Levi Gilliland rushed for 142 yards and four touchdowns as Dixie Heights beat Conner 44-8 in Hebron on Thursday, Oct. 8. The Class 5A district game left the Colonels (3-5, 2-1 district) winners of three of their last four after an 0-4 start, according to LINK nky.
The Cougars (2-6, 1-2) now face a bye week before a likely win-or-else matchup against Scott on Oct. 23 for the district's No. 3 seed.
Dixie Heights controlled the game from the opening drive. Niemeyer hit a 30-yard field goal in the first quarter, and Gilliland followed with a 35-yard touchdown run to make it 10-0 before the period ended.
Conner answered with a 15-play, 80-yard drive capped by quarterback Ethan Estvanko's eight-yard scoring run, pulling within 10-8 midway through the second quarter.
That was as close as the Cougars would get.
Gilliland punched in a one-yard score, and quarterback Brycen Schatzman capped a drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown of his own before halftime. Brady Speakman's 66-yard reception set up Schatzman's score.
The third quarter belonged to Dixie Heights. Gilliland scored from five yards out, Colston Suedkamp broke loose for a 74-yard touchdown run, and Gilliland's fourth score from seven yards triggered a running clock with 1:13 left in the period. Over his last four games, Gilliland has totaled 724 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Schatzman finished 15-of-18 passing for 210 yards, spreading the ball to seven receivers. Parks Vonderhaar led the group with four catches for 61 yards. The Colonels piled up 267 rushing yards and 210 through the air with zero turnovers.
"We want a home playoff game … That was one of our goals, and this certainly helps us get to that," Dixie Heights coach Pat Burke said after the win. "We got to take care of business next week."
Estvanko finished 14-of-25 for 148 yards. Receiver EJ Barney was Conner's most productive player, hauling in eight catches for 83 yards. The Cougars managed 108 rushing yards on 36 carries.
Conner is in its first season under head coach Chase Floyd, who took over after the death of longtime coach Dave Trosper in June 2025. At a jersey retirement ceremony honoring Trosper on Oct. 2, Floyd told WLWT he thinks about Trosper every day, calling it "a little bittersweet" to lead the program both men once played for at Boone County.
The district race now hinges on the final weeks. Cooper leads at 2-0 in district and can clinch the No. 1 seed with a win over Scott. Dixie Heights hosts Boone County and needs a win or a Scott district loss to lock up the No. 2 seed. Conner plays Scott on Friday, Oct. 23, for the No. 3 seed.
