Week Three of the high school football season is upon us, and after two weeks in Ohio, the Blitz 5 Game of the Week crosses the river into northern Kentucky – Erlanger, to be precise – and Cecil Dees Field at Lloyd Memorial High School, as the undefeated Lloyd Memorial Juggernauts look to extend their outstanding start to the season as they host the winless Conner Cougars, who are seeking to get into the win column for the first time this season.
CONNER COUGARS (0-2) at LLOYD MEMORIAL JUGGERNAUTS (2-0)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m., September 4
At: Cecil Dees Field, Lloyd Memorial High School, Erlanger, Kentucky
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PLAYERS TO WATCH:
For Conner, it’s junior quarterback Ethan Estvanko, who rushed for two of the Cougars three touchdowns last week in their 36-21 loss to Ryle. Estvanko, in his first year under center for Conner, also threw a 27-yard touchdown pass in the Cougars 56-6 Week One loss to Madison Central. Estvanko is also the Cougars leading returning rusher from its 2025 squad, where he racked up 247 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Lloyd Memorial’s junior quarterback Colten Barger is the field general for the Juggernauts, and his performance so far in the 2026 season has set the tone. Barger has completed 63.6 percent of his passes so far this season for 143 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions, and has had 15 carries for 175 yards – an average of 11.7 yards per carry – and two touchdowns.
His teammates in the Juggernaut backfield, senior running back Avery Conrad and junior running back Lincoln Tomlinson, help comprise a three-headed rushing attack for Lloyd Memorial. Conrad has 134 yards on the ground already through two games, while Tomlinson has added 64 yards rushing and one touchdown, while also having 61 yards receiving.
Defensively, Tomlinson – who was First Team All-Northern Kentucky at linebacker last season – leads the Juggernaut defense with 16 total tackles, including one sack and three tackles for loss, on a defense that has allowed only three points so far this season.
TEAM TRENDS: Conner has now lost three in a row, dating back to the 2025 season, which ended with a 48-7 defeat to Scott County in the Kentucky Class 5A playoffs. During that three game losing streak, the Cougars have been outscored by a total of 148-34. Conner’s last victory in its series with Lloyd Memorial came seven years ago, in 2019, in a 24-12 victory.
Lloyd Memorial has picked up right where it left off last season, where it finished the 2025 regular season undefeated, captured the Kentucky Class 3A regional championship, and made an appearance in the Kentucky Class 3A final four. The Juggernauts have been a scoring juggernaut so far in 2026, outscoring their first two opponents this season – Newport Central Catholic and Newport – by a total of 64-3. Lloyd Memorial also knocked off Conner in the 2025 regular season, winning that battle in Hebron by a 40-27 score.
HEAD COACHES:
Conner: Chase Floyd (0-2 at Conner, first year; 0-2 overall, first year)
Lloyd Memorial: Kyle Niederman (57-25 at Lloyd Memorial, seven years; 57-25 overall, seven years)
PLAYOFF HISTORY:
Conner: Class 3A State Champion, 1983; Class 3A State Runner-up, 1980
Lloyd Memorial: Class 1A State Champion, 1965; Class 3A State Champion, 1976
CONNER’S KEYS TO VICTORY: The Cougars offensive line needs to open more holes for Estvanko and his backfield to take advantage of. All three Conner scores in its Week Two loss to Ryle came on the ground, indicating that the running game will be the Cougars strength this season. Another key will be maintaining the fight and fortitude which Conner showed in clawing its way back from a 22-point halftime deficit to make a game of it in the second half last week against Ryle. Such a never-give-up attitude will be needed all game on Friday night if the Cougars hope to pull off the upset over Lloyd Memorial.
LLOYD MEMORIAL’S KEYS TO VICTORY: Continue to run the football. Lloyd Memorial has racked up 473 yards on the ground over the first two games of the season, averaging 9.1 yards a carry, and it is facing a Conner squad that gave up 163 yards on the ground last week to Ryle and allowed Madison Central to run roughshod in the season opener. If the Juggernauts continue to ground and pound, they’ll be able to control time of possession while simultaneously wearing out an already-suspect Cougars defense that is giving up an average of 46 points per game this season.
Prediction: Lloyd Memorial 49, Conner 14
