Breaking down the district football battles in NKY

Plenty of first goals for football teams starts with winning a district title.

The reality is outside of RPI for playoff positioning, the first five to six games of the prep football season don’t really matter until district play hits in late September, early October.

Winning a district title means you get to host at least two playoff football games, second place means you get at least one where third and fourth place in the district means you’ll be living life on the road in November.

With that said, let’s take a look at the districts in Northern Kentucky and how those races may play out.

Class 6A, 6th District

Teams: Campbell County, Great Crossing, Ryle, Simon Kenton

Outlook: Ryle is the reigning champ, the district with a lot less parity in 2024 than 2023. With what Ryle has coming back, it would be silly to have them anywhere but at the top. Great Crossing should provide a great challenge while Simon Kenton and Campbell County should still bring competitiveness.

Projected order of finish:

Class 5A, 5th District

Teams: Boone County, Conner, Cooper, Dixie Heights, Scott

Outlook: Cooper feels like they’re in a class with themselves. Can Conner or Dixie Heights challenge? With Highlands moving down to 4A, it opens up a playoff spot for either Boone County or Scott.

Projected order of finish:

Class 4A, 5th District

Teams: Covington Catholic, Harrison County, Highlands, Mason County

Outlook: No offense to Harrison or Mason County, but this is a two-horse race. Go ahead and circle Oct. 3 on the schedule when CovCath and Highlands meet. Holmes would be in this district, but they’ve opted out of district play for the next two seasons.

Projected order of finish:

Class 3A, 5th District

Teams: Bourbon County, Carroll County, Henry County, Lloyd Memorial, Pendleton County

Outlook: With Lexington Catholic’s departure in realignment to 4A, it opens the door for a new district champion in the Class 3A, 5th District. On the surface of things, I’m hard-pressed to find a challenger for Lloyd Memorial. Yes, the Juggernauts lost a lot from their skill positions, but they still return quarterback Kaleb Evans and leading tackler Lincoln Tomlinson. Lloyd won nine games last year, the rest of the district combined to win nine games. Bourbon County is my choice to challenge, who got Tyquan Rice to coach the team, coming over from Paris after leading the Greyhounds to 29 wins and three playoff wins over the last four seasons. Henry County won five games last season and drops from 4A to 3A, so maybe it’s them?

Projected order of finish:

Class 2A, 5th District

Teams: Beechwood, Bracken County, Gallatin County, Owen County, St. Henry District, Walton-Verona

Outlook: Expect Beechwood’s dominance to continue. The question is…how lopsided will it be? Last year they outscored district foes 271-7, Bracken County the lone team to get the goose egg off the scoreboard against them. In 2023, it was Tigers 273-3 against district opponents, Walton-Verona able to scrounge up a field goal. The Polar Bears probably pose any semblance of a threat with a lot of their core returning. The real questions here are who gets the two-seed and a home playoff game? I feel Walton-Verona will be much improved in Gary Pence’s second season and St. Henry’s first varsity season brings excitement and a twist. With a six-team district, two teams will be on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Projected order of finish:

Class 1A, 3rd District

Teams: Bellevue, Dayton, Newport, Newport Central Catholic

Outlook: NewCath has dominated this district. They’re 24-0 in district play (including playoffs) since re-joining Class 1A in 2019, outscoring district opponents 1,042-246 in those contests. I don’t see that changing much this year. Emmanuel Miles returns at quarterback and should progress much more in his second year as starter. Bell cow Kaleb Cole graduated, as did five of Miles’ top six targets at receiver and five of their top six tacklers, but until someone can challenge the Thoroughbreds in district play, it’s hard to put anyone else there. Their closest games in this span since 2019 were 16-point victories over Bellevue (2021 playoffs) and Newport in 2022 (42-26) and the Wildcats again in 2023 (22-6). The Wildcats are fresh off a region championship appearance, but will be put to the task with their top quarterback, running back and receiver options graduated. The Wildcats should be stout defensively with five of their top six tacklers expected back. Bellevue returns their entire roster outside of one senior graduated, but did lose playmaker Jordan Pendleton to Simon Kenton via transfer. Dayton wasn’t quite as young, but do return some promising young pieces to their core.

Projected order of finish:

Class 1A, 4th District

Teams: Bishop Brossart, Holy Cross (Covington), Ludlow, Trimble County

Outlook: This is the hardest district to predict. Ludlow is the defending champ, but lost 12 seniors and career 3,000-yard rusher Dameyn Anness to Ryle via transfer. The Mustangs have a lot to replace with their entire backfield graduated and five of their top seven tacklers gone, but do return their top two wide receivers. Holy Cross is the pick for me considering what they have returning with their top quarterback, running back, receivers and top four tacklers back. Trimble County went winless in 2024 and scored 40 points all season, outscored 491-40.

Projected order of finish: