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NKY Best Bets: Week 12

The first cuts and have been made and the field is narrowing across the state of Kentucky and its six classes. After a week of some hefty blowouts there are many more intriguing matchups on tap for this Friday. We look at some of them in this week’s Northern Kentucky Best Bets.

No. 2 Conner (8-3) at No. 1 Covington Catholic (11-0)
Kentucky Class 5A – District 5

For the tenth time in 11 contests this season, Covington Catholic held their opponents to seven points or less as they breezed past Cooper last week, 41-6. The visiting Cougars come into this game off another impressive win over Highlands in the opening round. They have now reached eight wins in four of the last five seasons. The Colonels are a tall task though. CovCath showed no signs of struggle in the team’s meeting just three weeks ago as the game went to a running clock before the half with CovCath up 45-7. Caleb Jacob threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns and Daniel Felix averaged 10.1 yards every time he ran the ball. The Colonels’ D bottled up one of Northern Kentucky’s top playmakers, Jared Hicks, big time in that first matchup, holding the senior to just 170 yards passing and the entire Cougars’ rushing attack to a meager 49 yards on the ground. Expect a closer affair the second time around between these districts foes, but how much closer remains to be seen.

No. 3 Dixie Heights (5-6) at No. 1 Simon Kenton (7-4)
Kentucky Class 6A – District 6

Dixie Heights last beat Simon Kenton five years ago. Counting their 43-27 Week 7 victory the Pioneers have now won five straight contests versus their Kenton County rival, outscoring the Colonels 245-89 in that span. Dixie Heights appears to be turning the corner though. After losing 15 of 17 games, the team comes into this contest winners of three straight. The Pioneers are playing well of late too, winning four of their last five contests. The game features two talented underclassmen under center. Freshman Chase Crone has passed for 1,668 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and ranks as Simon Kenton’s second-leading rusher with 576 yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 attempts. On the other side of the ball, sophomore Logan Landers leads the charge. He has netted 1,231 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions through the air. The team that wins the turnover battle will likely come out on top. That edge goes to Simon Kenton, who are led by senior Tyler Parks. He set the school’s single-season record with his eighth interception last week in the win over Campbell County.

No. 2 Scott (7-4) at No. 1 Holmes (8-3)
Kentucky Class 4A – District 6

The Bulldogs earned the right to host this affair after claiming their first district title since 2009 in the 50-36 win over the Eagles in Week 9. That game saw Scott get out to an early lead, before Holmes built a 22-point lead. This contest will feature two of Northern Kentucky’s top running backs — Tayquan Calloway of Holmes and Scott’s Quincy Perrin. Calloway exploded for 203 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries in that contest. Perrin answered with 203 yards and three scores of his on 25 totes. This game is going to come down to defense though. Scott has held five of their 11 opponents to eight points or less. However, in their other six contests they have gone 2-4. The Bulldogs’ defense has played its best at home this year, ceding just eights points per contest across five games. The unit that delivers the best performance this Friday will likely be moving on.

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Here are the rest of the playoff games on tap for Northern Kentucky teams this week:

FRIDAY
(all games 7:30 PM kickoff unless otherwise noted)

Class 2A – District 6
3 Newport (8-3) at 1 Beechwood (6-5)

Class 2A – District 5
3 Owen County (3-8) at 1 Walton-Verona (7-4)

Class 1A – District 4
2 Ludlow (8-3) at 1 Newport Central Catholic (9-2) – 7:00 PM

Class 1A – District 5
2 Bishop Brossart (7-4) at 1 Nicholas County (8-3)

Be sure to follow @TSFootball for updates all week long & catch Blitz 5 Friday nights at 11PM on WLWT-TV Channel 5 for the best high school football playoff coverage in the city!

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