An interesting regular season finale for Northern Kentucky high school football – and a home game for a Thomas More team trying to get back above .500 is the way our weekend goes.
Four non-district and cross-district, games, starting with one Thursday night, feature top teams from different classes, a top game against a downstate power, and finally, or first of all, a game that could determine Holmes’s playoff fate when the Class 4A Bulldogs venture to Erlanger to meet the 2A Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts.
Here’s the weekend lookahead:
THURSDAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Holmes (6-3) at Lloyd Memorial (6-3), 7 p.m.: Big game for the Bulldogs since a win would almost certainly keep them in the lead over Scott and Rowan County as the No. 2 team in their Class 4A district in the RPI ratings. That’s important because the third and fourth-place teams in the district will play the Nos. 1 and 2 from down in Central Kentucky — Lexington Catholic and Boyle County, both 8-1, on the road. Finish second to Boyd County and you get to play a 2-7 Bourbon County team at home. That should be plenty of motivation for Holmes to bring its “A” game. But look for a Lloyd team that’s looking ahead to the Class 2A playoffs to want to show that its district loss to Beechwood wasn’t as bad as that 34-7 score made it appear. The Juggs will come after you on the ground.
FRIDAY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Pendleton County (0-9) at Bishop Brossart (7-2), 7:30 p.m.: Pretty much the perfect tune-up game for the playoffs for the Class A district champion Mustangs against their winless Class 3A neighbors from down U.S. 27. Even better, they get this one at home in a year when the Mustangs have had to work hard to win those seven games and another district title.
Tates Creek (3-6) at Boone County (3-6), 7:30 p.m.: The big difference between the 6A Lexington team and a 5A Northern Kentucky team with 3-6 records each is that the Rebels are coming off four straight losses and six in the last seven while Tates Creek lost six straight earlier but has wins over Lexington teams Lafayette and Henry Clay the last two weeks.
Louisville Butler (2-7) at Cooper (5-4), 7:30 p.m.: Interesting way to end the regular season for the Class 5A Jaguars who can use this home game against a 2-7 Class 6A Louisville Butler team to get ready for a playoff game next week at Scott County after a solid season for a team with a freshman quarterback. Jags depend on a defense led by linebackers Jack Lonaker and Jake Harmeyer, who combined for 23 tackles against Highlands, to shore up an offense led by freshman passer Cam O’Hara.
Campbell County (4-5) at Corbin (9-0), 7:30 p.m.: With a Class 6A playoff date in Louisville next week at always tough Trinity, all the Camels needed this week was a trip down I-75 to face the unbeaten Class 4A Greyhounds in Colonel Sanders’ hometown, but there it is. In a season where they’re still reeling from the aftermath of a Week 2 trip to Woodford County, the Camels get to be road warriors for a couple of trips not many would want to take. For those checking the scoreboards, since barely escaping Independence with a 38-35 win over Simon Kenton, Corbin has outscored its last three opponents, 151-0.
Beechwood (8-1) vs. Newport Central Catholic (8-1), 7 p.m. (at Covington Catholic): Neutral site for this home NewCath game between a pair of district winners in Class A NewCath and Class 2A Beechwood. Since neither winner will be challenged against the No. 4 finishers in the cross-district matchups next week, this looks like a heck of a way to end the regular season. Not to mention a chance for NewCath to get back after last year’s 70-7 loss (yeah, you read that right) to the state champion Tigers. For Beechwood, after last week’s impressive 57-0 win over Newport, it’s a chance to test out the new Tiger playbook for a second week without the injured do-everything Mitchell Berger. For NewCath, coming off last week’s forfeit over Bellevue, it’s a chance to move up in the RPI ratings that eventually determine who plays where in the playoffs.
Eminence (0-9) at Dayton (4-5), 7:30 p.m.: For the first of their back-to-back trips to Northern Kentucky, the winless road Warriors from Eminence get ready for their trip next week to face NewCath in the Class A playoffs with a regular-season-ending road game at Dayton. While the 4-5 Greendevils haven’t had a great year, they get to follow the regular season finish at Davis Field with a first-round playoff game against a traveling 3-6 Berea team next week.
Conner (2-7) at George Rogers Clark (6-3), 7:30 p.m.: Another tough way to go out – with a losing record and a long trip – or two – one to end the regular season in Winchester this week, another to open the playoffs when the opponent is Frederick Douglass in Lexington next week. No better way to turn this around than with an upset for the Cougars who have dropped their last three games by a combined score of 138-10. GRC has beaten Cooper 28-0 but lost to Campbell County, 21-20.
Ludlow (3-6) at Holy Cross (2-7), 7 p.m.: What a way for either of these teams to end the regular season, with a win in this game, which could well be their last in Northern Kentucky in 2022. Next week, Holy Cross heads to Carroll County to open the playoffs while Ludlow will head to Frankfort. And since these two – Class A Ludlow and Class 2A Holy Cross – seem so well-matched here, this game matters even if it doesn’t exactly count.
Covington Catholic (7-2) at Ryle (5-4), 7 p.m.: Two heavyweights who have played schedules to match face off in this regular season finale in Union that will almost certainly test them more than their playoff openers next week. And should prepare them for what’s to come in two weeks when things get significantly more difficult for Class 5A CovCath and Class 6A Ryle. Two big-time junior QBs face off here with CovCath’s Evan Pitzer and Ryle’s Logan Verax leading their teams’ attacks in what will be one of this weekend’s featured regular season finales.
Dixie Heights (2-7) at Scott (4-5), 7 p.m.: Not a great season for the Kenton County rivals but that just makes this one mean more in a matchup between the Class 6A Colonels, who have lost six straight including a 49-19 district game to Campbell County last week, and the 5A Eagles, who rallied to win three straight before dropping their last two in the district to Boyd County and Holmes. As the bottom of the three 2-2 district teams in the RPI ratings (with Holmes and Rowan County), a win would help the numbers for Scott to avoid a fourth-place matchup with No. 1 Lexington Catholic. Fourth-place Dixie Heights is set to travel to Louisville to meet No. 1 Ballard.
Woodford County (9-0) at Simon Kenton (6-3), 7:30 p.m.: Might be the most interesting game of the weekend as Northern Kentucky gets a fix on the unbeaten Yellow Jackets from Versailles who will almost certainly be in the path of CovCath or Highlands, or both, in the Class 5A playoffs. And just another toughie for a Class 6A Simon Kenton team that’s healthy now with QB Chase Crone and RB Jayden Lawson back and tested after playing Highlands, Beechwood, Southwestern, Corbin, and Ryle. Should be a good way for the Pioneers to get ready for the playoffs that start out against Louisville Eastern next week at home but then have them joining with Ryle in a Northern Kentucky-Louisville matchup against the duo of Ballard and Trinity as the next opponents.
SATURDAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Pikeville (4-3) at Thomas More (4-4), 1:30 p.m.: From the season scoreboard, this looks like an even game for the Saints as they attempt to get back above .500 for the second time this season. Pikeville has lost to the likes of Bluefield and Bethel, just as TMU has, and beaten Cumberland (Tenn.), Campbellsville, and Kentucky Christian, again, just like TMU. Having the game at Republic Bank Field won’t hurt. Maybe there’s a revenge angle here for the Saints against a Pikeville team that beat TMU 13-7 last season. With closing games against Georgetown on the road and Cumberlands (Ky.) at home, it’s crucial for TMU to win this one to give first-year coach Chris Norwell a shot at winning record in his inaugural season as head coach in Crestview Hills.
