LINK nky Top 10: We’ve reached the final week of the regular season

District play is over, the weather is turning and November playoff football is right at our doorstep.

With just one week left in the regular season, all playoff matchups in northern Kentucky have been defined, regular season district championships have been claimed, so have home playoff games and postseason positioning.

Good news for high school football fans in Union…there’s a real possibility you’re not going to have to travel far for postseason football. Cooper (No. 1 in 5A) and Ryle (No. 2 in 6A) have both positioned themselves nicely in the RPI ratings and are looking at homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

Beechwood’s path will have a chance to not leave Fort Mitchell, the Tigers are currently No. 3 in RPI in 2A, meaning they’d host all the way through the region championship round, but there’s a possibility of a long bus ride to Mayfield once again in the state semifinals.

Those three have the best chance to host a lot of playoff games. Others like Covington Catholic, Ludlow and Newport Central Catholic are looking at two home playoff games, but the path from there is most likely on the road, something the Thoroughbreds are used to over the past few years.

Bishop Brossart, Newport, Lloyd Memorial and Highlands are all hosting a playoff game, but it will be postseason on the road from there with the exception of Highlands. The Bluebirds have a chance to host in the region championship round if they can win at most presumably Woodford County. They’d also avoid Cooper in that round, meaning there’s an outside shot of a Cooper-Highlands Class 5A state championship game if both can win their first four playoff games.

Bellevue, Holy Cross, Dayton, Walton-Verona, Dixie Heights, Conner, Campbell County and Simon Kenton will have to be road dogs throughout the postseason.

Scott, Boone County and Holmes missed out on the postseason this year.

Keep in mind, after the first two rounds, the brackets reset and matchups will be based off RPI. Districts 1-4 are on one side of the bracket, 5-8 on the other side of the bracket. The top two teams RPI-wise will host in the third round from those respective districts, the bottom two will have to travel to the top two teams.

Come semifinals, the bracket resets again statewide for each class. The top two teams left RPI-wise will then host the bottom two for the right to Kroger Field.

Playoffs will start Nov. 8 (maybe Nov. 7 for some teams) with the district championship round Nov. 15, region championship round Nov. 22, state semifinals Nov. 29 and state championship weekend is Dec. 6-7 with three state championship games played on Dec. 6, three on Dec. 7 at Kroger Field in Lexington.

Got it? Good.

Here’s the second to last edition of LINK nky’s Top 10 to go with offensive, defensive and kicking standouts.

1. Cooper (10-0, defeated Dixie Heights 63-21) Previous ranking 1: The Jaguars became the first team in program history to cap off an undefeated regular season with a win at Dixie Heights Friday. The milestones keep coming too as Cam O’Hara cleared the century mark for touchdown passes and now sits at 102 with still a year to play in his high school career. Now they get a week of rest before what they hope can be a return trip to Kroger Field. Happy to hear Austin Alexander is on the mend after what turned out to be a scary infection in his arm. He should be back and ready for postseason play after missing the last two games.

2. Ryle (7-2, defeated Simon Kenton 37-0) Previous Ranking 2: Putting a running clock by halftime on all three of their district opponents is pretty impressive. It’s not like the district is a slouch either with Great Crossing in and out of the top 10 6A rankings this season and Simon Kenton’s ability to put up points in a hurry. Now they close out with a home game at Dixie Heights. The Raiders will most likely get to enjoy their home turf throughout the postseason.

3. Highlands (8-2, defeated Scott 63-13) Previous Ranking 3: Thanks to Collins’ upset of South Oldham, what would have been one of the best first round matchups of the postseason between the Bluebirds and Scott County is no longer happening. Highlands will host Collins in week one of the playoffs and then they’ll most likely have to play at Woodford County in the second round. With the strength of the Bluebirds RPI, there is a possibility they could host in the region championship if they win their first two games. They have the third highest RPI in Districts 5-8 in 5A, behind Cooper and Woodford County.

4. Covington Catholic (7-2, defeated Mason County 49-0) Previous Ranking 4: What had some buildup in a matchup with Mason County was quickly squashed by the Colonels on Friday night. They allowed just six points in district play and after a road contest at Campbell County, CovCath is in line to host the first two playoff games and then potentially a matchup with Boyle County in the region championship round, a rematch from last year’s state championship game.

5. Beechwood (9-1, defeated Bracken County 38-7) Previous ranking 5: The Tigers received a little bit of a challenge from Bracken County. They fell down 7-0, the first touchdown they’ve allowed in district play in 11 contests. Tied at 7-7, the Tigers intercepted a pass in the red zone and scored 31 unanswered from there. Now they get a week off and start preparing for what they hope is a lengthy postseason run. Congrats to quarterback Clay Hayden, who is now northern Kentucky’s passing touchdowns leader with 106 for his career.

6. Conner (7-3, defeated Boone County 32-0) Previous Ranking 6: The Cougars closed out an impressive regular season with a shutout of Boone County. Their three losses have come to Cooper, Ryle and Highlands, the top three teams in NKY. Now they get a chance to really go prove themselves with a road playoff game at Scott County on Nov. 8.

7. Simon Kenton (4-5, lost to Ryle 37-0) Previous Ranking 7: Not much went right for the Pioneers in their loss to Ryle. Five first half turnovers is simply too much for anyone to overcome. They’ll look to right the ship this week against a solid Ashland team before they hit the road for the postseason.

8. Lloyd Memorial (7-2, defeated Bourbon County 42-12) Previous Ranking 8: The Juggernauts clinched a home playoff game with a win at Bourbon County. Enjoy it, because the miles will really rack up after that. If they beat Bath County in the opening round, they’ll be heading southeast the rest of the way. Most likely at Russell in the second round and if they win that, most likely at Bell County.

9. Dixie Heights (3-6, lost to Cooper 63-21) Previous Ranking 9: Dixie’s six losses are to six of the top seven teams on this list. They’ve got Ryle up next, who is No. 2 on this list. After that, they get a chance to go upset Woodford County again in the first round of the postseason.

10. Newport Central Catholic (6-3, defeated Bellevue 54-6) Previous Ranking NR: Here’s where the RPI is flawed. The Thoroughbreds are behind Newport in the 1A RPI ratings, a team they beat 35-7, 18 days ago. So say if NewCath and Newport win their first two playoff games, there’s a chance Newport could host Newport Central Catholic in the region championship round. Make that make sense.

Next up: Campbell County, Newport, Ludlow

Big School Top 5 (4A-6A)

1. Cooper

2. Ryle

3. Highlands

4. Covington Catholic

5. Conner

Small School Top 5 (1A-3A)

1. Beechwood

2. Lloyd Memorial

3. Newport Central Catholic

4. Newport

5. Ludlow

200-Yard Passing Club

Cam O’Hara, Cooper — 16/28, 282 yds, 5 TD

Kaleb Evans, Lloyd Memorial — 18/22, 229 yds, 4 TD

Miller Reed, Ludlow — 7/13, 201 yds, TD

100-Yard Rushing Club

Keagan Maher, Cooper — 22 rushes, 235 yds, 3 TD

Armani Gregg, Dixie Heights — 28 rushes, 135 yds, 2 TD

Dameyn Anness, Ludlow — 14 rushes, 132 yds, TD

Chase Flaherty, Beechwood — 20 rushes, 131 yds, 2 TD

Kaleb Cole, Newport Central Catholic — 6 rushes, 118 yds, 2 TD

100-Yard Receiving Club

Dameyn Anness, Ludlow — 4 receptions, 157 yds

James Cusick, Beechwood — 9 receptions, 120 yds, 2 TD

Isaiah Johnson, Cooper — 6 receptions, 107 yds, 3 TD

Defensive Standouts

Jacob Johnathan, Boone County — 18 tackles, interception

Jaxon Fann, Lloyd Memorial — 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, .5 sack

Tyler Morehead, Dixie Heights — 12 tackles, tackle for loss

Ryker Campbell, Cooper — 12 tackles

Travis Hodges, Boone County — 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss

Marveen Moise, Boone County — 11 tackles

Lamiego Mutongwiza, Dixie Heights — 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack

Alex Vogelpohl, Cooper — 10 tackles

Dustin Wilson, Holy Cross — 10 tackles

Mattox Kelly, Beechwood — 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, .5 sack

Jack Meier, Beechwood — 9 tackles

Tucker Ober, Simon Kenton — 9 tackles

Jacob Savage, Ryle — 8 tackles, .5 tackle for loss, interception

James Cusick, Beechwood — 8 tackles, interception

Dillon Smith, Ryle — 8 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, .5 sack

Littello Johnson, Holy Cross — 8 tackles, tackle for loss, sack

Avery Conrad, Lloyd Memorial — 8 tackles, tackle for loss, .5 sack

Brody Waddell, Beechwood — 8 tackles, tackle for loss

Cooper Burch, Walton-Verona — 8 tackles, tackle for loss

Gavin Potter, Boone County — 8 tackles, tackle for loss

Matt Brock, Ludlow — 8 tackles

Shawn Turney, Boone County — 8 tackles

Lincoln Tomlinson, Lloyd Memorial — 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks

Dameyn Anness, Ludlow — 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack

Aven Bohms, Simon Kenton — 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack

Thomas Burke, Holmes — 7 tackles, sack

Stephen Specht, Bellevue — 7 tackles

Dax Bolen, Cooper — 7 tackles

Alexander Yutze, Walton-Verona — 7 tackles

Phoenix Peck, Boone County — 7 tackles

Trevin Figgs, Holy Cross — 6 tackles, fumble forced

Jaylan Hartness, Newport — 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack

Beckett Meersman, Bishop Brossart — 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss

Aiden Dowds, Campbell County — 6 tackles, tackle for loss

Ezaiah Tillman, Holmes — 6 tackles, tackle for loss

Aiden Smith-Baxley — 6 tackles, tackle for loss

Landen Meyer, Ludlow — 6 tackles, .5 sack

Carson Evans, Ludlow — 6 tackles, .5 sack

Kai Workman, Ryle — 6 tackles, .5 tackle for loss

Jordan Pendleton, Bellevue — 6 tackles

Brayden Brzygot, Dixie Heights — 6 tackles

Landon Brown, Simon Kenton — 6 tackles

CJ Holt, Walton-Verona — 6 tackles

Roman Combs, Cooper — 5 tackles, interception

Austin Perriman, Cooper — 5 tackles, interception

Andrew Russell, Holy Cross — 5 tackles, tackle for loss, fumble recovery

Braylon Thornberry, Holy Cross — 5 tackles, fumble recovery

Elijah Depperschmidt, Campbell County — 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss

Jason Greene, Lloyd Memorial — 5 tackles, tackle for loss, 1.5 sacks

Bo Gay, Ryle — 5 tackles, .5 tackle for loss, .5 sack

Adonaje Lowe, Newport — 4 tackles, tackle for loss, fumble recovery

KyRon Carter, Lloyd Memorial — 4 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks

Keegan Farrell, Newport — 4 tackles, tackle for loss, 2 sacks

Gabe Payne, Ludlow — 4 tackles, tackle for loss, sack

Arion Stuckey, Bellevue — 4 tackles, sack

Yurii Collins, Lloyd Memorial — 3 tackles, interception

Derrick Fortner, Bellevue — 3 tackles, sack, fumble recovery

Beau Faul, Ryle — 3 tackles, fumble recovery

Trevor Schomaker, Holmes — 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss

Rodzion Thompson, Newport — 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack

Ryan Miller, Lloyd Memorial — 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, .5 sack

Logan Sanning, Covington Catholic — 2 tackles, 2 interceptions

Jordan Fabre, Holy Cross — 2 tackles, interception

Michael Oldfield, Walton-Verona — 2 tackles, interception

Nicholas Krallman, Covington Catholic — 2 tackles, sack, fumble recovery

Kyle Lee, Newport — tackle for loss, interception return for TD

Kayveion Sharp, Newport — tackle for loss, interception

Aiden Howard, Highlands — tackle for loss, fumble recovery

Maxwell Newman, Highlands — sack, fumble recovery

Isaac Niemann, Highlands — sack, two fumbles forced

Brady Boruske, Bishop Brossart — Interception

Nicholas Cozzi, Bishop Brossart — Interception

Zach Brooks, Covington Catholic — Interception

Phoenix Dunford, Dayton — Interception

Nishawn Golsby, Dixie Heights — Interception

Jaylen Stone, Ludlow — Interception

DaShawn Anderson, Newport — Interception

Chris Meyer, Newport Central Catholic — Interception

Parker Hurtt, Newport Central Catholic — Interception

Dominic Enzweiler, Newport Central Catholic — Interception

Evan Kincaid, Ryle — Interception

Tysin Weaver, Simon Kenton — Interception

Cameron Mandel, Bishop Brossart — fumble recovery for TD, safety

Shane Willike, Bishop Brossart — fumble recovery for TD

Nate Geiman, Bishop Brossart — fumble recovery

Kole Parrett, Campbell County — fumble recovery

Kaleb Cole, Newport Central Catholic — fumble recovery

LJ Warner, Ryle — fumble recovery

Kicking Standouts

Max Runge, Bishop Brossart — 9/9 PAT

Eyler Tibbs, Cooper — 9/9 PAT

Logan Nickelman, Highlands — 8/8 PAT

Ryan Urti, Covington Catholic — 6/6 PAT

Ryan Miller, Lloyd Memorial — 6/6 PAT, 0/1 FG

Louie Collopy, Newport Central Catholic — 6/7 PAT

Colson Lair, Beechwood — 5/5 PAT, 1/1 FG

Gavin Moses, Ryle — 5/5 PAT, 0/1 FG

Luke Tucker, Dixie Heights — 3/3 PAT

Missing stats from: Conner, Scott