The NKyTribune is 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
Six players scored touchdowns for Covington Catholic during a 42-14 win over Dixie Heights in a Class 5A district game on Friday.
CovCath clinched second place in the district with the victory and gets to host a first-round playoff game in two weeks.
Sophomore quarterback A.J. Mayer threw touchdown passes to three different receivers and finished with 171 passing yards for CovCath. The winners also had 179 rushing yards with Andy Best and Mayer scoring on short runs.
Dixie Heights had 204 rushing yards with Keegan Barmore picking up 62 yards on seven carries.
COVCATH 7 14 21 0 — 42
DIXIE HEIGHTS 0 0 0 14 — 14
CC — Summe 32 pass from Mayer (Kloska kick)
CC – Best 4 run (Kloska kick)
CC – Angel 15 pass from Mayer (Kloska kick)
CC – Mayer 3 run (Kloska kick)
CC – Steins blocked punt return (Kloska kick)
CC – McGinness 19 pass from Mayer (Kloska kick)
DH – Schulte 10 pass from Faeth (Schulte kick)
DH—Smedley 17 run (Schulte kick)
RECORDS: CovCath 3-6, Dixie Heights 2-7.
LLOYD 42, HOLY CROSS 36
Lloyd scored 30 straight points in the second and third quarters to take the lead and held on for the win in the Class 2A district game.
The Juggernauts’ scoring spurt included touchdown runs of 58 yards by Lashaun Townsend and 71 yards by Justin Durham as well as a 46-yard TD pass from Jordan Fann to Charles Gaines.
Holy Cross finished with 509 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Hamilton Scott provided most of it by passing for 263 yards and rushing for 74.
Lloyd had 455 total yards with Durham rushing for 211 and two TDs. The Juggernauts clinched second place in the district and will have a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
HOLY CROSS 13 9 0 14 — 36
LLOYD 6 8 22 6 — 42
HC – Abernathy 1 run (Scott kick)
L – Townsend 47 run (kick failed)
HC – Barnes 1 run (kick blocked)
HC – Scott 5 run (Scott kick)
L – Townsend 58 run (Gaines pass from Runion)
L – Safety
L – Durham 18 run (pass failed)
L – Durham 71 run (Gaines run)
L – Gaines 46 pass from Fann (Gaines run)
HC – Barnes 11 run (Scott kick)
L – Gaines 20 run (run failed)
HC – Current 34 pass from Scott (Scott kick)
RECORDS: Lloyd 6-3, Holy Cross 4-5.
HIGHLANDS 56, GRANT COUNTY 22
Brady Greene returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown to get the Highlands scoring machine started and the Bluebirds rolled to their third consecutive victory against Class 5A district opponents.
Senior quarterback Austin Hergott and senior running back Nick Kendall each scored two rushing touchdowns to extend Highlands’ lead to 35-0. After Grant County scored, Hergott threw a 30-yard TD pass to Ryan Conley to put the Bluebirds ahead, 42-7, at halftime.
Highlands finished with a 345-275 advantage in offensive yardage. Hergott had 82 passing yards and Kendall had 81 rushing yards, but neither of them played the whole game.
HIGHLANDS 28 14 14 0 – 56
GRANT CO. 0 6 8 8 – 22
H – Greene 84 kickoff return (Dougherty kick)
H – Kendall 1 run (Dougherty kick)
H – Hergott 1 run (Dougherty kick)
H – Kendall 1 run (Dougherty kick)
H – Hergott 2 run (Dougherty kick)
GC – Lawson 1 run (kick failed)
H – Conley 30 pass from Hergott (Dougherty kick)
H – Wilson 4 run (Brach kick)
GC – Spohn 17 run (Spohn run)
H – Gosney 23 run (Schultz kick)
GC – Spohn 2 run (Knipp run)
RECORDS: Highlands 4-5, Grant County 3-6.
CAMPBELL COUNTY 35, BOONE COUNTY 21
Campbell County picked up its first win of the season in the Class 6A district game and gets to play at home in the first week of the playoffs.
Dual-threat quarterback Carson Plessinger scored two touchdowns and threw a pair of TD passes to Nic Mayer. Plessinger was 8-of-19 for 112 yards passing to go along with 75 yards on the ground.
Two of Boone County’s touchdowns were scored on runs by senior Amadou Diaw.
BOONE COUNTY 0 7 0 14 — 21
CAMPBELL COUNTY 6 8 14 7 — 35
CC — Plessinger 1 run (kick failed)
BC — Diaw 3 run (kick good)
CC — Mayer 32 pass from Plessinger (Plessinger run)
CC — Plessinger 8 run (Schierenbeck kick)
CC — Mayer 29 pass from Plessinger (Schierenbeck kick)
CC — Dawds 9 run (Schierenbeck kick)
BC — Bishop 15 pass from Vickers (kick good)
BC — Diaw 7 run (kick good)
RECORDS: Boone County 0-9, Campbell County 1-8.
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC 48, NEWPORT 8
The big performer for Newport Central Catholic was senior running back Jacob Smith, who rushed for 271 yards and two touchdowns in the Class 2A district game.
He paced a NewCath offense that opened up a 28-0 lead in the first half while the defense kept Newport out of the end zone until late in the final quarter.
NEWCATH 14 14 14 6 — 48
NEWPORT 0 0 0 8 — 8
NCC — Smith 61 run (Hans kick)
NCC — Henschen 35 run (Hans kick)
NCC — Harris 8 run (Hans kick)
NCC — Smith 3 run (Hans kick)
NCC — Neff 15 fumble return (Hans kick)
NCC — Harris 1 run (Hans kick)
NCC — Carmack 2 run (kick failed)
N — Porter 42 run (Ochoa pass)
RECORDS: Newport Central Catholic 5-4, Newport 1-8
BEECHWOOD 69, DAYTON 0
Beechwood surpassed the 60-point mark for the third in its last four games with quarterback Kyle Fieger throwing five touchdown passes to lead the offense.
Fieger only attempted five passes, but each one went for a touchdown as he racked up 180 passing yards in the first half before leaving the game.
Aiden Justice caught two TD passes in the first half and scored on two punt returns in the second half. Ethan Stringer rushed four times for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
DAYTON 0 0 0 0 — 0
BEECHWOOD 28 20 14 7 — 69
B — Justice 24 pass from Fieger (German kick)
B — Stringer 86 run (German kick)
B — Slusher 50 pass from Fieger (German kick)
B — Slusher 38 pass from Fieger (German kick)
B — Stringer 2 run (German kick)
B — Castleman 38 pass from Fieger (Kick failed)
B — Justice 30 pass from Fieger (German kick)
B — Justice 40 punt return (German kick)
B — Erdman 6 run (Mescher kick)
B — Justice 55 punt return (Mescher kick)
RECORDS: Dayton 1-8, Beechwood 8-1
NEW RICHMOND (Ohio) 28, WALTON VERONA 21
After winning their last four games, the Walton-Verona Bearcats came up short in their home game against the Ohio team.
Halsey Page rushed 19 times for 130 yards and one TD for the Bearcats, but New Richmond had a pair of 100-yard rushers. Josh Anderson picked up 151 yards on 17 carries to go along with teammate Michael Williamson’s 100 rushing yards.
NEW RICHMOND 8 6 14 0 — 28
WALTON-VERONA 7 0 7 7 — 21
NR — Williamson 2 run (Anderson run)
WV — Richardson 43 run (Moran kick)
NR — Kinhalt 52 pass from Anderson (run failed)
NR — Kinhalt 50 run (Williamson run)
WV — Page 3 run (Moran kick)
NR — Anderson 1 run (run failed)
WV — Ruber 11 run (Moran kick)
RECORDS: New Richmond 7-2, Walton-Verona 5-5
SCOTT 42, HOLMES 6
Scott’s offense scored more than 40 points for the third consecutive week in the Class 4A district win.
The Eagles scored four times on the ground and two times through the air, including a trick play where quarterback Danny Fitzgerald was on the receiving end of the touchdown pass.
Nelson Perrin rushed for 85 yards, scored two touchdowns and threw the TD pass to Fitzgerald. Roberto London rushed 17 times for 78 yards and two scores for Scott.
SCOTT 14 14 8 6 — 42
HOLMES 0 0 0 6 — 6
S — London 36 run (Lawson kick)
S — Perrin 66 run (Lawson kick)
S — Muck 13 pass from Fitzgerald (Lawson kick)
S — Fitzgerald 20 pass from Perrin (Lawson kick)
S — Perrin 17 run (Pleasant run)
S — London 5 run (Pass failed)
H — Arnold 24 run (Pass failed)
RECORDS: Scott 8-1, Holmes 3-6
BISHOP BROSSART 39, BEREA 6
Brossart scored six times in the first three quarters before Berea was able to find the end zone in the Class 1A district game.
Frank Cetrulo rushed for 65 yards for the Mustangs and scored twice on a night when he went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season.
Brossart quarterback Craig Pfefferman rushed for 76 yards and threw two touchdown passes to Bryce Donnelly.
BEREA 0 0 6 0 — 6
BISHOP BROSSART 13 19 7 0 — 39
BB — Donnelly 25 pass from Pfefferman (Cetrulo kick)
BB — Goepper 1 run (kick failed)
BB — Keller 49 run (kick failed)
BB — Cetrulo 16 run (Cetrulo kick)
BB — Donnelly 44 pass from Pfefferman (kick failed)
BB — Cetrulo 65 run (Cetrulo kick)
B — Tate 52 pass from Pumphrey (kick failed)
RECORDS: Berea 0-9, Bishop Brossart 8-1