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 Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Simon Kenton High School will begin its 50th season of varsity football on Friday and head coach Jeff Marksberry expects it to be a banner year for the Pioneers.
“I’m having a lot of fun coaching these kids and the fact that it’s the 50th year of football with the success we’ve had recently there’s a lot to be proud of,” Marksberry said.
Simon Kenton was the Class 6A state runner-up in 2008 and made it to the third round of the state playoffs five of the last six seasons. Last year’s team posted an 11-2 record with both losses coming to a Dixie Heights team that made it to the state final.
With six starters returning on both the offensive and defensive units, the Pioneers are considered one of the top Class 6A teams in the state once again. And that’s adding more excitement to the program’s 50th season.
“These guys understand when they come out and play that they’re playing for everybody who played here before them,” Marksberry said. “And we know our community is behind us so that makes it even more special to have that support.”
The Pioneers have a talented senior class ready to lead the way this season. One of them is Tucker Mueller, a 6-foot, 260-pound defensive nose guard who had 88 tackles and 10 quarterback sacks last year.
Mueller said his father was also a starting nose guard for Simon Kenton, but the teams he played on didn’t have the success that the Pioneers have been having over the last few years.
“If it wasn’t our 50th season, it wouldn’t change our motivation,” Mueller said. “But this being the 50th does change how much we want this to be a good season and have it turn out well.”
On offense, the Pioneers have junior quarterback Cam Racke and senior running back Dillion Powell both returning. They were the team’s offensive leaders last year when Racke passed for 1,897 yards and Dillion rushed for 1,519.
Putting together an offensive line was the biggest challenge facing the Simon Kenton coaching staff during the off-season. The only returning starter up front is David Sandlin, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound senior with two years of varsity experience.
Sandlin has been working with the varsity newcomers around him to overcome what appears to be his team’s one glaring weakness.
“It’s really about a bond, being able to trust the guys next to you to do their job, and I think I can trust them all,” Sandlin said. “I’m pretty confident we’re going to have a great offensive line. We’ve definitely got the size and the skill to be great. I think it’s all there.”
Sandlin and Mueller are just two of the team leaders among the seniors on the Simon Kenton roster. The confidence and experience in that class are the main reasons Marksberry expects the Pioneers to continue the program’s recent run of success in the team’s 50th season.
“We’ve had more seniors (on the roster) in the past, but I don’t know if we’ve had the same quality of leadership,” the coach said. “They’re great teammates in the way they respect each other and carry themselves on and off the field. The character of all our kids is really high and that makes a coach’s job easier. You don’t have to worry about the petty stuff. You just have to worry about making them better football players and ultimately making them a better team.”
SIMON KENTON PIONEERS
2014 SEASON: 11-2 record, lost in third round of Class 6A state playoffs.
THIS SEASON: Class 6A, District 6 with Boone County, Campbell County.
COACH: Jeff Marksberry (100-74 in 14 seasons at Simon Kenton).
2015 SCHEDULE
Aug. 21 – CHRISTIAN ACADEMY of LOUISVILLE, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 28 – at Bryan Station, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 4 – at Conner, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 – DIXIE HEIGHTS, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18 – COOPER, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 – HIGHLANDS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 9 – at Boone County, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 – CAMPBELL COUNTY, 7 p.m.
Oct. 23 – RYLE, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 – at Scott, 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
Boone County
Cooper
Lloyd