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No...Conner was at 90% full roster verses Ryle. Ginn, Marshall, and Noble all played verses Ryle with Noble scoring the winning goal and Ginn assisting on the equalizing goal. Currently the Cougars have 5 varsity players out 3 with injury, 1 sick, and 1 card suspension.

Conner makes the trip across the river to visit the Tigers in Lawrenceburg and get the 2-0 win. The Cougars were missing Grady Noble, Mason Ginn, and Dallas Marshall but were still able to get 2 balls in the back of the net and could've been more just poor placement. A lot of the younger players are getting some valuable minutes which should help the Cougars towards the end of September.

Per the scoreboard. I’m hearing there are some injuries at Cooper with one of their top attacking players. This game is a shocker as Cooper had been playing good.

Per the scoreboard. NCC playing Ryle tough.

Nice win for the Tigers. Who ever faces them in the regionals is going to have their hands full.

Conner is battling some injuries and illness so they may take a lump or two but hopefully by the end of the season they are healthy and ready to go. Here is the Coaches Association poll.

I forgot to add this to the Week 3 Review....

Already in week 4...how does time go by so fast? Tuesday Boone County @ Beechwood - This is a test for both teams. This game could end up being a draw or either team winning by a goal...I'm not sure how to call it. This is going to be my game of the day. Cooper @ Simon Kenton - I don't think the Pioneers are worried about impressing us talking heads. I saw talent on the SK team but if Cooper is legit, they should get the win in Independence on Tuesday. Dixie Heights @ Campbell County - Dixie has won 4 games in a row and seem to be figuring things out. This game will help us understand how good the Camels really are. Newport Central Catholic @ Ryle - The Raiders have loss 3 games in a row, I see them taking their frustrations out on the Thoroughbreds. Pendleton County @ Holy Cross - Coin toss? Scott @ Grant County - Can the Eagles get a win verses the Braves? Villa Madonna @ Holmes - I'm picking Villa to win this one. Wednesday St. Henry @ Dixie Heights - 34th District seeding game. Dixie Has been doing better but St. Henry has been playing tough. This game can't end in a draw...I'm picking the Red Colonels in this one. Also, the game of the day. Thursday Beechwood @ Simon Kenton - I'm going with the Tigers getting the win. Conner @ Newport Central Catholic - The Cougars will be looking to continue their accent up to the top of the 9th Region Mountain. The game is at Morscher Field which could be advantageous to the Thoroughbreds. Conner will be missing Mason Ginn so they will need to find a way to move the ball and get shots into the back of the net. Of course, I'm going with Conner...why are you guys even wondering. Highlands @ Bishop Brossart - Game of the day. Can the Bluebirds go into Alexandria and get the win. I've seen the Mustangs firsthand, and they have some dangerous players. This could end up in a draw. Villa Madonna @ Pendleton County - The Vikings get this win. Saturday Ryle @ Campbell County - I look for Ryle to win this one. I'm predicting 4-1. St. Henry @ Covington Catholic - Can the Crusaders rally around each other and steal one from the Diocese bully? I'm going 3-0 Cov Cath. Also, the game of the day. My start of Week 4 rankings. 1. Covington Catholic 2. Conner 3. Cooper 4. Ryle 5. Highlands 6. St. Henry 7. Boone County 8. Newport Central Catholic 9. Campbell County 10. Bishop Brossart 10A. Beechwood Does Dixie Heights crack my top 10 next week. Do we see NCC, Campbell County, Brossart, or Beechwood dropping out? I'll guess we'll find out next Saturday.

It's halftime of the FC Cincinnati game so I have a few minutes to give the NKY week 3 recap. Covington Catholic continues to be the team to beat in Northern Kentucky. The Colonels were able to hand Cooper their first loss verses NKY competition this past week. Highlands takes their first loss verses Cooper, and the Cougars were able to give the Ryle Raiders their first loss verses a NKY team since 9/13/22 and end their 24 game win streak verses NKY competition. Here is my take on the end of week 3 rankings. 1. Covington Catholic - They have earned this spot 2. Conner - My Cougars make a huge jump this week and have made some changes that have changed the dynamics of their team. They do have a player with an injury that we'll need to keep an eye on though that could have a huge impact with their current success. 3. Cooper - Cooper get their signature win verses the Bluebirds but fall a bit short verse the Colonels. 4. Ryle - They are still a very dangerous team; they are young and will be ready come October. 5. Highlands - The Bluebirds are still in the thick of it and will continue to get better. 6. St. Henry - This team is challenging for me to rank. They have some nice wins, but I need to see them play to understand how dangerous they really are. 7. Boone County - Boone with a nice win this week verses Bishop Brossart. I think they are starting to settle in and are still my sleeper team. 8. Newport Central Catholic - They continue to play teams tough and, in my opinion, get some surprising wins. 9. Campbell County - Beat up on Pendleton County this week. They have Dixie Heights this week coming up, this game will help us understand how good CC is. 10. Bishop Brossart - Beat up on Scott, take a loss verses Boone County. 10 A. Beechwood - have lost three in a row but tied a good Lafayette team that had beaten Highlands last Saturday 2-1. In my top 10(A) I have not seen 4 teams play yet so it's a little tough to really know where to put them. I do believe that the 9th Region (like most years) will come down to who has their complete roster healthy and whose peaking at the right time. Hard for me to really make a call on the 8th and 10th, I just don't follow them as closely as the 9th.

Just to put this win in perspective…Ryle had won 24 games in a row verses NKY competition. The last time they loss to a NKY team was 9/13/22, a 3-1 loss to Dixie Heights. That was an impressive run.

Per the Riherds scoreboard. Nice win for the Rebels against a tough Bishop Brossart team.

Per the Riherds scoreboard...no details from me but if anyone attended, please fill us in.

Wow...what a battle in Union tonight! The Cougars are able to get a signature win and get the all-important district seeding win but end up with a player getting hurt that will definitely have an impact on the Cougars the next 3-4 weeks. The first half saw Ryle start strong with their attack. The Raiders were able to get into the attack and produce some shots but nothing dangerous. The Cougars needed some time to settle in and about 20 minutes in they started to move better on the attack. In my opinion there were not very many promising scoring opportunities for either team in the first half and the game was 0-0 at the half. Ryle looked a little hungrier in the second half and take advantage of a throw in into the box, the Cougars miss the clear, Wagner punches it out, but it lands at the feet of a Raider who buries the shot in the side netting to put Ryle up 1-0. Conner would battle back and get a clearance to the left side of the field, Golika Masoluka makes a pass to Mason Ginn who is able to get the defender to bite on a fake and starts to attack the goal. The Ryle defender catches Ginn but not before Ginn is able to toe poke it towards the goal which goes off the shin of the Ryle defender and finds the foot of a crashing Clark Peterson for the equalizing goal. Conner 1 Ryle 1. Conner gets another chance to score but miss the goal wide to keep the game tied. Ryle started to feel the pressure and a yellow card is issued in a good area of the field for the Cougars to take advantage of it. Brayden Cranfield steps up and is able to loft a beautiful ball in the box which finds the head of Grady Noble to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately, a little later the Cougars are attacking again, and the ball is on the foot of Ginn who is challenged hard by the Ryle defense and he suffers a foot injury and had to leave the game. The Cougars would have another chance to put the game away off a break away from Noble on the right side. Noble is able to beat the defender and takes a shot that just goes wide of the goal to keep Ryle in the game with less than 4 minutes to go. Ryle would continue to press, but the Cougar defense did just enough to secure the win over the Raiders.

As always @FrankNicodemus great job on giving the details...Cooper is playing tough right now and I was impressed with what I saw from the Bluebirds on Saturday.

Per the Riherds scoreboard.

Conner gets a home game vs Simon Kenton and are able to have 5 different players score for them. Mason Ginn started off the scoring off a pass from Noble. Conner followed that up off header from Faulkner that went towards the goal with Owen Swaney following it up to send it back across goal to the foot of Clark Peterson. For the 3rd goal in the first half Ginn found Dallas Marshall on a through ball and as Marshall entered the box the defender swept his leg setting up the PK for Brayden Thornton to convert. Conner 3 SK 0 at the half. The second half started a little slow for the Cougars as the Pioneers started to build some momentum. Simon Kenton would close the gap earning a PK off of a foul by a Conner defender in the box. I believe it was Herrera who converted the PK closing the gap 3-1. Conner had a few chances, but the ball was played to Grady Noble who drove down to the end line, crossed it in front of the goal to Ginn whose shot was somehow blocked by SK keeper (Mullins) with the shot deflecting to Golika Masoluka who put in the back of the net for the 4th goal. With about 12 minutes left both coaches went to the bench and Conner off of a throw get the ball to Colin Davey who makes a beautiful cross to the box that finds the head of Landon Henn who buries the header in the corner of the net to put the Cougars up 5-1. Conner will play Ryle on Thursday and Simon Kenton has Dixie Heights.

Some big-time games this week in Northern Kentucky. Tuesday Boone County @ Holy Cross - Boone County should win this one Cooper @ Highlands - Game of the day. Game will be played at Newport High School. Could be a preview of a regional match. Covington Catholic @ Beechwood - District 35 game. We should find out how legit Beechwood is. This is the only district game Cov Cath plays this year. Dixie Heights @ Villa Madonna - District 34 game. The Red Colonels win this one. Pendleton County @ Holmes - Holmes gets another win on Tuesday. Scott @ Bishop Brossart - District 37 game. Bishop Brossart should win this one, the question is by how many? Simon Kenton @ Conner - The Cougars have struggled against the Pioneers the past few years, the Cougars need to win this game. Walton Verona @ Grant County - 32 District game. Can the Wildcats get their first win of the season? Thursday Boone County @ Bishop Brossart - Can Boone County get a road win verses a quality opponent? Conner @ Ryle - Game of the day. 33rd District seeding game. Can the Cougars get a quality win and send a strong message in to the rest of the 33rd. Cooper @ Covington Catholic - Cooper will be looking for a statement win verses the #1 team in NKY. Grant County @ St. Henry - Crusaders win this one. Pendleton County @ Campbell County - Another win for the Camels. Simon Kenton @ Dixie Heights - Battle of Kenton County. Saturday Scott @ Holmes - Can Scott get the win vs the Bulldogs? My start of week 3 rankings: 1. Covington Catholic 2. Ryle 3. Highlands 4. Cooper 5. St. Henry 6. Conner 7. Bishop Brossart 8. Beechwood 9. Campbell County 10. Boone County

Week 2 is officially in the books and as we prepare for week 3 let's look at the teams in NKY and rank them going into week 3. Below is the recap of games vs NKY competition only. I know Williamstown and Gallatin County should probably be included but at this point I'm not updating my sheet...maybe next year. Looking at the teams and results the Northern Kentucky 9th region is entertaining to say the least. Week 2 Final Rankings 1. Covington Catholic - Beat up on Campbell County 7-0 and shutout SK 3-0. 2. Ryle - I watched them play Madison Central on Saturday; they are missing some pieces. 3. Highlands - Beat a good Boone County team 2-1. I saw the first half of their game vs Lafayette; they are a good team and will continue to get better. 4. Cooper - Waiting on next week matches to really understand who Cooper is. 5. St. Henry - This team has surprised me so far. I think they belong here. 6. Conner - Saw a little bit of life in the Cougars this week. They have a big game in Union on Thursday. 7. Bishop Brossart - Was losing to Calvary Christian and needed PK's to advance in the All A. 8. Beechwood - Took the loss vs St. Henry in the All A. 9. Campbell County - Got embarrassed by Covington Catholic. 10. Boone County - Still keeping games close

Conner travels to Scott and come away with a 8-0 victory. The Cougars started off slowly as they have made some changes to the lineup and positions. It took Conner a while to score missing an opportunity to on a trough ball which found the feet of Mason Ginn who missed the target. Conner is awarded a corner kick with about 25 minutes to go and Marshall finds Mason Ginn for the opening score. Conner would score again 8 minutes later as Ginn pressured the backline winning the ball and converting on his 1 v1 this time with the keeper. Conner would find the back the net again as another corner is given and as the ball bounced around and off the keepers hands Kellen Faulkner puts it in the back of the net giving the Cougars a 3-0 lead. With about 2 minutes left Ginn received the ball from Owen Mayhew from outside the center of the box and buries one right upper 90 for the 4th goal and a first half hat-trick to go into the half 4-0. Scott did have a couple of nice chances in the first half but Wagner was able to make 3 saves to secure the 1st half shutout. In the second half the Cougars started a little slower as Ginn was moved back to center back. The Cougars worked the ball back to the keeper who played it out to Ginn who found Coleman on the wing who then crosses it in the middle to a streaking Noble who one touches the cross past the Scott keeper to put the Cougars up 5-0. A little bit later Brayden Cranfield finds the ball on this foot outside the box on the right attacking side and buries a shot in the left side netting to put the Cougars up 6-0. Ginn was moved back up in the attack and shortly after, steals the ball from the Eagles attack, takes a dribble and strikes the ball from outside the box and scores on the left side to make it 7-0. Then with 20+ minutes remaining the Cougars end the game with G Masoluka finding the toe poke goal to make it 8-0 Conner. Beckham Mullins secures the shutout in the 2nd half for the Cougars. Conner will host Simon Kenton on Tuesday. The past couple of years they have struggled against SK so hopefully the flood gates being opened on scoring against Scott will continue on Tuesday and into Thursday when they host Ryle.

Conner traveled down to Winchester KY to take on GRC. For a high school field I was very impressed. The game started with a little controversy as there were only two refs assigned for the game. At the varsity level this is really unacceptable and you are just asking for something bad to happen. Conner opened the scoring around the 10 minute mark off a pass that broke the back line from Marshall to Noble. The Cougars looked better and were connecting passes early in this one. About 6 minutes later GRC had a corner and GRC converts off a header to tie the game. With only two refs and this game not really a meaningful game for the Cougars, Coach Walker subbed freely going deep in the bench as everyone who dressed for varsity played. Conner defended well the rest of the game but unfortunately the offense didn’t generate many opportunities in the second half and the game ended in a draw.

The Camels schedule before this game was not very competitive before running into the Cov Cath buzzsaw. The Camels should rebound against Scott on Thursday and then have a 10th region match with George Rogers Clark on Saturday. I'll get a look at GRC on Thursday with my Cougars making the trip down for an away game.

No love from the NKY Coaches association for Beechwood going into the second week of the season. Cooper being a little disrespected? Dixie Heights over hyped?

As week 2 kicks off on Monday here are the games scheduled for NKY teams only: Monday Covington Catholic @ Campbell County - Predicting the Camels get their first loss on Monday. Game of the day. Pendleton County @ Calvary Christian Tuesday Boone County @ Scott Dixie Heights @ Newport Central Catholic - This is my pick for game of the week. Can the Red Colonels get their 1st win of the season on the grass plains of Morscher Field as they try to tame the Thoroughbreds? Holy Cross @ Ryle - In the words of Mr. T "I predict PAIN!" St. Henry @ Beechwood - 2nd choice for game of the day. I've seen Beechwood firsthand, and they are tough. I think the Tigers win this one. Villa Madonna @ Calvary Christian Thursday Bishop Brossart @ Cooper - Game of the day. This will be a battle but I'm picking Cooper to come away with a win 2-1. Covington Latin @ Calvary Christian Grant County @ Holmes Highlands @ Boone County Ryle @ Gallatin County - Not sure why Ryle is playing Gallatin County, this may be 8-0 mercy rule game in the second half. Scott @ Campbell County Saturday Calvary Christian @ Bishop Brossart - Game of the day...the other games don't really interest me, and it will be interesting to see if Calvary can keep it close. Conner @ Scott Simon Kenton @ Holy Cross (Covington) My start of Week 2 rankings: 1. Ryle 2. Covington Catholic 3. Highlands 4. Cooper 5. Beechwood 6. Bishop Brossart 7. Conner 8. St. Henry 9. Campbell County 10. Boone County I see St. Henry has games schedule with no opponent so I'm assuming the "All A" starts this week?

The first week of the season is officially in the books. Many Northern Kentucky teams played 2-4 games this past week as I'm sure everyone was excited to get the season started. I've attached the spreadsheet showing the results of the team's (verses NKY teams only) and will attempt to give a Week 1 ranking heading into week 2. As a reminder I've allocated points the following way: Win = 3 points Shutout = 1 point 6 Goals or more scored = 1 point Tie = 1 point Week 1 Final Rankings 1. Ryle - Until they are defeated by a NKY school they will remain #1 on my list. 2. Cov Cath - Beat Conner on a set play to secure the 1-0 win. 3. Highlands - Go into Fort Mitchell and get the win verses Beechwood. 4. Cooper - Held St. Henry scoreless and scored 2 goals verses a NKY opponent. 5. Beechwood - Beat up on Walton, tied Conner, and gave up a goal in a loss to Highlands. 6. Bishop Brossart - Went 2-0-1 for the week defeating Dixie Heights and drawing St. Henry. 7. Conner - Played Cov Cath tough but that doesn't get you wins and had to claw their way to a tie verses Beechwood. I had to drop my Cougars till they show me something. Putting them here cause of the competition they played in week 1. 8. St. Henry - Loss to Cooper, draw with Brossart, and beat Boone County. 9. Campbell County - Yeah, they won 3 games this week (2 verses NKY teams), but the teams they beat I don't feel are there yet to improve their ranking. 10. Boone County - In my opinion won two games they should've and loss to St. Henry. It will be interesting to see how Dixie Heights rebounds as they go 0-4-0 officially on the week giving up 9 goals while scoring only 2. Simon Kenton was a head scratcher to me...they have good players but take the L verses a young NCC team. Any errors I apologize for in advance...remember I'm an unpaid NKY soccer supporter! lol Also feel free to give your rankings of how you see NKY soccer.

Per the scoreboard.