By Audrey Carrico
NKyTribune sports reporter
After getting their first playoff victory in three years and finishing 5-7 last season, the Walton-Verona Bearcats football team has a veteran core to raise the standard.
“The big thing this year is getting off to a better start,” said coach Gary Pence. “We had three games a year ago where we had a halftime lead which we ended up losing.”
The Bearcats have started each of their last two seasons 1-5 before turning things around in the second half.
Ending that trend begins with closing out tight contests, something Pence believes his team is finally equipped to do with six starters on offense and seven on defense returning.
“A couple guys on this team I’ve coached for almost three years now,” Pence said. “AJ Yutze and Cooper Burch are the leaders of our team. They’re two of the best inside backs I’ve ever been around.”
Leading the Bearcats in tackles in both of Pence’s first two seasons as head coach, Yutze and Burch collected 122 and 98 tackles last year and earned Northern Kentucky Division III all-conference honors.
“We’re best friends on and off the field,” Yutze said. “I think it really shows on the field when we play. We’re always the first to lift each other up.”
Offensively, the Bearcats had an offseason duel for the quarterback position with sophomore Braxton Parr emerging as QB-1 on the depth chart.
Parr will be surrounded by six returning offensive starters, headlined by junior running back Andrew Lynn, who led the Bearcats with 744 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Up front, seniors Samuel Koester and Bishop Riddell are veterans on the offensive line.
On the receiving end, the graduation of Walton-Verona’s top two targets opens the door for sophomore Wesley Simpson to emerge as the program’s go-to receiver.
“We’ve really grown in a lot of aspects this season,” Yutze said. “In the past, I think it’s mostly been a mental block for our team. On hard plays in the past, we’ve shut down.”
In Pence’s tenure with the program, the Bearcats have struggled to protect their turf, holding a 1-10 record in home games.
“We’ll have three opportunities at home this season to grab some key district wins,” Pence said. “Eventually, we want to have those opportunities to win at home and maybe even host a playoff game.”
For now, the Bearcats will focus on opening with a win and jump-starting an offense that managed just 13 total points in their last two season openers. If they can execute early behind their veteran core, this could be their first winning season since 2022.
WALTON-VERONA BEARCATS
2025 SEASON: 5-7 record, lost to Beechwood, 42-7, in second round of Class 2A playoffs.
STARTERS RETURNING: 6 offense, 7 defense
DISTRICT: Class 2A, District 5 with Beechwood, Bracken County, Gallatin County, St. Henry, Owen County.
HEAD COACH: Gary Pence (10-11 in two seasons at Walton-Verona).
2026 SCHEDULE
Aug. 21 – at Brossart, 7 p.m.
Sept. 4 – LUDLOW, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 – at Boone County, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18 – at Harrison County, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 25 – BRACKEN COUNTY, 7 p.m.
Oct. 2 – at Beechwood, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 9 – GALLATIN COUNTY, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 – at Owen County, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 – ST. HENRY, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 30 – at Grant County, 7:30 p.m.