By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Conner senior quarterback Jared Hicks threw a 20-yard touchdown pass and two-point conversion pass to junior Colton Roy with 43 seconds left on the clock to give the Cougars a 20-17 win at Highlands on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019.
Hicks completed 25 of 40 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns during the Class 5A district game. He also rushed for 69 yards on 19 carries. His first TD pass went to Drew Cobble, who had nine receptions for 119 yards and recovered a fumble on defense.
Highlands came into the game needing a victory to reach 900 overall in program history. It looked like the Bluebirds would attain that milestone when Bycen Huddleston returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Collin Hollingsworth completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to to Joey Deschler that gave the home team a 14-0 halftime lead.
After Conner trimmed the margin to 14-12, Highlands responded with a 70-yard drive that ended with Brennan Haigis kicking a 27-yard field goal to make it 17-12 with 4:34 remaining. That’s when Hicks engineered the game-winning final drive.
Four weeks later, Conner defeated Highlands, 38-28, in the opening round of the Class 5A playoffs. In that game, Hicks had a rushing touchdown and threw for 247 yards and three TDs.
Here’s a look at other Northern Kentucky high school football games played between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 over the last five decades.
Friday, Oct. 4, 1985 – Boone County tailback Carl Adkins rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s 28-14 win over Holmes. After Boone County tied the score on an Adkins’ run in the second quarter, the Rebels recovered a fumble and Adkins scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run. In the third quarter, Rebels’ quarterback Duane Davis got the final TD on a 10-yard run.
Friday, Oct. 2, 1992 — Senior running back Jude Hoffman tied a Covington Catholic team record by scoring five touchdowns during a 55-0 win over Simon Kenton. After scoring three rushing TDs in the first quarter, Hoffman caught a 27-yard scoring pass from Adam McCormack in the second quarter and capped off his big night with another rushing touchdown in the third quarter.
Friday, Oct. 5, 2007 — Holmes junior Michael Covington scored two touchdowns on offense and one on defense during his team’s 33-20 win over Dixie Heights. Covington’s first two TDs came on a 7-yard pass reception and 1-yard run in the first half. With less than two minutes left in the game, he scored once again on a 42-yard interception return that sealed the Bulldogs’ victory.
Friday, Oct 2, 2020 — Dixie Heights had 460 total yards of offense during a 28-20 win at Beechwood. Junior running back Pierce Rohlman picked up 167 yards on 29 carries and scored twice. Junior quarterback Logan Landers had 98 yards rushing and 166 passing, including an 88-yard scoring strike to Devin Holbert. In the final seconds, Landers secured the victory with a 17-yard run on a crucial fourth-down play.