaver.
Justin Wilcox is a 1998 graduate of Oak Hills High School who starred as a wrestler. Beginning in 1995, Justin went to state four straight years, placing 5th in 1995, 5th in 1996, 2nd in 1997, and 3rd in 1998. He is the only Oak Hills wrestler to place at state 4 straight years. He was a 4-time conference champion, 3-time District Champion, and recorded 134 career wins. During his time at Oak Hills, he broke 15 school records, 10 of which still stand.Following high school, he wrestled for Division 1 EdinboroUniversity. During his freshman year, he was the 133-lb. conference champion and an NCAA qualifier. Justin most recently competed in Mixed Martial Arts, posting 14 career victories.
Justin Ray is a 2004 graduate and multi-sport student-athlete who competed in football and basketball. In football, Justin broke 13 career, single season, and single game school records as a quarterback including attempts, completions, yardage and completion percentage. From 2002-2003, he was a two-time All GMC quarterback and All GMC. He was also recognized as an All City punter and a two-time Team MVP. In the winter, Ray dominated the basketball court, earning all GMC honors twice, and first team All District and City. As a senior, Ray finished fourth in the conference in scoring and helped his team finish 7th in the City. Justin earned a scholarship to Christian Brothers University where he contributed to their first ever Season Championship, Conference Tourney Championship, and National Tourney birth. He went on to coach and find great success at Christian Brothers, Wright State, Mount St. Joseph and is the current head coach of Thomas More University.
