The holiday weekend brought a handful of local high school football fans something extra to be thankful, playoff football. Six games were set for Northern Kentucky teams this week. One was decided by COVID-19, the other five unfolded on the gridiron. When the dust settled on Friday night five local teams were left standing.DIXIE HEIGHTS 41, RYLE 36The Colonels outlasted the Raiders in one of the best high school football games played in Northern Kentucky this season. Ryle rolled to a 44-14 win when these two teams met in October, but it was a much different story this time around.The home team got on the scoreboard first and led 8-0, but Dixie Heights would follow that up by scoring 34 of the game’s next 42 points, including 21 unanswered to open up the second half. The Colonels won the turnover battle 4:2 and tallied 505 yards of total offense as they picked up their biggest win of the season.Quarterback Logan Landers had a night to remember in the victory. The junior completed 22-of-26 passes for 359 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 58 yards on nine carries. Classmate Devin Holbert pulled in four of those TD passes, finishing with 13 catches for 187 yards.Pierce Rohlman led Dixie Heights with 90 yards and a score on 24 rushing attempts. He also picked off a pass on defense. Kel Hawkins came up with another pair of interceptions to lead the Colonels’ defense.Bradyn Lyons threw for two touchdowns and added a score on the ground for Ryle. He finished the night with 194 yards on 9-of-20 passing.COVINGTON CATHOLIC 38, HIGHLANDS 21The Bluebirds put up a good fight against the Colonels, but couldn’t survive the knockout punch as CovCath pulled away late to inch closer to another state title game appearance.Quarterback Caleb Jacob accounted for all of the scoring for the Colonels in this affair with five touchdowns on the ground. He ran for 96 yards on 17 carries and added 108 yards through the air.His counterpart at Highlands, Charlie Noon, was very productive on the ground as well leading all rushers with 163 yards and a touchdown on 26 attempts. He also added a 13-yard TD pass to Jake Fahlbusch.After trailing 14-10 with 7:26 to go in the third quarter, CovCath reeled off 28 straight points to seal the deal. It was the Colonels’ win over the Bluebirds.BEECHWOOD 38, LLOYD 0Cam Hergott wasn’t going to be denied on this night. The Mr. Kentucky candidate added another stellar performance to his resume. Lloyd limited things early on, but they couldn’t stop Beechwood altogether.Hergott lifted the Tigers to a 14-0 halftime lead with a pair of TD runs (24, 4). He then turned to the air to do his damage as he threw a 42-yard scoring strike to Cole Stammer and 29-yard TD pass to Liam McCormick in the third quarter.Defensively, the Tigers dominated this contest from start to finish as they pitched a shutout for the third time in their last four games played.WALTON-VERONA 34, CARROLL COUNTY 0The Bearcats’ defense was equally impressive in the area’s other Class 2A battle as they shutout Panthers.Most of the damage came in the opening half as Walton-Verona outgained Carroll County 232 to 65 in total offense as they raced out to a 27-0 lead. Trey Hatmaker threw four first-half TD’s, including three to Trey Ferguson.Hatmaker officially became the first quarterback in school history to throw for over 1,000 yards in a single season in the win.NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC 45, LUDLOW 7After wrapping up their regular season with two losses in non-district action, the Thoroughbreds got back on track in a big way in their first postseason game of the season.They raced out to a 17-0 first quarter lead and led 31-0 at half. Running back Joey Ruyon played a large hand in the offensive explosion. He busted out a 32-yard run for the game’s first score and added a 15-yard TD catch on the next drive.Runyon finished the night with 130 yards on 11 carries in limited action. Malaki Herndon continued his stellar campaign by completing 7-of-9 passes for 85 yards.NICHOLAS COUNTY ADVANCES OVER BROSSARTUnfortunately Bishop Brossart had to forfeit their playoff game versus Nicholas County due to COVID-19. It was a disappointing end to the Mustangs’ season, but they won four of the last five games they did play and made some nice strides in 2020.Here’s a look at how things shape for next week’s action:CLASS 6A (Bracket)Dixie Heights (6-3) at Trinity (7-0)CLASS 5A (Bracket)Frederick Douglass (6-1) at Covington Catholic (9-1)CLASS 2A (Bracket)Beechwood (7-2) at Walton-Verona (7-4)CLASS 1A (Bracket)Newport Central Catholic (7-2) at Kentucky Country Day (8-1)Check out complete scores on The Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard.*Stay updated on high school football updates by following @TSFootball on Twitter.