The NKyTribune is featuring each of the 21 high school football teams in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties leading up to the first games of the 2017 season on Friday. We will then provide focused coverage of our local teams throughout the regular season and into the playoffs.
By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Simon Kenton senior Matt Shearer took snaps from center in 13 games last season and passed for more than 1,300 yards, but coach Jeff Marksberry doesn’t consider him a veteran quarterback.
Last season, the Pioneers brought Shearer into games to utilize his strong throwing arm, but Cameron Racke was still the quarterback in charge of the offense. When Racke graduated last spring, Shearer had to take on more than he ever had before as his replacement.
“Even though he’s a senior and he’s got all that experience under his belt, he’s entering a new realm,” Marksberry said of Shearer.
“The way I phrased it to him is he’s got to take ownership of the offense, not just be a role player like he was last year. We’re not real complicated offensively, but we ask him to make reads in the running game and make reads in the passing game. He’s got to have control of all that, and those other 10 guys (on offense) have to know that he has control of everything.”
Simon Kenton posted records of 11-2, 13-1 and 11-2 with Racke as the starting quarterback over the last three seasons. Each of those teams had a high-powered offense that averaged between 388 and 438 yards per game.
With mostly first-year starters on defense this year, the Pioneers may need a strong offensive effort once again to remain one of the top Class 6A teams in the state.
“We’re hoping the defense will come along,” Marksberry said. “We’ve got seven new starters over there so they are really inexperienced. The good thing is with the platoon system we have they don’t have to worry about anything but getting better on defense. They’re being coached up every day at one position on one side of the ball.”
Shearer’s transition to starting quarterback has evidently gone well. In a preseason scrimmage game against Louisville St. Xavier last week, the Pioneers netted more than 300 yards with him running the offense. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns to lead the way.
“It went pretty well,” Shearer said of the team’s offensive performance in the scrimmage. “We had some really good drives. There were a couple scenarios when we didn’t, but for the most part we had a really good night.”
With four varsity veterans on the offensive line and two of the top three receivers on last year’s team returning, Simon Kenton has the potential to put up big numbers with Shearer as a full-time starter. He’ll make his regular season debut in that position Friday when the Pioneers play at Meade County.
“I knew the offense last year, but you’ve got to learn to make reads in game situations and obviously I wasn’t in on every down,” Shearer said. “I’m working on getting all the reads down and recognizing defenses. I’m pretty confident in my skills of doing that. I’m pretty much getting the hang of it.”
Shearer isn’t an explosive runner like Racke, who rushed for more than 600 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. But the new quarterback is a talented drop-back passer if the offensive line gives him the protection he needs to be effective.
“I think our offensive line’s got to understand when you’ve got a guy standing in the pocket back there you’ve got to give him time to throw the football,” Marksberry said. “On the other side, Matt has to understand that he’s got to get rid of the ball on time, too. You can’t count on those guys (up front) to protect him for more than seven or eight seconds.”
Shearer said he attended passing camps at several colleges during the summer, but the 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior hasn’t gotten any recruiting offers yet. Marksberry expects that to change during the course of the season.
“We’ll be getting the film out on him and I do think he can be a college football player at quarterback,” the coach said. “He’s athletic enough and he’s big enough and he’s got a strong arm. That’s what they’re looking for.”
SIMON KENTON PIONEERS
2016 SEASON: 11-2 record, lost in third round of Class 6A playoffs
DISTRICT: Class 6A, District 6 with Boone County and Campbell County
HEAD COACH: Jeff Marksberry (124-77 in 16 seasons at Simon Kenton)
2017 SCHEDULE
Aug. 18 – at Meade County, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 25 – at Lexington Bryan Station, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 1 – at Conner, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8 – DIXIE HEIGHTS, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15 – COOPER, 7 p.m..
Sept. 22 – HIGHLANDS, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29 – at Beechwood, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 6 – at Boone County, 7 p.m.
Oct. 13 – CAMPBELL COUNTY, 7 p.m.
Oct. 20 – RYLE, 7 p.m.
Other NKyTribune prep football previews:
DAYTON GREENDEVILS
COVINGTON CATHOLIC COLONELS
BISHOP BROSSART MUSTANGS
WALTON-VERONA BEARCATS
COOPER JAGUARS
SCOTT EAGLES
LUDLOW PANTHERS
HIGHLANDS BLUEBIRDS
LLOYD JUGGERNAUTS
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC THOROUGHBREDS
NEWPORT WILDCATS
BOONE COUNTY REBELS
BELLEVUE TIGERS
BEECHWOOD TIGERS
CONNER COUGARS
CAMPBELL COUNTY CAMELS
DIXIE HEIGHTS COLONELS
HOLMES BULLDOGS
HOLY CROSS INDIANS