By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Covington Catholic posted a perfect 15-0 record last football season while Holy Cross didn’t win a single game. Those winning and losing streaks create two of the intriguing storylines for the opening night of the 2018 season on Friday.
CovCath running back Casey McGinness
Both teams will face formidable opponents. CovCath visits Ryle in a Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown game at 7:30 p.m. Holy Cross hosts Pikeville in an 8 p.m. game at Holmes High School.
CovCath will have a new quarterback following the graduation of three-year starter A.J. Mayer, who led last year’s team to the Class 5A state championship. But the Colonels still have four offensive linemen returning along with senior running back Casey McGinness, who has rushed for nearly 3,000 yards over the last two seasons.
CovCath junior Michael Mayer, who made a commitment with Notre Dame this summer, will be playing tight end and middle linebacker for the Colonels in the season opener. The other Division I college recruits on the field will be Ryle offensive lineman Jacob Gideon (Western Michigan) and CovCath wide receiver/defensive back Jack Coldiron (Miami of Ohio).
Holy Cross will have mostly sophomores in the starting lineup for Friday’s game against a Pikeville team that reached the semifinals in the Class 1A playoffs last year.
The season opener will be a good measuring stick for the young Holy Cross players, who now have some varsity experience. They expect to get off to a better than last year when Pikeville rolled to a 51-14 victory.
One of the Indians’ returning starters is sophomore quarterback James Davis, who passed for 225 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. The team’s most versatile player last season was Jeremiah Hicks, who had 53 tackles, 111 yards rushing and 106 yards receiving in his freshman debut.
Here are some other intriguing storylines for Friday’s season-opening games:
Two teams with new head coaches – Mike Woolf will make his head coaching debut at Campbell County in a game at Dixie Heights. He replaced Steve Lickert, who will begin his first season at Newport Central Catholic with a home game against Scott.
Picking up where he left off – Highlands fans are looking forward to seeing senior Grady Cramer at quarterback in the home opener against Cooper. He took over that position in the last two games last season and threw for 420 yards and five touchdowns.
Small school team has big shoes of fill – It’s safe to say Ludlow will have a different look in its home opener against Carroll County without Justin Blackburn in the lineup. Last year, Blackburn provided a combined total of 3,306 yards in rushing and passing, scored 35 touchdowns and made a team-high 60 tackles.
Pioneers accustomed to fast starts – Simon Kenton has won its season opener for seven consecutive years and went on to finish with a double-digit victory total the last five years. The Pioneers scored 33 points or more in their last five opening games, but they have mostly first-year starters on offense going into Friday’s home games against Meade County.
