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 Tom Ramstetter
NKyTribune contributor
Jordan Boschert won’t shy away from a ball carrier or a blocker on the football field, even though the other guy is going to be bigger in many cases. It’s just not the in the Campbell County senior free safety’s nature.
Jordan Boschert expects Campbell County’s defense to be better than last year when the Camels allowed 298 yards and 35 points per game. (Photo by Terry Boehmker)
“I know I’m really undersized to play free safety, but I just come and I’m ready to play,” Boschert said. “I don’t let that affect me. A lot of people say I play at a different height. I just try to act like that’s not a factor. I’ll hit whoever, I don’t care his size. I’m just there to play.”
Boschert stands 5-foot-7 and weighs around 150 pounds as of this week’s weigh-ins, but his aggressiveness and leadership have made him one of the key players on a defensive unit the Camels expect to be much improved after allowing 298 yards and 35 points per game last season.
“He’s the guy who gets our defense lined up and makes the calls and gets guys in the right spots,” Camels coach Steve Lickert said. “He’s kind of our defensive leader emotionally and the way he gets people lined up. He knows where guys are supposed to be and what they’re supposed to be doing. He gets guys lined up in the different coverages we’re running, gets them lined up correctly. If they’re not, he’s yelling to them to scoot out or scoot in. He’s just kind of the field commander of our defense.”
Boschert thrives in that role, saying he’s always been a strong vocal leader.
“I love it,” Boschert said. “I’ll get on people if I see they’re doing something wrong or slacking. I try to back my vocal leadership up with the way I play. I think I’ve got a lot of respect from my teammates in that sense. I try to hype them up and stay hyped on defense, get the defense going.”
He’ll be the leader on a senior-dominated defensive unit that should keep the Camels in games most of the season. That will be key as the Campbell County offense will be breaking in a new starting quarterback among mostly sophomore and junior players. The only senior on offense will be center Connor Richardson.
“We hope they don’t have to carry us too much, but we are a very senior-dominated defense,” Lickert said. “We’ve got a lot of senior guys over there that we’re counting on. We’re very fast and athletic. We’re a year stronger and a lot of these guys who were first- or second-year players now are juniors and seniors. We think they’re not only going to do a great job of keeping us in games, but winning football games for us.”
Boschert has not been the only senior leading the team. He says his entire class has been committed to turning things around after going 1-10 in 2015.
“The season we had last year really got to me,” Boschert said. “I just really don’t want to have a senior season like that.
“We had a way better turnout in the weight room this year. A lot more showed up. I think the seniors really care a lot more this year. Last year, we didn’t have kids getting on each other like we do this year. We’re really close this year. There is more of a brotherhood and last year was kind of like just a football team.”
Players and coaches are confident they’ll be better than 1-10 in 2016. Lickert and Boschert did not want to predict a win total, but they’re expecting a good season.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Lickert said. “We know we’re definitely better than a 1-10 team for sure. Our guys took offense to the fact that that was our record last year. They really came in and busted their tails. I’m not going to make any predictions on what our record is going to be, but we’re excited about our guys. We’re ready to go compete with somebody else and see what they have because we think we’ve got a really nice team.”
The leader on defense thinks the Camels have something to prove.
“We have zero expectations this year,” Boschert said. “Nobody is really expecting anything from us, so we want to prove to everybody that we’re a good 6A football team and we can play.”
CAMPBELL COUNTY CAMELS
2015 SEASON: 1-10 record, lost in first round of Class 6A playoffs.
DISTRICT: Class 6A, District 6 with Boone County and Simon Kenton.
HEAD COACH: Steve Lickert (63-70 in 12 seasons overall, 26-32 in five seasons at Campbell County).
2016 SCHEDULE
Aug. 19 – at East Central (Ind.), 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 – HIGHLANDS, 7 p.m.
Sept. 2 – at Newport Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 – COOPER, 7 p.m.
Sept. 16 – RYLE, 7 p.m.
Sept. 23 – at Western Brown (Ohio) 7 p.m.
Oct. 7 – CONNER, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 – SIMON KENTON, 7 p.m.
Oct. 21 – at Boone County, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 – at Lexington Henry Clay, 7:30 p.m.
Other NKyTribune prep football previews:
Conner
Dixie Heights
Walton-Verona
Holmes
Ryle
Bellevue
Brossart
Covington Catholic
Dayton
Lloyd
Cooper
Newport Central Catholic
Boone County
Beechwood
Highlands
Scott
I’m Optimistic too! Go Camels!