If there was any debate who was the best big-school running back in Northern Kentucky, Miles Simpson ended it with his opening and closing statements in Simon Kenton’s 63-21 blowout win at Boone County Friday night.
Simpson ran 76 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game 18 seconds in and 75 yards straight through the Boone County defense on his final carry of the game with 35.2 seconds remaining in the first half, book-ending a 293-yard, five-touchdown night for the senior.
It was Simpson’s fourth straight 200-yard performance and third five-touchdown game in that same span.
“Miles is a great player and I’ve said it before. Any time he touches the ball he’s got a chance to score, and you saw three or four examples of it tonight,” said Simon Kenton head coach Jeff Marksberry.
Simpson also had touchdown runs of 92, 10, and 3 yards, helping Simon Kenton secure the top seed in the Class 6A district for the first time ever.
“It’s great,” Simpson said. “Coach Marksberry’s been talking about it the four years I’ve been here, like, ‘I want a district title, I want first place, I want some home games for the playoff.’ We finally got it for him and I think he’s happy about it.”
Simon Kenton led 57-14 by halftime, exceeding its Northern Kentucky-best 438-yards per game average in the first half. The Pioneers had 483 yards in the first half and finished with 576.
Quarterback Chad Lawrence ran seven times for 103 yards and two touchdowns, including a 64-yard score, and completed three-of-eight passes for 94 yards.
Neither Simpson nor Lawrence played in the second half and just one pass was attempted by either side as junior Danny Wetter’s 30-yard touchdown run with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter pushed the Pioneers lead to 49 points, 63-14, resulting in a running clock for the remainder of the game.
Boone County, ranked No. 6 in the Kypost.com football poll, did not help its bid to upset No. 2 Simon Kenton with several mistakes in the first half. Quarterback Nate Alford missed on his first seven passes, with three being batted down at the line and a couple others being dropped by receivers.
Additionally, Nik Brown blocked a Boone County punt and recovered it in the end zone, a play that helped put Simon Kenton ahead, 15-0, after Simpson ran in a two-point conversion.
“To have a chance against good football teams you have to play really well and you can’t afford to make errors, because good teams with good players are going to take advantage of it,” Boone County head coach Rick Thompson said.
Alford recovered to complete six of 16 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, but the Pioneers limited Boone County to 128 yards on the ground, well below the Rebels 269.1 per game rushing average.
“They’ve got two great backs with (Charles) Quainoo and (Jordan) Oppenheimer,” Marksberry said. “You’ve got to get those guys on the ground. They’re a threat, especially Quainoo, he’s a threat just like Miles to run to the end zone every time he touches the ball and our defense has played very well ever since our Conner game three weeks ago.”
Oppenheimer finished with 28 yards on seven carries with a touchdown. Quainoo, who entered the game with 1,150 yards on the season, 54 more than Simpson, gained 72 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown.
Simpson, whose father was a standout at Newport, says it wasn’t the match-up with Quainoo that motivated him, but rather an on-going rivalry with his dad.
“I never really think about it like I’m going against somebody,” Simpson said. “The only person I think about that I’m still competing with is my dad. That’s a big motivator to do well…I think I still have one or two things I have to get on him.”SIMON KENTON 29-28-6-0—63
at BOONE COUNTY 0-14-7-0—21
SK-Simpson 76 run (Repka kick)
SK-Brown recovered blocked punt in end zone (Simpson run)
SK-Simpson 92 run (Repka kick)
SK-Simpson 10 run (Repka kick)
SK-Lawrence 62 run (Repka kick)
SK-Lawrence 7 run (Repka kick)
BC-Quainoo 1 run (kick failed)
SK-Simpson 3 run (Repka kick)
BC-Behne 24 pass from Alford (Sunderhaus pass from Palmateer)
SK-Simpson 75 run (Repka kick)
SK-Wetter 30 run (run failed)
BC-Oppenheimer 1 run (Palmateer kick)
RECORDS: Simon Kenton 7-1, 4-0 Class 6A; Boone County 3-5, 2-2.
