By Terry Boehmker

NKyTribune sports reporter

Newport Central Catholic football coach Steve Lickert expects to have a very strong running game this season even though two players who rushed for combined totals of 1,576 yards and 34 touchdowns last year have graduated.

Four returning offensive linemen are the main reason for Lickert’s optimistic outlook. He said the team also has “a nice little stable of backs” to share the ball-carrying workload for the Thoroughbreds, who will be ranked among the top Class 1A teams in the state once again.

“We have a nice mixture of (running) backs, ” Lickert said. “Some of them are slashers, some of them are speedsters and some of them are big, physical kids, so whatever we need in a game is what we’ll have out here, for the most part.”

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