The calendar hit October and that led to some key district matchups starting to pop up on the schedule, headlined by a battle Fort Thomas that will be one of the ages.
NO. 5 HIGHLANDS 31, NO. 12 COVINGTON CATHOLIC 28
The Northern Kentucky showdown everyone had circled all season more than lived up to the hype. In a thriller that went down to the final seconds, Rio Litmer connected with Tayden Lorenzen for an 18-yard touchdown strike with just three ticks left to lift Highlands to a 31-28 victory, seizing control of Class 4A, District 5.
Bluebirds are back in the lead with a crucial TD
31-28 0:03 Q4@fthhsathletics @HighlandsFB @TGIFfootball @tsfootball @CovCathFootball @CovCathColonels pic.twitter.com/AkojcfEOUR
— Gracie Copfer (@grace_copfer) October 4, 2025
Highlands struck first, jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the opening quarter capped by Lorenzen’s 6-yard rushing score. Covington Catholic answered quickly behind Dylan Gaiser’s 27-yard touchdown run, but the Bluebirds pushed the margin back to double digits on Lorenzen’s 2-yard plunge. The Colonels struck back before the half as Cash Harney found Logan Sanning on a 5-yard TD pass, trimming the deficit to 17-14 at the break.
Lorenzen powered in from six yards out for his third rushing touchdown late in the third quarter, but Harney again responded through the air. With less than a minute to play, Harney gave CovCath its first lead, scrambling in from eight yards out to make it 28-24 with just 41 seconds remaining.
Arch rivals going down to the wire.
Highlands marches 75 yards in 35 seconds to score a game winner over Cov Cath. Bluebirds are 6-1.@WLWT | @HighlandsFB @fthhsathletics @HSphire @LitmerMario @taydenlorenzen2 pic.twitter.com/cnUUtDHqsT
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) October 4, 2025
That left Highlands needing one last drive—and they delivered. Litmer orchestrated a quick march downfield before finding Lorenzen in the corner of the end zone to complete the dramatic finish.
Lorenzen accounted for all four Highlands touchdowns, rushing for 79 yards on 21 carries, adding 25 yards passing and the game-winning 18-yard reception. Litmer was sharp as well, completing 14-of-19 passes for 175 yards and the decisive score.
The Bluebirds’ victory snaps their four-game losing streak in the rivalry and firmly establishes them as the team to beat in their district.
CONNER 53, BOONE COUNTY 14
Conner wasted no time setting the tone Friday night, racing out to a commanding lead and never looking back in a 53-14 rout of Boone County. The Cougars capitalized on early Rebel miscues, striking for three touchdowns in the opening eight minutes. Jasiah Lampkin opened the scoring with a 9-yard run before Boone County coughed up the ensuing kickoff. Grayson Montgomery punched in a 1-yard score, then found Aydin Depenbrock on a 27-yard strike to make it 21-0.
Conner kept rolling late in the half. Lampkin scored again on a short run, and Montgomery connected with Depenbrock for their second touchdown to build a 33-0 halftime cushion. The Cougars extended the margin on their very first offensive play of the second half when Josiah Hernandez broke loose for a 69-yard run. Moments later, Henry Krallman delivered a pick-six to make it 46-0.
Boone County finally broke through late in the third quarter as quarterback Michael Chiasson tossed a pair of touchdown passes, but it was far too late. Conner closed the scoring with a 10-yard run from backup QB Tristan Campbell.
The Cougars (2-5) snapped their skid after being outscored 218-97 through six games. Boone County (3-3) has now dropped two straight.
ST. HENRY 40, OWEN COUNTY 12
For the second straight week, the Crusaders wound up in the winning column as they knocked off Rebels in convincing fashion Thursday night in Erlanger.
Senior Caden Kunstek rushed for two scores for the second straight week and Ryne Ravenscraft and Brennan Lemmond connected for another to pace the St. Henry offensive surge.
With back-to-back victories the Crusaders have now in all likelihood locked their way into a playoff berth in the program’s first season of varsity football and the team is showing big signs of improvement. After starting the year 0-3 and being outscored 142-9 in those contests they have gone 2-1 in their last three games holding a 68-45 scoring advantage in that span.
Here are some other scores from Northern Kentucky teams in action:
No. 20 Cooper 42, Dixie Heights 13
No. 23 Beechwood 69, Walton-Verona 0
NewCath 28, Campbell County 21
Lloyd 22, Bourbon County 20 – POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Kyle Niederman, Lloyd
Shelby County 18, Holmes 8
Holy Cross 39, Frankfort 0
Ludlow 27, Trimble County 8
Iroquois 28, Dayton 22
Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
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