Things are starting to get serious. There’s some serious matchups this week in high school football and it will only get better from here on out.
There’s eight games with 10 northern Kentucky teams still in the running for a shot at a state title. When it’s all said and done after Friday night, I feel pretty strong NKY will have at least seven teams left standing and playing for a regional championship next week.
You can also find links to either watch or listen to each game below.
It’s district championship week! Let’s go!
Class 6A
No. 4 St. Xavier (7-4) at No. 5 Ryle (9-2), 7 p.m.
Watch/Listen: 859sportsradio.com
How about a top five in the state matchup in the second round? It’s also a rematch of Oct. 4, a 31-24 St. Xavier victory in Louisville. Of note, Ryle’s leading receiver Landon Lorms did not play that game due to an injury and Gavin Lyons is back in the secondary after missing the majority of the season due to injury.
The Raiders have this game on their home turf in what should be one of the best second round matchups in the state, regardless of class. In the first meeting, St. Xavier shot out to a 31-10 lead midway through the third quarter. The Raiders rallied to get within a touchdown, but were unable to get the ball back in the closing minutes of the game. It was a fairly evenly played game, Ryle collected 378 yards of offense, St. Xavier with 356. St. X won the turnover battle 2-0.
Class 5A
No. 4 Highlands (9-2) at No. 5 Woodford County (10-1), 7:30 p.m.
Listen: bluebirdsradio.com
Outlook: Another top five matchup in which the Bluebirds head to Versailles clicking on all cylinders. The defense pitched its fifth shutout of the season in a 45-0 victory over Collins in the first round while the offense has put up 254 points during their five-game winning streak. Woodford County’s lone loss on the season came to South Oldham. They disposed Dixie Heights 49-14 in the first round last week.
The Yellow Jackets are coached by former University of Kentucky standout and former NFL player Dennis Johnson. Their quarterback Justus Wertzler has thrown for 2,457 yards and 28 touchdowns, so the Bluebirds secondary will get put to the test.
No. 9 Scott County (6-5) at No. 1 Cooper (11-0), 7:30 p.m.
No livestream or radio broadcast available.
Outlook: A rematch of last year’s district championship playoff game where Cooper gained a bunch of confidence and have gone 14-1 since with the victory over the Cardinals included. Make no mistake, Scott County is not an easy team to prepare for with their Wing-T style offense and having one of their top playmakers back in Buddy Collins, who missed some time due to injury. The Jaguars offense is firing in all phases while the defense will hope to see marked improvement after giving up 28 points to a pesky South Oldham team in the first round.
Class 4A
No. 7 Johnson Central (8-3) at No. 6 Covington Catholic (9-2), 7:30 p.m.
Watch/Listen: Colonel Athletic Network
Outlook: A top 10 matchup in 4A features power run game vs power run game. This one feels that whoever wins in the trenches is going to win the game. Johnson Central rarely throws the football (23 attempts in 11 games), so if the Colonels can get a jump up early, they’d have to be feeling pretty good. Johnson Central’s rushing attack has totaled 4,758 yards, Covington Catholic’s at 2,896. Those numbers are a little skewed thanks to the Colonels dominance during their nine-game winning streak, earning running clocks in seven of those games, including the last six.
The Colonels pair of Cash Harney (1,035 yards) and Dylan Gaiser (1,196 yards) have cleared the 1,000-yard rushing mark while Harney can keep a defense honest with his passing ability, totaling 1,034 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air. Johnson Central’s rushing attack is spearheaded by Zack McCoart, compiling 2,221 rushing yards with 31 touchdowns. Three others have at least 469 rushing yards.
Class 3A
No. 9 Lloyd Memorial (9-2) at Russell (8-3), 7:30 p.m.
Watch/Listen: MyTownTV
Outlook: Can the Juggernauts head East and get the job done this year? Lloyd has the talent and skill players to make a deep run in the playoffs, similar to last year when they were considered what was a slight upset when they traveled to East Carter and lost on a muddy field. Since an 0-2 start, Russell is 8-1 to earn homefield in the first two rounds. They’re about a 3:1 ratio on run to pass, so Lloyd will have to win up front to advance. Russell spreads it around in the backfield, five guys with at least 37 carries this season. Speaking of spreading it around, that’s something Lloyd excels in. Quarterback Kaleb Evans has hit five different receivers with at least 15 receptions on his way to 1,801 yards passing and 22 touchdowns. While the passing attack has been on point, in the Juggernauts two losses this season, they’ve struggled to run the ball. In the season opening loss to Newport Central Catholic, they tallied 54 yards rushing on 13 attempts. In the loss to Lexington Catholic, they had 22 rushes for 19 yards.
A victory for Lloyd would give them a second district championship in the last three years.
Class 2A
No. 10 Breathitt County (6-5) at No. 2 Beechwood (10-1), 7:30 p.m.
Listen: Beechwood Sports Radio Network
Outlook: The Tigers haven’t had a true test since Sept. 20, outscoring teams 337-7 during a six-game winning streak. Not sure that changes Friday, but the Bobcats do present a challenging offense in which they average 33.9 points per game and have scored at least 18 points in every game this season. They feature a balanced offense in which they’ve thrown for 1,788 yards and rushed for 1,926 yards. Allowing 27.2 points per game doesn’t exactly bode well for the Bobcats, facing a Beechwood offense that puts up 46.4 points and 346.7 yards of offense per game, despite having a running clock initiated in five of their last six games.
Class 1A
No. 10 Bishop Brossart (9-2) vs No. 6 Newport Central Catholic (8-3), 7 p.m., (at Dixie Heights)
Listen: bmustangs.com
Outlook: The small Campbell County private schools will meet for the first time since 2014 on Friday. NewCath is looking for their sixth straight trip to the region championship round while Brossart is looking for their first trip since 2021. The Thoroughbreds have rolled since a 3-3 start in which they played up in class in five of their first six contests. They’ve outscored opponents 236-21 during their five-game winning streak, the proof in the pudding of a tougher non-district slate and having them prepared for November. The Mustangs are thriving in their first year under Adam Kozerski, posting nine wins. In the Mustangs two losses however, they’ve struggled defensively in allowing 90 points, they’ve only allowed 70 in the nine other games.
No. 7 Newport (8-2) at No. 11 Ludlow (8-3), 7 p.m.
Listen: Ludlow Sports Network
Outlook: A rematch from a Sept. 20 thriller in which Newport stopped a two-point conversion in the closing seconds of a 32-30 victory.
The Wildcats get after it defensively, especially up front where they’ve collected 88 tackles for loss and 26.5 sacks. Newport can move it through the air as Kyle Lee has thrown for 1,661 yards and 21 touchdowns. Where they’ve struggled is with the rushing attack, collecting just 881 yards through the ground. Ludlow is pretty much the opposite, relying on their rushing attack to the tune of 3,186 yards this season compared to 1,313 passing yards. Dameyn Anness keeps the train rolling with 1,420 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
In the first meeting, Ludlow rushed for 268 yards and outgained the Wildcats 357-199, but lost the turnover battle 4-2.
