By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
High school football playoff pairings have already been decided, but several local teams and players still have an incentive to do well in their final regular season games on Friday.
Covington Catholic needs a win over Campbell County to finish the regular season with a 10-0 record for the first time since 1992. The Colonels won their previous nine games by margins of 21 points or more with a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive play.
CovCath senior quarterback A.J. Mayer needs 58 passing yards to surpass the 2,000 mark this season. The team’s leading rusher is Casey McGinness, who is 26 yards shy of the 1,000 mark.
Campbell County also has a good backfield combination in senior quarterback Austin Hoeh and senior running back Alex Dowds, who have accounted for 85 percent of the team’s 3,957 total offensive yards.
Hoeh has 1,902 yards passing and Dowds has 1,462 yards rushing for the Camels, who have a 6-3 record going into Friday’s game. But the six teams they defeated have a combined record of 19-35 so they’ll be facing their biggest challenge of the season against CovCath.
Ryle senior running back Jake Chisholm has a chance to surpass 2,000 yards in rushing and 200 points in scoring when his team visits Dixie Heights to wrap up the regular season.
Last week, Chisholm set three team records when he rushed for 449 yards on 42 carries and scored six touchdowns in a win over Simon Kenton. His season totals now stand at 1,977 yards on 222 carries and he has scored 31 touchdowns for 186 points.
The best passing combination in Northern Kentucky looks to end the regular season on a high note Friday when Brossart visits Pendleton County.
In his first season as a varsity starter, Brossart quarterback Tyler McDonald has thrown for 1,907 yards and 17 touchdowns. His favorite receiver has been senior Bryce Donnelley with 39 catches for 861 yards and 13 TDs.
Ludlow senior quarterback Justin Blackburn is averaging 306 yards per game in passing and rushing combined. If he equals that average in Friday’s game at Paris, he’ll exceed the 3,000 mark in combined yardage this season.
Blackburn has 1,012 yards passing and 1,750 yards rushing for the 8-1 Panthers. They’ll be facing a Paris team with the same record after winning its last five games.