Sunday, December 19, 1999
Commonwealth has built proud football tradition
NORTHERN KY. INSIDER
BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
As prep football has closed shop for the 1990s, let's look back at the thrills of the last decade and ahead to the next with an all-football column:
ROARING '90s: So much for the perception Kentucky is a basketball state. The last decade in football was the most eventful in history, both in Northern Kentucky and statewide.
“I (coached) the Kentucky All-Stars in '94, and four of five of those kids are pros,” Beechwood coach Mike Yeagle said. “We had Shaun Alexander, Travis Prentice, Craig Yeast, (Chris) Redman, and some more.”
Four times, Kentucky produced a player which won at least one national Player of the Year award: Redman in 1994, Tim Couch in '95, Dennis Johnson in '97 and Derek Smith last year. (Smith's award was Student Sports magazine's “Grid-Hoop Player of the Year,” for the top football/basketball combo player.)
Teamwise, Kentucky schools made a handful of appearances in national polls. Highlands alone has been ranked nationally each of the last four seasons.
“Obviously the talent in the state has improved a ton,” Yeagle said. “If they want to call us a football state, that's fine, but we've played some doggone good football.”
Local schools have led the way. Beechwood is an easy choice as Team of the Decade, going 126-15 (89 percent) in the '90s with seven Class A titles.
Highlands won four AAA titles; Covington Catholic, three; Boone County played in two AAAA finals.
Then there are the players: Jared Lorenzen winning Mr. Football, Smith and Alexander making All-American, Artie Steinmetz and Scott Kuhnhein signing with Big 10 schools.
“There isn't any doubt about the quality of football in Northern Kentucky,” CovCath coach Lynn Ray said. “It was proven this decade.”
BRACE FOR CHANGES: The future for Northern Kentucky football is clouded by enrollment-driven reclassifications.
Consider: Last year, there were two local teams in AAAA, eight in AAA, two in AA and five in A. In 2001, there could conceivably be eight in AAAA, one in AAA, three in AA and five in A.
Under a new rule in effect this year, schools are reassigned every two years based on enrollment: the 54 largest schools go in AAAA, the next 54 in AAA, and so on.
Ryle and Simon Kenton moved up to AAAA this fall. With the smallest AAAA school being Louisville Fairdale (1,115 enrollment), Conner (1,110), Dixie Heights (1,100), Scott (1,093) and Holmes (1,077) could soon join them.
“I look forward to having a Northern Kentucky AAAA district,” Boone coach Rick Thompson said. “It'd be a great thing for fan interest and rivalries.”
Highlands was tied with Franklin-Simpson for the smallest enrollment in AAA (813), so the Bluebirds could soon slip to AA.
“We would not be a happy AA school,” Highlands coach Dale Mueller said. “We really want to keep playing AAA.”
CovCath, potentially alone in AAA, could be assigned to a downstate district.
“I hope there's not a mas sive exodus in AAA,” Ray said. “We'd be on the road a lot.”
There's an upside. Loading local teams in AAAA, a class no Northern Kentucky team has won, could improve the odds of one winning. Splitting Highlands (AA) and CovCath (AAA) could free them up to each win state.
Conceivably, Northern Kentucky could win all four classes some year. Nine times, the area has produced two champs in the same season, but never three or four.
“I'm greedy,” Ray said. “I'd love to see us get three or four in a year. If we spread out, there could be an excellent chance.”
CHAMPIONS BOWL: The matchups are set for the fourth annual St. Luke Hospitals Champions Bowl, Aug.26 at Beechwood.
Beechwood, which went 13-2 and won the Class A title, plays Inez Sheldon Clark (11-1 in AAA) at 4:30 p.m. Highlands, the 14-1 AAA champ, meets Louisville Fern Creek (8-4 in AAAA) at 8:30 p.m.
All five of Highlands' non-district games are against bigger schools: Cincinnati power Elder, and Kentucky AAAA schools Fern Creek, Louisville Trinity, Lexington Paul Dunbar and Campbell County.
LUCAS JR. TO LLOYD: Lloyd has named Roy Lucas Jr. its new football coach, replacing Rudy Tassini, who resigned after going 83-64 in 13 seasons.
Lucas leaves Simon Kenton, where he went 8-22 in three years, nearly making the Class AAAA playoffs this year and the AAA playoffs last season. The Pioneers were in the midst of a 23-game losing streak when Lucas arrived.
Neil Schmidt is The Enquirer's Northern Kentucky sports reporter. Call him at 578-5582 or send e-mail to nschmidt@enquirer.com.
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