article NKY Power Rankings 8-31-17 - Sponsored by NKY Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

Thanks to Northern Kentucky Family & Cosmetic Dentistry -"Making Northern Kentucky Smile" for sponsoring our 2017 Northern Kentucky Power Rankings! We encourage everyone to patronize all of our sponsors, and you can visit Northern Kentucky Family & Cosmetic Dentistry at 2047 Centennial Boulevard in Independence, KY.

THE RANKINGS:

1) 5A Covington Catholic (2-0) – Cov Cath headed down I-75 on Friday to take on 3A Lex Cath (1-1), and showed that they have no intention of taking their foot off the gas this season. AJ Mayer was able to connect with seven different receivers for 164yds and 2TDs in the air, while RB Casey McGinness rushed 19 times for 161yds and 2TDs. The Colonels defense didn’t allow any scoring on Friday, with Lex Cath’s only points coming via a safety on an errant Cov Cath snap. Junior LB Jacob Shriver led the D with 10 tackles. Covington Catholic will play 6A Cooper (0-2) this Friday in the first ever football game played between the two schools.

2) 6A Simon Kenton (2-0) –Simon Kenton was also down in Lexington on Friday. The ‘Neers were taking on fellow 6A competitor Bryan Station (0-2), beating the Defenders 49-27. Simon Kenton has outscored Station by a combined 81 points over the last three games in the series. QB Matt Shearer threw for just shy of 200yds and 4TDs, and as strong a performance as that was, it was sophomore RB Austin Hammack’s 19 rushes for 228yds and 2 TDs that was the highlight of the game. The Pioneers will be heading to Hebron this Friday to play 6A Conner (1-0).

3) 6A Ryle (1-1) – In the third matchup of the week between a NKY and Lexington team, the Raiders got off to a rocky start, allowing 6A Henry Clay (0-2) to run up 21 unanswered points before coming back for a 34-28 win overtime. Mr. Kentucky contender Jake Chisholm carried much of Ryle’s offense, carrying 20 times for 268 yards and 4 TDs. The offense ended the game with a total 371 yards, with 100 of those gained on the ground. The Raider passing game remains a question, and will undoubtedly be something for Coach Englar and company to focus on in practice this week as they prepare for 6A Boone County (0-1) on Friday.

4) 1A Beechwood (1-0) – In their season opener against 2A Lloyd Memorial (0-1), the Tigers came out looking a little rusty after last year’s 1A championship season. Despite numerous penalties, and gameplay that was not quite as crisp and mechanized as we’re used to out of Beechwood, the Tigers still played hard and were able to head back to Ft. Mitchell with a 35-14 win over Lloyd. QB Brayden Burch connected 12 times for 160yds and 2 TDs passing. Logan Castleman caught for 70 of those yards and 1 TD, while adding 28 more yards rushing and 1 INTs on the defensive side of the ball. Beechwood had a total 4 interceptions on Friday. This week they will be playing 2A Somerset (1-1) on the road.

5) 5A Highlands (2-0) – Highlands welcomed 6A Campbell County (1-1) to Ft. Thomas on Friday, and despite trailing 14-7 at the half, the Birds were able to enjoy a 27-20 overtime win in their home opener. Opposite to Week 0, their offense was heavier on the passing game Friday, with QB Carl Schoellman hooking up 20 times for 174 yards. Junior Bailey Armstrong’s pick-6 to tie things up with less than 5 minutes in regulation that sparked Highlands’ opportunity to win it in OT. The Bluebirds have their hands full when they travel to Georgetown tonight to play 6A Scott County (2-0).

6) 6A Campbell County (1-1) – Close but no cigar. Despite never trailing the 5A Highlands Bluebirds (2-0) during regulation play on Friday, the Camels couldn’t hang on in overtime, losing 27-20 to the Birds. Campbell County offense outgained Highlands by over 150yds in the game, with Alex Dowds carrying 25 times for 169yds and 1 TD. The defense held Highlands to less than 50 yards rushing in the loss. Campbell Couny will host 2A Newport Central Catholic (2-0) this Friday.

7) 6A Conner (1-0) – Conner looked rough in their pre-season scrimmage against 1A Beechwood (1-0), and on Friday against 6A Boone County (0-1) they seemed to struggle for consistent strong play, battling to pull out a 21-13 win over the Rebels. The Cougar offense had 166yds in the air and a mere 8 pass completions, including 1 TD. Their other 199 offensive yards came on the ground. The defense had an impressive three players with tackle numbers in the double-digits, including LB Andrew Davis with a whopping 18 tackles. Conner hosts 6A Simon Kenton (2-0) this Friday.

8) Newport Central Catholic (2-0) – New Cath was noticeably absent from the pre-season power rankings. In Week 0, the Breds came out to prove their place by beating the 4A Scott Eagles 17-7 on the road. Junior QB Hunter Cain went 6-12 passing for 125 yds, while junior RB Kyle Kelly added on 16 yds and 1 TD rushing. On the defensive side, sophomore LB Daniel Craig wowed with 12 tackles, while Hunter Cain, Jason Decker, and Hezekiah Miller each added on another 9 tackles of their own. The Thoroughbreds will host 6A Cooper (0-1) this week for their home opener.

9) 4A Scott (1-1) – Scott showed up with a chip on their shoulders on Friday, ready to rebound from their loss to 2A Newport Central Catholic (2-0) in Week 0. They did so with a 42-27 victory over 5A Dixie Heights (0-2). Sophomore RB Quincy Perrin rushed for 211yds and 1TD in the game, while brother Nelson Perrin rushed for 49yds and 2 TDs. Safety Jared Kelsay contributed 14 tackles on the defensive side of things for the Eagles. Scott takes on 2A Holy Cross (0-2) this Saturday at Thomas More College.

10) 6A Cooper (0-2) – The Jag’s passing game struggled for a second week in a row, but when your rushing game is struggling equally as badly, your team is in for a bad night. A bad night is what it was for Cooper, who lost 29-7 to 2A Newport Central Catholic (2-0) on Friday. The Jaguar defense did what they could, holding New Cath to under 300 total yards offense, but the offense was not able to provide much of a help in the effort, only managing 180 total yards in the loss. Cooper will play 5A Covington Catholic (2-0) in Park Hills on Friday.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 2

5A Highlands vs. 6A Scott County

Highlands’ two victories thus far may not have been the prettiest wins in the program’s history, but they don’t have to be pretty, just as long as they’re another tic in the ‘W’ column. However, we’re going to get to see tonight just how far the Birds have come since last year’s disappointing 3-8 season when they head down to Georgetown to take on undefeated 6A Scott County at Toyota Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30.

TRENDING UP:

1A Bishop Brossart (2-0) – The Mustangs are off to a solid start once again, and have only allowed 1 TD in two games. They take on 1A Bellevue tonight at Bellevue’s Gilligan Stadium.

5A Covington Catholic (2-0) – The Colonels are firing on all cylinders heading into a Week 3 match against 6A Cooper, fresh off a 48-2 shellacking of 3A Lexington Catholic.

2A Newport Central Catholic (2-0) – Another week, another win over a team in a higher classification. New Cath takes on 6A Campbell County (1-1) Friday on the road.

TRENDING DOWN:

6A Cooper (0-2) – Things aren’t going well when a 6A team is losing to a 2A team, even if that 2A team is Newport Central Catholic. It looks to be another rough week when Cooper heads to 5A Cov Cath on Friday.

5A Dixie Heights (0-2) – Dixie definitely dropped this week after losing 42-27 to 4A Scott. The red Colonels will still be on the hunt for their first W when they head to Milford (OH) this Friday.

2A Holy Cross (0-2) – Holy Cross has allowed 107 points to be scored on them in two games, and has not yet posted over 150yds total offense in a game. Ouch. The Indians host 4A Scott this Saturday at Thomas More College.

KY PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

Andrew Davis (Conner) - Linebacker had 18 tackles against 6A Boone County.

Austin Haggard (Ludlow) - Defensive tackle had 16 tackles against 1A Bracken County.

Austin Hammack (Simon Kenton) - Soph. running back had 228 yards rushing & 2 TDs against 6A Bryan Station.

Dylan Groves (Carroll County) - Quarterback passed for 222 yards and 2 TDs against 3A Henry County.

Eric Atkins (Bellevue) - Quarterback passed for 293 yards and 6 TDs (tied for school record) against 1A Dayton.

Jared Kelsay (Scott) - Strong safety had 14 tackles against 5A Dixie Heights.

Justin Blackburn (Ludlow) - Quarterback/linebacker passed for 141 yards and 2 TDs, rushed for 176 yards and 2 TDs, had 9 tackles, and 1 interception against 1A Bracken County.

Tyler MacDonald (Bishop Brossart) - Quarterback passed for 222 yards and 2 TDs against 4A Holmes.