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 Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Scott football coach Dan Woolley read a magazine article about a leadership class for high school athletes and decided to give it a try. During the spring semester, he met with players every Tuesday during lunch hour to discuss pride, commitment, resiliency and other character traits that it takes to be a leader.
There were no exams given during the class, but the Scott football team’s success this season shows they must have learned a lot. The Eagles have a best-ever 10-2 record going into Friday’s home game against Johnson Central (10-1) in the regional finals of the Class 4A playoffs.
“It’s one thing to have goals and dreams,” Woolley said, “but to actually be in this position where we’re playing for a regional championship and possibly going on from there is a great thing considering where this program has come from.”
Scott football teams posted a losing record in 33 of their first 35 seasons from 1978 to 2012. The Eagles finished 7-4 in 2013 and 6-4 in 2014, but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs both of those years.
This year’s team won its first two playoff games to make it to the regional finals for the first time with a solid group of seniors leading the way.
“I love proving people wrong and changing the perception of Scott,” said senior linebacker Trey Hicks. “One of our goals was to win a district championship and after we did that we just wanted to keep going and keep setting higher goals each time.”
The Scott players had to overcome challenges to win their first two playoff games. Two weeks ago, they scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes to beat Rowan County, 33-26, in a first-round matchup. Last Friday, they fell behind 18-0 in the first quarter and came back to defeat Ashland Blazer, 28-18.
No one was more impressed with the grit and determination that the Eagles showed in those two games than their head coach.
“I learned a lesson that these kids are resilient and no matter what they’re going to fight until the end,” Woolley said. “And that’s more important than anything because that’s a good life lesson. I told them Saturday morning, life is going to knock you down sometimes and you’ve got to get back up. If we can teach those life lessons now through football, that’s the most important thing to me.”
The Eagles face another big challenge in Friday’s regional final. Johnson Central has outscored its opponents, 411-119, this season behind a strong offensive attack that’s averaging 280 rushing yards per game.
“They have a plan of running the ball and how they want to attack teams and they stick to it,” Woolley said. “It’s a system that’s been effective for them and they’re good at it, so it’s definitely going to be a test for our defense.”
Scott’s leading tacklers on defense are a pair of linebackers. Hicks has made 121 stops, followed by Jerry Berling with 65. They’re both senior captains who want to keep their final season going.
“We’ve just got to do our assignments and what we’re taught to do and just play our game,” Hicks said of facing Johnson Central.
Berling is a two-way starter who also plays fullback in Scott’s single-wing offense that’s averaging 347 yards per game with most of it coming on the ground.
The team’s leading rusher is senior Roberto London with 1,156 yards and 15 touchdowns, but senior halfback Deondre Pleasant suffered a season-ending groin injury in the first round of the playoffs. Despite that setback, the Eagles managed to move the ball effectively in the win over Ashland Blazer last Friday.
Scott’s offensive standout in that game was sophomore Nelson Perrin, who had 81 yards rushing and 59 yards receiving. Senior quarterback Danny Fitzgerald ended up completing 9 of 125 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his TD passes went to sophomore wide receiver Ryan Muck.
“If we stick to our game plan and everybody does what they’re supposed to do, we’ve got good enough athletes to be able to move the ball against them,” Berling said of the game against Johnson Central.
FRIDAY’S HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF GAMES
Class 1A
Beechwood (11-1) at Louisville Holy Cross (7-5), 7:30 p.m.
Class 2A
Lloyd (9-3) at Newport Central Catholic (7-5), 7:30 p.m.
Class 4A
Johnson Central (10-1) at Scott (10-2), 7:30 p.m.
Class5A
Covington Catholic (5-7) at Highlands (7-5), 7:30 p.m.
Class 6A
Simon Kenton (12-0) at Cooper (9-3), 7:30 p.m.