Jump to content

NKY Power Rankings 09-07-15 Sponsored by Orange Leaf Crescent Springs

Colonels_Wear_Blue
 Share

Recommended Posts

Colonels_Wear_Blue

Colonels_Wear_Blue

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thanks to Orange Leaf Crescent Springs for sponsoring the Northern Kentucky Power Rankings. We encourage everyone to patronize our sponsors, and you can visit them at 2311 Buttermilk Crossing in Crescent Springs. Feel free to bring along this premium coupon when you visit!

 

sabeg1ej (2).jpg

 

 

THE RANKINGS:

 

10) Conner (6A / 1-1) – It’s tough to get a solid take on the strength of the Cougars after their first two games, after first trouncing a struggling 6A Boone County team 43-6 in their opener, and then following that up with a 54-0 loss to 6A powerhouse Simon Kenton this past Saturday. Conner did manage to post 200 yards of offense against Simon Kenton, but never managed to capitalize on things, and ended up being blanked on the scoreboard. With Ryle and Cooper both in their same 6A district, the Cougars will have to dig deep if they hope to get anywhere in the playoffs this fall.

 

9) Campbell County (6A / 0-3) – I still had Campbell County ranked in 5th place for Northern Kentucky last week, giving them the benefit of the doubt after playing East Central (IN) close in a very emotional day for many of the Camels, and then losing to an angry 5A Highlands team that was trying to rebound after an opening loss. However, after losing 19-28 this past Saturday to the 2A New Cath Thoroughbreds, I think my ranking last week was too high. Offensively, the Camels (228 yds) were within 1 yard of the Breds (229 yds) this week, but in the end, New Cath managed to turn that 1 yard advantage into a 9 point advantage. Campbell County won’t have any room to relax as they take on 6A Cooper this Friday, and then 6A Ryle the next week.

 

8) Newport Central Catholic (2A / 1-2) – New Cath had a rough start to the season, losing in a sloppy week one game to 4A Scott, and being shut out in a 35 point loss to the 6A Cooper Jaguars, who were on a strong roll after beating 5A Highlands in their first game of the season. This week the Breds were happy to have stud running back Jacob Smith returned to their backfield, and they appeared to have started working their way out of the early season hole they had found themselves in by beating 6A Campbell County 28-19 on Saturday. New Cath travels to Pike County this week to take on the 2-0 Belfry Pirates, the current 3A defending state champs.

 

7) Scott (4A / 1-0) – This is the third year straight that the Eagles have started their season out 3-0. Spending the last two seasons in 5A, Scott hasn’t fared quite so well once they have gotten into district play, but after moving down to 4A, could this season be a little different? A sloppy win over 2A New Cath in their first game, a big win over a struggling 5A Dixie Heights program in their second, and this week, an absolute shellacking of a struggling 2A Newport program. This week Scott welcomes 6A Conner to Taylor Mill for what looks to be one of the Eagle’s tougher games of the season.

 

6) Covington Catholic (5A / 0-3) – Cov Cath’s loss to Cincinnati St. X last week was relatively expected, and although Sycamore (OH) is no shabby team either, it’s still concerning when any team loses by 5+ touchdowns two weeks in a row. The Colonels have to be a little worried this week about their defense, and although the offense showed a little life in the second half this week against Sycamore, they didn’t manage to produce many results on the scoreboard. Coach Eviston will have the Colonels practicing hard this week as they get ready to travel south this week to take on 3A Lexington Catholic. Lex Cath is currently 1-2 coming off a loss to Johnson Central.

 

5) Beechwood (1A / 2-0) – The Tigers have been a little slow to start two weeks in a row now, but they have managed to get the game in control before too long both of the last two Fridays, scoring 48 points against both 2A Lloyd Memorial and 2A Somerset. Seniors Kyle Fieger and Ethan Stringer are showing that they are as capable as everyone had hoped. There are certainly arguments to be made that will both support and oppose the statement Beechwood is a better team than 5A Covington Catholic, but simply based on the Beechwood offensive performance in their games thus far, along with the 44 points teams are averaging against Cov Cath’s defense, I have to give the edge to the Tigers at the moment. Beechwood is on the road this week, playing at Ironton (OH), and then we’ll find out on September 18th whether or not I’m right about Beechwood and Cov Cath when the Tigers host the Colonels.

 

4) Highlands (5A / 1-2) – This is the first time since 2002 that the Bluebirds have started out a season with two losses out of their first three games, and it may be the first time they have ever had a running clock put on them in the first half of a football game. The Bluebirds can take a sigh of relief, albeit a small one, that there’s little doubting their a-typical performance this past week was in part due to the fact that they had both their starting quarterback Austin Hergott or wideout Mitchell Cain on the sideline. Highlands’ M.O. has always been steady improvement over the course of the season in order to come into the playoffs firing on all cylinders, and that certainly isn’t out of the question as of yet, but the next three weeks are going to be tough for the Bluebirds, with games against the undefeated 6A Ryle Raiders, the undefeated 6A St. Xavier Tigers, and the undefeated 6A Simon Kenton Pioneers.

 

3) Ryle (6A / 3-0) – The Raiders move up one spot in this week’s rankings after beating 6A Boone County 52-7 on Saturday. It’s hard to get a good read of things against a team like Boone – particularly with Ryle pulling their starters in the second quarter on Saturday, but with an overall 3-0 record, and after beating Cov Cath and Lex Cath both, Ryle isn’t looking bad at all. Their game this week against Highlands should be a decent gauge for the Raiders, and will likely decide whether or not they stay in the third spot in the NKY Power Rankings.

 

2) Cooper (6A / 2-1) – Should Cooper have stayed in 5A? I say yes – particularly seeing how the margin between the #1 and #2 spot in the NKY Power Rankings has widened after Cooper’s loss this week to 6A Bryan Station. Cooper has already proved that had they stayed in 5A, they would have been capable of beating some of their biggest competitors. However, this week, after losing in a 36-0 shutout to the Bryan Station Defenders, it looks like Cooper is going to have a rougher time in 6A than some had initially thought, seeing as 6A Simon Kenton already beat Bryan Station soundly in their second game this season. Cooper looks to rebound from their loss when they welcome the 6A Campbell County Camels to Union this Friday.

 

1) Simon Kenton (6A / 3-0) – With the exception of the weather, there wasn’t too much surprise coming out of Simon Kenton’s game this week in Hebron against 6A Conner. The Pioneers rolled to a 54 point shutout of the Cougars. Racke threw for 154 yards, including 2 touchdowns, and Powell rushed for 184 yards, including 2 touchdowns. Powell has averaged over 200 yards per game in the first three games of the season. The ‘Neers will be welcoming the 5A Dixie Colonels to Independence this Friday for what will likely be a rough night for Dixie as Simon Kenton looks for payback after the Colonels ended the Pioneers’ 2014 season in their most recent game - last November in the 6A quarterfinals.

 

 

Co-Players Of The Week:

 

Cameron Chase (Bellevue High School)

Running back Cameron Chase averaged almost 7 yards per carry this week, rushing for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns in Bellevue’s game against Bishop Brossart Mustangs.

 

Dillon Powell (Simon Kenton High School)

Simon Kenton stud Dillon Powell had a great game on Saturday against Conner, rushing for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns, and receiving for another 30 yards and 1 more touchdown.

 

 

Game Of The Week:

 

Ryle (6A) vs. Highlands (5A)

 

After two seasons of struggle, Ryle has been showing some solid steps forward in the beginning of the 2015 football season. Highlands has been somewhat the opposite, starting off 1-2 for the first time in over a decade. It will be interesting to see how each of these teams fare in this matchup – which will also be our first opportunity this season to compare performances by Highlands and Covington Catholic against a mutual opponent.

 

 

Trending Up:

 

6A Ryle – The Raiders are 3-0, having beaten 5A Cov Cath, 3A Lex Cath, and now 6A Boone County. They have made their way back to their pre-season #3 spot in the NKY Power Rankings, and this week’s game against the 5A Highlands Bluebirds will tell us a bit more about how this Ryle program is really developing.

 

1A Bishop Brossart – There were a lot of rumblings about whether or not there would even be a Mustang football team this season, and after only winning eight games in the last four seasons combined, Bishop Brossart has managed to start off this season with a 3-0 record. The Mustangs host the 0-3 Trimble County Raiders this Friday.

 

 

Trending Down:

5A Highlands – They may not have been at full strength this week – particularly with their starting QB sidelined to a shoulder injury – but running clocks are something the Bluebirds are used to handing their opposition, and something that rarely happens to them. Truth be told, they may not have EVER had a running clock hung on them in the first half of a football game ever. The Birds will be looking to rebound this week against 6A Ryle. Hopefully they come into the game healthy.

 

6A Campbell County – The Camels need to take a long look in the mirror before they go into their next two games. After a third straight loss this season, Campbell County faces a very tough 6A Cooper team this Friday, and a solid 6A Ryle team the next. They may well be facing a 0-5 start this season.

Edited by Colonels_Wear_Blue
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Colonels_Wear_Blue

Colonels_Wear_Blue

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Dayton (1A) vs. Pendleton County (3A)

 

Dayton managed to send Pendleton County home with a loss on Saturday, beating the Wildcats 19-14. PC led 14-7 at halftime, and led 14-13 at the end of the 3rd quarter, but the Greendevils managed to fight back in the 4th and come away with their first win of the season.

 

Good luck to Dayton this week as they host New Miami (OH), and to Pendleton County as they travel to 3A Jackson County.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using the site you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use Policies.

  I accept