The NKyTribune will be providing focused coverage of NKY high school football throughout the season, thanks to support from St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine. See all of 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
Brady Gosney’s first game as starting quarterback for the Highlands football team turned out to be an offensive shootout and he was one of the reasons the Bluebirds came away with a victory.
Gosney rushed for 71 yards, scored two touchdowns and completed 8 of 10 passes for 121 yards to lead the Bluebirds to a 52-42 win over Cooper on Friday in Fort Thomas.
Scoring a combined total of 94 total points wasn’t the only impressive statistic from the season opener for both teams. They also accounted for 967 total yards and there were only two punts in the game.
Cooper didn’t punt the ball at all. The Jaguars missed a field goal and turned the ball over on fumbles three times. Highlands senior Dalton Cornett recovered one of those fumbles on the 2-yard line and dove into the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Highlands rushed for 367 of its 488 total yards. The team leaders were Grant Murray with 161 yards on 25 carries and Jamie Pulsfort with 131 yards on 18 carries.
Cooper’s offense had 479 total yards. In his first game as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback, senior Jarod Lonaker completed 18 of 26 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Senior running back Jaden Jackson accounted 105 of the team’s 241 rushing yards and scored twice.
Cooper took a 21-6 lead in the first quarter, but Highlands pulled to within 21-18 by halftime. The lead changed hands five times in the third quarter and ended with Highlands ahead, 38-35. Pulsfort scored two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to keep the Bluebirds on top.
COOPER 21 0 14 7 – 42
HIGHLANDS 6 12 20 14 – 52
C – Jackson 18 run (Hollifield kick)
C – Jackson 2 run (Hollifield kick)
H – Murray 34 run (kick failed)
C – Hendrix 18 pass from Lonaker (Hollifield kick)
H – Cornett 2 fumble return (run failed)
H – Pulsfort 1 run (kick failed)
H – Gosney 60 run (kick failed)
C – Burns 21 pass from Lonaker (Hollifield kick)
H – Gosney 1 run (Bowman kick)
C – Schlarman 43 run (Hollifield kick)
H – Murray 22 run (Bowman kick)
H – Pulsfort 29 run (Bowman kick)
C – Lonaker 1 run (Hollifield kick)
H – Pulsfort 32 run (Bowman kick)
RECORDS – Highlands 1-0, Cooper 0-1.
Holy Cross 42, Holmes 7
Senior running back Derrick Barnes rushed for 150 yards and four touchdowns in the Indians’ season-opening win over their city rival on Friday at Covington Catholic.
In the second and third quarters, the Holy Cross defense intercepted three passes and recovered three fumbles in Holmes territory and the offense scored off four of those six turnovers to take a commanding lead.
Holy Cross got off to a rocky start. On their first possession, the Indians had a long run negated by a penalty. A few minutes later, a punt return to the end zone was called back because of an illegal block. Three plays after that, Barnes had the ball ripped out of his hands while breaking through tackles and Holmes recovered the fumble.
Holy Cross broke the scoreless tie with an 86-yard drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown run by Xavier Abernathy early in the second quarter. The Indians took advantage of Holmes turnovers to score their next three TDs on runs by Barnes and opened up a 28-0 halftime lead.
Holmes fumbled again on the first series of the second half and Holy Cross junior quarterback Dylan Couch scored to make it 35-0. Barnes picked up his fourth TD early in the fourth quarter on 41-yard run.
Holy Cross rushed for 340 of its 407 total yards. Couch picked up 115 on 15 carries and Abernathy had 84 on seven carries.
Holmes finished with 69 total yards. Most of that came on one possession in the third quarter when senior quarterback Jashaun York threw a 37-yard pass to Kamran Kays and a 6-yard touchdown pass to Tahj Campbell.
HOLMES 0 0 7 0 – 7
HOLY CROSS 0 28 7 7 – 42
HC – Abernathy 7 run (Finnell kick)
HC – Barnes 18 run (Finnell kick)
HC – Barnes 31 run (Finnell kick)
HC – Barnes 7 run (Finnell kick)
HC – Couch 3 run (Finnell kick)
HOL – Campbell 6 pass from York (Campbell kick)
HC – Barnes 18 run (Finnell kick)
RECORDS: Holy Cross 1-0, Holmes 0-1.
Lloyd 38, Walton-Verona 0
Lloyd senior running back Justin Durham rushed for 188 yards and four touchdowns and the defense posted a shutout in the season opener.
The Juggernauts picked up 281 yards on the ground and quarterback Justin Fann completed 7 of 17 passes for 140 yards. The team’s leading receiver was Lashunn Townsend with five catches for 103 yards.
Walton-Verona finished with 96 yards rushing and -7 yards passing. Senior running back Hunter Huber had 55 yards on 10 carries.
WALTON-VERONA 0 0 0 0 – 0
LLOYD 6 12 13 7 – 38
L – Durham 45 run (kick failed)
L – Durham 10 run (run failed)
L – Durham 12 run (run failed)
L – Durham 4 run (Perez kick)
L – Townsend 52 pass from Fann (kick failed)
L – Mason 3 run (Perez kick)
Records – Lloyd 1-0, Walton-Verona 0-1
Ludlow 42, Newport 0
Ludlow junior quarterback Justin Blackburn picked up where he left off last season by accounting for 190 of his team’s 257 yards in the win at Newport.
Blackburn, who finished last season with 1,315 yards rushing and 1,287 yards passing in 11 games, carried the ball 11 times for 140 yards and completed 5 of 8 passes for 50 yards in Friday’s opening game.
In addition to scoring three of his team’s five rushing touchdowns, Blackburn threw a 36-yard TD pass to senior wide receiver TC Eads. The Panthers also got touchdown runs from senior Matthew Reusch and sophomore Sean Stratton.
Newport, a team with mostly sophomores and freshman on its varsity roster, finished with 135 total yards and committed four turnovers. Ludlow senior Chandler Booker had two pass interceptions and the Panthers recovered two fumbles.
LUDLOW 14 15 13 0 – 42
NEWPORT 0 0 0 0 – 0
L – Blackburn 3 run (Eads kick)
L – Stratton 1 run (Eads kick)
L – Eads 36 pass from Blackburn (Eads kick)
L – Blackburn 61 run (Hathaway run)
L – Blackburn 32 run (Eads kick)
L – Reusch 7 run (run failed)
RECORDS: Ludlow 1-0, Newport 0-1.
Brossart 40, Dayton 6
Junior wide receiver Bryce Donnelly caught three touchdown passes from senior quarterback Chase Keller in the first half to give Brossart all the points it would need for the victory.
The Brossart defense did their part by forcing two fumbles and intercepting two passes. Jake McGrath returned one of the interceptions 35 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Keller completed 15 of 29 passes for 253 yards and rushed for 94 yards in his debut as Brossart’s starting quarterback. Jake Sendelbach had 40 yards rushing, 56 yards in pass receptions and kicked four extra-points.
BROSSART 13 6 0 21 – 40
DAYTON 0 0 6 0 – 6
B – Donnelly 36 pass from Keller (Sendelbach kick)
B – Donnelly 54 pass from Keller (run failed)
B – Donnelly 25 pass from Keller (run failed)
D – Turner 5 run (kick blocked)
B – Moore 12 run (Sendelbach kick)
B – McGrath 35 interception return (Sendelbach kick)
B – Howard 13 run (Sendelbach kick)
RECORDS – Brossart 1-0, Dayton 0-1.
Gallatin County 30, Bellevue 6
Bellevue struggled on offense in the season opener, ending up with 145 total yards and committing two turnovers. One of those turnovers was a fumble in the end zone that Gallatin County recovered for a touchdown.
The Tigers’ only score came on a 5-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Tucker Thomas to senior running back Adam Hazeres in the third quarter.
Gallatin County had 174 yards rushing and 63 passing for a 237 total. Dustin Johnson scored twice for the Wildcats.
BELLEVUE 0 0 6 0 – 6
GALLATIN COUNTY 0 10 14 6 – 30
GC – D. Johnson 1 run (Steurer kick)
GC – Steurer 45 FG
GC – Stephenson 10 pass from J. Johnson (Steurer kick)
GC – Hale fumble recovery in end zone (Steurer kick)
B – Hazeres 5 pass form Thomas (pass failed)
GC – D. Johnson 3 run (kick blocked)
RECORDS: Gallatin County 1-0, Bellevue 0-1.
In other games
Simon Kenton 41, Christian Academy of Louisville 14 – Simon Kenton outscored the home team, 14-0, in the second half to secure the victory. The Pioneers intercepted four passes during the game and returned one of a touchdown.
Lexington Catholic 41, Boone County 18 – Boone County took a 12-7 lead early in the game, but Lexington Catholic answered the challenge to come away with the win. The Rebels had three big scoring plays – a 90-yard kickoff return by senior Rondell Douglas and runs of 72 and 62 yards by senior Corstin Cahill.
East Central (Ind.) 21, Campbell County 7 – East Central scored on a punt return and interception return in the first half. Campbell County’s only touchdown came on Austin Hoeh’s 5-yard pass to Nic Mayer.
This is a great newspaper. We live Florida now and may be able to keep up with up happening at home. Do you keep up with death notices.?