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Friday football roundup: Quarterbacks put up big numbers leading Beechwood, Ryle to victories


By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

Beechwood senior quarterback Cameron Hergott rushing and passing for a net total of 200 yards in his team’s 27-7 win over Covington Catholic on Friday wasn’t a big surprise. Last season, he was named Kentucky’s Mr. Football for being a double-threat on offense for the Tigers.

It was the performance of Ryle sophomore quarterback Logan Verax that opened some eyes Friday. He provided a net total of 222 yards in his team’s 27-13 win at Highlands that ended a four-game losing streak against the Bluebirds.

Beechwood quarterback Cameron Hergott, right, races ahead of a CovCath defender on one of his breakaway runs. (Photo by Dale Dawn)

Beechwood (5-0) snapped its six-game losing streak against CovCath and became the first Northern Kentucky team to beat the Colonels since 2016.

Hergott rushed for 165 yards on 17 carries and scored twice. He also completed all five of his pass attempts for 35 yards.

Mitchell Berger and Avery Courtney scored Beechwood’s other two touchdowns. They each carried the ball six times and had a combined total of 49 yards.

Hergott surpassed that total on two big plays in the first half — a 62-yard breakaway run and 50-yard touchdown jaunt.

CovCath (2-3) finished with 213 total yards. The Colonels’ longest play from scrimmage was 22 yards, but they did put together a 67-yard touchdown drive that cut Beechwood’s lead to 13-7 late in the second quarter.

CovCath fans didn’t get much time to enjoy that moment because Beechwood senior Parker Mason returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards. His big play led to a touchdown run by Hergott that gave the Tigers a 20-7 halftime lead.

The Colonels’ offensive leader was senior running back Reid Hummel, who had 72 yards rushing and 32 yards receiving. Senior quarterback Adam Holtz completed 9 of 17 passes for 67 yards and scored the team’s only touchdown on a 5-yard run.

Ryle quarterback Logan Verax

Ryle (4-1) dominated the line of scrimmage on offense in its win over Highlands (3-2). With the big linemen they have up front, the Raiders were able to run 86 plays for 305 total yards while the Bluebirds had 48 plays for 240 yards.

Verax completed 24 of 33 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders. He also had 53 yards rushing before taking a knee on his team’s final four plays in the game reduced it to 36.

Ryle’s leading rusher was Nathan Yowan with 98 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown. The team’s other rushing touchdown was scored by Gabe Savage, who picked up 58 yards on 14 carries. Kaden Gardner and Jayce Harden caught TD passes from Verax.

Ryle took a 20-6 lead in the first half with scoring drives of 80, 80 and 70 yards. On their first possession of the second half, the Raiders went 66 yards in six plays to make it 27-6.

Early in the fourth quarter, Highlands junior quarterback Charlie Noon threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mateo Mattelli that made the score 27-13. But the Bluebirds had a pass intercepted and turned the ball over on downs on their final two possessions.

Carson Class also caught a touchdown pass from Noon, who completed 10 of 23 passes for 174 yards. Noon also rushed for 52 yards on 18 carries.

Brossart 13, Lloyd 8

Lloyd took an 8-6 lead in the first quarter when Brossart’s defense gave up its first touchdown of the season, but the Mustangs came back to win the home game and run its record to 5-0.

Brossart scored the winning touchdown on a 60-yard pass from senior quarterback Jacob Leicht to senior running back Jed Martin in the fourth quarter. It was the second TD pass of the game for Leicht, who had 105 yards passing and 66 yards rushing in the game.

Martin caught two passes for 64 yards, rushed for 45 yards and completed an option pass for 36 yards. He also recovered a fumble that was one of three turnovers committed by Lloyd (2-3). The Juggernauts’ only touchdown came on a 1-yard run by senior Jeremiah Lyles in the first quarter.

Boone County 21, Walton-Verona 13

Boone County junior running back Jeremiah Williams scored on runs of 6 and 66 yards in the fourth quarter to give the Rebels the victory that lifted their record to 3-2, the team’s best start and most wins since the 2011 season.

Williams had 116 of his team’s 134 rushing yards. Junior quarterback Richard West connected on 8 of 14 pass for 91 yards. The Rebels other touchdown came on a fumble return.

Walton-Verona (2-3) finished with 147 total yards (129 rushing, 18 passing). Both of the Bearcats’ touchdowns were scored by senior running back Wiley Baker.

Newport Central Catholic 48, Holy Cross 14

Sophomore quarterback Kolton Smith completed 13 of 19 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns to lead NewCath (3-2) to its second straight win. One of his passes went to Luke Runyon on an 80-yard scoring play. Runyon also had one of the Thoroughbreds’ three rushing touchdowns.

Holy Cross (1-4) junior Javier Ward scored on a 76-yard kickoff return and 63-yard pass reception. He’s one of the area’s leading scorers with 54 total points, including three touchdowns on kickoff returns, three on pass receptions, two on rushing plays and one on an interception return.

Conner 38, Campbell County 7

Conner quarterback Alex Castrucci rushed for 73 yards, scored two touchdowns and threw a 35-yard scoring pass to Terry Phillips in the win that lifted his team’s record to 3-2. The Cougars finished with a 314-145 advantage in total yards.

High school football scoreboard

THURSDAY
Cincinnati College Prep Academy 34, Newport 6
FRIDAY
Beechwood 27, Covington Catholic 7
Ryle 27, Highlands 13
Boone County 21, Walton-Verona 13
Bellevue 36, Gallatin County 6
Brossart 13, Lloyd 8
Carroll County 61, Ludlow 20
Conner 38, Campbell County 7
Scott 43, Grant County 14
Newport Central Catholic 48, Holy Cross 14
Lexington Sayre 42, Dayton 8


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