The Northern Kentucky High School Boys Soccer Coaches Association have weighed in with their first poll of the season after the first week of the season.
Covington Catholic tops the poll with back-to-back champion Ryle behind them in second. This will be a bi-weekly poll that will run throughout the season, voted on by the coaches in Northern Kentucky and in the association.
The Colonels opened their week with 1-1-1 record, defeating Conner 1-0, tying South Oldham 1-1 and losing to Trinity 2-1. They defeated Campbell County on Monday night, 7-0, to improve to 2-1-1. Through the first three games, Jack Fleck scored two goals, Tyler Turnpaugh with one while Fleck and David Do added assists. Booker Gifford collected eight saves in net, Auggie Eilerman with four. They’ll face No. 2 Ryle on Sept. 10.
As for the Raiders, they opened the season with a 2-0 defeat over Dixie Heights and followed it up with a 5-0 loss at the hands of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Ryle and CovCath have combined for the last four 9th Region titles, the Raiders with three, the Colonels with one.
Highlands is the last team outside of those two to win a 9th Region championship, coming in 2019. The Bluebirds enter the poll ranked No. 3. They opened with a 1-0 victory over Beechwood on Saturday.
Rounding out the top 10 were Dixie Heights, Conner, Bishop Brossart, Campbell County, Newport Central Catholic, Simon Kenton and Cooper. Others receiving votes were Beechwood, St. Henry, Boone County and Holy Cross.
Some other notable results in the opening week were Newport Central Catholic defeating Simon Kenton 2-0, St. Henry over Boone County 2-1, Villa Madonna and Holy Cross playing to a 1-1 tie, Beechwood and Conner in a 0-0 deadlock, Cooper defeating St. Henry 2-0, Bishop Brossart defeating Dixie Heights 2-1, Campbell County knocking off NewCath 2-1, Boone County defeating NewCath 3-2 and St. Henry and Brossart playing to a 2-2 tie.
Top 10 matchups for the rest of this week include Dixie Heights at Newport Central Catholic on Tuesday, Cooper and Bishop Brossart meeting on Thursday and Simon Kenton hosting CovCath Thursday.