article NKY Power Rankings: 10-10-19

1) 5A Covington Catholic (7-0) – Friday’s game in Park Hills was the fastest game yet this season for the Colonels, with Cov Cath starting a running clock 9 seconds into the 2Q against 5A Boone County (2-5). The Colonels started off by scoring TD’s on 4 of their first 7 offensive plays, and won the game 45-0 to get them off to a 2-0 start in district competition. QB Caleb Jacob was 7-9 passing for 171yds and 4 TDs. TE Michael Mayer led the team in scoring, with 3 receptions for 71yds and 3 TDs, and WR Andy Molique also had 1 reception for a 51yd TD. On the ground, Ryan Schneider led the team with 51yds and a TD on his 1 carry, and Owen Nally added a TD on 1 of his 2 rushes, good for 11yds. LB Luke Stegman led the team’s defense with 7 tackles, and Michael Thelen, Owen Nally, and Carter Martin each had 4 tackles a piece. Kicker Trey Gronotte was 6-6 on PATs and also had a 29yd field goal. The Colonels will have a major challenge this Friday when they take on OH-DII LaSalle (6-0), currently ranked nationally at #64 by MaxPreps.

2) Conner (6-1) – Sometimes the “who beat who” puzzle just doesn’t seem to work out. That definitely the case this week with the rankings, with Conner jumping from the #6 spot to #2 after beating 5A Highlands 20-17 on a TD scored in the final minute of the game on Friday. QB Jared Hicks had a commanding performance in the game, going 25-40 passing for 244yds and 2TDs, while rushing 19 times for another 69yds. WR Drew Cobble had 9 receptions for 119yds and 1 TD, WR Caleb Ervin had 4 receptions for 68yds, and WR Colton Roy had 7 receptions for 47yds and 1 TD. Kicker Nicholas Keller added 6 points on field goals. Conner’s defense was led by LB Parker Hitzfield with 9 tackles, Timothy Leiprecht had 8 tackles in the game, and DL Chase Kurtz had 7 tackles. Conner plays district competitor 5A Cooper (4-3) tomorrow night.

3) 5A Highlands (4-3) – The Birds had their first home loss since October 2019 on Friday when competitor 5A Conner (6-1) came to Ft. Thomas and pulled off a last-minute upset, beating Highlands 20-17. The loss came despite the Bluebirds starting off with a 14-0 lead, and leading the entire game until the final 44 seconds of the 4Q. QB Collin Hollingsworth was 6-10 passing for 45yds and 1TD, and QB Jake Fahlbusch was 3-8 for 26yds. RB Griffin Richter led the running game with 48yds on 10 carries, and WR Joey Deschler had 42yds and 1 TD on 2 receptions. LB Brycen Huddleston added the remaining Highlands TD on a kickoff return. Huddleston was also tied for the lead with defensive tackles in the game, with 15, and DP Sawyer Depp also had 15 tackles. The two accounted for over half of the teams tackles in the game. Highlands will head to Florence tomorrow to take on 5A Boone County (2-5) in their second district game.

4) 6A Simon Kenton (3-3) – No action this week. The Pioneers return to action tonight at home in their first district game of 2019, playing 6A Dixie Heights (2-4).

5) 6A Ryle (3-4) – The Raiders moved to the wrong side of the .500 mark on Friday with a 57-21 loss to 6A Scott County (6-1). Ryle kept the game interesting early on, keeping things close and tying the Cardinals up at 14 early in the 2Q, but after that, it was basically all Scott County’s game. QB Keegan Stanken was 10-24 passing for 86yds, 1 TD and 2 INTs. WR Johnathan Coker led the receiving corps with 1 reception good for a 23yd TD, and RB Kyle England led the running game with 15 carries for 79yds and 1 TD. Johnathan Coker also scored the remaining Ryle TD on a returned kickoff. On defense, the Raiders were led by DB Mathias Cusick and LB Dillon Talmon who each had 7 tackles. Sophomroe LB Jackson Belk also had 7 tackles in the game. Ryle will head east to Claryville to take on 6A Campbell County (0-6) in their first district game of the season.

6) 2A Beechwood (2-4) – It was a tough game for Beechwood on Friday, but they Tigers pulled of their first win on the road of 2019 and improved their record with a 14-10 win over 6A Dixie Heights (2-4). Beechwood trailed in the game until the halfway-point of the 4th quarter, when they took a 14-0 lead on the second of two TD connections between QB Cam Hergott and WR Brady Moore. Hergott ended up going 21-28 passing for 18yds and 2 TDs in the game, in addition to leading the Tigers’ running attack with 34yds on 16 carries. Moore led the receiving effort with 86yds and 2 TDs on 11 receptions. RB Cole Stammer had 21yds rushing on 8 carries, and 37yds receiving on 3 receptions, in addition to a key interception in the 4Q from his position at DB to stop Dixie’s final chance at scoring in the game. Further defensive stats were not reported for the game. This week brings Beechwood’s first ever 2A district game when they play 2A Covington Holy Cross (2-4) at the Indians’ new home field at Thomas More University.

7) 5A Cooper (4-3) – The Jaguars put their last couple of weeks happily in the rear-view with a 21-14 win on Friday over 6A George Rogers Clark (2-4). Cooper won the contest despite the Cardinals’ offense rolling up a full 123 yards more than the Jags’ offense. QB Drew Warth was 8-14 passing for 64yds, 1 TD and 1 INT, and WR Xavier Smith led the receiving corps with 33yds and 1 TD on 4 receptions. RB Brendon Tye had 11 carries for 45yds, WR/RB Jeremiah Lee ran the ball 7 times for 23yds and 1 TD, and RB Chester Hale had the remaining TD on his 1 run for 9yds. Chester Hale also had a big game at defensive back, leading the defense with 19 tackles. LB Joe Poage also came up big with 13 tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception with a 27yd return after the interception. Cooper will resume their district competition tomorrow when they head to Hebron to take on 5A Conner (6-1).

8) 1A Newport Central Catholic (4-2) – No action this week. The Thoroughbreds to start off their district competition tonight when they host 1A Ludlow (4-1).

9) 4A Scott (5-2) – Scott improved to 2-0 in district play on Friday with a 33-7 win over the 3A Harrison County Thorobreds (3-3). QB Gus Howlett had another solid night passing, going 9-16 with 161yds and 2 TDs in the air. RB Quincy Perrin may not have topped his breakout performance from last week, but he still put up a solid 161yds and 2 TDs on 16 carries, along with 1 reception for 41yds and another TD. WR Cam Patterson also had 4 receptions for 64yds and 1 TD. On the defensive flipside, LB Nigel Robinson led the team with 9 tackles, including 3 tackles for losses and a sack. LB Robert Pence had 8 tackles, and LB Damond Hacker had 7 tackles. The Eagles have the week off this week, and will head on the road again for their next district matchup against 4A Boyd County (1-5).

10) Lloyd Memorial (4-2) – The Juggernauts returned from their bye week with a commanding 37-7 win over 1A Ludlow (4-2). QB Jacob Davidson had a huge game, going 14-24 in the air for 265yds and 5 TDs, and rushing 12 times for another 48yds. WR Treshawn Cody led the receivers with 4 receptions for 96yds and 3 TDs, Keion Alexander had 2 receptions for 66yds and 1 TD, and Braxton Irwin had 2 receptions for 32yds and 1 TD. On the ground, RB Michael Sassin led with 12 carries for 81yds and 1 TD. On the defensive side of things, LB Isaac Abdon led with 7 tackles, DB Lennon Stolz had 6 tackles, and DL Mike Wallington, DB Keesean Crim, and DL Tyson Maynard each had 5 tackles a piece. Lloyd will take on 2A Newport (6-1) in their first district came on Friday.

TRENDING UP

2A Beechwood (2-4) – The Tigers may not have led their game for long on Friday, but they were leading when time ran out in the 4th quarter, and Beechwood got their second win of the season with a 14-10 victory over 6A Dixie Heights.

5A Conner (6-1) – The Cougars showed that they are not about to sit quietly and let other teams run the show in their district. Conner upset 5A Highlands with a big 20-17 win in Ft. Thomas.

TRENDING DOWN

1A Bishop Brossart (2-4) – The Mustangs’ losing streak extended from two games to three on Friday when Bishop Brossart lost 28-6 to 1A Nicholas County.

5A Highlands (4-3) – There’s no denying that the Bluebirds were disappointed on Friday, who headed back to the locker room as one of two teams in northern Kentucky who led for the first three quarters of a game, only to be upset in the fourth with a loss. Highlands lost 20-17 to 5A Conner.

GAME OF THE WEEK (RESULTS): WEEK 6

2A Beechwood vs. 6A Dixie Heights

Dixie was leading for nearly all of the game on Friday, but it just wasn’t enough to hold off the 2A Tigers from finally getting their second win of the season.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 7

5A Conner vs. 5A Cooper

This week we’re going to have another look at what 5A District 5 is made of. With questions continuallt being asked about how Cooper adds up against the rest of the competition in northern Kentucky, and after we saw Cooper best Highlands last week, this should tell us a little more about how it all fits together.

1) 5A Covington Catholic (7-0) – Friday’s game in Park Hills was the fastest game yet this season for the Colonels, with Cov Cath starting a running clock 9 seconds into the 2Q against 5A Boone County (2-5). The Colonels started off by scoring TD’s on 4 of their first 7 offensive plays, and won the game 45-0 to get them off to a 2-0 start in district competition. QB Caleb Jacob was 7-9 passing for 171yds and 4 TDs. TE Michael Mayer led the team in scoring, with 3 receptions for 71yds and 3 TDs, and WR Andy Molique also had 1 reception for a 51yd TD. On the ground, Ryan Schneider led the team with 51yds and a TD on his 1 carry, and Owen Nally added a TD on 1 of his 2 rushes, good for 11yds. LB Luke Stegman led the team’s defense with 7 tackles, and Michael Thelen, Owen Nally, and Carter Martin each had 4 tackles a piece. Kicker Trey Gronotte was 6-6 on PATs and also had a 29yd field goal. The Colonels will have a major challenge this Friday when they take on OH-DII LaSalle (6-0), currently ranked nationally at #64 by MaxPreps.

 

2) Conner (6-1) – Sometimes the “who beat who” puzzle just doesn’t seem to work out. That definitely the case this week with the rankings, with Conner jumping from the #6 spot to #2 after beating 5A Highlands 20-17 on a TD scored in the final minute of the game on Friday. QB Jared Hicks had a commanding performance in the game, going 25-40 passing for 244yds and 2TDs, while rushing 19 times for another 69yds. WR Drew Cobble had 9 receptions for 119yds and 1 TD, WR Caleb Ervin had 4 receptions for 68yds, and WR Colton Roy had 7 receptions for 47yds and 1 TD. Kicker Nicholas Keller added 6 points on field goals. Conner’s defense was led by LB Parker Hitzfield with 9 tackles, Timothy Leiprecht had 8 tackles in the game, and DL Chase Kurtz had 7 tackles. Conner plays district competitor 5A Cooper (4-3) tomorrow night.

 

3) 5A Highlands (4-3) – The Birds had their first home loss since October 2019 on Friday when competitor 5A Conner (6-1) came to Ft. Thomas and pulled off a last-minute upset, beating Highlands 20-17. The loss came despite the Bluebirds starting off with a 14-0 lead, and leading the entire game until the final 44 seconds of the 4Q. QB Collin Hollingsworth was 6-10 passing for 45yds and 1TD, and QB Jake Fahlbusch was 3-8 for 26yds. RB Griffin Richter led the running game with 48yds on 10 carries, and WR Joey Deschler had 42yds and 1 TD on 2 receptions. LB Brycen Huddleston added the remaining Highlands TD on a kickoff return. Huddleston was also tied for the lead with defensive tackles in the game, with 15, and DP Sawyer Depp also had 15 tackles. The two accounted for over half of the teams tackles in the game. Highlands will head to Florence tomorrow to take on 5A Boone County (2-5) in their second district game.

 

4) 6A Simon Kenton (3-3) – No action this week. The Pioneers return to action tonight at home in their first district game of 2019, playing 6A Dixie Heights (2-4).

 

5) 6A Ryle (3-4) – The Raiders moved to the wrong side of the .500 mark on Friday with a 57-21 loss to 6A Scott County (6-1). Ryle kept the game interesting early on, keeping things close and tying the Cardinals up at 14 early in the 2Q, but after that, it was basically all Scott County’s game. QB Keegan Stanken was 10-24 passing for 86yds, 1 TD and 2 INTs. WR Johnathan Coker led the receiving corps with 1 reception good for a 23yd TD, and RB Kyle England led the running game with 15 carries for 79yds and 1 TD. Johnathan Coker also scored the remaining Ryle TD on a returned kickoff. On defense, the Raiders were led by DB Mathias Cusick and LB Dillon Talmon who each had 7 tackles. Sophomroe LB Jackson Belk also had 7 tackles in the game. Ryle will head east to Claryville to take on 6A Campbell County (0-6) in their first district game of the season.

 

6) 2A Beechwood (2-4) – It was a tough game for Beechwood on Friday, but they Tigers pulled of their first win on the road of 2019 and improved their record with a 14-10 win over 6A Dixie Heights (2-4). Beechwood trailed in the game until the halfway-point of the 4th quarter, when they took a 14-0 lead on the second of two TD connections between QB Cam Hergott and WR Brady Moore. Hergott ended up going 21-28 passing for 18yds and 2 TDs in the game, in addition to leading the Tigers’ running attack with 34yds on 16 carries. Moore led the receiving effort with 86yds and 2 TDs on 11 receptions. RB Cole Stammer had 21yds rushing on 8 carries, and 37yds receiving on 3 receptions, in addition to a key interception in the 4Q from his position at DB to stop Dixie’s final chance at scoring in the game. Further defensive stats were not reported for the game. This week brings Beechwood’s first ever 2A district game when they play 2A Covington Holy Cross (2-4) at the Indians’ new home field at Thomas More University.

 

7) 5A Cooper (4-3) – The Jaguars put their last couple of weeks happily in the rear-view with a 21-14 win on Friday over 6A George Rogers Clark (2-4). Cooper won the contest despite the Cardinals’ offense rolling up a full 123 yards more than the Jags’ offense. QB Drew Warth was 8-14 passing for 64yds, 1 TD and 1 INT, and WR Xavier Smith led the receiving corps with 33yds and 1 TD on 4 receptions. RB Brendon Tye had 11 carries for 45yds, WR/RB Jeremiah Lee ran the ball 7 times for 23yds and 1 TD, and RB Chester Hale had the remaining TD on his 1 run for 9yds. Chester Hale also had a big game at defensive back, leading the defense with 19 tackles. LB Joe Poage also came up big with 13 tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception with a 27yd return after the interception. Cooper will resume their district competition tomorrow when they head to Hebron to take on 5A Conner (6-1).

 

8) 1A Newport Central Catholic (4-2) – No action this week. The Thoroughbreds to start off their district competition tonight when they host 1A Ludlow (4-1).

 

9) 4A Scott (5-2) – Scott improved to 2-0 in district play on Friday with a 33-7 win over the 3A Harrison County Thorobreds (3-3). QB Gus Howlett had another solid night passing, going 9-16 with 161yds and 2 TDs in the air. RB Quincy Perrin may not have topped his breakout performance from last week, but he still put up a solid 161yds and 2 TDs on 16 carries, along with 1 reception for 41yds and another TD. WR Cam Patterson also had 4 receptions for 64yds and 1 TD. On the defensive flipside, LB Nigel Robinson led the team with 9 tackles, including 3 tackles for losses and a sack. LB Robert Pence had 8 tackles, and LB Damond Hacker had 7 tackles. The Eagles have the week off this week, and will head on the road again for their next district matchup against 4A Boyd County (1-5).

 

10) Lloyd Memorial (4-2) – The Juggernauts returned from their bye week with a commanding 37-7 win over 1A Ludlow (4-2). QB Jacob Davidson had a huge game, going 14-24 in the air for 265yds and 5 TDs, and rushing 12 times for another 48yds. WR Treshawn Cody led the receivers with 4 receptions for 96yds and 3 TDs, Keion Alexander had 2 receptions for 66yds and 1 TD, and Braxton Irwin had 2 receptions for 32yds and 1 TD. On the ground, RB Michael Sassin led with 12 carries for 81yds and 1 TD. On the defensive side of things, LB Isaac Abdon led with 7 tackles, DB Lennon Stolz had 6 tackles, and DL Mike Wallington, DB Keesean Crim, and DL Tyson Maynard each had 5 tackles a piece. Lloyd will take on 2A Newport (6-1) in their first district came on Friday.

 

 

TRENDING UP

 

2A Beechwood (2-4) – The Tigers may not have led their game for long on Friday, but they were leading when time ran out in the 4th quarter, and Beechwood got their second win of the season with a 14-10 victory over 6A Dixie Heights.

 

5A Conner (6-1) – The Cougars showed that they are not about to sit quietly and let other teams run the show in their district. Conner upset 5A Highlands with a big 20-17 win in Ft. Thomas.

 

 

TRENDING DOWN

 

1A Bishop Brossart (2-4) – The Mustangs’ losing streak extended from two games to three on Friday when Bishop Brossart lost 28-6 to 1A Nicholas County.

 

5A Highlands (4-3) – There’s no denying that the Bluebirds were disappointed on Friday, who headed back to the locker room as one of two teams in northern Kentucky who led for the first three quarters of a game, only to be upset in the fourth with a loss. Highlands lost 20-17 to 5A Conner.

 

 

GAME OF THE WEEK (RESULTS): WEEK 6

 

2A Beechwood vs. 6A Dixie Heights

 

Dixie was leading for nearly all of the game on Friday, but it just wasn’t enough to hold off the 2A Tigers from finally getting their second win of the season.

 

 

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 7

 

5A Conner vs. 5A Cooper

 

This week we’re going to have another look at what 5A District 5 is made of. With questions continuallt being asked about how Cooper adds up against the rest of the competition in northern Kentucky, and after we saw Cooper best Highlands last week, this should tell us a little more about how it all fits together.

Beechwood is still the only one confusing to me. Cooper got dinged by you and moved down 3 spots in your rankings for only beating Dixie by 7 even though they led all game. Yet Beechwood trails all game to them and only wins by 4, and you have them in the trending up category? They are the only ones who I have consistently been confused about with your rankings this year.

With that said I am glad you do this and put in the time every week, because it leaves room to discuss these things. Great job.

Beechwood is still the only one confusing to me. Cooper got dinged by you and moved down 3 spots in your rankings for only beating Dixie by 7 even though they led all game. Yet Beechwood trails all game to them and only wins by 4, and you have them in the trending up category? They are the only ones who I have consistently been confused about with your rankings this year.

 

With that said I am glad you do this and put in the time every week, because it leaves room to discuss these things. Great job.

The difference I see bettween Cooper and Beechwood is that Cooper is one of the largest 5A schools, and Beechwood is one of the smallest 2A schools. Beechwood, by nature, should be more challenged to beat Dixie.

But thanks, @futurecoach! I really enjoy getting to put these together, and I really like hearing folks feedback...particularly when they offer their own take on it.

The difference I see bettween Cooper and Beechwood is that Cooper is one of the largest 5A schools, and Beechwood is one of the smallest 2A schools. Beechwood, by nature, should be more challenged to beat Dixie.

 

But thanks, @futurecoach! I really enjoy getting to put these together, and I really like hearing folks feedback...particularly when they offer their own take on it.

True. Just the way I look at it is these rankings really aren't about what class a team is in, but who the best teams in NKY are this year. Which Beechwood usually is one of the top 5 teams in NKY every year regardless of class. Which imo this years Beechwood team is down from most Beechwood teams. That is why I have questioned their rankings this year. Which quite honestly I said this earlier in the year, I also think NCC is also better than Beechwood this year. Which luckily we will get to see that play out on the field here soon.

Imo it's basically CovCath and then the next 7 teams are all teams who could beat one another or any given day. So it definitely would be hard to rank them.

I think the top 3 look good. The rest are a toss up with beating each other. Tough to rank them.

I think the top 3 look good. The rest are a toss up with beating each other. Tough to rank them.

My honest take is that if you paired up any of the 2-5 teams against one another, you could have a completely different result every time based completely on "which team" showed up at the game for each program.

My honest take is that if you paired up any of the 2-5 teams against one another, you could have a completely different result every time based completely on "which team" showed up at the game for each program.

I agree with this. I think these next 3 games are going to be massive for Ryle and the future. These are all must win games. Campbell and Dixie, Ryle should roll through and if not I would say you will see Raider Nation up in arms again. SK will be a battle because it seems to always be.

I still believe the Districts is Ryle or SK’s to lose. However Ryle was supposed to crush a terrible Dixie team last year and they were blown out. Hopefully Raider Nation isn’t taking these games lightly.

Is there a thread for Highlands at Boone Co? Is that game broadcast in any form?