By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports activities reporter
In his staff’s final two victories, Lloyd senior quarterback Kaleb Evans accomplished all 18 of his passes for 269 yards and eight touchdowns to maintain the 12-0 Juggernauts among the many three undefeated groups in the Class 3A playoffs.
Evans has raised his season move completion proportion to 71.8 (130 of 181), which ranks seventh general in the state and third in Class 3A. He has thrown for 2009 yards and 32 TDs with solely 5 interceptions to draw presents from a number of small school groups, together with Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati.
Going into Friday’s 8 p.m. dwelling recreation towards Russell (10-2), Evans wants 117 passing yards to achieve the 5,000 mark in his varsity profession. He’ll be going through a Russell protection that’s permitting solely 44.3 passing yards per recreation, however the Red Devils gave up 194 yards by the air throughout a 35-13 loss to Breathitt County three weeks in the past.
Lloyd can be able to shifting the ball on the bottom. The Juggernauts are averaging 157 dashing yards per recreation with sophomore Lincoln Tomlinson and junior Avery Conrad getting many of the carries.
Last 12 months, Russell edged Lloyd, 21-20, in the second spherical of the playoffs. Evans handed for 269 yards and two TDs, nevertheless it was an uneven offensive efficiency. His staff took a 20-7 halftime lead and didn’t rating in the ultimate two quarters.
The winner of Friday’s rematch will advance to the state semifinals. Three years in the past, Lloyd made it to the ultimate 4 in the Class 2A playoffs and misplaced to Beechwood, 48-0.
The different undefeated groups in the Class 3A playoff bracket are Murray and three-time defending state champion Christian Academy-Louisville. One of CAL’s victories got here towards Ryle, 34-27, on Sept. 12.
Two head soccer coaches announce their retirement
Campbell County and Holmes are on the lookout for new head soccer coaches to switch Brian Weinrich and Jonathan Hopkins, who each introduced they’re retiring from teaching.
Weinrich spent the final 4 seasons as Campbell County’s head coach together with his groups compiling a 12-32 file. He was head coach at Newport in 2021 after spending seven years in cost of the Highlands program. His profession file is 66-76 in 12 seasons. He led Highlands to the Class 4A state championship in 2014.
“It got to be kind of hard teaching a full load (of classes) and coaching,” Weinrich mentioned. “It’s just very difficult to keep that grind up for too long of a time.”
Campbell County posted a 3-8 file this season with largely juniors and sophomores on the roster. The staff chief in tackles was sophomore Alex Reidinger and the highest scorers had been sophomore Cade Anthrop and junior Ayden Earls.
“Expect for a few places, it’s getting harder and harder to gets guys to play football, but there’s plenty of them here,” Weinrich mentioned. “We were playing a lot of young guys at the end of the season, so there’s a lot guys with experience and talent ready to move forward.”
Hopkins was interim head coach of the Holmes staff that posted a 2-8 file after two winless seasons. Holmes dropped out of Class 4A district play and scheduled 10 common season video games as a first step towards getting this system again on observe. The Bulldogs will try this once more subsequent 12 months below a brand new head coach.
Earlier this month, Justin Franklin resigned as Scott’s head soccer coach after his groups posted data of 3-7 and 2-8 the final two seasons and missed the Class 5A playoffs.
Cross nation champion will run in nationwide qualifiers
State champion cross nation runner Paul Van Laningham plans to compete in area qualifiers for two nationwide highschool championship meets over the following two weekends.
The Cooper senior, who gained Class 3A state titles in record-setting occasions the final two years, will run in the NXN Southeast qualifier sponsored by Nike this Saturday in Cary, N.C. If he’s one of many high 5 finishers in the boys race, he’ll return to the nationwide championship meet Saturday, Dec. 6 in Portland, Ore.
Last 12 months, Van Laningham positioned thirty third in the Nike nationwide meet after incomes an at-large berth together with his sixth-place time in the Southeast qualifier that features highschool runners from 12 states.
The second qualifier on Van Laningham’s schedule will probably be Saturday, Nov. 29 at in Charlotte, N.C. In that one, he’ll compete with runners from 14 states, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands for 10 qualifying spots in the Brooks Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Dec. 13 in San Diego.
Van Laningham is the first Northern Kentucky cross nation runner to win back-to-back Class 3A boys state titles. His successful time of 15:19.87 in 2024 set a state file that he broke this 12 months when he crossed the end line in 15:01.12.
He made a verbal dedication with the University of Wisconsin that may compete in the NCAA Division I males’s cross nation championship meet on Saturday in Missouri.