Highlights: Lexington Catholic rallies; Bourbon, Woodford rack up routs and a No. 1 falls
Lexington Catholic 34, Covington Catholic 27: Even by Lexington Catholic’s standards, the comeback win the Knights pulled off against Covington Catholic was a noteworthy display of late-game execution and gritty resolve.
Each of LexCath’s three games this season have been decided by a single score.
The Knights are 3-0.
Their latest victory came after being down 14 points to Covington Catholic — a 5A state semifinalist a season ago — with less than seven minutes remaining.
But that scenario didn’t faze the LexCath players.
“They’ve gotten used to what we want to do,” Knights Coach Nigel Smith said. “We talk about it a lot, and so we try to mentally prepare them as much as we can so that when the situation actually presents itself on the field they’re now aware of what’s going on.”
That preparation led to poise from senior quarterback Jack Gohmann. After he scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to halve the deficit to seven, the Knights successfully recovered an onside kick.
Just two plays later junior Walker Hall tied the game at 27 with a 45-yard touchdown run.
Covington Catholic’s ensuing drive saw the Knights flip possession again by forcing and recovering a fumble, before Gohmann engineered a masterful two-minute drill.
A 6-yard touchdown pass from Gohmann to senior Jack Monday with nine seconds left was the game-winning score.
“We ended up in a good situation where we had multiple things we could do, and (we) made the right choice, picked the right call, in the right spot,” Smith said.
The 3-0 start to the season is LexCath’s best since Smith’s first season as head coach in 2018.
He hopes the building blocks that have allowed the Knights to win three games by a combined 12 points to start the season will continue to pay dividends deep into district and postseason play.
“All those things that we try to set in place in the beginning of practice in July, it’s still all geared toward that run to win a state championship,” Smith said. “That’s our hope is that we’re building each week to get better, so that we can meet our goal.”
Bourbon County 42, Harrison County 0: In his third year as head coach of the Colonels (2-0), David Jones got his second win over rival neighbor Harrison County, and he believes this victory signals his project is on the right path after two losing seasons out of the gate.
“It’s a big, big statement, It’s a big deal, especially against a rival, to get those wins as you’re rebuilding,” Jones said. “We’ve finally got (more) kids that are juniors and seniors instead of playing ninth- and 10th-graders.”
Bourbon junior quarterback Clay Estes threw for 156 yards and a TD while running backs Kam Smoot, Dae Dae Ross (twice) and Josh Moody all had scores to go along with Jaden Commodore’s TD catch.
“They played lights out,” Jones said of his running back corps. “ We’ve got a three-headed monster in the backfield. And the great thing about those three, you never hear anyone complain about who’s getting the ball. They literally work off each other.”
Tates Creek 22, Mason County 12: Matthew Underwood had 13 carries for 113 yards and two second-half touchdowns as the Commodores (1-2) snapped a nine-game losing streak.
“All victories feel great, but it does feel a little bit better since your last win was Simon Kenton in 2019.” Tates Creek Coach Jonathan Smith said.
Tay Williams’ 60-yard interception return for a touchdown put Tates Creek up 6-0 in the first quarter as Tates Creek’s offense stumbled some early.
“In the second half we got our offense going,” Smith said. “We got our running game going tonight.”
Tates Creek’s defense also played well, holding the Royals to 165 total yards. Mason (1-2) scored on a Brady Sanders 2-yard run in the second quarter and an Anthony Bozeman 12-yard run in the fourth.
“We shot ourselves in the foot a few times tonight, too. But we’re still a young team,” Smith said. “I just want these guys to get even better and get rolling by district time, because in the end, that’s all it really comes down to. Get home-field advantage in the playoffs, win district and if you do take care of business in the playoffs, then you’re playing for a regional championship.”
Corbin 27, Franklin County 7: No. 1 Franklin County (2-1) was dealt its first loss of the season by the Redhounds, losing by 20 points on the road in a matchup of top 4A schools.
Corbin improved to 3-0 and never trailed in the game, as junior Jacob Baker opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal. The Redhounds led 10-0 after the first quarter and 17-7 at the half after senior Seth Mills ran in for a score with less than a minute left in the half.
Mills scored again midway through the third quarter to make it a 24-7 Corbin lead, before another field goal by Baker capped the scoring.
University of Kentucky associate head coach Vince Marrow was in attendance for the game, which featured Kentucky recruit junior Kaden Moorman from Franklin County and Dakota Patterson from Corbin and the Redhounds’ UK commit, Treyveon Longmire.
Woodford County 62, Paul Laurence Dunbar 12: The 5A Yellow Jackets (3-0) led 27-6 after the first quarter, 41-12 at halftime and 55-12 after the third quarter.
Senior Bryce Patterson threw for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Woodford County, including 56 yards to junior Aden Nelson and 54 yards to senior Jacob Jackson. Patterson also had three rushing touchdowns.
Junior Cole Colony had 98 passing yards and 74 rushing yards for Dunbar, now 1-2.
Great Crossing 19, Henry Clay 13: The Blue Devils’ (0-3) comeback effort fell short in the final moments, but they showed promise late.
Henry Clay pulled to within nine points in the third quarter on an 18-yard touchdown pass from junior Blake VanHorn to sophomore Malcolm Paul. Sergei Buchheit kicked 39- and 32-yard field goals, the latter cutting the Blue Devils’ deficit to six points with about eight minutes left.
After a scoreless first quarter, Warhawks junior Gabe Nichols connected with junior Zackarrey Kelley on a 14-yard touchdown pass to put Great Crossing up 6-0, before also linking up later in the quarter with senior Jacob Coulter for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Great Crossing’s (3-0) last score of the game came midway through the third quarter as junior Tyris Cobbins scored on a 4-yard run.
Van Horn finished the game with 113 passing yards and senior Marcus Williams of Henry Clay had 10.5 total tackles.
Boyle County 60, Pulaski County 29: Boyle County (2-1) had 430 offensive yards in the win, with 246 through the air and 184 on the ground. Boyle County also earned 20 first downs compared to just nine for Pulaski County (1-2).
Sophomore Avery Bodner scored a short rushing touchdown for Boyle County in the first quarter, and senior Jagger Gillis added two more rushing scores in the second quarter. Junior Cole Sims had an interception return for a touchdown for Boyle County and the hosts also blocked a punt and returned it for a score.
Bodner added a receiving touchdown in the second half, and the game used a running clock in the fourth quarter.
The Maroons, now 1-2, took the opening kickoff of the second half back for a score.
Frederick Douglass 50, Lafayette 0: Samuel Cornett threw TD passes of 8 and 31 yards and ran in a 4-yard score himself as the Broncos (3-0) cruised over another city rival. Cornett finished with 153 yards passing against the Generals (0-3).
Cameron Dunn had the 8-yard scoring catch to go along with an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that capped the night’s scoring. Dane Key had the other receiving TD to go with 65 receiving yards. Davaun Hart, Ty Bryant and TJ Horton each had rushing TDs.
The Broncos defense allowed five first downs and 60 total yards in their second shutout of the season.
Mercer County 58, Anderson County 12: The Titans (2-1) took control early over the Bearcats and didn’t look back, as Anderson County (0-3) fumbled away the game’s opening kickoff. Mercer County senior quarterback Trosper Buchanan connected with sophomore Thaddeus Mays on a touchdown pass on the team’s second play from scrimmage.
It was 23-0 to Mercer County after a first quarter which also featured a bad snap on an Anderson County punt that resulted in a safety.
Anderson scored the next 12 points — a 62-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Eli Castle to senior Logan Chapman and a pick-six on defense by senior Austin Meacham — but that would be it.
Mercer County led 38-12 at the half. The second half featured another touchdown pass from Buchanan to Mays from 28 yards out.
Owensboro 49, Daviess County 42: Owensboro quarterback Gavin Wimsatt made a stunning announcement after the game that he will be leaving high school to enroll early at Rutgers University immediately, according to multiple reports.
“We appreciate Gavin and everything he has done for OHS football and everything he has meant to our program,” Owensboro Coach Jay Fallin said in a statement published by The Owensboro Times. “He’s a great football player and he’s an even better young man and we will be pulling for him and rooting for him and keeping up with him as he makes this transition.”
The four-star recruit, who helped lead the Red Devils to the Class 5A state finals last season, is expected to be immediately eligible for the Scarlet Knights during the 2021 college season.
Wimsatt had a TD pass and run in his final high school win. Junior Kenyatta Carbon, had rushing scores from 25, 62 and 64 yards out in addition to a 90-yard kick return touchdown.
Daviess County quarterback Joe Humphreys accounted for all six Panthers touchdowns: Four passing and two rushing.
Beechwood 49, Somerset 0: Beechwood (3-0) has not allowed a point through three games this season, outscoring Fairdale, Paintsville and Somerset by a combined 133-0.
This marked Beechwood’s second straight 49-0 win, as well as the 11th straight win overall for the Tigers, who won the 2A state title last season. Somerset fell to 1-2 with the win being a COVID-19 forfeit.
Among the scoring plays was an 80-yard touchdown pass from Eastern Kentucky commit and senior quarterback Cameron Hergott to senior Parker Mason and a short rushing touchdown by junior Torin O’Shea. Mason also had an interception return for a touchdown for the Tigers.
Collins 55, Jeffersontown 6: Junior quarterback Kenyon Goodin threw for 233 yards and five touchdowns in the win, along with a pair of rushing scores on his only two rushes of the game. Through three games this season, Goodin has combined for 18 touchdowns on the ground and through the air.
Collins (3-0) led 27-0 after the first quarter and Goodin accounted for all four of those first-quarter touchdowns. Jeffersontown (0-3) has been outscored 161-18 through the first three weeks of the season.
West Jessamine 35, Clark County 21: Junior quarterback Jacob Jones had a rushing score for the Colts and junior quarterback Brady Denham had a 9-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Jaylen Berry for Clark County.
West Jessamine led 7-0 after the first quarter and 14-7 at the break. West Jessamine is now 1-1 on the season after its Week 1 contest against Paul Laurence Dunbar was ruled a COVID cancellation. Clark has two losses and a forfeit win.
Pikeville 48, Letcher County Central 7: The Panthers (2-0) scored the game’s final 41 points, including Isaac McNamee TD passes of 67, 47 and 31 yards to Zac Lockhart, and 16 yards to Grant Scott.
Pikeville junior running back Blake Birchfield scored on a 65-yard run on Pikeville’s first play from scrimmage. Letcher County Central (3-1) tied the game with a 14-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter,
Highlands 42, Campbell County 7: Highlands has its first 3-0 start since 2014. The Bluebirds led 21-0 after the first quarter and later scores in the game included a 34-yard pick-six by junior Ryan DeBurger and a 70-yard touchdown by sophomore Davis Hinegardner.
Dayton 14, Western Hills 6: Dayton (2-1) scored twice in the fourth quarter to secure the comeback win over the Class 5A Wolverines (0-3). who got a touchdown from Demetrius Britt.
Male 28, St. Xavier 21: Male remained perfect this season with a close win over a depleted St. Xavier team.
Senior quarterback Nic Schutte had two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown for Male in the first half, and the Bulldogs also benefited from a short rushing score by junior running back Daniel Swinney in the opening half.
St. Xavier’s lone first-half score was a 29-yard second quarter receiving touchdown by senior Mekhi Smith.
While the Tigers’ defense didn’t allow any second quarter points, the offense could only muster 14 of them through a rushing touchdown by senior quarterback Jack Sivori and another receiving score by Smith.
Raceland 43, Rowan County 26: Sophomore quarterback Logan Lundy threw for 145 passing yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for a score as well, in a comfortable win for the Class A Rams.
Both sophomores Noah Wallace and Isaac Browning had two rushing scores for the Rams as well, and Wallace finished with 136 rushing yards from 20 rushing attempts.
Rowan County’s offense was powered by senior Rocky Miller, who had 136 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns for the 4A school.
This story was originally published September 4, 2021 at 8:40 AM.
