If you spend an afternoon in Ft. Mitchell, or more specifically, at Beechwood's Tiger Stadium, you'll see airplanes flying overhead every few minutes as they prepare to land at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport.
It's a perfect metaphor for the school's football team, which will fly around the field this fall with no plans of slowing down until they win another state championship.
After a last-second loss to Mayfield in the Class 2A state semifinals, discussions quickly turned to the Tigers' outlook for 2024.
"We're definitely a little bit vengeful. We felt like we didn't put in enough work last year. As a senior class, we're ready to step up. We've lost some guys but we've also gained a lot of good, young talent," senior Clay Hayden said.
The expectation for those who wear red and white is always a state championship. A quick rundown of this year's roster shows that the Tigers will be a favorite to make it to Kroger Field. They field 16 seniors, return every player that recorded over 100 rushing yards and four of their top five receivers from a year ago. Several football players helped the boys track and field team win their first state title last May, indicating just how fast the Tigers will be.
"We're already looking a lot faster and everybody's looking a lot bigger, so we're just going to keep grinding," senior James Cusick said.
The one area Beechwood needs to shore up is its defense. Defensive linemen Nick Alexander and Xavier Campbell graduated, as did valuable secondary members Talon Linder and Shawn Sowder. The Tigers were dominant in district play last year but gave up 137 points in a three-game stretch early in the 2023 campaign, then allowed 31 in that final loss to Mayfield.
"Just knowing where we're supposed to be and how we're supposed to go about doing it is going to be huge for us. I think that's been the No. 1 thing for us. We've talked about it ever since, and even in the playoffs last year, we've got to be able to run the ball and stop the run," head coach Jay Volker said.
Volker likes where his team is compared to last year. His first preseason at Beechwood, combined with the renovation of the turf field, led to some interesting schedules and a hectic summer. Now in year two, he has a much greater feel for the team, which has helped them hit the ground running in the offseason.
Beechwood High School football's top returning players (with 2023 stats)
James Cusick, sr. WR/ S: 706 receiving yards, 32 rushing yards, 12 total touchdowns, three interceptions, one fumble recovery
Luke Erdman, sr. WR/ DB: 1,133 receiving yards (led team), 289 rushing yards, 22 total touchdowns
Chase Flaherty, sr. RB/ LB: 676 rushing yards (led team), 391 receiving yards, 19 total touchdowns, one interception
Tyler Fryman, so. WR/ DB: 1,052 receiving yards, 191 rushing yards, 18 total touchdowns, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries
Clay Hayden, sr. QB: 3,910 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, 72.9 percent completion rate
Mattox Kelly, sr. OL/ DL: 18 solo tackles, 23 assisted tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery
Beechwood games to circle on the schedule
Week 1 at Pulaski County (at Corbin's Campbell Field): Last year, Volker had his team open on the road at McNicholas, an out-of-state game that didn't do their RPI any favors. This season, every non-district game is against a school in Class 4A, 5A or 6A.
The Maroons went 4-8 in 2023 and advanced to the second round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
"Pulaski County, luckily enough, they were okay with seeing us and playing us. I know they're excited. They have a great team coming back. Obviously, they signed us thinking that they could win, and we obviously think we can win," Volker said.
Week 3 vs. Dixie Heights: The Tigers snuffed out a two-point attempt for a thrilling 49-48 overtime win in 2023. It was the first in a three-game stretch that told Volker his team needed to play better defense. They gave up 391 rushing yards in that game, an area they have focused on in the early stages of summer practice.
Week 5 at Covington Catholic: The Mayfield loss wasn't the only one that left a sour taste in the Tigers' mouths. They held a 21-0 lead in the first quarter before falling to Covington Catholic, 35-31, last September. Beechwood has only beaten the Colonels three times since 2008, but a rivalry win this season would be their second in four seasons, their most success since winning four straight from 1998 to 2003.
"Blowing that lead last year really sucked, so that's the game, for sure, to get back at them," Kelly said.
Week 9 vs. Carroll County: The Tigers outscored their five district opponents 273-3 last year. Those three points came on a Walton-Verona field goal. Carroll County finished the season with the best record of any of Beechwood's district foes.
This game also serves as senior night for the Tigers. However, if they take care of business during the regular season, they will host games well into the playoffs.
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