Playoff Primer: NKY - Class 5A

The cream has risen to the top after one week of play inside Class 5A football, leaving us with a pair of stellar matchups. One thing is for sure there will be a no team to advance out of this region in 2012 after Anderson County was knocked out by Cooper in Week 11.

What's left are a quartet of some very good and balance football teams. If defense prevails, Cooper could have the edge. However, the way these teams score it's hard to imagine any one of them being stymied too much. One thing is for sure whichever one is the last one standing here is going to be a serious contender to make a bid to being playing for a state championship on December 1 in Bowling Green.

Here is a look at Week 12's post-season action:

KENTUCKY CLASS 5A

(All games played Friday, November 9th at 7:30 PM)

#3 Cooper (10-1) at #1 South Oldham (8-3) - Cooper wasted no time in disposing of Anderson County, last year's state runner-up, in last week's road playoff matchup as they turned in their best effort of the season, rolling to a 48-0 win. They dominated in all fashions of the game and have now won four straight since suffering their only loss of the season to Conner. In that span the Jaguars have averaged 36.8 points per game while only allowing opponents to put 8.3 points per contest on the scoreboard. Cooper knocked the Dragons off at South Oldham 21-14 to start the winning streak.

Senior AJ Collins had a monster first-round game as he tallied 128 yards and three touchdowns and the ground, threw a 74-yard TD pass and came up with four turnovers, including a pick six. Classmate Tyler Morris does it all both under center and in the secondary. Morris has thrown for 17 scores and picked up another 11 rushing while for 1,959 yards of total offense. Top target Aaron Morgan has pulled in 26 catches for 555 yards and six touchdowns. Dustin Mitchell, Tyler Brooks, and Avery Bricking have all registered over 60 tackles on the season to help lead the charge on defense.

South Oldham, who won the district title in a three-way tiebreaker, finished the regular season by going 2-2 in their final four games. The Dragons have struggled to keep their opponents out of the end zone, allowing 21 or more points in six of their last seven outings, including 32 points to West Jessamine last week in their playoff win.

The Dragons boast a very balanced attack on offense led by quarterback Jack Sherry and running backs Kevin Kuriger, Dallas Banks and Tricorion Williams. Sherry has passed for 1,801 yards and 22 TD's while rushing for 317 yards and seven more scores. The trio of Kuriger, Banks, and Williams has combined for 2,061 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Steven Jones leads the team with 75 tackles to go along with three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

#2 Conner (9-2) at #1 Franklin County (11-0) - With a convincing 49-20 opening-round win over Montgomery, Conner picked up their sixth straight victory. The Cougars' offense puts points on the scoreboard as well as any team in Northern Kentucky scoring 31 or more points in nine of their 11 games. No team in the entire state has score more than the 637 points Franklin County has churned out. As much as we've made of the Cougars' struggles on defense, the Flyers have actually allowed 35 more points to be scored on them in 2012. This game has the makings of a shootout seen like never before. Conner when in last year's playoff matchup by an 84-40 spread.

Conner is paced by quarterback Drew Barker, who is capable of burning opponents on the ground and with his cannon arm. The junior has passed 1,776 yards and 19 scores for while torching opponents for 1,325 and 17 touchdowns running the football. Senior Cameron Fogle is Mr. Everything for the Cougars. He has registered 1,455 total yards and 20 touchdowns on offense while coming up with three picks on defense and providing a huge spark on special teams. Jacob Warwick leads the team on defense with 77 tackles.

Like Conner, Franklin County can hurt opponents through the air. Quarterback Logan Woodside has accumulated 2,543 yards and 38 touchdowns through the air while adding six rushing scores. Running back Ryan Timmons boasts 2,005 total yards and 38 TD's on offense. Wide receiver Greg Maupin has contributed with 610 yards and 10 touchdowns receiving. Jared Marshall leads the team with 98 tackles to go along with a pair of fumble recoveries.