article NKY Power Rankings: 10-11-18

1) 5A Covington Catholic (7-0) – The Colonels headed up to Indianapolis on Friday to take on IN-3A Bishop Chatard (6-2), and came home with an important 52-36 win over the Trojans. The Colonels had their hands full at halftime, but were able to pull away in the second half, thanks largely to sophomore Caleb Jacob’s phenomenal work at QB. Caleb was 19-30 passing for 385yds and 3 TDs. WR Jack Coldiron stacked up 145yds and 1 TD receiving, and TE Michael Mayer added 129yds and 2 TDs receiving, while RB Casey McGinness came in strong, as always, with 158yds rushing for 2 TDs. Defensively, Michael Mayer shined again at linebacker with 7 tackles and a 76yd pick-6, while Jackson Blank and James Schwartz each added 7 more tackles and safety Andrew Shelton had one more interception for the D. Cov Cath will take on the rival Highlands Bluebirds (6-1) in Ft. Thomas on Friday night.

2) 5A Highlands (6-1) – The Bluebirds played 5A Dixie Heights (0-8) on Thursday, and made easy work of the Colonels, heading back to Ft. Thomas with a 49-6 over Dixie, making for a second running clock victory this season for Highlands. QB Grady Cramer was 20-33 passing for 330yds and 3 TDs. WR Nate Roberts was Cramer’s favorite receiver, with 192yds and 2 TDs, and WR Hunter Ahlfeld had another 67yds and 1 TD to add to that. RB Cooper Schwalbach rushed 16 times for 166yds and 2 TDs, and the remaining touchdowns came on runs by RB Joe Buten and RB Collin Hollingsworth. The Highlands D intercepted Dixie 4 times in the game, with INTs coming from Jacob Brass, Casey Greene, Jackson Hagedorn, and Brennan Haigis. Highlands hosts 5A district rival Covington Catholic (7-0) on Friday.

3) 1A Beechwood (5-2) – It was a quick game on Thursday, and Beechwood didn’t play the kindest of hosts, sending 1A Bellevue (4-3) home with a 63-0 shutout loss. The Tigers offense had 464 total yards in the game. Starting QB Cam Hergott passed 8 times for 6 receptions, 139yds and 1 TD, and rushed for another 33yds. Cole Stammer and Logan Castleman led the running attack with 73yds and 72yds, respectively, and Castleman led the scoring effort with 3 rushing TDs. The remaining rushing TDs came via Tyler Donoho, Max Nordheim, Mitchell Corts, and Jacob Sherrin, and WR Hank Birindelli had the lone TD receiving. Logan Castleman and Mason Williams also had interceptions for the defense. Beechwood will play 1A Ludlow (5-2) at Ludlow on Friday.

4) 6A Simon Kenton (6-2) – Simon Kenton returned to putting games in the W column on Saturday by beating 6A Boone County (2-5) by a score of 39-7. Pioneer quarterbacks Caleb Farfsing and Reed Carmony combined for 172 yards of passing on 13 receptions, and 1 TD on a connection between Farfsing and WR Evan Mulberry. RB Austin Hammack compiled 128yds and 1 TD on the ground, and FB Jon Sergent added 2 TDs and 70yds rushing. Bryson Pernell led the defense with 11 tackles, and Clay Cogswell returned from two weeks of injury to put up 10 tackles. Pernell had 2 sacks, and Jack Milton had 1. The Pioneers will be returning to the road on Friday to head east and play the 6A Campbell County Camels (5-2).

5) 6A Campbell County (5-2) – Campbell County was another team that got back to winning last week, with a 13-9 win over 6A Conner (5-2). QB Andrew Helton was 14-27 passing for 162yds, and he also rushed for 45yds and 1 TD. WR Reid Jolly had 91yds receiving, while RB Grant Jolly had 23yds rushing for 1 TD, and 26yds receiving. No defensive stats have been reported for the game. Campbell County will face 6A Simon Kenton (6-2) this week.

6) 6A Conner (5-2) – The Cougars may have won the battle for offensive yards on Friday, outgaining 6A Campbell County 296yds to 206yds, they failed to win the battle on the scoreboard, with Conner losing 13-9 at the end of regulation. QB Jared Hicks was 20-34 passing for 194yds, and Christian Webster rushed for 79yds on 16 carries and had the team’s only TD. The remaining 3 points came on a field goal by kicker Teddy Schul. Clayton Boyd, Tate Niederman, and Colton Roy each had 6 tackles a piece for the Cougars’ defense, and Caleb Ervin tallied 1 sack. Conner has 6A Ryle (2-5) coming to visit this Friday for their next game.

7) 6A Ryle (2-5) – The Raiders finally got their second win of the season on Friday, beating 6A Cooper (2-5) by a final score of 26-7. QB Jake Smith was 5-13 passing for 95 yards, and he rushed for 87yds and 1 TD in the game. The running game was led by Jackson Saladin, with 169yds and 3 TDs on 5 carries, and Elijah Cusick added 81 yds on 21 carries. Jackson Saladin also led the defense from linebacker, with 9 tackles including 4 tackles for loss and 1 sack. Johnathan Coker had 1 interception for the D as well. Ryle faces 6A Conner (5-2) on Friday.

8) 6A Cooper (2-5) – For a fourth time this season, Cooper was only able to score a single time in a game in their 26-7 loss to 6A Ryle (2-5). They did have QB Jeremiah Lee back from injury this week, and Lee was 10-26 passing for 148yds and 1 TD in addition to rushing for 66yds. WR Mikey Armour accounted for 143 of the teams 148yds receiving with 9 receptions and the Jags’ single TD in the game. LB Ethan Bosway led the defense with 13 tackles, while LB Brian Yelton had 10 tackles, and DB Joe Poage had 8. Cooper plays 6A Boone County (5-2) at home this Friday.

9) 2A Walton-Verona (5-2) – No action this week. The Bearcats will return to action this week against 2A Carroll County (4-3).

10) Lloyd Memorial (5-2) – The Juggs handed out their second shutout of the season last Friday, beating the 2A Newport Wildcats 30-0 in Erlanger. The passing game was sparse, with QB Dakota Thiel only making 5 attempts good for 3 receptions and 21yds. Travon Mason ran the ball 24 times for 156yds and 1 TD, Jonathan Williams had 7 carries for 50yds and 2 TDs, and QB Thiel ran it 4 times for 14yds and 1 TD. Darian Jackson and Nathan Jarvis each had 6 tackles a piece, and Isaac Abdon, Jalen Huntley, and Jonathan Williams each had 5 tackles. Darian Jackson and Tyson Maynard each had an interception in the game as well. Lloyd hosts 2A Newport Central Catholic (2-5) this week at home.

TRENDING UP:

2A Lloyd (Previously #10) – Their place hasn’t changed in the NKY Power Rankings, but Lloyd continues to do what it takes to put wins in the record book.

5A Covington Catholic (Previously #1) – The Colonels haven’t moved up from the #1 spot, but with a big win over a top Indiana team in Bishop Chatard (6-2), Cov Cath is defending their case to remain the #1 ranked team in 5A, and the #1 team in the NKY Power Rankings.

TRENDING DOWN:

1A Dayton (Previously Un-Ranked) – The Greendevils started out the season with less than 30 players on their roster, and due to ongoing injuries, Dayton was forced to forfeit their game last week against 1A Ludlow (5-2).

GAME OF THE WEEK RECAP: WEEK 7

6A Cooper vs. 6A Ryle

Both teams are obviously working on rebuilding this season, with each having a 2-5 record at this point, but Ryle defended their title as the best team in Union for a third year straight by beating the Cooper Jaguars 26-7 last week.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 8

5A Covington Catholic vs. 5A Highlands

The game of the week is going to be #1 versus #2 this week in the NKY Power Rankings, with one of Northern Kentucky’s premier rivalries facing off in Fort Thomas on Friday night when Highlands (6-1) hosts Covington Catholic (7-0). This game has gone in the Bluebirds’ favor the vast majority of the meetings in the last decade, but the Colonels have managed to beat Birds the two time they’ve faced one another in the last two seasons. This won’t be one to miss.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WEEK 7

QB Caleb Jacob (5A Covington Catholic) – Caleb stepped into some big shoes this season, coming in as a sophomore to replace All-State QB AJ Mayer, and has done a heck of a job. In his latest performance, Caleb helped the Colonels beat IN-3A Bishop Chatard (6-2) last week by going 19-30 passing for 385yds and 3 TDs.