Four downs with Scott

Scott’s football glory days must have seemed so far away last season.

The Eagles suffered through a 2-8 nightmare that included a 1-3 start and an 0-4 finish. New coach Justin Franklin comes to Northern Kentucky from stints at Carroll County, Danville and North Oldham.

Franklin’s mantra is really only two words: accountability and discipline.

“It’s not easy, and it’s tough, and a lot of time it’s in your face,” Franklin said. “That reinforcement, which is around the clock all the time, it’s tough for a young person to go through when they’ve never experienced it before. That doesn’t happen overnight.”

FIRST DOWN – RECAP

The season-opening 56-6 loss at Campbell County on Aug. 18, 2023 was the first game between the Eagles and Camels since 2006. 

What was worse: about a minute into the fourth quarter, a tackle on Scott’s Jordan Hardy left him briefly motionless; the game ended with that play. (Hardy was taken to a local hospital and was released the next day; he missed the rest of the season.)

“After that loss, we just got discouraged,” junior lineman Breydon Ennis said.

Scott fell to North Bullitt (56-25) and Newport Central Catholic (59-27) by a combined 115-52 before taking down Holmes, 52-8, on Sept. 8. The Eagles lost to Conner, won at Boone County and dropped their last four to Cooper, Dixie Heights, Highlands and Lloyd.

SECOND DOWN – OFFENSE

It’s not as if Scott hasn’t seen football success lately – the Eagles were 8-5 and reached the third round of the Class 4A playoffs in 2021 and 2019. (Scott finished 1-5 in the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign.)

The last two seasons? Not so much – Scott was 4-7 in 2022 – and the Eagles’ 190 points were third-fewest in Northern Kentucky last season behind Holmes’ 30 and Walton-Verona’s 175.

Enter Franklin, who drives the 112-mile round trip from Carrollton. As he watched last year’s game video, the lack of discipline and structure stood out like three dips of raspberry chocolate chip ice cream on a new white shirt.

“I believe there (was) a lack of consistency,” junior quarterback Trey Cook said. “I feel like we didn’t work as hard as we could’ve in practice, and during the game it showed.”

Franklin said his discipline includes respecting teachers, women and girls, cutting out profanity and picking up trash in the locker room. He said sometimes that’s painful, and some quit the team rather than being confronted.

“When a young person has never experienced discipline, it kind of comes off as rejection and as criticism, and they don’t perceive it as constructive criticism,” Franklin said. “The last thing you want to do as a coach is spend all your time correcting.”

Like any coach, Franklin wants a balanced attack – and hopefully improve upon last year’s 949 rushing yards.

“We want to be able to move the ball on the ground and control the clock,” Franklin said. “Scott gave up (47.1) points a game last fall; a lot of it was they went three-and-out and they stopped the clock series after series after series.”

Senior Kaymon Coleman, who ran for 487 yards and six scores, and Jordan Hardy return.

“I follow my blocks a lot,” Coleman said. “I’m very small (5-9, 173 pounds), so I can fit through holes. What I need to work on is breaking more tackles, getting in the weight room more, lifting more, getting stronger.”

Cook threw for 1,163 yards and 11 touchdowns, but tossed 14 interceptions. Junior Aaron Hampton, senior Cameron Vice and sophomore Justin Hardy (Jordan’s brother) are the projected targets.

“Trey Cook is super-smart,” Franklin said. “He soaks up play calls, he soaks up read progressions.

Offensive linemen include senior center Nate Marshall (6-1, 275), junior Benjamin Smiddy (5-10, 215) and senior Mason Krentz (6-1, 240) at guards plus Ennis (6-2, 240) and senior Aaron Brazzell (6-1, 200) at tackles.

THIRD DOWN – DEFENSE

The 471 points Scott allowed last year were the second-most in Class 5A, behind Louisville Iroquois’ 480.

Look for the Eagles to run a 4-3-4 defense. Franklin said in last year’s 3-4-4 alignment, runners too often beat Scott around the ends, and safeties would make tackles after 15-yard gains.

“We’re going to try and squeeze the ball inside, and so we’ve been working real hard on our edge defense to turn the ball inside and not give the edge,” Franklin said. “That right there alone will correct a lot.”

Ennis and Krentz are expected to start at tackle, with Junior Jayden Dodd (6-2, 235) and senior Paul Kramer (6-2, 200) at the ends.

Franklin said it’s an “evolving” situation at linebacker. The current lineup: Justin Hardy and Vice on the outside and Smiddy in the middle.

Sophomore Derrion Newton (6-0, 190) and Jordan Hardy are the cornerbacks, and Hampton and Coleman are the safeties.

FOURTH DOWN – GOALS/OUTLOOK

Scott hosts Campbell County to open the season Aug. 23. After journeying to North Bullitt the following Friday, the Eagles host NewCath and Holmes; home games with Boone County (Oct. 4) and Dixie Heights (Oct. 18) follow.

Road games include Conner (Sept. 27), Cooper (Oct. 11), Highlands (Oct. 25) and Lloyd (Nov. 1).

Ask Franklin to define a successful season, and he’ll talk about new attitudes more than playoff runs – and accountability.

“It’s moving in that direction,” Franklin said. “Right now, we’re still battling, we’re still breaking old habits … That sometimes takes a year, two years, three years to do that. I think we’re gonna turn some heads this fall.”

Cook concurred.

“Any improvement,” he said, “I feel like would be a win for us.”

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