The NKyTribune is 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 Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Simon Kenton was held to its lowest scoring total of the season Friday, but the Pioneers remained undefeated with a 13-12 win over Cooper in a Class 6A regional final.
Cooper scored a touchdown with one minute left in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars then went for a two-point conversion that would have given them the lead, but the pass was incomplete.
The Jaguars recovered an onside kick to get the ball back, but they were unable to get within field goal range and turned it over on downs.
Simon Kenton was averaging 43.1 points per game going into the regional final, but the Pioneers were limited to two touchdowns. Dillion Powell scored on a 34-yard run in the second quarter and Cam Racke had a 2-yard TD run in the third quarter.
Racke rushed for 157 yards on 21 carries and Powell finished with 148 yards on 25 carrries to account for most of their team’s 330 total yards in the game.
Both of Cooper’s touchdowns came on pass plays. Nathan Brown threw an 8-yard TD pass to Dante Hendrix in the second quarter and a 40-yard TD pass to Tyrone Jackson late in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars finished with a net total of 270 yards.
Simon Kenton (13-0) will have a home game against Lexington Lafayette (11-2) in the state semifinals on Friday. Lafayette upset Scott County, 36-30, in another regional final.
SIMON KENTON 0 6 7 0 — 13
COOPER 0 6 0 6 — 12
SK – Powell 34 run (kick failed)
C – Hendrix 8 pass from Brown (kick failed)
SK – Racke 2 run (McNamara kick)
C – Jackson 40 pass from Brown (pass failed)
RECORDS: Simon Kenton 13-0, Cooper 10-3.
BEECHWOOD 21, LOUISVILLE HOLY CROSS 9
After falling behind, 9-0, in the first quarter, Beechwood took control and won a Class 1A regional title for the eighth time in nine years under coach Noel Rash.
The Tigers played the game without leading rusher Ethan Stringer, who sprained a ligament in his knee. But senior quarterback Kyle Fieger threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns to lead the offensive attack.
After Holy Cross scored the game’s first touchdown, Beechwood fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the player who recovered the loose ball was tackled in the end zone for a safety that made it 9-0.
But the home team wasn’t able to score against Beechwood’s defense the rest of the night while Fieger got the Tigers’ offense in gear.
Most of Fieger’s passing yards came on three scoring plays totaling 116 yards. The longest one was a 60-yarder to senior slotback Brandon Slusher on the first play in the fourth quarter.
Fieger has now thrown 102 touchdown passes during his varsity career at Beechwood. He’s tied for 16th place in that category in the Kentucky high school football record books.
Beechwood finished with 240-192 advantage in total yardage. Slusher caught three passes for 89 yards and rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries.
Beechwood (11-1) will go to Russellville (10-2) for a Class 1A state semifinal game on Friday. This is the first time that Russellville has made it to the semifinals since it became a Class 1A team in 2011.
BEECHWOOD 7 7 0 7 — 21
LOU. HOLY CROSS 9 0 0 0 — 9
HC – Greenwell 2 run (Brutscher kick)
HC – Safety: Beechwood player tackled in end zone
B – Justice 36 pass from Fieger (German kick)
B – Benson 20 pass from Fieger (German kick)
B – Slusher 60 pass from Fieger (German kick)
RECORDS: Beechwod 12-1, Holy Cross 7-6
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC 41, LLOYD 0
NewCath’s defensive unit scored four touchdowns off turnovers while posting a shutout in the Class 2A regional final.
In the first quarter, NewCath defensive back Trent Wrobleski scored twice on fumble recoveries and linebacker John Harris returned an interception for a touchdown to give their team a 20-0 lead.
The Thoroughbreds’ last TD was a 38-yard interception return by defensive back Erik Anderson, who has picked off six passes this season.
The NewCath offense totaled just 168 yards and two touchdowns. Lloyd finished with 146 total yards and had six turnovers.
NewCath (8-5), the Class 2A state runner-up last season, is one win away from returning to the championship game. The Thoroughbreds will play Danville (12-1) in a semifinal game on Friday at Newport Stadium.
NEWCATH 20 7 0 14 – 41
LLOYD 0 0 0 0 — 0
NC – Wrobleski 34 fumble return (Hans kick)
NC – Harris 40 interception return (kick failed)
NC – Wrobleski 30 fumble return (Hans kick)
NC – McHugh 9 pass from Henschen (Hans kick)
NC – Harris 13 run (Hans kick)
NC – Anderson 38 interception return (Hans kick)
RECORDS: NewCath 8-5, Lloyd 9-4
JOHNSON CENTRAL 27, SCOTT 26
Johnson Central quarterback Bryce Workman threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Geordan Blanton on the final play of the game and ended the best season in the history of the Scott football program.
Scott took a 26-14 lead early in the fourth quarter of the Class 4A regional final when Robert London scored his third touchdown of the game on a 78-yard breakaway run. But Johnson Central managed to score twice after that to come away with the victory and advance to next week’s state semifinals.
Scott scored the game’s first touchdown on a 49-yard pass from quarterback Danny Fitzpatrick to London and the Eagles never trailed until the final play.
Fitzgerald also threw a 14-yard TD pass to Ryan Muck in the first quarter and London scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter to give Scott a 20-7 lead at halftime.
Scott finishes the season with a best-ever 10-3 record under coach Dan Woolley, who has guided the Eagles to three consecutive winning seasons.
JOHNSON CENTRAL 7 0 7 13 — 27
SCOTT 14 6 0 6 — 26
S – Fitzgerald 49 pass to London (Seay kick)
JC – Allen 6 run (Pack kick)
S – Fitzgerald 14 pass to Muck (Seay kick)
S – London 1 run (kick blocked)
JC – Blanton 3 run (Pack kick)
S – London 78 run (pass failed)
JC – Slone 1 run (Pack kick)
JC – Workman 30 pass to Blanton
RECORDS: Johnson Central 12-1, Scott 10-3.