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
The losing streak that cast a shadow over the Boone County football program for nearly three seasons ended in dramatic fashion Friday when the Rebels defeated Campbell County, 20-14, in double overtime.
It was Boone County’s first win since the second game of the 2014 season, breaking a string of 28 consecutive losses over three years.
Peyton Shoemaker
Brandon Morgan
“It’s nice to get that monkey off your back,” head coach Marty Steele said. “When you go that long without winning, it’s really hard to get over the hump, and it becomes harder and harder each week. You know, we’re not as terrible as our record would indicate. We played a really tough schedule and in a lot of games we were right with them.”
The Rebels lost their first eight games this season. Steele said the score was close at halftime in five of those games and then “the wheels would fall off.” His team would falter in one way or another and not be able to recover.
That didn’t happen last Friday. In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Boone County senior running back Brandon Morgan scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the score, 14-14, and send the game into overtime.
In the tiebreaker procedure for high school football, each team gets four downs to score from the 10-yard line. Boone County wasn’t able to do that on its possession, but senior defensive end Peyton Shoemaker extended the game by blocking a field goal attempt by Campbell County.
In the second overtime exchange, Campbell County got the ball first and wasn’t able to reach the end zone. On the first play of Boone County’s possession, the Rebels ran a sweep and senior running back KaDon Harvin scored the game-winning touchdown.
“Our kids cleared the bench, everybody jumping on (Harvin). It was kind of a neat moment,” Steele said of the team’s reaction to the long-awaited victory.
Boone County took second place in their Class 6A district with the win and gets to host a first-round playoff game against Lexington Tates Creek on Nov. 4. The last time the Rebels won a playoff game was the 2011 season, but Steele likes his team’s chances against the 5-4 Commodores.
“It’s not like Oklahoma (Sooners college team) will be rolling in here, it’ll be a team that we’ll be able to compete with,” he said.
The final game on Boone County’s regular season schedule will be this Friday at Highlands (2-7). A win on the road would boost the Rebels’ confidence even more and help the coach’s efforts to bring back the glory days of the program.
“This group of seniors hasn’t experienced winning,” Steele said. “In the old days of Boone County football, our kids went out with the expectation to win and a lot of times won the game before it even started because they just knew they were going to win.”
Friday football schedule
Beechwood at Newport Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Holy Cross at Bellevue, 7 p.m.
Boone County at Highlands, 7 p.m.
Harrison County at Lloyd, 7 p.m.
Scott at Simon Kenton, 7 p.m.
Holmes at Newport, 7 p.m.
Scott County at Covington Catholic, 7 p.m.
Dixie Heights at Ryle, 7:30 p.m.
Pendleton County at Brossart, 7:30 p.m.
Carroll County at Dayton, 7:30 p.m.
Campbell County at Lexington Henry Clay, 7:30 p.m.
Conner at Mason County, 7:30 p.m.
