The midway point for Northern Kentucky football is now in the books and district play is starting to heat up with each game having more importance in the playoff outlook. Let’s take a look back at this past week’s games.

 

Holy Cross 51 Bishop Brossart 12 (Thursday)

It was the Jaylen Beal show as he led Holy Cross with 215 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns on just 9 carries. Holy Cross rolled up 433 yards of offense to improve their record to 1-4 on the season.

 

Beechwood 40 Holmes 7

The Tigers went on the road and put together one of their better games on both sides of the ball, improving to 3-2 with a win over Holmes. Beechwood sophomore quarterback Kyle Fieger finished 15 of 28 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns, while Ethan Stringer (7 carries, 67 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Jalen Hayden (5 catches, 116 yards) also had solid performances. Senior Jon Scruggs was the one bright spot for Holmes, finishing with 126 yards rushing on 15 carries. Overall, this is a good win for the Tigers heading in to a big rivalry week.

 

Bellevue 61 Owen County 0

It was All Tigers Everything in this one as Bellevue improved to 3-3 with a home victory over the Rebels. Tyler Ackerson completed a pass to 7 different receivers and finished 19-30 for 243 yards 4 touchdowns. Dylan Huff once again was the man in the run game with 124 yards on just 13 carries, while also finishing with 2 catches for 43 yards and 5 total touchdowns. The duo of Ackerson and Huff continues to be one of the better quarterback-runningback combos in the area. Bellevue rolled up 489 yards in this one and held their opponent to just 93 yards.

 

Bracken County 12 Dayton 6

In a game that was probably a toss up, the Devils couldn’t go on the road and get the dub as they fall to 2-3 on the season. This was an important game for Dayton because had they won it could have almost certainly assured them of a .500 record at seasons’ end as they should be favored in their next 2 games.

 

Dixie Heights 42 Boone County 7

The Colonels got off to a slow start but once they got things going, absolutely dominated on both sides of the ball. Junior quarterback Drew Moore finished 10 of 11 for 145 yards passing and a touchdown while also rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns from 22 and 13 yards out. Seth Caple and Darion Washington combined for over 150 total yards with Caple reaching the end zone twice and Washington once. Caple also finished with an interception on defense. Dixie rolled up 420 yards offense and held Boone to 213 yards of total offense.

 

Ludlow 53 Berea 0

After losing 13 straight, dating back to last year, the Panthers have now won in consecutive weeks for the first since the 2009 season when they defeated Bishop Brossart and Dayton in back to back weeks. The Ludlow defense were the stars of the game as they forced and recovered a fumble and also had 3 interceptions with one being returned for a touchdown. Ludlow finished with 363 yards of offense, holding Berea to just 122 yards of offense.

 

Newport 21 Pendleton County 6

Coach Matt Schmitz got his first varsity win as head coach of the Wildcats behind 232 rushing yards on 25 carries from junior running back Dom Joseph. Senior quarterback Charlie Mullins finished with 122 yards passing and 3 touchdowns with his favorite target being Jayshawn Stanley (5 catches, 62 yards, 1 touchdown). Newport jumped out to a 14-6 halftime lead and added a third quarter touchdown to cap off the scoring.

 

Newport Central Catholic 22 Lloyd 7

After 4 consecutive losses, the Breds started district play with a key victory over the Juggs to improve to 2-4 on the season. Mac Franzen finished 12 of 18 for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns with Nate Enslen (4 catches, 77 yards) and Tommy Donnelly (2 catches, 42 yards) being on the receiving end of those touchdown passes. Franzen completed a pass to 5 different receivers and also finished with 56 yards on 10 carries. The duo of Jake Smith (15 carries, 63 yards) and Jack Sutkamp (5 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD) combined for 98 yards rushing. Defensively, Kobe Tallon and John Harris both recovered a fumble for the Breds defense. The Newcath defense held Lloyd to just 163 yards, while the offense rolled up 389 yards of offense.

 

Scott 28 Cooper 21

It was a memorable night for the Eagles as they improved to 6-0 and continue the best season in program history. The Scott offense rolled up 347 yards of offense with Josh Castleman finishing with 175 yards rushing on 25 carries and 2 touchdowns. Ben Osborne completed 3 of 5 passes for 55 yards with Nick Brinkman being on the receiving end of 2 of those passes for 40 yards and 2 touchdowns. This win is important because it is the first step in securing a home playoff game. The Eagles will travel to Grant County this week before hosting South Oldham and travelling to Conner. Buckle up Eagles fans…should be a fun ride the next few weeks.

 

Simon Kenton 46 Ryle 7

The Pioneers improved to 6-0 with a statement win to open up district play. Brenan Kuntz was almost flawless in the passing game, completing 17 of 19 passes for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns, while also rushing for 55 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 carries. Simon Kenton rolled up 402 total yards of offense while holding Ryle to just 169 yards of total offense. Logan Winkler was the “fantasy stud” out wide for the Neers with 9 catches for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns. Grant Wassom also had a receiving touchdown and finished with 72 yards on 3 catches.

 

South Oldham 34 Conner 32

Conner jumped out to a 19-7 lead but 4 straight scores by South Oldham was too much for the Cougars to overcome on the road, as they drop to 3-2 on the season. Drew Barker finished 24 of 41 for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also rushing for 65 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Jesse McKeehan had a breakout game out wide with 102 yards on 4 catches, but it was Andrew Way who stole the show with 166 total yards on 14 touches and 3 touchdowns. Conner outgained South Oldham 433 to 384 on offense.

 

Highlands 42 Covington Catholic 6

The Birds continued their dominance over the Park Hills rival, extending the streak to 10 straight wins over the Blue Colonels. Highlands jumped out to a 35-0 lead at the half and never looked back, holding Covcath to just 237 yards of total offense. Highlands finished with 474 yards of total offense. Leading the way was senior quarterback Drew Houliston, who finished with 307 yards and 3 touchdowns on 18 of 22 passing. Houliston continues to spread the ball around, completing a pass to 8 different receivers and a touchdown pass to 3 different receivers (Evan Allen, Jensen Feggins, Beau Hoge. Hoge led the receivers with 2 catches for 82 yards, while Feggins finished with 2 catches for 63 yards. Ryan Greene also had a solid day out wide with 6 catches for 70 yards. Senior running back Zach Harris led the rushing attack with 101 yards and 3 touchdowns on 16 carries. Highlands is now 93-3 over the past 7 years.

 

NKY Top 10:

1. Highlands (6-0)

2. Simon Kenton (6-0)

3. Covington Catholic (3-2)

4. Dixie Heights (4-1)

5. Scott (6-0)

6. Conner (3-2)

7. Campbell County ( 3-2)

8. Cooper (2-4)

9. Beechwood (3-2)

10. Newport Central Catholic (2-4)

 

Coming Up:

 

Thursday 10/3:

Covington Catholic (3-2) at Beechwood (3-2)

Conner (3-2) at Cooper (2-4)

 

Friday 10/4:

Bellevue (3-3) at Holmes (3-2)

Ludlow (2-4) at Dayton (2-3)

Bishop Brossart (2-3) at Newport (1-4)

Lloyd (3-3) at Holy Cross (1-4)

Harrison County at Highlands (6-0)

Simon Kenton (6-0) at Campbell County (3-2)

Boone County (0-6) at Ryle (1-5)

Tates Creek at Dixie Heights (4-1)

Nice job Walter. What do the folks in Hebron think about being ranked behind Scott?

Great report Walter. I really look forward to these since the Enquirer deadline often keeps info about games from ever hitting the paper.

 

On your rankings, I know CCH beat Dixie, but at this point I would have to move the Red Colonels ahead of the Blue Colonels as CCH continues to work through injuries. Cooper and Beechwood is a coin toss so I am ok with Cooper a notch ahead of the Tigers. Beechwood has a chance to show how much they have improved over the course of the season in their Thursday night game versus the Colonels. There are a lot of good games this week. Everyone needs to get out and watch some high school football.

Nice job Walter. What do the folks in Hebron think about being ranked behind Scott?

 

I was honestly hesitant about ranking it that way because I think Conner's offense can provide a lot of problems for the Scott defense but wanted to show Scott a little love for being undefeated.

 

The game against Cooper this week will give me a much better idea of where the two should be ranked as I will then have a common opponent to go off of. I still think Conner is the favorite to host the playoff game but Scott definetly deserves some respect. Don't look too much in to the rankings as you could flip the two and not be wrong with that either.

Great report Walter. I really look forward to these since the Enquirer deadline often keeps info about games from ever hitting the paper.

 

On your rankings, I know CCH beat Dixie, but at this point I would have to move the Red Colonels ahead of the Blue Colonels as CCH continues to work through injuries. Cooper and Beechwood is a coin toss so I am ok with Cooper a notch ahead of the Tigers. Beechwood has a chance to show how much they have improved over the course of the season in their Thursday night game versus the Colonels. There are a lot of good games this week. Everyone needs to get out and watch some high school football.

 

I'm a big fan of what Dixie is doing this year. I think they have gotten better since that week 1 game against CCH, but I also think the CCH defense has gotten better since that game as they got the DL and Burchell back. Offensively, they have probably taken a step back due to the other injuries so IMO it's a toss up.

 

You could rank Dixie 3 and Covcath 4 and I would agree with that as well.

 

Also agree with the Beechwood/Cooper comment.

The question I'd like to get an answer to is this...Is SK gaining on Highlands? Both schools having great seasons with outstanding coaches while getting fantastic QB play.

The question I'd like to get an answer to is this...Is SK gaining on Highlands? Both schools having great seasons with outstanding coaches while getting fantastic QB play.

 

That is a game I'd love to see, but..............

 

I still think Highlands is atleast 2 td's better than everyone else in NKY. Simply too much talent and depth at every position.

You don't think SK has enough size to overpower the smaller Birds?

The question I'd like to get an answer to is this...Is SK gaining on Highlands? Both schools having great seasons with outstanding coaches while getting fantastic QB play.

 

Conner's 35 points versus Simon Kenton tell me that Highlands would win that game. Personally, I would not rank anyone above Highlands until they beat Highlands. Teams that will not play Highlands are not going to get me to change my mind on that one. Play them and beat them ... then you have proved something. Until then, you are all talk when it comes to the Highlands discussion.

Walter another great job as usual. The rankings look good and I think after this week will clear up a lot of questions. I think the Conner/cooper game as well a BW / CCH games this Thursday will answer a lot of questions.

 

Cooper could very well be 5-1 if not for a ton of turnovers this season. They have fumbled the ball at the most inopportune times and it has cost them. I'm waiting to see if they can turn in a complete game for once. Of they can't they may struggle to hang on to

Their top 10.

 

Scott is a fun team to watch and should be a handful for everyone in the district.

Conner's 35 points versus Simon Kenton tell me that Highlands would win that game. Personally, I would not rank anyone above Highlands until they beat Highlands. Teams that will not play Highlands are not going to get me to change my mind on that one. Play them and beat them ... then you have proved something. Until then, you are all talk when it comes to the Highlands discussion.

I agree. SK is good but not yet in the league of a Highlands.

You don't think SK has enough size to overpower the smaller Birds?

 

Highlands is not nearly as small as they have been in the past. Their nose man is Bo Hebel, a sophomore who is listed at 6'2 300 pounds, and that is pretty close to accurate. Plus the offensive line is quite big.

So we agree that SK is closing the gap between the two schools?

So we agree that SK is closing the gap between the two schools?

 

I will say Simon Kenton's team this year is one of their best so that gets them closer to Highlands ... this year. If you are saying closing the gap as a program, let's see how SK backs up this year in the next two seasons.

 

I will also say this. When Coach Marksberry thinks he has a chance to beat Highlands, we will see them on the schedule. As long as Highlands isn't on SK's schedule, that tells me Marksberry doesn't think they can beat Highlands.

I will say Simon Kenton's team this year is one of their best so that gets them closer to Highlands ... this year. If you are saying closing the gap as a program, let's see how SK backs up this year in the next two seasons.

 

I will also say this. When Coach Marksberry thinks he has a chance to beat Highlands, we will see them on the schedule. As long as Highlands isn't on SK's schedule, that tells me Marksberry doesn't think they can beat Highlands.

 

SK has had a great run over the past 5-6 years. They have the talent and depth to maintain next year.

 

And I doubt we ever see that match up as long as Dale and Jeff are coaches.