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
The Scott football team has scored six touchdowns in its first two games and defensive players have accounted for half of that total. That’s kind of unusual, but it’s carried the Eagles to a 2-0 start.
“If they want to keep doing that it’s fine with me,” said Scott coach Dan Woolley. “That makes our job a whole lot easier.”
The Eagles scored two touchdowns off fumble recoveries against Dixie Heights on Friday and came away with a 36-7 victory in the first game between the two Kenton County public schools since 2010.
Last week, Scott edged Newport Central Catholic, 8-6, with the Eagles’ lone touchdown in that game coming on a fumble return.
“I want our kids to be aggressive and try to take the ball away,” Woolley said. “That’s a little bit of coaching, but mostly it’s (playing with) a lot of heart from our kids. They take pride in the way they play defense and getting to the football.”
In addition to scoring 12 points in Friday’s game, the Scott defense forced Dixie Heights to turn the ball over on downs three times. In the second quarter, the Colonels had a first down at the 4-yard line and weren’t able to reach the end zone.
On the first play after the ball changed hands, Scott senior running back Roberto London slipped through a hole in the offensive line and raced 99 yards for a touchdown that gave his team a 28-7 halftime lead.
That was one of three touchdowns scored by London, who rushed for 149 of his team’s 282 total yards. He was the Eagles’ primary ball carrier after senior running back Deondre Pleasant injured his ankle in the first quarter and did not return.
“Regardless of what happens, we’re staying together and keeping our confidence level up,” London said of losing Pleasant early in the game. “All of our seniors are stepping up. We’re coming together and being a family and working as a team.”
After London scored the game’s first touchdown on a 5-yard run, Dixie Heights tied the score when defensive lineman Joey Eckler recovered a Scott fumble in the end zone with 5:47 left in the first quarter.
But Scott’s defense countered that by scoring two consecutive touchdowns off fumbles by Dixie Heights senior quarterback Gunther Faeth.
On the first one, Faeth was heading for the end zone when the ball was knocked out of his hands. The ball bounced off the synthetic turf and was snagged by Scott senior defensive back Jordan Velasquez, who took it 95 yards in the other direction for a touchdown.
“Great things happen when you run to the ball (on defense),” Velasquez said of the play. “I saw nothing but green (field) ahead of me and just ran for my life.”
Three plays later, Faeth dropped back to throw a pass and had the ball batted out of his hands by Scott linebacker Ryan Bowers. This time, the ball rolled into the end zone and Scott defensive lineman Ron Rice pounced on it for a touchdown.
Those two turnovers were the most costly mistakes made by an inexperienced Dixie Heights team in its season opener. The Colonels have a first-year starter in nearly every position after losing the talented senior class that led last year’s team to the Class 6A state final.
“Last year, we made plays and had playmakers,” said Dixie coach Dave Brossart. “This year, I think our kids are out there hoping somebody else makes a play instead of making the play themselves. We’ve got to get a lot better or it’s going to be a long season for us.”
SCOTT 14 14 0 8 — 36
DIXIE HEIGHTS 7 0 0 0 — 7
S – London 5 run (Lawson kick)
DH – Eckler fumble recovery in end zone (Schulte kick)
S – Velasquez 95 fumble return (Lawson kick)
S – Rice fumble recovery in end zone (kick failed)
S – London 99 run (London run)
S – London 3 run (London run)
RECORDS: Scott 2-0, Dixie Heights 0-1