The NKyTribune will be offering focused coverage of NKY high school football throughout the season, thanks to support from St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine. See all our pre-season features on each of NKY’s 21 high school football teams and follow our coverage, including roundups each week at Northern Kentucky High School Football.
By Brett Bibbins
NKyTribune contributor
Highlands got off to a slow start and then took command in a 38-15 win over Campbell County on Friday.
After Campbell County took a 7-0 lead on a rushing touchdown by senior Dawson Hogan, the defense managed to hold Highlands scoreless in the first quarter.
The second quarter was a different story. The Bluebirds’ offense came alive, scoring three rushing touchdowns and kicking a field goal for 24 points. Two of the scores came on breakaway runs of 50 and 43 yards by senior Nick Kendall.
Highlands continued to pour on the points with two more touchdowns to start the third quarter. Kendall caught a touchdown pass from Austin Hergott followed by a 72-yard rushing score from Grant Murray.
Highlands’ offense was bolstered by a triple-threat rushing attack consisting of Hergott’s 97 yards, Kendall’s 118 yards and Murray’s 83 yards.
CAMPBELL COUNTY 7 0 8 0 — 15
HIGHLANDS 0 24 14 0 — 38
CC — Hogan 3 run (Schierenbeck kick)
H — Hergott 2 run (Dougherty kick)
H — Kendall 50 run (Dougherty kick)
H — Kendall 43 run (Dougherty kick)
H — Dougherty 46 field goal
H — Kendall 10 pass from Hergott (Dougherty kick)
H — Murray 72 run (Dougherty kick)
CC — Hogan 1 run (Plessinger run)
RECORDS: Highlands 1-1, Campbell County 0-2
COOPER 35, NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC 0
After taking down reigning Class 4A state champion Highlands in last week’s season-opener, the Cooper offense continued to put up big numbers in a win over Class 2A state runner-up Newport Central Catholic on Friday.
Cooper quarterback Nathan Brown rushed for 79 yards on 10 carries, including a 6-yard touchdown run, and completed 13 of 21 passes for 194 yards and two TDs. Running back Torrey Cordell-Armstrong rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries and scored twice.
In the first half, Brown threw TD passes to Chad Michels and Dante Hendrix. Cordell-Armstrong scored one rushing TD in each half.
COOPER 7 14 0 14 — 35
NCC 0 0 0 0 — 0
C — Michels 9 pass from Brown (Hollifield kick)
C — Cordell-Armstrong 4 run (Hollifield kick)
C — Hendrix 18 pass from Brown (Hollifield kick)
C — Cordell-Armstrong 39 run (Hollifield kick)
C — Brown 6 run (Hollifield kick)
RECORDS: Cooper 2-0, Newport Central Catholic 0-2
BELLEVUE 42, DAYTON 0
For the second straight week, Bellevue’s high-scoring offense propelled the Tigers to a victory. This week, their defense did its job as well by shutting out Dayton.
After only one offensive score in the first two quarters, Bellevue ratcheted up its attack in the second half, scoring 28 points in the third and fourth quarters, all on the ground.
Senior Cameron Chase and junior Adam Hazeras were strong rushing weapons for the Tigers. Chase rushed 14 times for 95 yards and two scores, while Hazeras rushed six times for 89 yards and a touchdown.
DAYTON 0 0 0 0 — 0
BELLEVUE 7 7 14 14 — 42
B — Chase 8 run (Garcia kick)
B — Ackerson 58 punt return, (Garcia kick)
B — Ackerson 10 run (Garcia kick)
B — Chase 8 run (Garcia kick)
B — Hazeras 45 run (Garcia kick)
B — Hill 6 run (Garcia kick)
RECORDS: Dayton 0-2, Bellevue 2-0
HOLY CROSS 28, WALTON-VERONA 14
After coming back to tie the score in the third quarter, Walton-Verona’s defense could not contain Holy Cross dual-threat quarterback Hamilton Scott.
Walton-Verona scored on a goal-line run from Hunter Ruber to tie the score in the third quarter. Holy Cross regained the lead when Scott found Jaylin Williams for a six-yard touchdown pass and then Scott rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
Scott rushed for 111 yards and one TD on 12 carries, to go along with two scores through the air. He also converted four point-after kicks. Walton-Verona got a big game out of senior Noah Richardson, who rushed 14 times for 165 yards, caught two passed for 19 yards and a touchdown.
HOLY CROSS 0 14 7 7 — 28
WALTON VERONA 0 7 7 0 — 14
HC — Finnell 5 pass from Scott (Scott kick)
HC — Barnes 24 interception return (Scott kick)
WV — Richardson 7 pass from Poore (Moran kick)
WV — Ruber 1 run, (Moran kick)
HC — Williams 6 pass from Scott (Scott kick)
HC — Scott 13 run (Scott kick)
RECORDS: Holy Cross 2-0, Walton-Verona 1-1
CONNER 43, BOONE COUNTY 6
After having a bye week in the first week of the season, the Conner Cougars came out of the gate ready to go, jumping out to a 22-0 halftime lead over Boone County.
The second half was more of the same as Conner tacked on another 21 points, behind the play of senior quarterback Kyler Padgett, who finished 9-of-17 passing for 134 yards and three touchdowns, along with 138 rushing yards and two scores.
The Cougar defense forced three turnovers and held the Rebels to only 64 total yards. Boone County converted on only one third-down play out of eight attempts.
Boone got its only points on a rushing touchdown by Amadou Diaw in the third quarter. Diaw finished with 60 yards on 12 carries.
BOONE 0 0 6 0 — 6
CONNER 15 7 0 21 — 43
C — Padgett 4 run (Padgett run)
C — Arnold 5 run (Eberhard kick)
C — Marshall 24 pass from Padgett (Eberhard kick)
B — Diaw 3 run (kick failed)
C — Padgett 3 run (Eberhard kick)
C — Ebarb 26 pass from Padgett (Eberhard kick)
C — Ebarb 38 pass from Padgett (Eberhard kick)
RECORDS: Boone County 0-2, Conner 1-0
CINCINNATI ST. XAVIER 57, COVINGTON CATHOLIC 7
St. Xavier scored 50 points in the first half and coasted to a win over CovCath in a Skyline Chili Crossdown Showdown game at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium.
St. Xavier finished with 346 total yards while holding CovCath to less than 50. The Colonels got their only touchdown on a 2-yard pass from A.J. Mayer to Logan Beagle early in the fourth quarter.
ST. XAVIER 33 17 7 0 – 57
COVCATH 0 0 0 7 – 7
X – Buczek safety (blocked punt)
X – Prophit 12 run (Maciag kick)
X – Specht 14 pass from Rumpke (Maciag kick)
X – Davin 22 pass from Clifford (Maciag kick)
X – Maciag 24 field goal
X – Prophit 33 run (Maciag kick)
X – Rumpke 64 run (Maciag kick)
X – Davis 6 pass from Clifford (Maciag kick)
X – Arcuri 30 field goal
X – Stoll 33 interception (Malof kick)
C – Beagle 2 pass from Mayer (Kloska kick)
RECORDS: St. Xavier 1-0, CovCath 0-2.
READING (Ohio) 53, NEWPORT 6
Readin scored four touchdowns in the first quarter and went on to beat Newport in a Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown game on Thursday.
Reading senior quarterback Sam Ashbrock passed to 119 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two scores on the ground. The Blue Devil rushing attack would not be denied as they scored a total of six touchdowns.
NEWPORT 0 0 6 0 — 6
READING 27 13 6 7 — 53
R — Brooks 61 pass from Ashbrock (Sofio kick)
R — Pinson 1 run (kick failed)
R — Brooks 7 run (Sofio kick)
R — Ashbrock 1 run (Sofio kick)
R — Ashbrock 9 run (Sofio kick)
R — Simmons 1 run (kick failed)
R — Jackson 25 pass from Ashbrock (kick failed)
N — Porter 4 run (kick failed)
R — Simmons 2 run (Sofio kick)
OTHER GAMES INVOLVING LOCAL TEAMS
Beechwood (1-0) 48, Lloyd (1-1) 22
Ludlow (2-0) 24, Bracken County (1-1) 6
Bishop Brossart (2-0) 26, Aiken (Oh.) (0-1) 22
Paris (2-0) 13, Holmes (0-2) 7
Simon Kenton (2-0) 52, Bryan Station (1-1) 36
Ryle (2-0) 31, Lexington Catholic (1-1) 24