Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Northern Kentucky football teams played in six district seeding games on Friday and two of them were decided in the final seconds.
Brossart kicked a field goal as time expired to hand Nicholas County its first loss of the season, 17-15, in a Class 1A seeding game and Walton-Verona intercepted a pass with less than a minute remaining to seal a 28-26 win over Carroll County in Class 2A.
A complete story on the Brossart game is available by clicking here.
Rowan County stopped a two-point conversion run by Holmes with 2:24 remaining and was able to run out the clock for a 14-12 victory in one of two Class 4A district games on Friday. In the other one, Scott outlasted Harrison County, 54-35, to move into the top spot in the district standings with a 2-0 record.
Both of the Class 5A district seeding games were lopsided shutouts as Covington Catholic blanked Boone County, 43-0, and Highlands rolled to a 55-0 win against Conner.
Walton-Verona senior Chris Harward rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s win at Carroll County. His second TD was a 41-yard breakaway that gave the Bearcats (5-2) a 28-20 lead near the end of the third quarter.
Carroll County quarterback Parker Mumphery scored his second rushing touchdown on an 8-yard run with 8:53 remaining in the fourth quarter, but he was stopped short of the end zone on a two-point conversion run that would’ve tied the score.
On Carroll County’s final possession, a pass interference penalty gave the Panthers a first down at the Walton-Verona 35-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. Two plays later, Walton-Verona defensive back Bradley Perry intercepted a pass and the Bearcats were able to run out the clock.
Things did not go nearly as well for Holmes (4-2) in the final minutes of its home game against Rowan County.
After losing a fumble at the 1-yard line, the Bulldogs got the ball back and scored on a 5-yard run by senior fullback Emauryon Arnold to make it 14-12. But Arnold wasn’t able to reach the end zone on a two-point conversion run to tie the score and Rowan County came away with the victory.
Highlands (5-1) surpassed the 50-point mark for the third straight week in the win over Conner. The Bluebirds’ offense had 505 total yards with quarterback Brody Benke completing 14 of 21 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns. All of his scoring passes went to junior Carson Class.
CovCath junior running back Owen Leen rushed for 221 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s win over Boone County. The Colonels (6-1) ended up with a 444-218 advantage in total yards.
Simon Kenton lost a high-scoring game against Corbin, 38-35, despite finishing with a 515-266 advantage in total yards. Jayden Lawson rushed for 244 yards to lead the Pioneers (3-3) and Chase Crone passed for 208 yards after missing the last two games with an injury.
Beechwood (5-1) got back on the winning track with a 37-14 win over Dixie Heights and will play its first Class 2A district game next week. The Tigers won the Class 2A state title the last two years.
High school football scoreboard
FRIDAY GAMES
Covington Catholic 43, Boone County 0
Brossart 17, Nicholas County 15
Rowan County 14, Holmes 12
Highlands 55, Conner 0
Scott 54, Harrison County 35
Walton-Verona 28, Carroll County 26
Beechwood 37, Dixie Heights 14
Newport 44, Bellevue 0
Cooper 41, Madison (Ind.) 7
Mason County 45, Ludlow 14
Louisville St. Xavier 37, Ryle 0
Lloyd 39, Montgomery County 12
Corbin 38, Simon Kenton 35