Lloyd, Ludlow and Newport rearranging lineups in ’25

Newport head football coach Paul Wiggins calls the 2025 season “a shuffle.”

Lloyd Memorial coach Kyle Niederman has to replace nine seniors, Wiggins lost six, and Ludlow’s Woody McMillen lost 11 seniors and a would-be senior this year.

Whether you call it a reload, rebuild or retool, the Wildcats, Juggernauts and Panthers are contemplating a challenge – equaling the 2024 teams that combined for a 26-10 record and reached the Class A regional final (Newport), Class A second round (Ludlow) and Class 3A second round (Lloyd).

Lloyd Memorial (9-3 in 2024)

The Juggernauts suffered an ugly ending a season ago – a 21-20 loss at Russell after taking a 20-0 lead.

“A couple of turnovers by us didn’t help,” Niederman told the Ashland Daily Independent. “Russell did a great job. I give them full credit. They made some plays in the second half and we didn’t.”

There’s good and bad news this year: senior quarterback Kaleb Evans is back, but four of the top five runners and receivers graduated.

Evans, standing at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, threw for 2,070 yards with 24 touchdowns and only three interceptions and completed 64.5% of his passes.

“He’s increased his size,” Niederman said. “He spent the entire offseason in the weight room, so his body just looks a lot different … He’s embraced the fact that he is the leader of our team and doing a great job there.”

Senior Alijah Griffin is the featured runner – his 126 yards and a touchdown tops the returnees.

Sophomore Lincon Tomlinson and junior Avery Conrad anchor the defense. Tomlinson’s 107 tackles and five sacks tied for the most with 2025 graduate Jaxon Fann, and Conrad added 76 tackles and half a sack.

The Juggernauts are the lone Northern Kentucky team in Class 3A, District 6. They travel south on U.S. 27 to face Pendleton County on Sept. 26, stay in Erlanger to meet Bourbon County on Oct. 3 and Henry County on Oct. 9 and head south on Interstate 71 and Kentucky 227 to meet Carroll County on Oct. 24.

Lloyd’s early schedule is tough, too – the Juggernauts host Newport Central Catholic (Aug. 22), go to Newport (Aug. 29), travel to Conner (Sept. 5) and host Cincinnati Aiken (Sept. 12).

Newport (9-3)

Quarterback Kyle Lee, leading rusher Rodzion Thompson and top receiver Adonaje Lowe graduated.

“I think it’s just just kind of patching up a quilt in a way,” Wiggins said. “I know that’s a bad reference, maybe, but basically, I don’t know if it’s a rebuild as much as it is a shuffle.”

Newport’s rearranging starts at quarterback; senior Kayveion Sharp, who caught 26 passes for 320 yards and four scores will be the new signal-caller. 

“He brings athleticism,” Wiggins said. 
That’s the given. “For example, he won our ‘Mr. Hit’ award last year for defense, so he’s not afraid of contact.”

Senior Kendall Buck-Barber might be Sharp’s favorite target – he had 27 catches for 400 yards and seven touchdowns.

Buck-Barber and senior Carvonta Roper will share time at running back, but they may be more effective on defense – they intercepted four and two passes, respectively. Junior Sean Hurry adds 74 tackles and nine sacks.

Ludlow (8-4)

McMillen has perhaps the toughest task – the top four rushers and receivers graduated or left the program. The biggest blow may have been 3,000-yard career back Dameyn Anness, a senior who transferred to Ryle.

“Obviously there are some people that (had) some experience that moved on there,” McMillen said. 
”But I’ve been really impressed with the balance of upperclassmen and some of our young talent, too.”

Sophomore quarterback Miller Reed returns – he threw for 880 yards with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 

McMillen calls senior Jackson Mays a “Swiss Army Knife.” He’s as versatile – 434 yards passing, 100 receiving, 77 rushing and 12 tackles.

Sophomore running back Nicholi Abbott returns from New York; his family lived in Ludlow a few years ago and returned this winter.

“He’ll play running back, and he could play a couple spots,” McMillen said. “I would hesitate to pigeonhole him in one spot on defense because he could play in the secondary; he can also put his hand in the dirt and make a gap, too, on defense because he was a wrestler at his old place where he came from.”

The Panthers will need lots of help on defense – 2024’s top nine tacklers either left the program or graduated. Junior Jacob Cook leads the returnees with 31 stops.

Three secondary starters – Mays, sophomore Andre Englemon Jr. and junior Jaylen Stone – are back. Stone had two interceptions and nine tackles, Englemon had 19 tackles and a pick, and Mays added 12 tackles.