With the 2025 season halfway in the books, the action in Northern Kentucky has been nothing short of compelling this season, including multiple top-25 contests in week 5.
NO. 8 HIGHLANDS 28, NO. 12 RYLE 24
In a battle for Northern Kentucky supremacy, the Ryle Raiders came up just short in a hostile environment at Highlands, as the Buccaneers fell to the Bluebirds by a score of 28-24.
Both team’s ferocious running attacks were on full display on Friday night, as both Highlands star athlete Tayden Lorenzen and Ryle’s star tailback Jacob Savage saw their numbers called all evening for both Ryle and Highlands.
Savage and Lorenzen combined for multiple touchdowns, but it was the Bluebirds defense who stood firm against Savage and Ryle’s offensive attack, as Highlands was also able to keep senior Buccaneers quarterback Nathan Verax in check for a large majority of the night, both on the ground and through the air.
All season, Highlands’ offensive calling card has been the rough and tough running game, and this contest was no different. The Bluebirds broke down Ryle’s defensive front, and churned their way near the goal line on multiple occasions, all of which were capped off by a Lorenzen rushing score, including one from 5-yards out and 3-yards out.
While their season has fallen on a rough stretch over the last few weeks, Ryle can look to rebound as they will host Tates Creek next Friday, while Highlands will look to stay undefeated as they travel to Harrison County.
Listen to Highlands Bob Sphire on High School Football Tonight:
NO. 13 COVINGTON CATHOLIC 42, NO. 24 BEECHWOOD 14
After a tough 0-2 start to their season, the Covington Catholic Colonels have firmly established themselves as one of Northern Kentucky’s elite programs this season, as they easily handled the Beechwood Tigers in a 42-14 victory on Friday night.
Colonels seniors Cash Harney and Dylan Gaiser were in full control of the game from an offensive standpoint, and the Colonels defense, led by fellow senior Logan Sanning, was able to shut down the high-flying Tigers offense all game, forcing Beechwood to turn in an uncharacteristically bad offensive performance.
Beechwood’s offense runs through standout senior wideout Tyler Fryman, but Sanning and company on the Colonels defense was effectively a “no-fly zone” all evening, holding the Tigers and Fryman to minimal gains through the air.
Since their 0-2 start to the season, which featured tough losses to Ryle and Cooper, Covington Catholic has been averaging over 40 points per game, while only giving up an average of well below 24 points per game defensively. Colonels head coach Eddie Eviston has his CovCath finding their stride at the right time.
Next week, the Colonels will head on the road to battle Central, while Beechwood will have a bounce-back opportunity as they host Owen County.
LLOYD MEMORIAL 49, CAMPBELL COUNTY 27
In the first even meeting between the Juggernauts and the Camels, Lloyd Memorial controlled the game from start-to-finish by imposing their own unique style of football as they cruised to a 49-27 victory on Friday night.
The star of the show for Lloyd was their impressive rushing game, as the Juggernauts had a whopping seven rushing touchdowns, including four in the first half alone.
Sophomore running back Lincoln Tomlinson led the way for Lloyd on the ground, as he ran all over the Campbell County defense en route to three rushing touchdowns.
Tomlinson was not the only Juggernauts tailback to tally a hat trick of scores rushing however, as junior Avery Conrad had touchdowns from 18, 15 and 5 yards out, all of which came in the first half alone.
Despite the scoreboard showing a lopsided victory for Lloyd, Campbell County found some offensive juice through the Anthrop brothers; senior quarterback Lucas Anthrop hit his brother, sophomore Logan, for a 89-yard touchdown throw in the first quarter.
Next week, Lloyd will look to continue their impressive season when they face off against Pendleton County, while Campbell County will host Newport Central Catholic.
Here are some other scores from Northern Kentucky teams in action:
Dupont Manual 59, No. 14 Cooper 24
Simon Kenton 35, Conner 14
Lloyd 49, Campbell County 24
Dixie Heights 46, Henry Clay 24
Bourbon County 55, Scott 22
Mason County 21, Boone County 13
Western Hills (KY) 35, Dayton 30
Ludlow 29, Gallatin County 26
Grant County 48, Pendleton County 27
Harrison County 28, Walton-Verona 7
Bellevue 31, Iroquois 0
Raceland 56, Newport Central Catholic 27
Nicholas County 30, Bishop Brossart 7
Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
