By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The next two games will be meaningful tests for the Simon Kenton football team that’s off to a 2-0 start. The Pioneers visit Covington Catholic (1-1) on Friday and host Beechwood (1-0) one week later in matchups that will give head coach Joe Wynn a better idea of his team’s ability.
Over the last three years, Simon Kenton has gone 0-6 in back-to-back games against those two perennial powers. The final scores in last year’s losses were 62-15 against CovCath and 45-6 against Beechwood.
With seven returning starters on offense and six on defense, coach Wynn has reason to believe his team will perform better against those two opponents this season.
The Pioneers’ offense is averaging 478 yards per game behind double-threat junior quarterback Grant Webb.
In wins over Dixie Heights and Western Brown in Ohio, Webb completed 25 of 43 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
He also rushed for 162 yards on 25 carries. The only ball carrier who did better was junior Peyton Testerman, who picked up 201 yards on 17 carries and scored twice.
Simon Kenton’s defensive unit has given up only one second-half touchdown in its first two games. Junior linebacker Jason Rabe is the team-leader in tackles with 24. The Pioneers have four fumble recoveries and one interception.
If Simon Kenton wins the game at CovCath, it will be the team’s first 3-0 start since 2018. The Pioneers made it to the Class 6A region finals and finished 10-3 that season. Their best record since then was 8-4
The other local teams taking 2-0 records into Friday games include Campbell County, Boone County, Lloyd, Ludlow and Holy Cross. Ryle will visit Cooper in the annual Battle of Union between those nearby rivals, who both have a 1-1 record. Cooper won the last two games in the series.
Friday night football schedule
Dixie Heights at Beechwood, 7:30 p.m.
Pendleton County at Bellevue, 7 p.m.
Newport Central Catholic at Boone County, 7 p.m.
St. Henry at Brossart, 7 p.m.
Highlands at Campbell County, 7 p.m.
Conner at Lloyd, 7 p.m.
Ryle at Cooper, 7:30 p.m.
Simon Kenton at Covington Catholic, 7 p.m.
Owen County at Dayton, 7:30 p.m.
Holmes at Green County, 7 p.m.
Ludlow at Walton-Verona, 7 p.m.
Newport at Gallatin County, 7:30 p.m.
Clay County at Scott, 7:30 p.m.
Clermont Northeastern (Ohio) vs. Holy Cross at Thomas More, 7 p.m.