The NKyTribune will be providing focused coverage of NKY high school football throughout the season, thanks to support from St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sports Medicine. See all of our pre-season features on each of NKY’s 21 high school football teams and follow our coverage, including roundups each week at Northern Kentucky High School Football.
By Terry Boehmker
NKy Tribune sports reporter
Subtract 11 seniors from a football roster with 32 players and it usually means there’s a rebuilding season ahead. When the departed players include your starting quarterback, top three rushers, top three scorers and leading pass receiver, it’s more likely that a major overhaul is in store.
Senior quarterback Chase Keller is averaging 259 yards per game in passing and rushing combined for Brossart. (Photo by Terry Boehmker)
But that’s not the way it worked out for the Bishop Brossart football team. The Mustangs are off to a 3-1 start despite the changes head coach Paul Wiggins and his staff had to make in the lineup.
“We did graduate 11 seniors and for a small school that can be a big deal,” Wiggins said. “But we had enough (starters) returning and guys good enough to fill the skill positions to make it work.”
The most important skill position that needed to be filled was quarterback. Chase Keller got the job, even though he had never taken a snap in a varsity game before, and the senior played remarkably well in the team’s first four games.
Keller has completed 48 of 93 passes for 715 yards and nine touchdowns with three interceptions. He’s also the team’s leading rusher with 323 yards on 46 carries. If you combine his passing and rushing totals, he’s averaging 259 yards per game for the Mustangs.
“I think it’s more because I’ve just got a great group of guys surrounding me,” Keller said of his impressive offensive statistics. “They’re making me look like an all-star, so I give it all to them. My offensive line has been great and I’ve got awesome receivers.”
Keller played football in Brossart’s junior high program, but he took a break from the sport during his freshman and sophomore years so he could focus on baseball. He’s a talented shortstop who’s reportedly drawing attention from college recruiters.
He returned to football last year and played slotback on the Brossart team that finished 9-2 to set a record for most wins in a season. He was also the backup quarterback last year. He never took a snap in a game, but he learned what he needed to take charge of the offense this year.
“I didn’t know what to expect going into this season,” he said. “I feel comfortable now so I just want to keep doing as well as I’ve been doing and keep getting the ball to my receivers.”
The first four teams that Brossart played this season have a combined record of 5-13. Keller and the Mustangs will face their biggest test Friday in a Class 1A district game against Nicholas County (5-0).
The unbeaten Bluejackets outscored their first five opponents by a combined total of 152-30 behind a power running offense that’s averaging 260 rushing yards per game. They have a net total of only 70 passing yards.
“It’s smash-mouth football and they do it very well,” Wiggins said of Nicholas County’s offensive style of play. “The important thing with them is not letting them go on 12-play drives against you. We’ve got to contain the run a little bit, get some three-and-outs and make them play defense against us.”
If the Brossart defense does its job, Wiggins expects the offense to put points on the board with Keller leading the way. In the first four games, he distributed the ball well by passing to 10 different receivers. His favorite target has been junior Bryce Donnelly, a speedy wide receiver who has eight catches for 214 yards and five TDs.
“He’s better at (throwing) the long balls than we’ve had in a while,” Wiggins said of his first-year quarterback. “Plus, he’s quick and he’s fast. He does a pretty good job if there’s nothing there (passing) he just takes off with the ball. That’s been a real challenge (to defend) for the teams that we’ve played so far.”
High school football schedule
FRIDAY
District games
Class A — Brossart at Nicholas County, 7:30 p.m.
Class 2A — Walton-Verona at Carroll County, 7:30 p.m.
Class 4A — Holmes vs. Harrison County at Lloyd, 7:30 p.m.
Class 4A — Mason County at Scott, 7:30 p.m.
Other games
Beechwood vs. Holy Cross at CovCath, 7 p.m.
Simon Kenton at Highlands, 7 p.m.
Dixie Heights at Boone County, 7 p.m.
Campbell County at Western Brown (Ohio), 7 p.m.
Owen County at Newport, 7 p.m.
Bracken County at Dayton, 7:30 p.m.
Cooper at Lexington Catholic, 7:30 p.m.
Bardstown Bethlehem at Bellevue, 7:30 p.m.
Covington Catholic at St. Francis DeSales (Ohio), 7:30 p.m.
Lloyd at Garrard County, 7:30 p.m.
Ludlow at Williamsburg, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Conner at Newport Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
