It’s the worst week in Kentucky high school football, this first week of the playoffs after a 10-game regular season. But how could that be, you ask, aren’t the playoffs the goal for every team?
Indeed, they are. But not every team should make the playoffs. There should be a reward, not one of those everybody-gets-a-trophy moments. But since almost every team advances – in four-team districts, every team does – and in Northern Kentucky, 20 teams here move on. Sorry, Holmes, as an unclassified team, you don’t go.
But a quick look at the matchups below of the top team in one district against the bottom team in an adjacent district and the second against the third makes it clear that nine of these games with Northern Kentucky teams are mismatches – like really serious ones with no chance for a 1-9 team to beat a 9-1 team or a 1-8 team to beat the 10-0 guys or the 3-7 team to beat another 10-0 team. Just not happening. And shouldn’t be.
But the way it makes the most sense is for just half these teams to go to the playoffs – two per district. And for the others, they would have another week to add a final game to the regular season against a team where they can be competitive and don’t have to bus to the Tennessee line for a game where few of your fans can make it.
And then you’d have a postseason that instead of a way-too-long five weeks, would take just a more manageable four. And not a first round where the average score is 44-11, as it was last year, and where there were 24 shutouts and just 10 games with margins in the single digits of the 96 games with final scores as wide as 66-0, 64-0 and 63-0. Sure, there was the occasional really close game – one to be exact – with Franklin-Simpson’s 37-36 win over Hancock County that game.
But the way the KHSAA does the first week of playoffs isn’t good for anybody. Time to figure this out and make the change.
That said, here are Friday’s Northern Kentucky matchups. Note the Newport Central Catholic game is Thursday at Covington Catholic:
CLASS 1A
Trimble County (2-8) at Newport Central Catholic (6-4) (Thursday at CovCath), Ludlow (4-6) at Newport (6-4), Bellevue (5-5) at Brossart (5-5), Dayton (3-7) at Holy Cross (10-0).
CLASS 2A
Jackson County (1-9) at Beechwood (9-1), West Carter (4-6) at Bracken County (6-4), Walton-Verona (4-6) at Morgan County (4-6), St. Henry (2-8) at Breathitt County (8-2).
CLASS 3A
Bath County (1-8) at Lloyd (10-0)
CLASS 4A
Greenup County (4-6) at Highlands (8-2), Boyd County (6-4) at Covington Catholic (7-3).
CLASS 5A
South Oldham (5-5) at Cooper (7-3), Collins (7-3) at Dixie Heights (4-6), Conner (4-6) at Scott County (7-3), Boone County (4-6) at Woodford County (9-1). CLASS 6A Louisville Eastern (2-8) at Ryle (7-3), Oldham County (6-4) at Simon Kenton (5-5), Campbell County (3-7) at Louisville Ballard (4-6)
Florence Y’alls’ Hunter signed by the Reds
University of Georgia product and a midseason signee for the Florence Y’alls, catcher Henry Hunter, 22, has had his contract purchased by the Cincinnati Reds after 21 impressive games at the plate and behind it for the Y’alls. As much as his hitting and plate work has earned praise, a big part of Hunter’s impact was his contribution to team culture. His “personality, charisma and energy” were words used to describe the Snellville, Ga., native.
Finding former Reds’ graves here
Nice story from WKRC-Ch. 12 on the Gone But Not Forgotten project that’s finding the unmarked graves of former Cincinnati Reds players who were buried without a headstone. Working with families and cemeteries, the group has found four unmarked graves and then works with donors to install permanent markers.
Interestingly, two of the four graves located are those of Northern Kentuckians, both born in Covington. Hank Gastright’s was discovered in Wilder, Robert Clark’s in Ft. Mitchell.
Gastright, born in 1865, pitched for seven major league seasons and only returned to Cincinnati his final season in 1900, finishing with a lifetime 72-63 won-loss record mostly with Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington and Brooklyn. Clark, born in 1863, was a catcher/shortstop/right fielder mostly for Brooklyn before returning for 16 games with the Reds in 1891.
The group also honored Reds’ pitching great Paul Derringer, from Springfield, Ky., with a bronze memorial plaque at the replica light tower marking the site of Crosley Field. Derringer’s 25 wins led the Reds to a 1939 National League pennant and 20 wins the year later to a World Series’ title.
NKU, NIL and ‘Norse Up” beer here
Barleycorn’s Brewhouse is teaming up with NKU Athletics with a new beer, Norse Up, that comes in 16-ounce cans and will be available for sale at home NKU basketball games with 10 percent of the sales going to NKU’s NIL program supporting student-athletes.
New NewCath field looking good
If you happen to stop by Thoroughbred Hill these days, you might be surprised at how far along the new football field is. The turf and goal posts and graphics and lines are all ready to go. But the stands and support buildings are still under construction. Any game here now would be Standing Room Only. But it’s looking good.
New NKSHOF honorees announced
The November meeting of the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame will welcome six new inductees at its Wednesday, Nov. 19 get-together at 1 p.m. at The Gardens of Park Hills. The meeting is open to the public and free of charge.
The six new Hall of Famers are Newport Central Catholic swimmer Bob Hassman; Dayton High footballer Drue Ferguson; Lloyd Memorial and UK football player Jerry Klein; Newport High and NKU baseballer Larry Combs; Highlands’ soccer’s Robbie Hassman Jr.; and former Lloyd football and baseball star Capt. Thomas Butts, who now heads up a major helicopter warfare group for the US Navy in the Pacific.
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @dweber3440.