Highlights: Tates Creek snatches last-second playoff win in week full of blowouts
.jpg "Tates Creek’s Andrew Witherington led a 70-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes, capped by a 7-yard TD pass to Keshon Douthitt with 1.3 seconds left, to help the Commodores defeat Clark County 20-19 on Friday.")
▪ Highlights of some of Friday’s first-round playoff games:
Game of the night
Tates Creek 20, Clark County 19: Andrew Witherington’s 7-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Keshon Douthitt with 1.3 seconds left completed a two minute, 70-yard drive and a stunning comeback from nine points down in the fourth quarter in the first round of the Class 6A UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals.
The win marked the fourth straight for the Commodores (5-6), who endured a six-game losing streak during the season and suffered two gut-wrenching big plays by Clark County in the first half.
“They are really trying to take on that mindset that I’m trying to instill,” first-year Tates Creek coach Jonathan Hawks said. “It’s a grindstone mentality, man. Regardless of what we’ve been put in front of, just work. You don’t back down.”
The Cardinals (7-4) struck for a 70-yard pick six in the first quarter by Camahni John and a 70-yard pass play from Tyleik Maxwell to Joey Hill with 10 seconds left in the first half that sandwiched around Maxwell’s 13-yard TD pass to Zaydin Smith for a 19-10 halftime lead. Clark failed on their first two extra point tries.
Marquevion Smith’s 5-yard TD in the second quarter combined with Emmanuel Castro field goals of 34 yards in the first quarter and 30 yards in the fourth quarter kept Tates Creek in the game.
“I made some mistakes in some previous games and I didn’t trust the weapon I’ve got in Emmanuel,” Hawks said. “About four or five games ago I told him ‘I’ll never let you down again.’ … He’s a great kicker, and he deserves the opportunity to be in clutch moments to help us win ball games.”
Castro’s extra point after the Douthitt TD put Tates Creek ahead.
Hawks, who spent several years as an assistant with the program before taking over, said the next step is to have that mentality over the course of a full 48 minutes. Two of Creek’s losses came to fellow second-round qualifiers Paul Laurence Dunbar and Mason County by three points. This was their second win in the streak by three points or fewer.
“I don’t know what it is about our kids, but they love to play these close games,” Hawks said. “… When we get in situations where we have to score, our kids know how to take it up another level. I swear, it’s like they love pressure.”
Lexington teams
Bryan Station 41, Lafayette 0: Senior defensive back Damin Green returned two punts for touchdowns in the first quarter of the Defenders’ second rout of Lafayette this fall. Station was a 50-6 winner over the Generals (0-11) on Sept. 23
Dahvon Frazier scored twice, via fumble recovery late in the first quarter and a 21-yard pass from Trenton Cutwright, to put a running clock into effect with 10 seconds left in the first half. Bayubahe Benit, a junior, and sophomore Akeem Clay each added touchdowns on the ground for the home team.
Madison Central 49, Henry Clay 10: Brady Hensley rushed for 236 yards and three touchdowns for the Indians, who ended a two-game skid. Hensley also caught one of two receiving touchdowns for Madison Central (8-3). Walden Cole scored the only touchdown – a 60-yard reception to tie the game at 7 midway through the opening period – for Henry Clay (3-8).
Paul Laurence Dunbar 48, Oldham County 34: For a fourth straight season the Bulldogs (6-5) opened the Class 6A playoffs with a win. Noah Chapman rushed for 105 yards and three TDs while Cole Colony ran for two scores and threw two TD passes to Jakobe Biggerstaff. They set up a home rematch with Madison Central, to whom they fell 29-28 in Richmond the second week of the season.
Frederick Douglass 50, Conner 0: An early interception return by EJ Clinkscale set the tone in this one as it quickly got out of hand. After Clinkscale’s 38-yard takeback with 10:39 left in the first, Douglass forced a punt and then scored on its first offensive snap; TJ Horton rushed 59 yards to put last year’s Class 5A runner-up 14-0. Devaun Hart rushed for two short touchdowns to lead the Broncos in scoring.
Frederick Douglass (11-0) will host Covington Catholic on Friday in the second round. The Colonels (9-2) defeated Douglass 14-7 for the Class 5A title in 2019; that’s the only meeting in the programs’ histories.
Lexington Catholic 50, Scott 6: Jackson Wasik and Max DeGraff connected three times for first-half touchdowns. DeGraff ended with 82 yards on five receptions and Wasik threw an additional touchdown (to Hunter Foster) in the Knights’ seventh victory over their last eight outings. LexCath (9-2) will host Bourbon County in the second round of Class 4A play.
Lexington Christian 48, Edmonson County 0: LCA extended its win streak to five after an uneven start. Cutter Boley threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns, both to Evan Brown, as the Eagles got their run game going, too, with scoring runs by J’Veontae Emmerson (two), BJ Evans and Saxton Howard.
The Class 2A Eagles (7-4) host Somerset next week. The Briar Jumpers (6-5) won 41-30 at Green County to start their postseason; they lost 43-0 to LCA in mid-October.
Harlan 42, Sayre 7: A rematch of a September thriller did not meet the hype. Three first-half interceptions, two by Will Austin, helped Harlan (8-3) build a 20-0 halftime lead and kept the Spartans (5-6) winless in their third season of varsity postseason play.
The lumps suffered by Class A Sayre – it was 2-4 in one-score games in 2022 – should pay dividends for the foreseeable future. Most of its participants on Friday were freshmen and sophomores, including receiver Brock Coffman, who has an offer from Eastern Kentucky.
Central Kentucky
Bourbon County 28, Holmes 14: Clay Estes threw for two TDs and rushed for another as the Colonels (3-8) earned their first postseason victory under head coach David Jones. The road upset of Holmes (No. 15 vs. No. 19 in the Cantrall Ratings) ended a drought dating back to 2017. Marcus Floyd and Cam Goodwin caught the TD passes. Dae Dae Ross had a rushing TD.
Paris 33, Betsy Layne 21: The Greyhounds (8-3) got their first playoff win since 2015 as quarterback Kaden Frederick had two TD runs in Paris’ first ever meeting with Betsy Layne (5-6). Marcius Garr and Jayden Holman helped Paris take a 12-6 halftime lead with TD runs. Elijah Webb and Frederick scored in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Betsy Layne’s Reese Music scored all of their TDs, including an 80-yard kickoff return.
Woodford County 49, Whitley County 6: Preston Stacy had TD runs of 31 and 7 yards to go with a 15-yard TD reception from Andrew Nason as the host Yellow Jackets (10-1) rolled. Nason also had a 47-yard TD pass to Jabari Alexander and a 40-yarder to Makhi Smith. Kenyun Maxberry and Graham Hodge also scored.
Scott County 56, Cooper 20: The visitors built a 14-7 lead through one quarter before the dam broke in Georgetown. The Cardinals scored 28 straight to take a commanding lead early in the second half and put a running clock into effect via their only touchdown pass – a 56-yard strike from Andrew Hickey to Isaac York – as the fourth quarter got underway.
Jacob Fryman rushed for four touchdowns to lead Scott County (10-1). The Cardinals, who suffered their only loss to Douglass in late September, will travel to Highlands next week. The Bluebirds (9-2) shut out Montgomery County 49-0 to win their ninth straight.
Covington Catholic 21: Great Crossing 0: Owen Leen rushed for 88 yards and had two touchdowns in the first half as the Colonels (9-2) shut out the visiting Warhawks (8-3) and held them to just 151 yards of total offense. QB Zacc Roberts scored the other TD.
Elizabethtown 49, Mercer County 13: Trey Durbin racked up 232 yards and four touchdowns on only eight rushes for the Panthers, who kept the Titans without a postseason win for the first time since 2019. E-town will travel next week to Christian Academy of Louisville, itself a 56-14 winner over LaRue County, on Friday.
Danville 49, Monroe County 16: The Admirals nearly accumulated 500 yards of offense in their largest postseason win since 2018. They’ll look for their first second-round win since 2017 – when they won their last state title – when they travel to Metcalfe County on Friday. The Hornets, 58-21 victors over Washington County, are one of two unbeaten teams left in Class 2A; they and Mayfield are each 11-0.
Boyle County 49, Rowan County 0: Avery Bodner threw a short pass to Montavin Quisenberry on the first play from scrimmage that blossomed into a 66-yard score. Bodner hit Quisenberry for a 25-yard TD on the next series. Quisenberry also had a 53-yard punt return TD, Will Alexander grabbed a pick six and Bodner and Brock Driver had rushing touchdowns on the way to a running clock margin by halftime for the Rebels (9-2).
Pulaski County 53: West Jessamine 35: Bryen Dugger threw for 403 yards and six TDs as the Maroons (9-2) overwhelmed the visiting Colts (4-7) in a shootout. Chandler Godby caught three of the TD passes and totaled 170 receiving yards while Harris Denmyer caught for 177 yards and two more scores. West Jessamine’s Jabob Jones had 337 yards passing and a TD throw to Chase Satterwhite to go with 59 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Southwestern 41, Madison Southern 14: Tanner Wright rushed for 155 yards and four TDs to go with Braxton Walters’ 28-yard touchdown and Christian Walden’s 113 yards and another score as the Warriors (11-0) shut down the visiting Eagles (3-8) in the second half. Madison Southern’s Cade Sullivan scored twice, once on a 34-yard pass from Ethan Woods and the other on a 60-yard breakaway.
Franklin County 36, John Hardin 0: Kaden Moorman rushed for 95 yards and one TD and had a TD catch as one of four Flyers (6-5) to score. Gilead Galloway and Christian Moore also had rushing TDs. Emanuel Smith also threw a TD pass to Zach Claudio.
Class 2A
Somerset 41, Green County 30: The visiting Briar Jumpers (6-5) pulled an upset over Green County (7-4) as Kris Hughes threw an 18-yard TD pass to Brodie Williams to take the lead in the fourth quarter and Guy Bailey tacked on a 40-yard touchdown run for the final margin.
Class 3A
Bell County 53, Powell County 7: Daniel Thomas rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns as the Bobcats (9-2) crushed visiting Powell. Dawson Woolum, Ethan Raby and Hunter Everage also had rushing touchdowns to go with a TD pass from Blake Burnett to George Pace.
Casey County 40, Webster County 0: Evan Stephens rushed for 140 yards and three TDs as the Rebels secured their first second-round playoff home game ever, according to head coach Steve Stonebraker. Ethan Willoughby run for a TD and threw for another to Solomon Stonebraker. Casey will host last year’s Class 3A runner-up, Paducah Tilghman, next week.
Class 5A
North Laurel 42: Collins 28: Tucker Warren and Ethan Gregory each topped 100 yards rushing with two touchdowns as the visiting Jaguars (6-5) knocked off Collins (6-5) in Shelbyville. North Laurel led from the outset as Treyshawn Holmes-Evans scored two first-half TDs. The Titans’ Kenyon Goodin was held to 88 yards rushing but had three rushing TDs to go with 203 yards passing and a TD toss to Hunter Klusch.
Notes
▪ Nine first-round games were settled by a single-digit margin, including McLean County (15-7 at Caldwell County); Martin County (46-40 over Leslie County); Murray (27-21 at Butler County); Hart County (43-36 over Trigg County); Nelson County (37-34 at Henry County); Hopkinsville (24-17 at Franklin-Simpson); Daviess County (34-27 over North Hardin); Meade County (41-34 over McCracken County); and Tates Creek (20-19 over Clark County).
▪ Western Hills forfeited its first-round game against Bardstown due to a “depleted number of participants.” Rivals Franklin County and Frankfort both earned wins in their first-round games; the Flyers shut out John Hardin 36-0 while the Panthers handled Ludlow 50-13.
▪ Male (7-4) defeated Pleasure Ridge Park 45-23 to earn a victory for the 32nd straight postseason. That’s the best active streak among Class 6A teams.
This story was originally published November 5, 2022 at 12:52 PM.
