Thirty-three percent of teams from NKY are battling it out for a region championship.
They’re spread around five different classes of the last 48 teams standing in the state. There’s a potential for two of them to meet in the state semifinals (Highlands and Cooper).
After Friday night, that number of teams in the state dwindles down to 24 with the state semifinal round taking place the day after Thanksgiving. As many say, if you’re practicing Thanksgiving week, it’s a privilege.
Class 6A
Ryle (8-4) at Bryan Station (9-3), 7:30 p.m.
Ryle comes in on a six-game winning streak and have put up at least 20 points in every game this season. Points won’t be as easy to come by against their opponent this week as the school’s nickname matches their ability on the football field, the Defenders allowing just 14.1 points per game, the fourth best mark in Class 6A.
Ryle’s Logan Verax became the second all-time passing yards leader in NKY last week, passing Highlands grad Gino Guidugli. Verax has 7,747 passing yards for his high school career, trailing only Beechwood grad Cameron Hergott with 8,537 career yards in his time as a Tiger.
During the Raiders six-game winning streak, Verax has thrown for 1,893 yards, clearing the 300-yard marker in four of those games. While the passing attack has been impressive with five guys hauling in at least 30 passes led by Landon Lorms (83 receptions, 927 yards, 12 TD), the rushing attack has shown some struggles, averaging a shade over 100 yards per game this season (101.5). They were able to get a little momentum in the ground game last week, rushing for 136 yards against Bullitt East.
Ryle has been opportunistic on defense, forcing 25 turnovers. Jacob Savage is the driving force of the Raiders defense with 153 tackles.
Bryan Station shows a little more balance thanks to 1,000-yard rusher Kalen Washington and quarterback Trenton Cutwright (109/192, 1,751 yards, 21 TDs).
They’ve picked off 16 passes, so Verax will have to be cautious in his throws. JT Haskins Jr. leads the way with six interceptions, Isaiah Watts with four.
The Defenders lost their first two games and are 9-1 since. These two used to be old district opponents in 1999-2000. They split their two matchups in those years.
Class 5A
North Laurel (8-4) at Highlands (11-1), 7:30 p.m.
The Bluebirds are absolutely mauling teams up front. They’re approaching 3,000 rushing yards on the season as quarterback Brody Benke and running back Cameron Giesler cleared the 1,000-yard milestone in their victory over Dixie Heights last week.
The two have accounted for 2,247 of their 2,896 rushing yards this season and 30 of their 33 rushing touchdowns. Benke can sling it, too, throwing for 1,619 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Highlands scores more than anyone in Class 5A with 574 points and 47.8 points per game.
North Laurel’s 12.3 points per game allowed will certainly be put to the test. The Jaguars defense has forced 27 turnovers this season, including 16 fumble recoveries so the Birds ball carriers will certainly have to be on alert.
North Laurel is a run first offense led by Ethan Gregory’s 1,436 rushing yards this season, quarterback Hunter Morgan has thrown for 1,242 yards and 14 touchdowns.
This is North Laurel’s first trip to the regional final since 2015. Highlands last trip to a state semifinal came in 2014, when they won their 23rd state title as Class 4A members.
Cooper (10-2) at Southwestern (9-3), 7:30 p.m.
The Jaguars have found their stride with six straight victories in which they’ve allowed 64 points during the winning streak. Jaguars quarterback Cam O’Hara is 84 yards shy of a 3,000-yard passing season, Isaiah Johnson (65 receptions, 1,238 yards, 20 TD) and Austin Alexander (53 receptions, 971 yards, 15 TD) his top targets. Keagan Maher has really picked it up in the run game with 997 yards on the season, 719 of those coming in the last six games. Jack Lonaker spearheads the defense (123 tackles), Alexander a menace off the edge with 16 sacks while the team gets after the quarterback with 35.5 sacks on the year.
Isaac Brown is the ballhawk in the secondary, leading the way with four interceptions, Mason Baesel with four fumble recoveries.
Southwestern started the season 0-2 and are 9-1 since. They’ll be similar to Cooper’s opponent last week in Scott County that they’re a run first team with four guys getting at least 486 rushing yards this season led by Christian Walden with 1,219 yards and 14 touchdowns.
After allowing 87 points in their first two games of the season in losses to South Warren and Ballard, they’ve allowed 139 points in their last 10 games and scored six touchdowns via their defense and special teams.
This is Cooper’s first trip to a region championship since 2014 when they made the state semifinals. Southwestern is playing in an eighth straight region championship game, advancing to the state semifinals just once in the prior seven contests.
Class 4A
Johnson Central (9-3) at Covington Catholic (12-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Colonels got their first test in nearly two months with a 35-28 victory over Ashland last week. Johnson Central defeated Ashland 36-33 on Oct. 20.
CovCath has been about as 50-50 you can be in terms of offensive balance. They’ve thrown for 2,321 yards and rushed for 2,341 yards. Evan Pitzer has shown the steady hand at quarterback, hitting on 141-of-192 passes and 29 touchdowns. Owen Leen leads the rushing attack with 706 yards and 12 touchdowns. Braylon Miller, Willie Rodriguez, Oliver Link and Noah Johnson have been Pitzer’s top targets, all with at least 20 receptions, led by Miller’s 47 for 730 yards. Eleven of Rodriguez’s 24 catches have gone for touchdowns, including three last week in the win over Ashland.
The Colonels defense will need a better display of tackling this week, struggling at times last week against Ashland. Tate Kruer leads the way there with 92 tackles, nearly double anyone else on the roster.
The Golden Eagles will bring their rushing attack north, running the ball 614 times this season to just 53 pass attempts. Four ball carries have tallied at least 620 rushing yards this season led by Carter Conley with 1,069 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The two programs have combined for four state titles since 2016, both with two.
Class 2A
Martin County (7-5) at Beechwood (11-1), 7 p.m.
Beechwood has outscored the opponent 364-15 over their last seven games since their lone loss this season to Covington Catholic.
Clay Hayden cleared the 3,000-yard passing mark in the first game of the postseason and has 3,190 yards and 40 touchdowns on the season. Luke Erdman, Tyler Fryman and James Cusick have been his top targets this season, all three over 30 receptions and 500 yards, combining for 32 touchdown receptions.
After struggling with their rushing attack early on in the season, Beechwood has found it, rushing for at least 145 yards in five of their last seven games.
They’ve also found their groove defensively, in a three-week span when they allowed 137 points, they’ve allowed 36 points in nine other games. They’ve tallied 18 interceptions and recovered nine fumbles.
Martin County will try and run the ball and run it some more. They’ve ran the ball 469 times to just 81 pass attempts. Three different ball carriers have at least 100 carries on the season, led by Brock Messer with 1,320 yards and 14 touchdowns. They’ve rushed for 3,163 yards this season, so the Cardinals will surely look to control the clock with their ground attack and keep Beechwood’s potent offense off the field.
Hayden will want to be aware of where Julian Stafford is on the field, Stafford has picked off nine passes this season.
Beechwood is looking for a 10th straight region championship while Martin County has only been around since forming in 2019 after Sheldon Clark High School shut down. This is their first region championship game.
Class 1A
Newport Central Catholic (8-4) at Campbellsville (10-1), 7:30 p.m.
The Thoroughbreds are taking on an us against the world approach as they make the three-hour trip to Campbellsville to face the No. 2 RPI rated team in Class 1A.
NewCath started 2-4, but have won six straight. They’ve adapted without starting quarterback Kolton Smith, who suffered a season-ending injury against Raceland on Sept. 22. Louie Collopy has been steady as his replacement, throwing for 519 yards and 10 touchdowns during the ‘Breds winning streak.
They’ll look to continue to ride Demetrick Welch to victory, Welch clearing the 1,000-yard rushing milestone for the season last week. Welch has scored 25 touchdowns this season, 20 of them rushing, two receiving and a touchdown each via a fumble recovery, kickoff return and punt return.
The Thoroughbreds defense has collected 54 tackles for loss and will need every bit of that effort against a Campbellsville team that averages 34.9 points per game. The Eagles have one of the stingiest defenses in Class A, shutting out the opponent three times this season and allowing seven points or less seven times this season. NewCath’s o-line will have to be up to the task against an Eagles defense that’s racked up 103 tackles for loss and 34 sacks.
Ludlow (8-4) at Kentucky Country Day (10-2), 7:30 p.m.
Ludlow is 7-1 after a 1-3 start to the season.
Take away the 50 points Ludlow let up to Paris in the regular season finale, Ludlow hasn’t allowed more than 22 points in a game this season. They allow just 15 points per game, fourth best in Class 1A. KCD will test that, the third highest scoring team in 1A with 34 points per game.
The Panthers are a run first team with Dameyn Anness leading the way with 1,156 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, Jackson Mays showing the ability to sling it at times with 1,074 passing yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Bearcats are a balanced team offensively with 2,279 rushing yards and 1,964 passing yards on the season. Kassani Wilson heads the backfield with 1,017 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns while Ethan Harris has thrown for 1,827 yards and 18 touchdowns. Troy Humphreys (41 receptions, 551 yards, 2 TDs) and Cameron Edwards (40 receptions, 701 yards, 11 TDs) are his top targets.
KCD has forced 27 turnovers on the season. These two have met in the postseason once before in the first round in 2015, a 21-14 KCD victory.
Make sure to check https://linknky.com/category/sports/ later Friday night for recaps on all the games Friday evening.