article Northern Kentucky Power Rankings: 08-29-18

1) 5A Covington Catholic (2-0) – The Colonels are 2-0, and extended their streak of running clock victories in Kentucky to fourteen with a 41-0 win on Friday over 6A Henry Clay (1-1). After Michael Mayer’s Week 0 defensive performance, we got to see what makes him a D1 tight end, with his team leading 79yds and 2 TDs on 6 pass receptions. QB Caleb Jacob finished the game with 10 completions on 13 attempts, good for 167yds passing and 3 TDs, and RB Casey McGinness was good for 136yds on the ground, with 1 TD. The Cov Cath defense allowed only 67 total yards of offense for the Blue Devils, who had netted negative rushing yard in the game. LB Jacob Shriver led the defense with 4 tackles, DB Duncan Summe had 1 INT, and DB Nick Koenig forced a fumble that was picked up by teammate Zach Coburn, who ran it in for a defensive TD. The Colonels take on 6A Cooper (1-1) this week on the road.

2) 6A Simon Kenton (2-0) – The Neers don’t appear to have their passing power from the 2017 season, but they were more than happy to make up for it with running strength on Friday, pounding out 407yds on the ground in their 37-20 win over 6A Bryan Station (0-2). QB Caleb Farfsing led the team in rushing with 196yds and carrying it in for 1 TD, while RB Austin Hammack was no slouch with 124yds rushing and a TD of his own. RB Jon Sergent had 46yds and 2 TDs, and the remaining Pioneer TD was provided by RB Quincy North, who had 27yds rushing. LB Clay Cogswell and DL JJ Courtney led the defensive attack with 10 tackles a piece, and the Simon Kenton D managed to tackle the Defenders an impressive 6 times for losses. The Pioneers have 6A Conner (1-0) this week at home.

3) 5A Highlands (2-0) – It was another check in the win column for the Bluebirds this week after they put up a commanding 34-7 win Friday night over 6A Campbell County (1-1). Highlands compiled over 300yds total offense in the game, with QB Grady Cramer going 17-29 with 179yds and 4 TDs passing, and RB Cooper Schwalback leading on the ground with 79yds and 20 more yards receiving. The remaining TD was scored by RB Joe Buten, who rushed for 56 yards in the game. The Birds defense was able to capitalized on Campbell County turnovers 6 times, with 3 fumble recoveries and 3 interceptions made by defensive backs Jacob Brass, Casey Greene, and Jason Noe. Highlands will be hosting 6A Scott County (2-0) this week.

4) 1A Beechwood (1-0) – Beechwood opened up their season with a big 42-8 win, beating 2A Lloyd (1-1) in Fort Mitchell on Friday. Tiger newcomer Cam Hergott’s premier was as advertised, with a very strong first performance at quarterback. The sophomore went 8-15 passing with 105yds and 2 TDs, and rushed for another 104yds and 1 TD. RB Logan Castleman had 170yds and 2 TDs rushing, while senior FB Tyler Donoho tacked on 21yds and another TD. The remaining touchdowns came on pass receptions from WR Josh Derry and WR Luke Bolger. The Beechwood offense put up a very impressive 504 total yards in the game, with 399 of those yards earned via rushing. Defensively, the Tigers only allowed the Juggs a total 181 total yards and a mere 8yds rushing. Beechwood has 2A Somerset (2-0) this

5) 6A Campbell County (1-1) – After a solid 34-3 win in Week 0, the Camels were left licking their wounds after a 34-7 loss to the 5A Highlands Bluebirds (2-0) on Friday. It would appear that the run game may be an issue for Campbell County, as the team has only netted 207 total rushing yards this season. They had 69yds total on the ground on Friday, while QB Andrew Helton managed to pass for 191yds and the Camels’ only TD on a reception by WR Nick Cartwright, who also led the team with 82yds receiving. Defensively, they allowed just shy of 350yds to the Birds, and DB Brady Singleton added an interception to highlight the Campbell County defensive showing. The Camels will have 2A Newport Central Catholic (1-1) this week in their second straight week of cross-county competition. Game will be played in Park Hills at Covington Catholic.

6) 6A Ryle (0-2) – Ryle hasn’t started things off the way they had hoped, losing a second game on Friday in a 50-34 loss to 3A Lexington Catholic (2-0). RB Kyle England led the Raider offense with 138yds on 14 carries, and 1 TD. Senior QB Jake Smith passed for 82yds and was intercepted twice, and junior QB Keegan Stanken was able to put up 133yds passing after going 4-4, including a touchdown to WR Brandon Soden. RBs Elijah Cusick and Max Inabnit also ran for Ryle TDs. Linebackers Luke Bradshaw and Jackson Saladin led the team in tackles with 8 each, and DB Morgan Rabe had a pick-6 for the Raiders. Ryle will head to Florence to play 6A Boone County (0-1) this week.

7) 6A Cooper (1-1) – After their 2017 season, Cooper has to feel good to have to have their first win of the season in after only two games. They did that by hosting 2A Newport Central Catholic (1-1) and sending the Breds home with a 42-36 loss. Friday was a big night for QB Jeremiah Lee, who passed for 168yds and 3 TDs, and then rushed for another 198yds and 2 TDs. Junior RB Anthony Witschey and senior WR Mikey Armour also had big performances for the Jags, with Witschey rushing for 101yds and 1 TD, and Armour contributing 149yds and 3 TDs receiving. Junior LB Ethan Bosway was the defensive standout for Cooper, tallying up 10 tackles in the game. DL Michael Attabary also had 2 sacks, while DB Joe Poage and LB Michael Spencer both had INTs for the Jags. Cooper will host 5A Covington Catholic (2-0) this Friday.

8) 6A Conner (1-0) – A win is a win. The Cougars didn’t start off their game as they might have liked to, trailing the 6A Boone County Rebels until about the halfway point of the 3rd quarter, but Conner fought it out and came home with a 34-13 win. Neither team has reported stats.

9) 2A Newport Central Catholic (1-1) – New Cath played hard on Friday, but it was obvious that they had changed a lot of plans in their game resulting from the absence of stud RB/LB Kyle Kelly following a Week 0 injury. The Breds ended up losing 42-36 to 6A Cooper (1-1). Without a doubt, the biggest positive coming out of the loss was New Cath’s ability to take some of the responsibility that often lies on Kelly’s legs, and move their offensive plan more to the air. The Thoroughbred offense had an impressive 346yds passing in the game, and a total 458yds of offense. Defensively, they were lacking their Mike linebacker, which ended up being the difference in the game as they just couldn’t quite stop Cooper when they needed to. Cooper ended up edging out the Breds with 58yrds more total offense, which ultimately ended up making the 6pt difference on the scoreboard. Newport Central Catholic hosts 6A Campbell County (1-1) at Covington Catholic on Friday.

10) 2A Walton-Verona (2-0) – The Bearcats are one of four teams in the NKY Power Rankings top ten to have opened up the season with a 2-0 record. This week Walton-Verona had a 21-12 win over 2A Kentucky Country Day (0-2). This week, once again, it was all about the running game, as the team had a total of 6 ball carriers combine for a total of 225yds rushing. RB Peyton Smith led the rushers with 69 yards, and also provided a 15yd TD reception. QB Garret Jones rushed for 51yds and 1 TD, and passed for 61yds and 2 TDs. The remaining TD came on a reception by TE Josh Walton. LB Grant Grubbs led the team on defense with 10 tackles and 1 sack, and sophomore DE Dawson Catlett had 7 tackles and 1 sack. For a second week in a row, the D held their competitors to under 200yds of total offense. Walton-Verona will head to Covington to take on 4A Holmes (0-1) this Friday.

TRENDING UP:

1A Bellevue (Previously Un-Ranked) – The Tigers, who remain un-ranked, lost in Week 0 to 1A Nicholas County, who is now 2-0 after beating 3A Pendleton County (1-1). Then Bellevue turned around after their 16 point loss to Nicholas County and routed 1A Dayton on Friday, beating the Green Devils 49-6.

4A Scott (Previously Un-Ranked) – The Eagles remain un-ranked, but rebounded from a Week 0 loss to 2A Newport Central Catholic by beating 5A Dixie Heights on Friday, 21-14.

6A Cooper (Previously #8) – Cooper didn’t get their first win until eight games in last year. It only took two games this year, with the Jags beating 2A Newport Central Catholic (1-1) on Friday, 42-36. Cooper moves up to #7 in the NKY Power Rankings.

TRENDING DOWN:

2A Newport Central Catholic (Previously #7) – The Breds fell two spots to #9 in the NKY Power Rankings after a 42-36 loss to 6A Cooper.

GAME OF THE WEEK RECAP: WEEK 1

5A Highlands vs. 6A Campbell County

The Birds got to flex some muscles again on Friday, beating 6A Campbell County 34-7 on the road. will host the Bluebirds on Friday in what looks to be one of the most exciting games in NKY this week. Both teams have a solid win under their belt, and will be fighting for bragging rights in Campbell County. QB Grady Cramer was the star of the game for Highlands, with his 17 passing completions, good for 179yds and 4 TDs.

Highlands had to come home happy, though, with a second straight 25+ point win, and solid performances out of numerous players. It’s looking like the Birds are getting close to their classic form.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 2

1A Beechwood vs. 2A Somerset

More often than not, the game of the week will feature two teams that are both from the NKY region…but this one is too tough to ignore. Two of the old-classic football teams in the state, and BGP has both teams currently ranked in the top 5 of their respective classes. The Beechwood Tigers (1-0) are ranked as the #1 team in 1A, and the Somerset Briar Jumpers (2-0) are headed up to Fort Mitchell currently ranked #5 in 2A. This oughta be a good one to watch!

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WEEK 1

RB/DB Will Ryan (1A Bellevue) – Will put on a clinic with the Bellevue Tigers offense this past Friday in Bellevue’s 49-6 win over 1A Dayton (0-2). Will rushed for an incredible 234 yards and 4 touchdowns, as well as catching one of the team’s three pass receptions for 10 yards, accounting for almost 60% of the Tigers’ total offensive performance.

Week 1 Takeaway:

-Conner drops behind Cooper after trailing to Boone County for 2-1/2 quarters on Friday. I'm not sure if the commentary there lies in Boone County improving, or Conner slipping further.

-New Cath is still good, but is badly hurting without Kyle Kelly.

-Football is gasping for air right now in Covington.

-I really want to see what Walton-Verona does against Paintsville. They look like they're decently good, but they need to up their schedule. Trimble County's 2018 football program cancellation appears to be the catalyst causing them to put move the Bearcats towards scheduling tougher teams.

-The margin between #2 and #3 in the NKY Power rankings is VERY slim. Looking at how things have gone thus far this season, I think we may well see that team from Fort Thomas beat the team win their football game on Sept. 21st.

-Football in Boone County perplexes me. As it stands, I think if Cooper or Conner or Ryle played one another right now, any one of the teams could beat any one of the others on any given day.

2 and 3 are in the wrong order. HHS with two convincing wins over 6A teams. SK 2 narrow wins over 2 bad teams.

NKY football is bad overall this year as a whole. At least so far.

NKY football is bad overall this year as a whole. At least so far.

Who have you seen play in NKY?

NKY football is bad overall this year as a whole. At least so far.

I agree

2 and 3 are in the wrong order. HHS with two convincing wins over 6A teams. SK 2 narrow wins over 2 bad teams.

HHS beat a bad Cooper team (which is actually a 5A team playing up in 6A), and they beat Campbell Co. It's tough to justify just how good or bad Campbell Co. is right now. They only have played two games, their loss to Highlands and their win over a really bad Dixie team. Dixie lost to Scott by 7, and Scott was spanked by NCC who turned around and lost to Cooper.

I agree that Simon Kenton's two wins aren't gold stars, but neither are Highlands' wins, by any means. We'll get to see Simon Kenton play both Cooper and Campbell Co. later in the season, and I forsee some Simon Kenton wins that are pretty similar to Highlands' wins against those two.

NKY football is bad overall this year as a whole. At least so far.

Pretty much the truth. Aside from Beechwood, CCH, HHS and maybe NCC (if they get Kelly back), I don't see any teams from NKY making it past the second round of the playoffs if they even make the playoffs at all.