Playoff primer: NKY Class 6A

CINCINNATI - After not winning a district title for 31 years, the Campbell County Camels have won two straight. That means at least one more game at Bob Miller Stadium, the school’s longtime home that in its final season of being the home of the Camels. Campbell County had home-field advantage last season too, but only lasted two games. They are hoping for better results this time around.

Scott County is going to be a force to be reckoned with and enter the postseason as winners of eight straight. They finished the regular season with a 56-6 win over Simon Kenton last week. While they are the favorites to come out of the region, the rest of the matchups appear to be wide open. Any team that can get hot is more than capable of rolling off a couple of wins.

Here is a look at Week 11’s first-round action:

KENTUCKY CLASS 6A
(All games played Friday, Nov. 2)

#4 Paul Dunbar (3-7) at #1 Campbell County (6-4) – Campbell County’s Tyler Durham is one of Northern Kentucky’s most dynamic weapons. He has continued his torment of opponents on the ground with 1,696 yards and 23 touchdowns on 253 carries. However, his improvement as a passer has been the biggest difference with the Camels offense in 2012. Durham completed 71-of-147 passes during the regular season for 11 TDs while being intercepted five times. The Camels defense will need to improve on their 27.2 points per game and the 334 total yards of offense they’ve allowed each time out. The Bulldogs have bigger problems on that side of the ball though. They’ve 122 points to be put on the scoreboard over the past two weeks and 38.3 points per game on the season.

#3 Simon Kenton (7-3) at #2 Bryan Station (6-4) – The Pioneers started the season red hot, winning their first six games. They lost in a heartbreaker to Campbell County costing them a shot at the district and dropped two of their last three games after that. While the loss to the Camels and the one at Dixie Heights were close, getting drubbed by 50 points was not the way head coach Jeff Marksberry wanted his team to enter the playoffs. If they can turn the light back on, Simon Kenton is capable of making noise. Quarterback Brennan Kuntz (1,840 yards, 17 TDs) is a player on the rise and the Jared Bowling-led defense is underrated. Bryan Station puts up 41.4 points per game, but they also enter this matchup having dropped two of their last three and as a team that has struggled for consistency.

#3 Henry Clay (4-6) at #2 Dixie Heights (3-7) – Dixie Heights continued to get better as the season progressed, but this team may still be a year away from making some November noise. Sophomore quarterback Drew Moore is a player we will be talking about quite a bit over the next two years. Aside from the CovCath game, this young team was in every game. Their three wins came in close games over Conner, Simon Kenton and Ryle. They had NewCath on the ropes early, but led them comeback in Week 1 and were it in until the end with Beechwood. A slip up vs. Paul Dunbar cost Henry Clay a home game but this battled-tested team is a very capable No. 3 seed. The running duo of Eljah Bell (1,711 rushing yards, 15 TDs) and Davion Jackson (526 rushing yards, 7 TDs) is going to be tough for the Colonels to contain.

#4 Ryle (3-7) at #1 Scott County (9-1) – Ryle has struggled to find the end zone all season long, averaging just 13.7 points per game. Their Week 11 opponent, Scott County, averages 52.9 points each time they take the field. That doesn’t spell success for the Raiders. To compound matters the three wins Ryle managed have come against teams that combined to win only 11 games. The Cardinals are poised to make a run deep into bracket. Clay McKee has passed for 16 TDs while running backs Kevo Edwards and Dieries Dumphord have combined for 1,925 yards and 29 scores on the ground.

As the fifth seed in the district, Boone County was placed down state in Region 2

#3 Boone County (1-9) at #2 Butler (7-3) – It was a long season for the Rebels as they picked up just one win in 10 tries and now they are forced to travel to Butler. Boone County has been shut out three times this season and hasn’t been in most of their games. They will try to avoid dropping a fifth straight game for the second time this season. Mustafa Diaw has shown some flashes as a junior, but the Rebels need to get better up front on both sides of the ball if they are going to get back to being a high-caliber playoff team. The Bears post modest numbers on offense and are a run-first team. Justin Thomas is their leading rusher with 758 yards and 10 touchdowns.