21 teams in 21 days: Boone County football preview

Boone County head football coach Bryson Warner had just seen a Rebel defensive back knock down a pass, and he was overjoyed.

“That’s the way to compete!” Warner hollered during a 7-on-7 passing scrimmage July 25 at Covington Catholic. “That’s what we’re looking for!”

Warner and the Rebels (3-7 last year) seek something much more important: the first Class 5A playoff berth since Warner, a 1992 Boone County alumnus, took over in 2019.

Just don’t ask Warner to talk about the postseason – or how many starters are back. He said every position is open.

“We’re focused on Holmes (Boone County’s opening opponent Aug. 18 in Florence),” Warner said. “We’re (a) 1-0 mentality, that’s all we’re focused on. The playoffs is not up for discussion; Holmes High School is up for discussion.”

Boone County will also have a new look on the field: matte black helmets for the first time in program history to go with new black pants. The Columbia blue home and white road jerseys remain.

Senior quarterback Jamar Hocker is responsible for the new headgear.

“It was my last year, so I want to change it up, and I asked (Warner) if we could have matte black helmets” Hocker said. “He said we could make it happen. So we started a fundraiser and we raised enough money to get black helmets.”

Warner sported a black t-shirt with “Everyday I Fight” and No. 46 in Boone County’s familiar Columbia blue and white. It’s what the late Craig Mullins, a Boone County and Georgetown College star, who passed away from cancer in 2015, said as he fought for his life. (Mullins’ brother, Matt Mullins, is Boone County’s defensive coordinator.)

“He was an unbelievable coach at Georgetown for 20 years,” Warner said. “He’s probably the greatest leader in Boone County history. He wasn’t big – he was tough as nails.”

New uniforms and helmets, however, will only take Boone County so far. The Rebels will need Hocker to match – or surpass – 2022’s output: 89-of-156 passing for 1,420 yards and eight touchdowns plus another 341 yards and six scores on the ground.

“I think I’m more confident than I was last year,” Hocker said. “Last year, I was kind of hesitant to throw the football to some receivers because they would drop some passes.”

You may know one new wideout, senior Mason Hall, for what he did on the basketball court – he averaged 10.4 points and 4.1 rebounds last season. He played football as a freshman but gave it up for basketball.

With all the talk of passing attacks, you might wonder: Has Boone County, the home of legendary Alabama and NFL running back Shaun Alexander, forsaken the run?

“Boone County’s known to run the football,” Warner said. “If you can’t run the football, you might as well pack it in … We’re a balanced offense.”

Shaun Roberts and Andrew Leibfarth lead the Rebels’ 3-4 defense. Roberts made 21 tackles, and Leibfarth recovered three fumbles.

Roberts said being a middle linebacker in a 3-4 is a good fit for his talents.

“I’m a lot more aggressive being able to read the quarterback, read the linemen, all that,” Roberts said.

Whatever happens this season, Warner remains confident – just like his players.

“They’re a blast to coach, no matter what,” Warner said. “We’ve had some great additions, and we feel really confident about this being our best football team since we’ve been here.”

The Rebels will see a couple of new teams in district play this year as Covington Catholic moved down to 4A, Scott moved up from 4A to 5A and Dixie Heights moved from 6A to 5A. They’ll also be paired with the usual suspects in Highlands, Cooper and Conner. In order for them to reach the postseason, they’ll need to be one of the top four teams out of the six.

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