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
A Lloyd football team has not advanced past the second round of the high school playoffs since 2003 when the Juggernauts lost in the Class 2A state semifinals. With an offense full of returning starters, this year’s team is poised to make a deeper post-season run and break that 12-year streak, which includes a loss to Newport Central Catholic in last year’s second round.
“Having all of those skill guys back can only help the quarterback, that’s for sure,” said Lloyd head coach Eric Turner. “We’ve changed up our offense a little bit to spread the ball around since we have so many offensive threats.”
Top returners for the Lloyd offense include Charles Gaines, who had 42 receptions for 574 yards and six touchdowns, and Justin Durham, who totaled 1,019 rushing yards and 19 TDs. The team also has a dual-threat option in Lashunn Townsend, who caught seven TDs and ran for six more.
“It’ll make it a lot easier for the quarterback,” Townsend said. “To have a lot of options to get the ball to, whether it’s running backs or wide receivers, is great.”
The addition of DaShon Lunsford, a senior running back who transferred from Scott, makes the Juggernauts’ offensive attack even scarier. Lunsford, who played pee-wee and middle school football with many of his Lloyd teammates, averaged seven yards per carry for Scott last season with three rushing and two receiving touchdowns.
“Having so much talent on the offensive side takes a lot of pressure off of the quarterback so he can just come in and play as smooth as the rest of our guys,” said junior fullback Jesse Hatton.
The big question going into this season is who the starting quarterback will be. Lloyd’s offense averaged almost 38 points per game last season with senior Hayden Molitor behind center. He threw for 17 touchdowns and 1,564 yards, enough to make the list of top 10 passers in Class 2A around the state.
The leading candidates for the starting quarterback position on this year’s team are junior Alex Runion and sophomore Jordan Fann, who have been battling for the job all summer.
“Trying to replace Hayden is really tough,” said Turner. “But they both have their own special qualities. Some people might say it’s a QB controversy or it’s a battle, but they’re both really coming along and I think with Gaines and our other skill guys, they’ll just get better and better.”
All this offensive power coming back has the Juggernauts hoping for a state championship, not only for themselves, but also for the surrounding community that has stayed so loyal to the Juggernauts’ program.
“It would mean a lot,” Gaines said of winning a state title. “But, honestly, it would probably mean more to this community than to this team. That’s really who we go out there and play for. They just really want to see us win.”
LLOYD JUGGERNAUTS
2014 SEASON: 8-3 record, lost in second round of Class 2A state playoffs.
THIS SEASON: Class 2A, District 6 with Holy Cross, Newport, Newport Central Catholic.
COACH: Eric Turner (14-8 in two seasons at Lloyd).
2015 SCHEDULE
Aug. 21 – at Walton-Verona, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 28 – BEECHWOOD, 7 p.m.
Sept. 4 – at Grant County, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 – HOLMES, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 – GARRARD COUNTY, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 – CONNER, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9 – at Newport, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 – at Newport Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Oct. 23 – HOLY CROSS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 – at Harrison County, 7:30 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
Boone County
Cooper