article NKY Power Rankings 09-14-15 Sponsored by Orange Leaf Crescent Springs

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

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THE RANKINGS:

 

10) Lloyd Memorial (2A / 3-1) – The Juggernauts are off to a solid start for the second year in a row, carrying a 3-1 record as they come into their bye week. Lloyd had a solid 27-6 victory over 4A Holmes this past Friday, with junior Alex Runion playing most of the game at quarterback. Runion also pulled off a 97 yard pick-6 in the second quarter of the game. The Juggs will have to best New Cath and a rebounding Holy Cross team to get out of their district, but things are looking up once again in Erlanger.

 

9) Newport Central Catholic (2A / 1-4) – The Breds are still having a hard time getting to full gallop in 2015. They made the long drive to Pike County week to take on the 3A Belfry, and came home with a 10-28 loss to the defending 3A state champion Pirates. New Cath has averaged fewer than 200 total yards on offense this season, and unless they can figure out a way to start taking a little more control of the field when they have the ball, it may be a short postseason for the Breds. This week they take on 4A Harrison County on the road, and they still have major challenges facing them with games against 6A Conner and 1A Beechwood this season.

 

8) Scott (4A / 3-1) – Scott lost in a 27-28 heartbreaker to 6A Conner this past Friday, failing to convert after a come-from-behind touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the game. The Eagles have no reason to hang their heads, though, as they look attempt putting up their best ever regular season record. Although it’s unlikely that Scott will win out the rest of the season, with 6A powerhouse Simon Kenton waiting for them in Week 10, the Eagles will be looking to improve to 4-1 when they travel to take on the 2A Holy Cross Indians this Friday on the road. Holy Cross is 2-1 following a loss to Cincinnati Taft this past Friday.

 

7) Covington Catholic (5A / 0-4) – Much like their 5A district rival, Highlands, Cov Cath is has started this season to one of the worst starts quite some time, losing this week to 3A Lexington Catholic by a score of 14-15. Sophomore quarterback AJ Mayer has yet to have much opportunity to develop in the pocket as the offense has struggled immensely after losing their starting tailback in the season opener, and after being virtually shut down by Cincinnati’s St. X & Sycamore. The Colonels had a bit more of an opportunity to move the ball on offense against Lex Cath, but the Colonel D still struggled to stop the run, particularly with senior linebacker Lucas Timmerman sidelined with a knee injury. Cov Cath looks to fight for their first win of the season when they travel to take on the undefeated 1A Beechwood Tigers this Friday in their annual rivalry.

 

6) Conner (6A / 2-1) – The Cougars are looking to dust themselves off after last year’s 3-8 season, and winning 2 of their first 3 games is a good way to start it. Last Friday Conner handed 4A Scott their first loss of the season, beating the Eagles 28-27 in Taylor Mill. The Cougars’ Isaiah Ebarb shined this week with 5 receptions for 91 yards, and a key 4th quarter punt return for touchdown to put the Cougars ahead for the win. Conner plays the 5A Dixie Heights Colonels at Dixie this Friday. The Colonels are struggling at 0-3 this season.

 

5) Highlands (5A / 1-3) – The 2015 season has made for the worst start in over 20 years for Highlands, and the next two weeks won’t be making it any easier for the Bluebirds. Their latest loss came at the hands of the 6A Ryle Raiders, who put up 550 yards of offense and 48 points on Highlands, while holding the Birds to less than 300 offensive yards and 24 points. They may well be entering district play in October with a 1-5 record with their next two games pitting them against 6A St. Xavier and 6A Simon Kenton. Their district matchups are likely to be more kind to the Birds, but it’s hard to see where Highlands will end up in the postseason with the likes of Bowling Green, Pulaski County and Owensboro all lurking in the 5A playoffs.

 

4) Beechwood (1A / 3-0) – It’s hard to say, definitively, that the Tigers are better than Highlands, Conner, and Cov Cath, but one thing you can say for sure is that Beechwood has walked off the field looking stronger each week. Beechwood has averaged over 320 yards on offense thus far this season, and have been getting great offensive performances out of quarterback Kyle Fieger and, tailback Ethan Stringer, and wideout Brett Slusher. This week’s game against 5A Cov Cath will likely be the Tigers’ biggest test during the regular season, and if Beechwood can beat the Colonels up front, it’s going to be tough stopping them. The margin in the rankings from the #4 spot to the #7 spot is currently pretty slim, but we should know more after the final whistle blows in Ft. Mitchell this Friday.

 

3) Ryle (6A / 4-0) – The Raiders are tightening up the gap between #2 and #3 in the NKY rankings after putting up 9 more points and over 120 more offensive yards on the 5A Highlands Bluebirds than 6A Cooper was able to in Week 0. Still, Ryle’s defense seems to lack a bit when compared to Cooper’s defense. The Raiders will welcome the 6A Campbell County Camels to Union this week, and we will be given another gauge to compare Ryle and Cooper as they battle to show which team is the king of Union, Kentucky.

 

2) Cooper (6A / 3-1) – The Jaguars will finish out their season at 3-0 against competition from Campbell County after beating the 6A Campbell County Camels 35-7 on Friday. With wins over 5A Highlands, 2A New Cath, and 6A Campbell County, and a loss to Lexington’s 6A Bryan Station, Cooper is in for the biggest game of their regular season this week when they head to Independence to take on the 6A Simon Kenton Pioneers. The Cooper defense has allowed an average of 190 yards and 14 points per game from their opponents, and 6A Simon Kenton’s offense has averaged 479 yards and 59 points per game, so it will be the Jags’ defense that is likely to make or break the game for them on Friday.

 

1) Simon Kenton (6A / 4-0) – The Pioneers had a somewhat off night on Friday night, posting only 325 yards on offense in their 45-7 victory over 5A Dixie Heights. However, when you figure that that averages to 37.5 yards for each of their 6 touchdown drives, there’s something to be said there for the field position they were being given by the Colonels. This Friday is likely to be Simon Kenton’s biggest game against Northern Kentucky competition for the regular season when they welcome the 6A Cooper Jaguars to Independence.

 

 

Player Of The Week:

 

Justin Blackburn (Ludlow High School)

 

Sophomore quarterback/linebacker Justin Blackburn rushed for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries, and went 6 for 11 passing for 146 yards and 2 more touchdowns this past week in the 1A Panthers' 43-15 win over 2A Gallatin County. Blackburn also accounted for 7 tackles in the game – 5 solo, and 2 assisted.

 

 

Game Of The Week:

 

Cooper (6A) vs. Simon Kenton (6A)

 

It’s the battle for #1 and #2 in Northern Kentucky this week. The undefeated Simon Kenton Pioneers look to stay on top when they welcome the 3-1 Cooper Jaguars to Independence on Friday, and the Jags will be looking to show that they can make a stand in 6A by taking on one of the biggest football powers in the state this year.

 

 

Trending Up:

 

6A Conner – The Cougars are 2-1, beating the 4A Scott Eagles this week, who came into the game on Friday undefeated. Conner moved up to the #6 spot in the NKY Power Rankings, after sitting in the #1 0 spot last week. Their record is likely to improve to 3-1 this week when they take on the 5A Dixie Colonels.

 

1A Ludlow – The Panthers improved to 3-1 on Friday after beating the 2A Gallatin County Wildcats 43-15 in Ludlow. The Panthers are showing some pride this season, behind a promising sophomore in athlete Justin Blackburn, who starts at quarterback and linebacker. Ludlow will be looking for their 4th win when they travel to take on 2A Trimble County this week.

 

 

Trending Down:

1A Bellevue – The Tigers dropped a second game straight this past Friday, losing 0-8 to the 2A Newport Wildcats. After easily handling 2A Gallatin County and 1A Dayton in their first two games, and playing 1A Bishop Brossart close last week, things were looking a little shaky this week in Bellevue’s loss to Newport, who appeared to be gasping for air this season. Bellevue welcomes the 4A Holmes Bulldogs to Gilligan Stadium this week.

 

5A Covington Catholic – Their schedule has not been kind to them, and they once again appear to be suffering from the injury bug with key starters out on both sides of the ball for the Colonels. Their record fell to 0-4 when they lost on the road this past Friday to 3A Lexington Catholic. The Colonels are looking for a major rebound this week when they take on their neighborhood rivals, the undefeated 1A Beechwood Tigers.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Colonels_Wear_Blue

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

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

 

Ryle remains undefeated after beating the Bluebirds on Friday at David Cecil Memorial Stadium. Ryle QB Tanner Morgan is the leading passer in NKY, coming into Fort Thomas with 820 yards in the air this season, and he isn't showing any signs of letting up, adding on another 264 yards against Highlands. Ryle's defense, led by linebackers Johnny Meiman and Collin Demetrakis, is really seeming to come together as they held Highlands to only 72 yards on the ground.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

Beechwood 35 Ironton (OH) 19

Bellevue 0 Newport 8

Bishop Brossart 40 Trimble County 0

Boone County 7 Lafayette 56

Bracken County 21 Harlan 28

Campbell County 7 Cooper 35

Carroll County 0 Kentucky Country Day 40

Conner 28 Scott 27

Covington Catholic 14 Lexington Catholic 15

Dayton 20 New Miami (OH) 32

Dixie Heights 7 Simon Kenton 45

Gallatin County 15 Ludlow 43

Grant County 27 Harrison County 34

Highlands 24 Ryle 48

Holmes 6 Lloyd Memorial 27

Holy Cross 23 Taft (OH) 28

Newport Catholic 10 Belfry 28

Owen County 8 Western Hills 44

Pendleton County 29 Jackson County 22

Walton-Verona 0 Henry County 28

[KingOfClutch33]

I could see the argument by Ryle fans to flip them and Cooper. To be honest, as a Cooper guy, I don't think I would have a big fight against it either. Those two flip flopped possibly is about the only argument I see on the rankings. Good job this week!

[75center]

I'd flip Ryle and Cooper and Scott and CCH.

[KingOfClutch33]

I'd flip Ryle and Cooper and Scott and CCH.

 

That is exactly what I said. As a Cooper guy, if anyone wanted to make an argument for those two flipping I don't think I could fight it, but I don't think there is a significant difference between the two either. I guess we will find out in time

[Lizard Momma]

:puke:

[Lizard Momma]

What a joke, Ryle has played a mile the toughest scd. to this point, and should be #1 right now, with SK, 2 , Cooper 3rd, and then Beechwood.

[rjs4470]

What a joke, to this pRyle has played a mile the toughest scd.oint, and should be #1 right now, with SK, 2 , Cooper 3rd, and then Beechwood.

 

I'm not so sure about Ryle playing the toughest Schedule so far....

 

Combined record of opponents--

 

Ryle 3-13

Sk 7-7

Cooper 5-11

 

Cooper and SK have probably played the toughest team any of the 3 have faced...Bryan Station. Ryle has played probably the worst team any of the three have faced, Boone County. Cooper has played 3 decent teams (Bryan Station, NCC, Highlands). SK has played 3 decent teams (Louisville Christian, Bryan Station, Conner). Ryle has played 3 decent teams too (Cov Cath, though the jury is still out, Lex Cath, and Highlands). Really, I'd say schedule wise, all three teams are pretty close.

[Olddog]

Looks Good. Clearly for the first time the 6A schools are acting like 6A schools. SK looks dominant and Ryle and Cooper keep doing everything they need to back up their claims to be a top team this year. The great thing is that All play one another this season(At least once!!!). Should be a classic 6A season and go right to the wire.

 

We might see a good one in 5A as well as Highlands and Covington Catholic look to be much more even this year. Covington Catholic needs to strike this year as this is the first possible chance they have had in many years.

 

Looking forward to watching this season play out.

[75center]

I'm not so sure about Ryle playing the toughest Schedule so far....

 

Combined record of opponents--

 

Ryle 3-13

Sk 7-7

Cooper 5-11

 

Cooper and SK have probably played the toughest team any of the 3 have faced...Bryan Station. Ryle has played probably the worst team any of the three have faced, Boone County. Cooper has played 3 decent teams (Bryan Station, NCC, Highlands). SK has played 3 decent teams (Louisville Christian, Bryan Station, Conner). Ryle has played 3 decent teams too (Cov Cath, though the jury is still out, Lex Cath, and Highlands). Really, I'd say schedule wise, all three teams are pretty close.

 

Now don't you start bring facts into the discussion, feelings count for much more here.

[Slobber Knocker]

What a joke, Ryle has played a mile the toughest scd. to this point, and should be #1 right now, with SK, 2 , Cooper 3rd, and then Beechwood.

 

You're right, man. Boone County is a REAL killer this season! And after looking over some of the video from that CCH vs LexCath game, looks like the Raiders took on a REAL murderers row the first three weeks.

 

Not one of Ryle's opponents thus far has a winning record right now.

[Voice of Reason]

Per calpreps.com,, here is each team's strength of schedule:

 

Simon Kenton 25.6

Cooper 20.1

Ryle 12