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Best Bets: NKY/Indiana – Week 8

Like on the Ohio side, Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana lack many must-see games this week.

The one that jumped off the page before the season started was Highlands at Covington Catholic, but those teams have underachieved to this point.

Here are this week’s Best Bets for Week 8 in Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana:

Newport (1-6) at Holy Cross (3-4), Thursday, 7 p.m. – Both teams opened district play with a loss and are looking to get back into the race for home-field advantage. Newport’s struggles on offense continue, as the Wildcats have reached double figures in points once, and that was vs. Beechwood after the game was out of hand. Tyree Bolden is having a solid season running the ball, with 489 ground yards and four touchdowns on 88 carries. Newport runs the ball almost exclusively. Holy Cross lost by just seven to NewCath last week. QB Hamilton Scott and RB Xavier Abernathy are both over the 500-yard mark rushing, and Jaylin Williams has 257 receiving yards and five TDs. How much difference does a year make? Newport beat the Indians, 51-6 last year. Now Holy Cross is the decided favorite.

Bellevue (2-5) at Dayton (1-6), 7 p.m. – After a 2-0 start, Bellevue’s season has gone downhill. The Tigers have lost five in a row and have been shut out four straight weeks. Chase Cameron is the team’s leading rusher with 470 ground yards and six TDs. Dayton’s only win is against Pendleton County, and it has dropped its last four since. QB Dylan Adams has thrown for 702 yards but needs to keep his interceptions down. Ludlow has moved ahead of these teams in the Class A pecking order, so this game will likely be for third place in the district. These teams actually played earlier this season, and Bellevue won 42-0, but the Greendevils will likely put up a much better fight this time.

Conner (6-1) at Ryle (6-1), 7:30 p.m. – Conner was obliterated by Simon Kenton, 54-0 in Week 2 but has won five straight since. QB Kyler Padgett has thrown for 959 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he has rushed for 436 yards and seven scores. Ryle won six games in a row before dropping a 27-21 decision at Cooper last week. Raiders QB Tanner Morgan has thrown for 1,495 yards, and six Ryle receivers have at least 150 receiving yards. Ryle won, 50-22 when these teams met in 2014.

Lloyd (5-2) at Newport Central Catholic (3-4), 7 p.m. – This is likely the Class 2A district championship game. Justin Durham has rushed for 519 yards and seven touchdowns to pace the Juggernauts, who are allowing 20.7 points per game. NewCath is used to slow starts, and the Thoroughbreds went 1-3 before wins over Harrison County and Holy Cross, sandwiched by a loss to Conner. Jacob Smith has been the star on offense for NewCath, having rushed for 687 yards and eight touchdowns.

Mason County (0-7) at Holmes (2-5), 7 p.m. – Mason County is having an off year, but QB Luke Morgan has thrown for 516 yards and will test the Holmes defense. The Royals are still looking for their first win, with their closest game being a one-point loss to Rowan County on Sept. 4. The Bulldogs have wins over Bellevue and Walton-Verona, and despite their record, they have held opponents to 20.6 points per game. Andrew Arnold ran for 175 yards and four TDs vs. Bellevue three weeks ago.

Highlands (2-5) at Covington Catholic (2-5), Saturday, 1 p.m. – It was supposed to be the matchup of the year, but neither team has lived up to expectations. Highlands did pound Dixie Heights, 41-7 last week for its second win. Nick Kendall has rushed for 546 yards to lead the Bluebirds, and QB Austin Hergott seems to be improving, having thrown for 807 yards and completing over half of his passes. CovCath is 2-2 vs. Kentucky opponents, with its in-state losses to Ryle and LexCath coming by a total of eight points. Like Hergott, Colonels QB A.J. Mayer is getting better, going 81-for-177 for 957 yards and six scores.

Highlands quarterback Austin Hergott (Cathy Lachmann/TSF).

Highlands quarterback Austin Hergott (Cathy Lachmann/TSF).

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