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
Alternating quarterbacks worked so well for the Simon Kenton football team last week that the Pioneers decided to do it again in Friday’s game at Dixie Heights and they got the same successful results.
With senior Cam Racke and junior Matt Shearer taking turns running the offense in the first half, Simon Kenton rolled up most of its 444 total yards and went on to post a 42-14 victory over their Kenton County public school rival.
When those two players rotated at the quarterback position last week, the Pioneers totaled 387 yards in a 39-27 win over Conner.
On Friday, Simon Kenton scored on its first five possessions to take a 36-5 halftime lead over Dixie Heights. Racke rushed for one touchdown and passed for another during that fast start, and Shearer did the same.
The Pioneers had more than 300 yards of total offense in the first half alone. They put reserve players in the lineup early in the third quarter and sophomore Jon Sergent scored on a 35-yard run to extend their lead to 43-6.
Racke, who did not go in at quarterback during the second half, ended up with a net total of 168 yards. He completed 8-of-13 passes for 112 yards and carried the ball 10 times for 56 yards.
Shearer completed 7 of 9 passes for 133 yards and rushed for 26 to give him a net total of 159 yards. His touchdown pass to Fischer Hayden in the second quarter was the best play of the game. The ball was tipped into the air by the Dixie Heights player covering Hayden, but the wide receiver snagged the ball as he was falling down in the end zone.
Dixie Heights finished with 285 yards in total offense. The team leader was senior running back Jose Torres with 98 yards on 15 carries, including a 72-yard TD run in the first quarter. Senior quarterback Noah Smedley completed 8 of 13 passes for 91 yards.
SIMON KENTON 15 21 7 0 — 43
DIXIE HEIGHTS 6 0 0 8 — 14
SK – Racke 7 run (Seger kick)
SK – Hampton 4 run (Vance pass from Racke)
DH – Torres 72 run (kick blocked)
SK – Shearer 8 run (Seger kick)
SK – Cottrell 38 pass from Racke (Seger kick)
SK – Hayden 28 pass from Shearer (Seger kick)
SK – Sergent 35 run (Seger kick)
DH – Hicks 2 run (Hicks run)
RECORDS: Simon Kenton 4-0, Dixie Heights 2-1.
COOPER 44, CAMPBELL COUNTY 14 – Cooper senior quarterback Jarod Lonaker passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns to lead his team to its third consecutive victory.
Lonaker, the leading passer in Northern Kentucky with 1,171 yards in four games, put the Jaguars ahead on the first play from scrimmage in Friday’s game by connecting with Justin Schlarman on a 63-yard touchdown strike.
Schlarman also scored on a 1-yard run and caught a 16-yard TD pass from Lonaker during the first half that ended with Cooper ahead, 27-7. The Jaguars’ second leading scorer was Mitchell Hollifield, who kicked three field goals and five extra-points.
Cooper ended up with 503 total yards. Jaden Jackson picked up 113 of the team’s 178 rushing yards. Campbell County was limited to 207 yards. Most of that came on passes by junior Austin Hoeh, who completed 16 of 39 for 169 yards.
CAMPBELL COUNTY 7 0 7 0 – 14
COOPER 14 13 7 10 — 44
CO – Schlarman 63 pass from Lonaker (Hollifield kick)
CO – Schlarman 1 run (Hollifield kick)
CC – Helton 31 pass from Hoeh (Meyer kick)
CO – Schlarman 16 pass from Lonaker (Hollifield kick)
CO – Hollifield 20 FG
CO – Hollifield 37 FG
CC – Dowds 3 pass from Hoeh (Mayer kick)
CO – Perry 59 pass from Lonaker (Hollifield kick)
CO – Hollifield 28 FG
CO – Collins 27 run (Hollifield kick)
RECORDS: Cooper 3-1, Campbell County 2-2.
COVINGTON CATHOLIC 21, LEXINGTON CATHOLIC 20 – CovCath posted its second straight one-point victory after Lexington Catholic missed an extra-point kick in the final seconds.
The Colonels took a 21-14 lead on a 7-yard touchdown run by Anthony Best with 5:06 left in the third quarter. After LexCath senior quarterback Kirk Fagot threw his third TD pass of the game with 13 seconds left on the clock, the extra-point kick failed.
Last week, CovCath edged Sycamore of Ohio, 34-33, by converting an extra-point kick in overtime.
LexCath finished with 492 total yards compared to CovCath’s 385. The Colonels’ were led by junior quarterback AJ Mayer, who completed 22 of 38 passes for 246 yards. Casey McGinness rushed for 117 yards on 20 carries.
LEXCATH 7 7 0 6 – 20
|COVCATH 7 7 7 0 – 21
CC – Butler 80 interception (Kloska kick)
LC – Buchignani 18 pass from K. Fagot (Fry kick)
LC – J. Fagot 22 pass from K. Fagot (Fry kick)
CC – McGinness 42 run (Kloska kick)
CC – Best 7 run (Kloska kick)
LC – Schnurr 22 pass from K. Fagot (kick failed)
RECORDS: CovCath 3-1, LexCath 1-3.
CONNER 60, SCOTT 8 – Conner wide receiver Matt Simpson caught three touchdown pass from quarterback Walker Buelow and the Cougars had 250 yards rushing in the victory.
Simpson caught two TD passes in the second quarter that ended with Conner holding a 41-0 lead. After Cody Buckler scored on 95-yard kickoff return to open the second half, the Cougars began sending in reserve players to finish out the game.
Conner finished with a 392-151 advantage in total yardage. Scott played the game without starting quarterback Nelson Perrin, whose has a hand injury.
CONNER 14 27 19 0 — 60
SCOTT 0 0 0 8 – 8
C – Simpson 80 pass from Buelow (Shepherd kick)
C – Jackson 6 run (Shepherd kick)
C – Buelow 23 run (kick failed)
C – Jackson 18 run (Shepherd kick)
C – Simpson 39 pass from Buelow (Shepherd kick)
C – Simpson 11 pass from Buelow (Shepherd kick)
C – Buckler 95 kickoff return (Schul kick)
C – Webster 24 run (Schul kick)
C – Courts 24 run (Schul kick)
S – Patrick 10 run (Thurza run)
RECORDS: Conner 2-1, Scott 1-3
BELLEVUE 37, NEWPORT 8 – After taking a 30-0 lead in the first half, Bellevue opened the third quarter with a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by junior Seth Evers.
It was the first win after an 0-3 start for the Tigers, who picked up 137 of their 182 total yards on the ground. Jason Craig scored two of the team’s four rushing touchdowns in the first half.
Newport finished with 173 total yards. The Wildcats’ lone touchdown came on a 70-yard run by sophomore Tyler Porter in the fourth quarter.
LLOYD 22, HOLMES 0 – Lloyd senior running back Justin Durham rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns while the defense posted its second shutout in four games. It was also a good night for Lloyd’s special teams. After the Juggernauts blocked a punt for a two-point safety, Lashunn Townsend returned the ensuing free kick 65 yards for a touchdown.
BROSSART 44, TRIMBLE COUNTY 8 – Brossart senior quarterback Chase Keller accounted for more than 200 yards and five touchdowns with his passing and rushing. In addition to completing 11 of 15 passes for 167 yards and four touchdowns, Keller carried the ball five times for 53 yards and one TD.
TAFT (Ohio) 27, HOLY CROSS 19 – Holy Cross took a 13-0 lead in the second quarter when Derrick Barnes returned an interception for a touchdown. But Taft ran off 27 straight points to come away with the victory. The Indians scored their other two touchdowns on passes from quarterback Dylan Couch to wide receivers Dominick Finnell and Corey Lyons.
Scores from unreported games
Dayton 27, New Miami (Ohio) 20
Beechwood 57, Franklin County 21
Lexington Lafayette 40, Boone County 13
Gallatin County 17, Ludlow 15
Belfry 41, Newport Central Catholic 8
Walton-Verona 29, Henry County 7