Cooper sits atop Class 5A, District 5 at 2-0 after beating Dixie Heights 25-13 on Friday, Oct. 2. The Jaguars have a bye in Week 8, shifting the spotlight to Thursday's Conner-Dixie Heights matchup in Hebron.
That Oct. 8 game will likely decide the district's No. 2 seed and a home playoff game. Both Conner and Dixie Heights are 1-1 in district play, both lost to Cooper, and each picked up a win against either Boone County or Scott. The winner still needs to close out its final district game, but a loss Thursday would make the path to a home playoff much steeper.
Cooper sophomore quarterback Zach Kostopoulos threw three touchdown passes against Dixie Heights, connecting with Carson Clark for six yards, Kaiden Savage for 33 and Lincoln Maxey for 12. The game recap from LINK nky credited Kostopoulos with 20-of-29 passing for 205 yards. Senior running back Corey Freihofer added 23 carries for 121 yards and a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown.
"Game plan was to take what they gave us," Cooper head coach Adam Begley said after the win.
The Jaguars ran 56 plays for 335 yards. Cooper has won 11 straight district games across three seasons. Begley is in his first season as head coach, succeeding Randy Borchers, who led the program for 18 years
Before the Conner-Boone County game on Friday, Oct. 2, Boone County High School retired the No. 44 jersey of the late Dave Trosper and recognized the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Class 4A at-large state championship team. Trosper, a standout linebacker on that squad, coached at Conner for 18 seasons before his death in June 2025 at age 55.
Florence Mayor Julie M. Aubuchon presented a proclamation at the ceremony.
Conner head coach Chase Floyd, himself a Boone County graduate, spoke at the ceremony. "Every day I think about him," Floyd told WLWT. "Both of us actually graduated from Boone. So, it's a little bittersweet to be here."
Then Conner took the field and routed Boone County 55-14. The Cougars led 21-0 after the first quarter and 41-7 at halftime. A running clock started with 8:02 left in the third quarter. Malik Johnson was a bright spot for the Rebels, rushing 18 times for 129 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
Conner improved to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in district play. Boone County dropped to 2-4 and has lost four straight.
The Rebels travel to Scott in Taylor Mill on Thursday, Oct. 8. According to LINK nky's Week 7 takeaways, the loser will most likely fall out of playoff contention, while the winner would slot in as the district's probable No. 4 seed.
Ryle was on a bye in Week 7 and plays at home against Campbell County on Friday, Oct. 9.
