article Northern Kentucky Power Rankings: 09-12-18

1) 5A Covington Catholic (4-0) – Cov Cath checked off a 19th straight win and a 4th win this season when they routed the OH-DII Kings Knights 42-9 on Friday. The running clock victory didn’t count towards the team’s in-state streak, but puts the Colonels at 4-4 on running clock wins this season. RB Casey McGinness put on show in the game, with 235 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs. QB Caleb Jacob went 11-16 passing for 204yds and 1 TD, and junior TE Michael Mayer led receiving with 5 receptions for 86yds. On the defensive side, LB Wyatt Schwartz, DE Grant Hemmer, DE Ross Halverstadt, and LB Michael Mayer each had 4 tackles. The Colonels will host 1A Beechwood (2-1) this week in their annual rivalry game against the Tigers.

2) 5A Highlands (3-1) – The Bluebirds are looking more and more like the Birds we’re accustomed to, and only moreso after their 40-3 win over 6A Ryle (1-3) on Friday. QB Grady Cramer passed for 153yds and 2 TDs in the victory, and RB Cooper Schwalbach led the rushing game for Highlands with 146yds and 2 TDs on 17 carries. WR Nate Roberts led the receiving corps with 4 receptions for 67yds and 1 TD, and WR Hunter Ahfeld had to receptions for 48yds and 1 TD. Kicker Nick Bowman added 2 field goals and 4 PATs good for 10 points. The Birds’ defense aided in the game with 2 forced fumbles by Mason Schwalbach and Nelson Bibb, along with 3 interceptions, including a 24 yard pick-6 by LB Jackson Hagedorn. Highlands will be headed south this week to take on 3A Lexington Catholic (4-0) in Lexington.

3) 6A Simon Kenton (4-0) – The ‘Neers improved to 4-0 on Friday with a 55-20 win over 5A Dixie Heights (0-4). The offense had an impressive 323 total rushing yards, with FB Jon Sergent carrying 9 times for 126yds and 2 TDs, RB Austin Hammack with 68yds, QB Caleb Farfsing with 59yds and 2 TDs, RB Kamron Anderson with 2 carries for 50yds, and RB Gunner Fisher with 8yds and 1 TD. Caleb Farfsing was 5-8 passing for 112yds and 1 TD completion on a 78yd pass to WR Erik Brown. LB Clay Cogswell led the Pioneer D with 9 tackles, while defensive linemen JJ Courtney & Vuk Sajlovic each adding 7 tackles a piece. Simon Kenton will host the 6A Cooper Jaguars (1-3) on Friday.

4) 1A Beechwood (2-1) – The Tigers had a big road game on Friday, but ended up coming up short, returning to Fort Mitchell with a 21-14 loss to the 3A Corbin Redhounds (4-0). Beechwood was held the least offensive yards in 15 games, with a total 181yds in the game: 36yds rushing, and 145yds passing. QB Cam Hergott was 10-19 passing for 145yds and 2 TDs. RB/WR Logan Castleman rushed for 25yds, and had 42yds and 1 TD receiving, while WR John Odom had 1 for a 40yd TD. DL Duncan Baugh had one sack on the defensive side of the ball, and LB Josh Derry had another sack. Cornerbacks John Odom and John Odom each had an interception as well. Beechwood will be headed to Park Hills this week to take on 5A Covington Catholic (4-0).

5) 6A Campbell County (3-1) – The Camels are writing up their game on Friday under “a win’s a win” after squeaking out a 21-20 win over 6A Cooper (1-3). Campbell County trailed the Jags for most of the game, and pulled off the win with a 1yd TD run by RB Grant Jolly as time expired in the game. QB Andrew Helton was 17-23 passing for 173yds, and he also had 72yds rushing for 1 TD. RB Grant Jolly had 71yds rushing for 2 TDs, while WR Reid Jolly led the receiving corps with 121yds on 10 receptions. Kicker Peyton Anderson added 4 points on 1 field goal and 1 PAT. Defensively, the Camels held Cooper to 234 total offensive yards. Campbell County will face 6A Ryle (3-1) this week at Ryle.

6) 6A Conner (2-1) – The Cougars hosted the 4A Scott Eagles (2-2) on Friday, and sent the Eagles home with a 27-0 shutout loss. Friday night was all about the running game for Conner, with only 3 pass attempts by starting backup QB Garret Coghlan and 1 reception for 0yds gained. Senior RB Christian Webster rushed 23 times for 174yds and 1 TD, while Garret Coghlan ran the ball 14 times for 147yds and 2 TDs. The Cougars totaled 350 total offensive yards in the game, all tallied on the ground. LB Zane Cahill led the D with 10 tackles, while LB Tyler Thompson had 9 tackles, and DBs Ayden Camp & Tate Niederman each had 7 tackle a piece. Conner will host 5A Dixie Heights (0-4) this week.

7) 6A Ryle (1-3) – After getting their first win of the season on September 1st against 6A Boone County (1-2), the Raiders were back on the losing side this past Friday, with a 40-3 loss to 5A Highlands (3-1). Ryle’s offense was held to less fewer than 100 total yards in the game, with 13yds rushing, and 69yds passing. The Raiders’ only points in the game came via a 44yd Mason Molique field goal in the 2nd quarter. Ryle will head to Claryville on Friday to take on 6A Campbell County (3-1).

8) 6A Cooper (1-3) – The Jaguars came out strong on Friday, leading from the 2nd quarter through the final second of the game when 6A Campbell County (3-1) ran in a TD as time expired to beat the Jags 21-20. The turning point of the game came when QB Jeremiah Lee left the game in the 3rd quarter with an injury while the Jaguars were leading 14-7. Lee was 7-9 passing for 113yds and 1 TD, and Mikey Armour was 2-2 passing for 51yds and 1 TD. Amour also rushed for 31yds and had 72yds receiving for 1 TD. Jayden Maynard was also good for 53yds and 1 TD on 2 receptions. The remaining Cooper TD came on a 98yd kick return by Jeremiah Lee. LB Ethan Bosway led the defense with 14 tackles, and LB Michael Spencer had 11 tackles. Cooper faces 6A Simon Kenton (4-0) this week on the road.

9) 2A Walton-Verona (4-0) – The Bearcats came out hard on Friday, putting up 35 points in the first quarter of their game against 1A Covington Holy Cross (0-4), before going on to beat the Indians 48-0. Remaining a bit apprehensive with the passing game, QB Garret Jones was 3-4 passing for 50yds and 2 TDs. RB Peyton Smith led the running game with 119yds and 2 TDs, FB Micah Alford rushed for 86yds and 1 TD, RB Tyler Schrader rushed for 55yds and 1 TD, and RB Dawson Catlett ran for 13yds and 1 TD. Tyler Schrader also had a 22yd reception for a TD, and WR Kameron Pardee had a 21yd reception for a TD. Grant Grubbs led the defense from linebacker with an interception and 8 tackles, including a sack. Walton-Verona will host 2A Lexington Christian (2-2) this week.

10) 2A Newport Central Catholic (1-3) – The Breds dropped their third straight game on Friday, losing 42-12 to the 3A Belfry Pirates (2-1). Belfry scored at will for most of the first half, with touchdowns on each of their first three offensive plays, and leading New Cath 35-6 only seconds into the 2nd quarter. The Breds only tallied 164 total offensive yards in the game, compared to Belfry’s 360 total yards on offense. No further stats have been posted by New Cath, but they will be face another tough road trip this week when they head to Louisville to take on 2A Christian Academy - Louisville (4-0) on Friday.

TRENDING UP:

1A Ludlow (Previously Un-Ranked) – The Panthers remain un-ranked, but they 3-0 for a second straight year after winning two straight shutouts, the latest with a 56-0 win over 2A Gallatin County (0-4). Ludlow has outscored their opponents 132-14 thus far this season.

2A Walton-Verona (Previously #10) – The Bearcats moved up to #9 in the NKY Power Rankings after beating 2A Covington Holy Cross (0-4) with a 48-0 shutout win.

5A Highlands (Previously #3) – The Bluebirds moved up to #2 in the NKY Power Rankings after beating 6A Cooper (1-4) in a 40-3 running-clock win.

TRENDING DOWN:

2A Newport Central Catholic (Previously #9) – The Thoroughbreds fell to #10 in the NKY Power Rankings after losing big to 3A Belfry (2-1). The 42-12 route was a third straight loss for the Breds.

4A Scott (Previously Un-Ranked) – After beginning 2018 at #10 in the pre-season edition of the NKY Power Rankings, the Eagles have struggled to play consistently, with a 2-2 record thus far on the season, and a 27-0 loss last Friday to 6A Conner (2-1).

6A Ryle (Previously #6) – The Raiders dropped to #7 in the NKY Power Rankings after losing 40-3 to 5A Highlands (3-1). Ryle only had 82 total yards of offense in the loss.

GAME OF THE WEEK RECAP: WEEK 3

5A Highlands vs. 6A Ryle

For a game of the week, this one didn’t end up making for much of game. The Birds dominated this one on Friday, beating the Raiders 40-3 in Union. You need only look at the offensive stats to see how this one went: Highlands with 344 total yards of offense, and Ryle with 82 total yards of offense.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 4

1A Beechwood vs. 5A Covington Catholic

Not only is this a rivalry game between Beechwood and Covington Catholic, but it is also a game played between two teams currently ranked #1 in their respective classes. The Colonels are come into the game 4-0 this season, while the Tigers are coming in 2-1 after a loss to 3A Corbin (4-0), who is currently ranked #2 in the 3A Class. Regardless of the anticipated outcome, this looks to be a great game played between two of the premiere 2018 teams in Kentucky high school football.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WEEK 3

RB Casey McGinness (5A Covington Catholic) – Casey led the Colonels offense this past Friday in a 42-9 win over OH-DII Kings (2-1). McGinness had 10 carries for 159 rushing yards and 3 TDs, plus 2 receptions for 44 receiving yards and 1 TD, and 32 yards on returns for a total 235 all-purpose yards and 4 TDs. His performance even gained the attention of USA Today, who currently has him placed in voting contention for their weekly Super 25 Top Star award.

Takeaway:

- Lots of teams that are tough to figure out thus far. Injuries and inconsistency.

- Not sure if the outcome of the Campbell County vs. Cooper game says more about exposed weaknesses on Campbell County's part, or improvements on Coopers part.

- Jeremiah Lee was kind of Mr. Everything for the Jags. Some people have been questioning the decision to have him playing as much as he has outside of QB. Not sure how the injury happened that took him out of the game on Friday, but if he's not back soon, things aren't looking so great for the Cooper offense.

- The first half of New Cath's season has been a real doozy for the last couple of years. Not sure if that's paying off or not.

- The Walton-Verona schedule the last few years seems hasn't seemed to pay off for the team come playoff time. It's hard not to put them ahead of New Cath based on their respective records this season, but I think it's really a toss up at this point guessing which team would win if they played head-to-head. I'm glad happenstance has WV pitted against Paintsville on the 28th. That should be a much more solid regular season challenge for the Bearcats, and will tell us a lot about them. Sure seems like they need to find a passing game if they want to go anywhere in the playoffs.

- I'm inclined to think that Highlands is bound to be the team that snaps Cov Cath's streak of running clock wins in Kentucky.

- We're a third of the way into the regular season, and three teams with losing records still make the Top 10 in NKY football. That tells me that NKY football is down this year.

- Scott. Are they any good or not? Who knows at this point.

- For a second year in a row, Ludlow is doing the most with the least in NKY. Lloyd is close behind them.

Cracking up! SK loses a spot for blowing out a team? Highlands can be #2 if they beat SK next week. No respect!

Cracking up! SK loses a spot for blowing out a team? Highlands can be #2 if they beat SK next week. No respect!

Simon Kenton and Highlands both blew out teams last week. Simon Kenton beat 5A Dixie Heights, who is 0-4 and has game scores that combine to 51-160, making an average score of 13-40. Highlands beat 6A Ryle, who is 1-3 and has game scores that combine to 85-143, making an average score of 21-36. That means Ryle has both averaged higher scores on offense than Dixie has, and they've held their opponents to fewer points on average than Dixie has.

I fully expected your objection, trust me. But believe me, I didn't make the call out of disrespect. I'm not going to put a 3-1 team over a 4-0 team without first considering some real evidence for doing so. What's your counter to the facts in the paragraph above this one?

I'll readily acknowledge that Simon Kenton has the potential to beat Highlands, and they may well do so. But at this point I think the Birds have a leg up on the Pioneers. I may be wrong, and if I am, I'll gladly acknowledge that I made the wrong call here after Simon Kenton beats Highlands. In the meantime, I have Highlands ranked over Simon Kenton.

- We're a third of the way into the regular season, and three teams with losing records still make the Top 10 in NKY football. That tells me that NKY football is down this year.

I think more teams in northern Kentucky don't have winning seasons than teams that do.

Boone County 1-2

Carroll County 1-3

Cooper 1-3

Dayton 0-3

Dixie 0-4

Gallatin County 0-4

Grant County 0-1

Holmes 0-3

Holy Cross 0-4

New Cath 1-3

Owen County 0-3

Pendleton County 2-2

Ryle 1-3

Scott 2-2

@Colonels_Wear_Blue, are CovCath's 19 straight wins a school record?

@Colonels_Wear_Blue, are CovCath's 19 straight wins a school record?

I believe so. I don't have all the records handy, but last season was their first undefeated season in program history.

They lost their first game in 1994, so the streak leading to the 1993 state championship ended in the state finals.

They lost their first game in 1995, so the streak leading to the 1994 state championship ended in the state finals.

They lost the 3rd game of the season in 1998, and they lost to Moeller, Beechwood, and Highlands in the 1997 regular season prior to winning the state championship, so that streak wouldn't have been any more than 7 or 8 games, I think.

They lost their first 3 games in 2007, so the streak leading to the 2006 state championship ended in the state finals.

As for the win/loss records following the state championships in 1987 and 1988, I couldn't say for sure, but if memory serves, @colonel-fan might have those somewhere.

19 in a row is the record.

The previous record was 16 in a row. The final 14 games in 1987 and the first two games in 1988.

19 in a row is the record.

 

The previous record was 16 in a row. The final 14 games in 1987 and the first two games in 1988.

There it is. Thanks.

Congratulations to CovCath!

Takeaway:

 

- Lots of teams that are tough to figure out thus far. Injuries and inconsistency.

 

- Not sure if the outcome of the Campbell County vs. Cooper game says more about exposed weaknesses on Campbell County's part, or improvements on Coopers part.

 

- Jeremiah Lee was kind of Mr. Everything for the Jags. Some people have been questioning the decision to have him playing as much as he has outside of QB. Not sure how the injury happened that took him out of the game on Friday, but if he's not back soon, things aren't looking so great for the Cooper offense.

 

- The first half of New Cath's season has been a real doozy for the last couple of years. Not sure if that's paying off or not.

 

- The Walton-Verona schedule the last few years seems hasn't seemed to pay off for the team come playoff time. It's hard not to put them ahead of New Cath based on their respective records this season, but I think it's really a toss up at this point guessing which team would win if they played head-to-head. I'm glad happenstance has WV pitted against Paintsville on the 28th. That should be a much more solid regular season challenge for the Bearcats, and will tell us a lot about them. Sure seems like they need to find a passing game if they want to go anywhere in the playoffs.

 

- I'm inclined to think that Highlands is bound to be the team that snaps Cov Cath's streak of running clock wins in Kentucky.

 

- We're a third of the way into the regular season, and three teams with losing records still make the Top 10 in NKY football. That tells me that NKY football is down this year.

 

- Scott. Are they any good or not? Who knows at this point.

 

- For a second year in a row, Ludlow is doing the most with the least in NKY. Lloyd is close behind them.

These are all accurate and fair assessments. It's not a stretch to say that NKY as a whole is down this year. The interesting things I'll be looking for over the next 2-3 weeks:

1. We'll know a little more about Highlands after they take on Lex Cath and SK.

2. We'll know a little more about SK after they take on Highlands and Beechwood.

3. Is Campbell County a pretender or contender? The Ryle game should tell a lot.

4. The road doesn't get any easier for New Cath. Can they play well enough to compete/win against Louisville Christian Academy and Conner or will the season slip away?

5. Will Ryle come out swinging against Campbell County? If not, their next W may not come for a while.

6. How serious are the injuries at Cooper and what does that mean for the progress of the team?

Cracking up! SK loses a spot for blowing out a team? Highlands can be #2 if they beat SK next week. No respect!

So, @CollegefootballGuy69 ...what do you have to say? Was my ranking really a product of no respect, or was it a product of sound critical thinking?

Highlands 38 Simon Kenton 9

So, @CollegefootballGuy69 ...what do you have to say? Was my ranking really a product of no respect, or was it a product of sound critical thinking?

 

Highlands 38 Simon Kenton 9

SK should have been #2 and now that Highlands beat them they can take the spot.

SK should have been #2 and now that Highlands beat them they can take the spot.

...except that's not how it works.

The entire point of power rankings is that I'm making rankings/projections based upon which teams I think would beat which other teams if they played at that particular point in time. I say that had Highlands played Simon Kenton on September 12th, that Highlands would have beaten Simon Kenton. That was the entire purpose of the exercise.

So are you saying that had Highlands and Simon Kenton played on September 12th, that you think Simon Kenton would have won? (And then Simon Kenton would have turned around 10 days later and lost to Highlands by 31 points.)

I want to understand your logic. Try to explain to me your position as if I was a 5 year old.

...except that's not how it works.

 

The entire point of power rankings is that I'm making rankings/projections based upon which teams I think would beat which other teams if they played at that particular point in time. I say that had Highlands played Simon Kenton on September 12th, that Highlands would have beaten Simon Kenton. That was the entire purpose of the power rankings.

 

So are you saying that had Highlands and Simon Kenton played on September 12th, that you think Simon Kenton would have won? (And then Simon Kenton would have turned around 10 days later and lost to Highlands by 31 points.)

 

I want to understand your logic. Try to explain to me your position as if I was a 5 year old.

Tonight SK had 5 starters go down with an injury they played part of the 2nd half with a Freshman qb. Turnovers killed them also. They put up more yards than Highlands. Things just didn't go their way. When that happens you lose. Highlands has some big receivers and some good football players.