article Northern Kentucky Power Rankings: 10-03-18

1) 5A Covington Catholic (6-0) – No action this week. The Colonels face IN-3A Bishop Chatard (6-1) in Indianapolis this Friday.

2) 5A Highlands (5-1) – No action this week. The Bluebirds will take on 5A Dixie Heights (0-7) in Edgewood this Thursday.

3) 1A Beechwood (4-2) – Beechwood looks to have sloughed off their two losses by quickly putting together two wins in a row, the latest being a 28-21 victory over 6A Simon Kenton (5-2). QB Cam Hergott led the offense on Friday night, going 13-24 passing for 178yds and 2 TDs, and rushing for another 71yds. RB Logan Castleman was also a standout in the game with 24 carries for 220yds and 2 TDs, as well as 47yds and 1 TD receiving. The remaining touchdown came on a 29yd connection from Hergott to WR Jacob Sherron. The Tigers’ defense was able to find the Pioneers’ quarterback 3 times for sacks, in addition to intercepting him 3 times. Beechwood will host 1A Bellevue (4-2) this Friday.

4) 6A Simon Kenton (5-2) – The ‘Neers have now dropped two straight games, with their latest defeat coming via a 28-21 loss at the hands of 1A Beechwood (4-2). QB Caleb Farfsing was back following an injury in the Highlands game the week before, and was 14-27 passing for 232yds and 3 TDs in addition to rushing for 111yds. RB Jon Sergent rushed 15 times for 44yds and 1 TD. Receivers Alec Kaiser and Erik Brown both had receiving touchdowns for the offense. Linebacker Byrson Pernell led the defense with 11 tackles, including 2 for losses, and the Pioneers D was able to tally 4 sacks and 2 interceptions in the game. Simon Kenton will host 6A Boone County (2-4) this week.

5) 6A Campbell County (4-2) – Campbell County suffered their second loss of the season on Friday, losing 28-20 to the OH-III Mt. Healthy Owls (3-3) at Mt. Healthy. QB Andrew Helton had 19 completions for 218yds and 2 TDs, and also led the Camel rushing attack with 42yds and 1 TD. Reid Jolly was Helton’s favorite receiver in the game, with 11 receptions good for 157yds and 1 TD. WR Nick Cartwright also had 1 reception in the game, good for a 15yd TD. No defensive stats were reported for the game. Campbell County will play 6A Conner (5-1) this week at home in Claryville.

6) 6A Conner (5-1) – Despite facing a 3 point deficit at halftime, the Cougars pulled out their fifth win of the season by beating 1A Lloyd (4-2) with a final score of 34-22. Sticking with their very run-centric offensive plan, WR Emmanuel Merkel made Conner’s single reception in the game, good for 38yds. QB Garrett Coghlan led the team in rushing with 170yds and 3 TDs on 20 carries. RB Christian Webster also had 124yds and 1 TD in the game. LB Clayton Boyd led the defense with 13 tackles, including 1 sack. DL Kurt Chase also had a sack, and DBs Colton Roy & Emmanuel Merkel both had interceptions in the game, with Merkel returning his INT for a Cougar touchdown. Conner will take on 6A Campbell County (4-2) on Friday at Campbell County.

7) 6A Ryle (1-5) – The Raiders returned from their bye week on Friday by heading up to Indianapolis to play IN-5A Indianapolis Cathedral (4-3), but were sent home with a 42-20 loss. The Ryle offense stalled in the game, only putting together 150 total yards. QB Jake Smith was 8-19 passing for 55yds and 1 TD. The passing TD came on an 11 yard connection with WR Tyler Phillips. Jake Smith and RBs Jake England, Max Inabnit, and Elijah Cusick combined for 95yds rushing. DB Dylan Green led the defense with 11 tackles, and LB Jackson Saladin also had 10 tackles, including 1 sack. DB Ryan Planck had an interception for the Raiders. Ryle will host 6A Cooper (2-4) on Friday.

8) 6A Cooper (2-4) – The Jaguars notched their second victory of the season with a 20-16 win over 5A Dixie Heights Colonels (0-7) on Friday. Even with starting QB Jeremiah Lee sidelined with an injury, Mikey Armour and Ty Conner were able to stand in and combine for 88yds passing and 1 TD on a Armour to Michael Spencer reception. RB Anthony Witschey carried 23 times for 113yds, QB Mikey Armour rushed for 68yds and 1 TD, and RB Joe Poage rushed for 41yds and 1 TD. In addition to his touchdown catch, Michael Spencer also led the defense from LB with 11 tackles, and LB Ethan Bosway had 7 tackles, including a sack. Joe Poage had an interception from DB. Cooper will play 6A Ryle (1-5) on Friday at Ryle.

9) 2A Walton-Verona (4-2) – The Bearcats faced a tough competitor on Friday in the 1A Paintsville Tigers (5-2), and came up short with a 27-15 loss. Walton-Verona jumped out to a quick lead, going up 13-0 in the first quarter, but the offense stalled out after that, and the only remaining points for the Bearcats came on a safety in the last minute of the 4th quarter. No further stats have been reported.

10) Lloyd Memorial (4-2) – Lloyd had their second loss of the season on Friday when they lost 34-22 to 6A Conner (5-1). The Juggs were looking strong in the first half, taking a quick lead and heading into the locker room at the half with a 16-13 lead, but fell short in the second half. Lloyd’s offense had 38yds passing and 148yds rushing for a total 186 offensive yards in the game. No further offensive stats have been reported. DB Darian Jackson had 11 tackles for the defense, DB Nathan Jarvis had 10 tackles, and DB Johnathon Williams had 8 tackles. Lloyd will play 2A Newport (4-2) on Friday in Erlanger.

TRENDING UP:

1A Beechwood (Previously #4) – The Tigers overtook the #3 spot in the NKY Power Rankings with a 28-21 win over the #4 team, 6A Simon Kenton (5-2).

2A Newport (Previously Un-Ranked) – The Wildcats improved to 5-2 on the season with a 35-25 win over 1A Bellevue (3-2). Newport has more wins this season than they have had in their past three seasons combined.

TRENDING DOWN:

6A Simon-Kenton (Previously #3) – The ‘Neers dropped their 2nd straight game with a 28-21 loss to 1A Beechwood (4-2).

GAME OF THE WEEK RECAP: WEEK 6

2A Walton-Verona vs. 1A Paintsville

There have been some questions about strength of schedule for Walton-Verona in recent seasons while the Bearcats have enjoyed good success during the regular season, but have had early exits from the 2A playoffs. After Trimble County cancelled their season, Walton-Verona scrambled to fill the opening with their schedule by adding a game against 1A Paintsville (5-2). Paintsville is a traditional power in the 1A class, and proved their strength with a 27-15 win over the Bearcats, despite Walton-Verona taking an early 2 touchdown lead in the 1st quarter of the game.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 7

6A Cooper vs. 6A Ryle

Both teams have been facing their fair share of struggles in the 2018 season, Ryle with only 1 win and Cooper with 2. All the same, these two teams are going to be battling it out for the sake of pride in Union this Friday.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WEEK 6

RB Logan Castleman (1A Beechwood) – Logan had a stellar game on Friday to help the Beechwood Tigers beat 6A Simon Kenton on Friday. He had 24 carries for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns, and 47 yards receiving good for 1 more touchdown. He also added in 1 interception on the defensive side of things.

With exception of Ryle being worse than I expected, this is pretty much how I thought NKY would look at the start of the year.

I think my comment from last week still fits.

With exception of Ryle being worse than I expected, this is pretty much how I thought NKY would look at the start of the year.

Likewise.

I don’t think many thought Highlands would be at 2. The original general thought was Cov Cath, SK, Ryle, Beechwood right?

I don’t think many thought Highlands would be at 2. The original general thought was Cov Cath, SK, Ryle, Beechwood right?

Maybe true for those not close to HHS. I think most who know this crop of Juniors and Seniors knew the talent they have. Honestly, I still think they are just scratching the surface of potential.

I don’t think many thought Highlands would be at 2. The original general thought was Cov Cath, SK, Ryle, Beechwood right?

As a CCH guy, I knew the talent Highlands had this year. With SK and Ryle way down, this seemed pretty likely to me.