By Sam McClanahan
The 2025 soccer season has come to an end for the Pendleton County Wildcats. The team fell in a tightly-contested district championship to Mason County followed by a first round exit to Campbell County in the 10th Region Tournament.
Pendleton County would quickly dispatch of their first round opponent in the district tournament, St. Patrick (Maysville) on October 7 with a 8-0 win. Jacob Frisch netted four goals, Dawson Nichols scored three times and Jayden Ashcraft rounded out the offense for the Wildcats. The victory allowed the program to qualify for the regional tournament for the first time in seven years. On October 9, the Wildcats took on Mason County for the district title. The matchup was an intense, physical battle that could have gone either way. Mason County broke open a scoreless affair four minutes into the second half with what would prove to be the winning goal. The Royals went onto claim the district crown with a 1-0 win. Pendleton County was able to generate some scoring opportunities but were not successful in finding the back of the net.
On October 12, the Wildcats took on 37th District Champion Campbell County in opening round action of the 10th Region Tournament held at Montgomery County High School. Campbell County would dominate this matchup as they posted a convincing 7-1 win. Nichols would score the lone Pendleton County goal giving him 29 for the season and taking the overall lead in northern Kentucky and 15th overall in the state. Senior goalkeeper Adam Beebe collected 15 saves during the loss in his final game as a Wildcat.
Pendleton County head caoch Amber Nichols shared these thoughts following the teams loss.
"These young men will always hold a very special place in my heart. I'm so proud of them. I hope they take the lessons they've learned and friendships with them. We had seven seniors who gave us everything and I can't thank them enough for their leadership, commitment, respect and determination. Many of the younger players can now step up in new ways as they filll the gaps and carry the team next year," Nichols said.
Pendleton County closes the season with nine wins for the second straight year and the program's first regional appearance since 2018.