By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Dayton and Beechwood are the only Northern Kentucky high school football teams that won’t be playing a first-round game in the state playoffs on Friday.
Beechwood got a bye after winning a district title. Dayton had to forfeit its playoff game because it did not have enough players with an adequate amount of varsity experience to field a team.
Dayton superintendent Jay Brewer said “a series of unfortunate events” reduced the Greendevils’ roster during the course of the season. That’s why the team forfeited three of its last five games, including Friday’s playoff game with Frankfort.
“You’d get a couple kids move out of district and a couple kids decide they need to work and a couple of kids get hurt and a couple of kids have health issues,” Brewer said of the dwindling roster. “Then you’re left with asking a whole lot of younger kids who aren’t prepared to play at the varsity level, and you need them out there for every play.”
Dayton is a small school that competes on the Class 1A level. The Greendevils had 23 players on their season-ending varsity roster and 13 of them were sophomores and freshmen. They finished with an 0-9 record that includes the three forfeits.
“I had a number of people say we really appreciate you protecting the kids and putting their health and safety ahead of school pride and things like that,” Brewer said of the game cancellations.
The superintendent said he’s “pretty optimistic” that Dayton will be able to field a varsity team next season even though eight seniors on the current roster will graduate.
“We anticipate having somewhere around 25 to 30 kids starting the year,” Brewer said. “That’s kind of where we’ve been, at least since I’ve been here, and this is my seventh year.”
Dayton is starting its own middle school football program to serve as a feeder system for the high school team. Brewer said students in the Dayton and Bellevue school systems played together on a middle school team this season, but they’re going to have two separate teams next year.
Dayton will also be hiring a new head football coach. Chad Montgomery resigned this week after leading the program for eight seasons. His teams compiled a 13-74 record, including this year’s three forfeits.
Montgomery said he mainly stepped down as head coach to spend more time with his family.
“I will say my school administration has been very supportive and my decision had nothing to do with them,” Montgomery explained in an email. “A lot of factors went into it, and I just feel it’s time for a new face and different direction.”
Montgomery’s final game as head coach against Carroll County went into the books as a forfeit. But the teams played a makeshift game last Friday so the Greendevils could honor their seniors.
“I can’t say enough about the Carroll County coaches and their understanding of the situation we were in,” Brewer said. “It was kind of a jayvee game in which we were able to play our handful of seniors and allow them to have that whole Senior Night experience.”
High school football playoffs
All games scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Friday
CLASS 1A
Louisville Holy Cross at Ludlow
Bellevue at Kentucky Country Day
Brossart at Raceland
CLASS 2A
Metcalfe County at Walton-Verona
Louisville Shawnee at Newport Central Catholic
Washington County at Lloyd
Newport at Louisville DeSales
Holy Cross at Christian Academy of Louisville
CLASS 4A
Greenup County at Scott
Holmes at Ashland Blazer
CLASS 5A
Woodford County at Covington Catholic
Madison Southern at Highlands
Dixie Heights at Montgomery County
CLASS 6A
Lexington Lafayette at Conner
Lexington Tates Creek at Ryle
Lexington Bryan Station at Simon Kenton
Scott County at Campbell County
Cooper at George Rogers Clark
Boone County at Lexington Henry Clay