article NKY Power Rankings: 09-13-19

1) 5A Covington Catholic (3-0) – The Colonels haven’t often found themselves behind in a game in recent years, but 3A Lexington Catholic (2-1) definitely had them against the ropes, leading for the vast majority of the game. After scoring the game’s first touchdown about halfway through the 1st quarter on Friday, Cov Cath trailed for most of the game by as many as 14 points, but came back to take over the lead on a 2-point conversion call with 2:52 left on the clock and held on for the 39-38 win. Caleb Jacob was 17-26 passing for 247yds and 1TD, and ran 8 times for 20yds and 2 TDs. Daniel Felix ran 9 times for 86yds and 1 TD, had 1 reception for a 29yd touchdown, and led the defense with 12 tackles. Covington Catholic hosts 6A Dixie Heights (1-2) tonight in Park Hills in the 46th edition of the Battle Of Dixie Highway and bragging rights for which color Colonels should really be.

2) 5A Highlands (2-1) – The Birds dusted themselves off after their loss in the Cumberland Falls Pigskin Classic, and hosted 6A Campbell County (0-3) on Friday, and sent the Camels back to the south end of Campbell County with a 47-0 loss. Collin Hollingsworth was 15-22 passing for 262yds, 3 TDs and 1 INT. WR Hunter Ahlfeld led the receiving corps with 4 receptions for 86yds and 1 TD, and Jacob Welch had 2 receptions for 38yds and 2 TDs. Highlands kept the Camels’ D guessing with 9 different ball carriers in the game as the Bluebirds rolled up 434 total yards of offense in the game. The Highlands offense held the Campbell County offense to a mere 56yds total. Brycen Huddleston led the defense with an impressive 11 tackles including 1 tackle for loss. Highlands heads to Independence tonight to take on the 6A Simon Kenton Pioneers (2-1).

3) 2A Beechwood (0-2) – The Tigers new they were going to be facing a tough first half to their season, and for a second week, it proved correct. Beechwood traveled south to Somerset and played on a very strong 2A Somerset (3-0) team. After beating the Briar Jumpers 28-0 last year in Fort Mitchell, the Briar Jumpers returned the favor this year, sending the Tigers home with a 46-14 loss. Beechwood came out looking strong with an 87yd Parker Mason return for TD on the opening kickoff, but it was tough sledding after that for the Tigers offense, which was unable to score again until there were less than 5 minutes to go in the game. QB Cam Hergott had a respectable 100yds passing on 8 completions, and the Tigers’ 1 offensive TD was scored on a 1 yd run by freshman RB Xavier Campbell, capping off a 62 yard 4th quarter drive. Beechwood hosts the 3A Corbin Redhounds (2-1) tonight in Fort Mitchell.

4) 6A Simon Kenton (2-1) – Simon Kenton put another check in the W column on Friday with their 13-10 win over OH-D1 Oak Hills (0-2). Their running game looked improved from the previous week, with Austin Hammack making his first start of the year and posting 47yds and 1 TD. Freshman Chase Crone played the entire game at TD, and was 17-25 passing for 132yds and 1 INT, and the remaining TD came on a punch-in carry by RB Quincy North. Junior LB Nate Walker led the defensive front for Simon Kenton with 10 tackles including 2 for losses, and junior DL Jake Huff came in just behind Walker with 9 tackles. The Pioneers benefitted from 2 Oak Hills turnovers, with an interception by Brennon Miller, and a forced fumble by DB Ethan Nuckols that was recovered by DB Tyler Musick. The ‘Neers host the 5A Highlands Bluebirds (2-1) this week.

5) 6A Ryle (2-1) – Ryle proved that they’ve put their first game behind them after coming out on Friday and earning another win for a second week in a row. The Raiders beat 5A Cooper (2-1) in a 20-16 defensive battle for bragging rights in Union. Coach Mike Engler appears to be decided completely on QB Bradyn Lyons, whose experience as a junior earned him the start and the exclusive QB appearance for the Raiders last week. Lyons was 8-13 passing for 110yds and 2 INTs. RB Kyle England led the offense with 25 carries for 144yds rushing and 3 TDs, and WR Connor Lee led the receiving corps with 3 receptions for 72yds. Sophomore LB Gabe Savage led the defense with 8 tackles including 3 for losses, and defensive backs Ryan Planck and Mathias Cusick both had interceptions. Ryle plays 5A Boone County (2-1) tonight at home.

6) 5A Cooper (2-1) – Cooper was dropped in their first loss of the season on Friday, losing 20-16 to 6A Ryle (2-1). QB Drew Warth was 5-13 passing in the game for 91yds and 1 INT, and Jeremiah Lee added 1 completion on 4 passing attempts. Lee also led the team rushing with 54yds and 2 TDs on 14 carries, while RB Brandon Tye added 50yds on 14 carries. The defense held Ryle to 184 total yards of offense in the game, and Jeremiah Lee & Chester Hale both managed interceptions from the Jaguars’ defensive backfield, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Ryle’s four-point victory. Cooper hosts 6A Campbell County (0-3) tonight.

7) 1A Newport Central Catholic (1-2) – Not everyone makes it a habit of heading across the river to play the teams in Ohio, but the Breds showed that they weren’t afraid to take on OH-DIV Roger Bacon (1-0) last week, despite the 41-14 loss. QB Paul Kremer had a strong 192yds passing and 1 TD on 14 completions out of 31 attempts, and was intercepted once. RB Joe Doeker led the offensive rushing attack with 33yds and 1 TD on 6 carries, but the Breds struggled on the ground with 49 total yards rushing. WR Caleb Jefferson was Kremer’s favorite receiver, with 5 receptions for 97yds and 1 TD. Defensive stats were not reported for the game. New Cath heads to 2A Walton-Verona (2-1) tonight.

8) 4A Scott (2-1) – The Eagles improved to 2-1 with a big win over 2A Covington Holy Cross, beating the Indians 42-6 on Friday. Gus Howlett nearly matched his passing yardage from the previous two games combined, going 15-20 passing for 147yds, 2 TDS and 1 INT. With #1 RB Quincy Perrin sidelined due to injury, senior RB Robert Pence stepped up and ran 19 times for 147yds and 2 TDs, while WR Philip Gallardo added 60yds and 2 TDS of his own on the ground attack. Wide Receiver Carson Craycraft had 63yds receiving and a TD on 5 catches and Cameron Patterson had 30yds and a TD on his 5 catches. Nigel Robinson led the defense with 5 tackles including 3 for losses, and Sage Lalley, Zach Scheper, and Michael Nicholas each had 4 tackles a piece. Scott hosts OH-DV Bethel-Tate (1-1) tonight.

9) 5A Conner (2-1) – After a showing against Ryle that didn’t add up to as they had hoped, the Cougars bounced back with a big 35-0 win over 6A Dixie Heights (1-2). QB Jared Hicks had a big night passing, going 20-26 for 297yds and 4 TDs. Hicks also scored the Cougars’ 1 TD from the ground, coming in just behind RB Douglas Abdon’s 51yds with the 47yds Jared racked up on 10 carries. WR Caleb Ervin led the receivers with 94yds and 1 TD. On the other side of the ball, middle linebacker Parker Hitzfield put on a show with 11 tackles and 1 sack, DB Clayton Melcher had 8 tackles, and DB Timothy Leiprecht had 7 tackles. Conner will host 2A Lloyd Memorial (2-1) tonight in Hebron.

10) Lloyd Memorial (2-1) – The Juggs make their arrival in the northern Kentucky Power Rankings tonight after putting a second tic in the win column with a 22-14 win over 5A Boone County (2-1). Sophomore QB Jacob Davidson was 4-11 passing for 60yds, 1 TD and 1 INT, and also carried 6 times for 31yds. Senior RB Dakota Thiel was the offensive workhorse on Friday, with 98yds rushing on 21 carries for 2 TDs, while RB Isaac Abdon added 55yds more on 18 carries. Abdon was also the anchor of Lloyd’s defensive front in what turned out to be a largely defensive battle of a game, coming up with 10 tackles in the game from his position at linebacker. Lloyd was able to hold Boone County to 114 total yards offense. The Juggernauts will be in Hebron tonight playing 5A Conner (2-1).

TRENDING UP

2A Lloyd Memorial (2-1) – It’s always a good week when you beat a football team from three class-sizes above yours. That’s what the Juggs did with their 22-14 win over 6A Boone County (2-1) on Friday.

2A Newport (3-0) – The Wildcats are one of very few undefeated teams in northern Kentucky, and can’t but be anything but happy about that after handing 2A Carroll County (2-1) their first loss of the season in a 42-0.

4A Holmes (2-1) – The Bulldogs are 2-1 for the first time since the 2013 season, and did so by adding a 58-6 win on Friday over 2A Owen County (0-3).

TRENDING DOWN

2A Beechwood (0-2) – It was a big loss for Beechwood, who came home from 2A Somerset (3-0) on the wrong side of the 46-14 scoreboard. The Tigers will have to figure out how to beat the Briar Jumpers if they want to win a championship in their first year as a 2A football program.

1A Bellevue (0-3) – The Tigers dropped their third game straight in a 26-27 loss to 1A Bishop Brossart (2-1).

6A Campbell County (0-3) – The Camels also continued their winless effort this season, losing 47-0 to 5A Highlands (2-1) in the Camels’ second shutout this year.

GAME OF THE WEEK (RESULTS): WEEK 2

5A Cooper vs. 6A Ryle

Cooper was handed their first loss of the season, and the Raiders are making their opening loss to 5A Covington Catholic (0-3) look more and more like it was just a case of the opening week jitters.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WEEK 3

5A Highlands vs. 6A Simon Kenton

These two teams haven’t played much in recent years, despite both of their overall success among northern Kentucky competitors in their respective classes. Last year the game ended in a 38-9 Highlands win, although the game may have looked somewhat closer than the scoreboard revealed for those who watched it in person, with two of the Bluebirds’ touchdowns coming on a pick-6 and a kickoff return. Simon Kenton’s offense actually managed to out-gain the Birds’ offense by 35 yards in the battle. Should be a good one tonight in Independence.

Beechwood over Ryle and SK?

Beechwood over Ryle and SK?

Wondered how long it would take for that to raise an eyebrow.

Beechwood over Ryle and SK?

Wondered how long it would take for that to raise an eyebrow.

Yeah, I'm not sure about that. We'll know after tonight.

Yeah, I'm not sure about that. We'll know after tonight.

That's largely my same take on things.

Ryle was a blown out by Cov Cath, then wins over Cooper and Conner. two teams that have yet to have any impressive wins themselves.

Simon Kenton scored a bunch on a mediocre-at-best Henry Clay team, but then also had 27 scored on themselves in the process. Then they let Anderson (OH) pass for 430 yards on them and beat them 44-16. Also, Simon Kenton has averaged 62 yards rushing over the last two games.

Beechwood is 0-2, sure. Their losses both came to quality opponents. Somerset was ugly last Friday, but I think Somerset would easily fit in at #2 or maybe #3 in northern Kentucky. Hergott looks great still, Stammer looks really solid, and I think we're going to see a lot out of Avery Courtney in the backfield over the course of the remainder of this season.

Simon Kenton's performance against Highlands tonight will tell us a lot about them, and Beechwood's first home game of the year against Corbin will be telling too. Beechwood's last 0-3 start preceded the KHSAA scoreboard records. I don't know that Ryle's game over Boone will be quite as telling, since Boone is still very much in re-building mode. Although a loss to Boone is definitely telling us something about Ryle...although I think that's a highly unlikely result for their game tonight.

Long story short, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right. We'll see.

Just a question on this 9/13/19 edition, is this a snapshot reflection of what NKY looks like right now or what you project after 9/13/19?

I guess you stated above it's the later. I was just curious.

That's largely my same take on things.

 

Ryle was a blown out by Cov Cath, then wins over Cooper and Conner. two teams that have yet to have any impressive wins themselves.

 

Simon Kenton scored a bunch on a mediocre-at-best Henry Clay team, but then also had 27 scored on themselves in the process. Then they let Anderson (OH) pass for 430 yards on them and beat them 44-16. Also, Simon Kenton has averaged 62 yards rushing over the last two games.

 

Beechwood is 0-2, sure. Their losses both came to quality opponents. Somerset was ugly last Friday, but I think Somerset would easily fit in at #2 or maybe #3 in northern Kentucky. Hergott looks great still, Stammer looks really solid, and I think we're going to see a lot out of Avery Courtney in the backfield over the course of the remainder of this season.

 

Simon Kenton's performance against Highlands tonight will tell us a lot about them, and Beechwood's first home game of the year against Corbin will be telling too. Beechwood's last 0-3 start preceded the KHSAA scoreboard records. I don't know that Ryle's game over Boone will be quite as telling, since Boone is still very much in re-building mode. Although a loss to Boone is definitely telling us something about Ryle...although I think that's a highly unlikely result for their game tonight.

 

Long story short, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right. We'll see.

So far Beechwood has yet to win a game. Then also in their last scrimmage in a 3 quarter normal game like conditions, they were basically completelly controlled by Cooper. So yeah Beechwood clearly still somehow holding onto the 3 spot is a head scratcher. All three of Cooper, Ryle, and SK should be ahead of them imo. Quite honestly I think we will see NCC beat them this year too.

ttt

I think Ryle made a statement tonight. I understand Boone isn’t working with much and prayers for the QB he was hurt badly.

However Ryle has had a nice string of wins against good teams.

IMO-

Cov Cath is that much better than everyone else.

Ryle & Highlands will play for #2 next Friday.

So far Beechwood has yet to win a game. Then also in their last scrimmage in a 3 quarter normal game like conditions, they were basically completelly controlled by Cooper. So yeah Beechwood clearly still somehow holding onto the 3 spot is a head scratcher. All three of Cooper, Ryle, and SK should be ahead of them imo. Quite honestly I think we will see NCC beat them this year too.

Time to reset.

Time to reset.

Time to reset.

No not really. Great win tonight for Beechwood. Doesn't change that they were 0 and 2 before tonight. Plus doesn't change the fact that anyone who saw the Cooper vs. Beechwood scrimmage that Beechwood definitely was not the better team really in any area. If it wasn't for the name, it really wouldn't even be a debate based off how things have been this year. They would definitely be behind Cooper and Ryle.

No not really. Great win tonight for Beechwood. Doesn't change that they were 0 and 2 before tonight. Plus doesn't change the fact that anyone who saw the Cooper vs. Beechwood scrimmage that Beechwood definitely was not the better team really in any area. If it wasn't for the name, it really wouldn't even be a debate based off how things have been this year. They would definitely be behind Cooper and Ryle.

I’d agree 100%. After watching the scrimmage vs Cooper and then starting off 0-2 there no way they’re the #3 team in NKY. They’d be 5th or 6th IMO. Ryle is treading up after their opening game and should be 3rd followed by Cooper and SK.

I won't argue that Beechwood should be number 3. However, that Cooper scrimmage is not a factor for me. I saw that scrimmage as much more even than what is being portrayed here. It was pretty even overall with the advantage to Cooper. Jeremiah Lee made 3 big plays. Besides that Cooper didn't move the ball much at all