The NKyTribune will be providing focused coverage of NKY high school football throughout the season, thanks to support from St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine. See all of 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
Covington Catholic’s first prime-time home game in nine years was a fan’s delight played under temporary lights.
With 12 diesel-powered temporary lights illuminating the field, CovCath defeated Sycamore, 34-33, in overtime on Friday. After Dave Reisiger caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from AJ Mayer to tie the score, Matt Kloska converted the extra-point kick to win it.
In high school football overtime games, each team gets four downs to score from the 10-yard line. Sycamore got a touchdown on its overtime possession, but the Ohio team wasn’t able to convert the extra-point kick because of a bad snap.
Then the Colonels got the ball and scored a touchdown on the fourth down of their overtime possession. That gave Kloska a chance to win it, and the left-footed senior didn’t let his teammates down.
Kloska kicked a pair of field goals in the first half that ended with CovCath holding a 20-7 lead. But Sycamore scored two touchdowns early in the third quarter to tie the score.
After the Colonels regained the lead on Mayer’s 1-yard dive into end zone late in the third quarter, Sycamore answered once again. The visitors tied the score, 27-27, on a 12-yard run by Ra’Von Bonner with 5:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.
That set the stage for the dramatic finish in overtime, which stirred up memories of the last time CovCath played a home game at night in 2007. In that game, the CovCath defense stopped four plays inside the 5-yard line to come away with a 14-7 win over Beechwood.
Sycamore finished with a 353-311 advantage in offensive yardage in Friday’s game, but Mayer was the individual standout. He competed 18 of 35 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 26 yards and one TD. His passes went to seven different receivers. Reisiger had six catches for 65 yards and two TDs.
Sycamore’s offensive leader was Bonner, who rushed for 181 yards and four touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jake Borman completed 8 of 14 passes for 153 yards.
CovCath will play home games against Lexington Catholic and Beechwood under the temporary lights the next two weeks. The school plans to have permanent lights installed by next season as part of a $2.2 million stadium upgrade that will also include replacing the bleachers and press box.
COVCATH 10 10 7 0 7 — 34
SYCAMORE 0 6 14 7 6 — 33
CC – Kloska 36 yard FG
CC – Newman 17 pass from Mayer (Kloska kick)
S – Bonner 1 run (kick failed)
CC – Kloska 32 FG
CC – Reisiger 22 pass from Mayer (Kloska kick)
S – Archer 20 interception return (Hasselbeck kick)
S – Bonner 10 run (Hasselbeck kick)
C – Mayer 1 run (Kloska kick)
S – Bonner 12 run (Hasselbeck kick)
S – Bonner 1 run (kick failed)
CC – Reisiger 5 pass from Mayer (Kloska kick)
RECORDS: CovCath 2-1, Sycamore 0-2
SIMON KENTON 39, CONNER 27 – Conner took a 21-7 lead in the second quarter, but Simon Kenton came back to win the home game and extend its record to 3-0.
The Pioneers used both senior Cam Racke and junior Matt Shearer at quarterback during the game. According to the team’s stat report, Racke completed 12 of 19 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 68 yards and one TD. Shearer was 6-for-9 for 80 yards and he also scored on a run.
Late in the second quarter, Racke connected with Fischer Hayden on a 77-yard touchdown pass and Racke ran in the two-point conversion to give SK its first lead of the game, 22-21, just before halftime.
Simon Kenton extended the margin to 32-21 before Conner got on the board again with an 85-yard kickoff return by Matt Simpson in the fourth quarter. But Shearer scored on a 2-yard run to give the Pioneers a 12-point victory.
Conner quarterbacks Walker Buelow and Cooper Guillon passed for a combined total of 127 yards. Simpson had eight catches for 117 yards.
CONNER 14 7 0 6 – 27
SIMON KENTON 7 15 3 14 – 39
C – Jackson 3 run (Shepherd kick)
S – Vance 3 run (Seger kick)
C – Simpson 9 pass from Gullion (Shepherd kick)
C – Buckler 3 pass from Buelow (Shepherd kick)
S – Racke 5 run (Seger kick)
S – Hayden 77 pass from Racke (Racke run)
S – Seger 22 FG
S – Vance 1 run (Seger kick)
C – Simpson 85 kick return (pass failed)
S – Shearer 2 run (Seger kick)
RECORDS: Simon Kenton 3-0, Conner 1-1.
SCOTT COUNTY 42, HIGHLANDS 33 – Scott County scored 21 straight points in the second and third quarters to surge into the lead and the visitors held on for the win.
Both teams finished with more than 400 yards in total offense. Highlands quarterback Brady Gosney completed 21 of 35 passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns. All four of his scoring passes went to Nick Veneman, who had eight receptions for 225 yards.
Scott County running back Kendrick Hamilton picked up 204 of his team’s 437 rushing yards and scored three times.
SCOTT COUNTY 21 0 14 7 – 42
HIGHLANDS 13 7 7 6 – 33
SC – Hamilton 51 run (kick)
H – Veneman 3 pass from Gosney (kick failed)
SC – Davis 1 run (kick)
SC – Hamilton 28 run (kick)
H – Veneman 56 pass from Gosney (Bowman kick)
H – Gosney 1 run (Bowman kick)
H – Veneman 34 pass from Gosney (Bowman kick)
SC – Hamilton 47 run (kick)
SC – Davis 1 run (kick)
SC – Burton 5 run (kick)
H – Veneman 28 pass from Gosney (run failed)
RECORDS: Scott County 2-1, Highlands 1-2
In other games
COOPER 52, BRYAN STATION 28 — Cooper’s balanced offensive attack totaled 508 yards and quarterback Jerod Lonaker had a lot to do with it. Lonaker completed 14 of 27 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns. He also scored twice on 1-yard runs into the end zone. The Jaguars’ leading rusher was Jaden Jackson, who picked up 178 of the team’s 238 yards on the ground. Dante Hendrix caught four passes for 144 yards and three TDs.
DIXIE HEIGHTS 28, MILFORD (Ohio) 13 — Dixie Heights had 418 yards rushing with senior Jose Torres picking up 288 on 20 carries. Torres scored on breakaway runs of 58 and 30 yards in the first half. In the final seconds of the third quarter, Cameron Barrett capped the Colonels’ scoring with a 78-yard touchdown run.
BEECHWOOD 29, SOMERSET 7 — The Beechwood offense that didn’t score any points in the season opener turned in a much better effort in Friday’s home game. The Tigers finished with 431 total yards and scored four touchdowns. Most of that yardage came on the ground with Aiden Justice rushing for 145 yards and James Davis picking up 79 along with two TDs.
LLOYD 48, GRANT COUNTY 7 — LaShunn Townsend rushed for 97 yards and scored three touchdowns in his team’s victory. His first TD came on a 6-yard pass from Jordan Fann. Townsend also scored on runs of 10 and 25 yards.
BROSSART 13, BELLEVUE 6 — Brossart got both of its touchdowns in the second half to come away with the victory. Senior quarterback Chase Keller threw a 45-yard pass to Jake Sendelbach for the Mustangs’ first TD. Keller later scored on a 1-yard run.
WALTON-VERONA 17, HOLMES 0 — After a scoreless first half, Walton-Verona running backs Hunter Ruber and Garrett Jones got rushing touchdowns and the Bearcats came away with their first win of the season.
PARIS 27, LUDLOW 23 — Paris scored late in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory. Ludlow junior quarterback Justin Blackburn had 132 yards rushing, 52 yards passing and scored twice.
Scores from unreported games
Scott 56, Newport 16
Pendleton County 16, Dayton 7