KSR Game of the Week: No. 11 Cooper hosts Scott County in 5A second-round matchup

The 2025 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals continue this week, with second-round action picking up on Thursday and Friday night. We only have a couple of games on the docket for Thursday, but Friday’s slate is jam-packed with action. After the opening round of the playoffs brought blowout after blowout last week, we’re expecting some tighter results across the state going into round two.

One of those close matchups could very well end up being the KSR Game of the Week, which heads to Union, KY, for Friday’s Class 5A showdown between the No. 11 Cooper Jaguars and the Scott County Cardinals. This will mark the fourth straight postseason that these two teams match up, with Scott County earning the win in 2022 before Cooper bounced back with victories in 2023 and 2024, the latter ending with a spot in the Class 5A championship.

What will the 2025 edition hold? Potentially a game that comes down to the final possession. The On3 Massey Ratings actually project an upset win for the Cardinals, 34-32, giving Scott County a 54 percent chance to advance. Kickoff on Friday night at Cooper High School is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. KSR’s Sterling Hohman will have boots on the ground to keep you updated.

Here’s what you need to know about both schools.

No. 11 Cooper Jaguars (8-3)

Cooper has been a ranked program all season long. Despite starting the season off 0-2 and losing three of its first five games, the Jaguars boast a solid resume. The losses came to an out-of-state Anderson (OH) squad, along with Highlands and DuPont Manual, which are ranked No. 6 and No. 7 in KSR’s most recent top 25, respectively. Cooper holds a 20-13 win over No. 10 Ryle and is riding a six-game win streak into Friday’s playoff game, including a 28-14 first-round win over South Oldham.

Cooper senior QB Cam O’Hara (committed to Western Kentucky) is the name to know, as he’s thrown for 1,966 yards through 11 games with 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions. His favorite target is senior WR Ryker Campbell, who has hauled in 1,011 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air. When the Jaguars aren’t slinging the ball around, it’s senior RB Keagan Maher who keeps the offense churning. Maher has 1,011 yards on the ground with a dozen touchdowns. His 126 rushing yards per game rank 2nd in all of Class 5A. Cooper averages 33.5 points per game, which ranks 9th in the class.

Defensively, Cooper has a pair of seniors with over 100 tackles: Dax Bolen (108) and Max Wethington (101). Junior Carson Clark paces the Jaguars with a team-high 4.5 sacks. Five different Cooper players have pulled down an interception (two returned for touchdowns), led by three from Campbell. The Jaguars have recovered six fumbles and recorded 16 sacks on the season. Cooper gives up 21.6 points per game, a number that ranks 15th overall in 5A.

Scott County Cardinals (8-3)

Scott County will bring a matching 8-3 record into this showdown, but the Cardinals took a different path to reach that mark. After a 4-0 start against solid competition, they came up short against Madison Central in game five. They then picked up back-to-back losses going into the postseason, albeit against ranked teams: No. 16 Woodford County and No. 6 Highlands. The Cardinals flipped the switch last week, though, dominating Conner in the first round 48-7.

Sophomore QB Charlie Ellison lines up under center for Scott County, having thrown for 1,033 yards, 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions through 11 games. He has a pair of bell cows in the backfield he can rely on, too. Juniors Skyler Way and Timmy Emongo have combined for 1,893 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground. Emongo has also hauled in 531 receiving yards and another nine scores in the passing game. Scott County ranks third in Class 5A by putting up 41 points per outing.

On defense, Scott County knows how to create some chaos. Four Cardinals have at least three interceptions, led by four from junior Asher Brewer. Junior JuJu Harmon has three picks, having returned one for a touchdown. Scott County has also recovered six fumbles, taking two of them to the house. Brewer and Harmon lead the Cardinals in tackles with 71 and 62, respectively. As a team, they give up 20.9 points per game, the 13th-best mark in Class 5A.

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