The exploits of Ulysses as heroic as ever- @BradynNiemeyer @EvanDennison1 @Linknky @minguabeefjerky @840WHAS @1776Bank

Ulysses Porter is named for the Roman version of the hero in ancient Greek literature known as “Odysseus.” For a RB/DB combo guy, his freshman season didn’t seem much less heroic than the “hero” whose name he proudly bears. Porter is 5’9,” and weighs 175-pounds. That is a good frame for a RB but we don’t know where his frame finishes. After all, he’s just completed his freshman year and came really close to eclipsing the 1,000-yard, seasonal barrier in only eight (8) games of action. What he will do in ’24 may be amazing. He will be doing it under a different head football coach, however, as the “Great Bruce Kozerski (The Koz)” has retired.

HB Lyon, Scouting Director, KPGFootball

Ulysses Porter has been named for a heroic figure. It appears apt going off of his freshman campaign where he put up incredible numbers.

Ulysses is the Roman form of the hero in Ancient Greece named Odysseus. It is also the name of a poem by the great Alfred Lord Tennyson, a play published in 1705 by Nicholas Rowe, a play published in 1902 by Stephen Phillips, a novel by James Joyce, a novel about a ship with that name by Alistair Maclean, two members of a fictional group in the Marvel Comics’ universe, and a Japanese light novel series written by Mikage Kasuga.

It has gotten some use through the centuries. However, one can make the argument it hasn’t been worn much more proudly than by the RB from Covington’s Holy Cross High.

Holy Cross was formerly coached, through the end of this immediate, past season, by The Koz. If you are a Bengals fan, you likely know exactly who that is.

Bruce Kozerski played center in the NFL for 12-seasons. He then spent 20-years on the Indians’ sideline as its head football coach, leading the program to a championship (2A) in 2011 with a 33-14 beat down of Glasgow. Kozerski was awarded the Paul Brown Excellence in Coaching Award from the Bengals immediately following that run.

The Indians haven’t been as formidable in recent years as the ball club was not too terribly long ago. However, the club’s fortunes appear to be on the rise as the team was 5-6 this past season and just a two-point loss away, to an 8-4 Newport ball club, from a winning campaign.

Having a freshman develop, like Ulysses Porter, is a huge boon to the school’s future football fortunes. If he takes up where the freshman season would see him leave off, Porter will afford Holy Cross fans quite the show.

Porter played in only eight (8)-games according to the statistics logged by MaxPreps and the KHSAA. In those eight games, Porter gained 954-yards from scrimmage, carried the football 116-times, averaged 8.2-yard per carry, scored 14-rushing TDs, caught a pair of TDs, scored on defense (Scoop and Score), housed a kick return, and converted 1-two pointer on the way to leading the ball club in scoring (110-points, 13.8-points per game).

I developed carpel tunnel just writing that previous sentence. Problem is, I am not done.

Coming into the ’23 season, The Koz told Linknky, “This is one of the best balanced teams in terms of emotions and discipline and how they handle practice and scrimmage. You look at this group as intelligent and disciplined in their daily life which is significant for a group this size and that age.”

Looking back on the season, those words couldn’t have been any more prophetic particularly in describing Porter’s play in comparison with his experience. Being inexperienced is one-thing he won’t have as an excuse in ’24.

Porter is looking forward to a dynamite season upcoming. So are the Holy Cross (Covington) fans.

This is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!

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