Paul Wiggins, the head football coach of Newport, refers to the 2025 campaign as a shuffle.
This year, Ludlow’s Woody McMillen lost 11 seniors and a prospective senior, Wiggins lost six, and Lloyd Memorial coach Kyle Niederman had to replace nine seniors.
The Wildcats, Juggernauts, and Panthers are considering a challenge to match the 2024 teams that finished with a combined 26-10 record and advanced to the Class A regional final (Newport), Class A second round (Ludlow), and Class 3A second round (Lloyd), regardless of whether you call it a reload, rebuild, or retool.
Lloyd Memorial (2019: 9–3)
A season ago, the Juggernauts took a 20-0 lead at Russell but lost 21-20, a heartbreaking ending.
It didn’t help that we made a few mistakes, Niederman told the Ashland Daily Independent. Russell performed admirably. I give them all the credit. We didn’t make any plays in the second half, but they did.
This season has both good and bad news: four of the top five runners and receivers graduated, but senior quarterback Kaleb Evans is back.
Evans, who is 200 pounds and 6 feet 3 inches tall, completed 64.5% of his throws and passed for 2,070 yards with 24 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
He s increased his size, Niederman said. He spent the entire offseason in the weight room, so his body just looks a lot different He s embraced the fact that he is the leader of our team and doing a great job there.
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The main runner is senior Alijah Griffin, who leads the returnees with 126 yards and a touchdown.
The defense is led by junior Avery Conrad and sophomore Lincon Tomlinson. Conrad contributed 76 tackles and half a sack, while Tomlinson tied 2025 graduate Jaxon Fann for the most with 107 tackles and five sacks.
In Class 3A, District 6, the Juggernauts are the only team from Northern Kentucky. On September 26, they move south on U.S. 27 to play Pendleton County; on October 3, they meet Bourbon County; on October 9, they play Henry County; and on October 24, they travel south on Interstate 71 and Kentucky 227 to play Carroll County.
Lloyd has a challenging early schedule as well. The Juggernauts play Newport Central Catholic on August 22, travel to Newport on August 29, visit Conner on September 5, and host Cincinnati Aiken on September 12.
Newport (9-3)During the previous season, Buck-Barber caught 27 receptions for 400 yards and seven touchdowns. In addition, he caught four passes. Image courtesy of Brandon Wheeler
Leading rusher Rodzion Thompson, star receiver Adonaje Lowe, and quarterback Kyle Lee all graduated.
According to Wiggins, it’s really just patching up a quilt. I realize it may be a poor example, but in essence, I’m not sure if it’s a rebuild or more of a shuffle.
Senior Kayveion Sharp, who caught 26 receptions for 320 yards and four touchdowns, will be the new signal-caller as Newport rearranges the starting quarterback position.
According to Wiggins, he brings athleticism. That is a given. He isn’t scared of contact, for instance, because he earned our Mr. Hit title for defense last year.
Sharp’s favorite target may be senior Kendall Buck-Barber, who has 27 receptions for 400 yards and seven scores.
Senior Carvonta Roper and Buck-Barber will split time at running back, but they might be more productive on defense because they both intercepted two and four passes. Junior Sean Hurry contributes nine sacks and 74 tackles.
Ludlow (8–4)On November 8, 2024, Ludlow’s Colin Anicka (5) caught a single pass for 37 yards and a touchdown as the Panthers defeated Dayton 55-9 in the Class A playoffs. A picture is given.
Given that the top four rushers and receivers had graduated or left the team, McMillen’s challenge is arguably the hardest. Dameyn Anness, a senior back with 3,000 yards who transferred to Ryle, might have dealt the largest blow.
According to McMillen, there are undoubtedly some individuals who relocated there with some experience. However, I’ve also been quite pleased with how well our young talent and upperclassmen are balanced.
Miller Reed, a sophomore quarterback, returned after throwing for 880 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Senior Jackson Mays is referred to as a Swiss Army Knife by McMillen. With 434 passing yards, 100 receiving yards, 77 rushing yards, and 12 tackles, he is incredibly versatile.
A sophomore running back This winter, Nicholi Abbott, whose family lived in Ludlow a few years ago, returns from New York.
According to McMillen, he can play a few positions and will play running back. He could play in the secondary, and because he used to be a wrestler back home, he can also put his hand in the dirt and create a gap on defense, so I wouldn’t be sure to assign him to just one defensive position.
The top nine tacklers in 2024 either graduated or left the program, so the Panthers will need a lot of defensive support. With 31 stops, junior Jacob Cook leads the returnees.
Three secondary starters Mays, sophomore Andre Englemon Jr. and junior Jaylen Stone are back. Stone had two interceptions and nine tackles, Englemon had 19 tackles and a pick, and Mays added 12 tackles.
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