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
While the Boone County football team struggled through a 1-10 season last year, lack of motivation became a problem for the players. This season, a newfound sense of dedication and teamwork is giving the Rebels and their new head coach a much more positive outlook.
“Something that this year’s team has that last year’s didn’t is that they’re very close,” said first-year head coach Marty Steele. “There’s great team chemistry. They’re pushing and encouraging each other and working hard.”
As a former player and longtime assistant coach for the Boone County football team, Steele has vivid memories of the program’s glory days.
When he got the head coaching position last April, he said his main focus would be improving the two areas that were strong points of past teams — running the ball on offense and stopping the run on defense.
The Rebels struggled in both of those areas last season. They averaged just 142 rushing yards per game compared to 249 yards for their opponents.
“Motivation became an issue last year,” Steele said. “You just think about how things aren’t going well, but despite that fact your hopes and dreams are still there.”
Even though the starting quarterback, leading rusher and leading tackler on last year’s team graduated, the new head coach managed to instill a winning attitude in Boone County’s returning players.
“I feel like we have all 11 guys on both sides of the ball committed every day,” said junior quarterback Peter Westhoff. “That’s the biggest part.”
“There wasn’t a great bond last year,” said Joey Sanz, a junior offensive and defensive lineman. “I don’t think everyone trusted each other. This year we’re like one big family.”
The Rebels may not have the experience and proven talent that they did last season, but that’s not a major concern to senior Dylon Bishop, a returning starter at tight end.
“They didn’t really buy into the whole team thing,” Bishop said of last year’s seniors. “They wanted to play football, but they didn’t want to do it as a team. This year, you can tell in the offseason we all bought in and all came together as one to work towards the one goal of improving.”
After all the hard work they put in during the spring and summer, the Rebels expect to be more competitive in the upcoming season that begins Friday when Steele will make his head coaching debut in a home game against Lexington Catholic.
“This team has a great work ethic. It’s shown through the winter and the summer,” Steele said. “They’re tired of people telling them that they are terrible and they’re ready to make a change.”
BOONE COUNTY REBELS
2014 SEASON: 1-10 record, lost in first round of Class 6A state playoffs.
THIS SEASON: Class 6A, District 6 with Campbell County, Simon Kenton.
COACH: Marty Steele (First season as a head coach).
2015 SCHEDULE
Aug. 21 – LEXINGTON CATHOLIC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 28 – at Conner, 7 p.m.
Sept. 4 – at Ryle, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 11 – at Lexington Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18 – SOUTH OLDHAM, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 25 – at Dixie Heights, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9 – SIMON KENTON, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 – COOPER, 7 p.m.
Oct. 23 – at Campbell County, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 – HIGHLANDS, 7 p.m.
See these NKyTribune prep football previews:
Bishop Brossart
Ludlow
Campbell County
Highlands
Dixie Heights
Bellevue
Newport
NewCath
Conner
Covington Catholic
Holmes
Dayton
Ryle
Scott
Walton-Verona
Beechwood