The NKyTribune will be offering focused coverage of NKY high school football throughout the season, thanks to support from St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine. See all our pre-season features on each of NKY’s 21 high school football teams and follow our coverage, including roundups each week at Northern Kentucky High School Football.
By Brett Bibbins
NKyTribune contributor
With only six seniors on the roster last year, the Conner football team wasn’t able to continue a two-year trend of winning seasons and finished with a 3-8 record.
“The cycle hit us and we lost some great players to graduation,” said Conner coach Dave Trosper, who usually had 15 to 20 seniors on the roster to provide experience and leadership.
But last year’s small senior class could be a blessing in disguise going into this season. The current Conner roster is loaded with players who have varsity experience, including 24 seniors.
“Last year, we just didn’t have a lot of leadership,” said Tanner Nyers, a senior wide receiver and outside linebacker for the Cougars. “We weren’t led strong, but this year I think it’s a different story.”
After the 2012 and 2013 seasons produced a combined record of 17-7, the Conner team lost a lot of talented players to graduation, including wide receiver Cameron Fogle and quarterback Drew Barker, who are now on the University of Kentucky football team.
Last year’s senior class was so thin that Trosper had to inject sophomores and juniors with little or no varsity experience into the starting lineup. As a result, the Cougars lost their first four games by large margins. They were a little more competitive after that and won three of their next six games, but their season ended with a 35-13 loss to Franklin County in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Improving on last season’s record will be difficult. The Cougars are moving up a class from 5A to 6A and will be in a district with Cooper and Ryle, two of its in-county public school rivals.
“It’s better competition for sure, but I know teams lost a lot of good players and we didn’t lose much so I think that’ll help,” said Conner senior quarterback Kyler Padgett, who had a combined total of 2,412 passing and rushing yards last season.
Despite last season’s struggles, the large number of returning contributors has the Cougars aiming for lofty goals going into the 2015 campaign.
“We definitely want to try to make it to state, which I think with this team’s experience now that we have we can definitely do it,” Padgett said.
“Our main goal is a state championship and that’s all we’re looking for,” Nyers said. “We don’t want to fall short.”
After a rough 2014 season, Trosper would like to see this year’s team enjoy the kind of success the Cougars had in 2012 and 2013 when they made it to the second round of the state playoffs.
“For these kids,” Trosper said, “it would mean everything, and for me it would mean everything also, because of what this game teaches them and what it, in turn, gives them in life. It’s just everything that I am about.”
CONNER COUGARS
LAST YEAR: 3-8, lost in first round of Class 5A state playoffs.
THIS YEAR: Class 6A, District 5 with Cooper and Ryle.
COACH: Dave Trosper (61-71 overall, 48-44 in eight seasons at Conner, 13-27 in four seasons at Holmes).
2015 SCHEDULE
Aug. 28 – BOONE COUNTY, 7 p.m.
Sept. 4 – SIMON KENTON, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 – at Scott, 7 p.m.
Sept. 18 – at Dixie Heights, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 – at Newport Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Oct. 2 – at Lloyd, 7 p.m.
Oct. 8 – CAMPBELL COUNTY, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 – at Ryle, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 – COOPER, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 – MASON COUNTY, 7:30 p.m
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Campbell County High School
Highlands High School
Dixie Heights
Bellevue
Newport
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