‘That was for him.’ Sidelined teammate lifts Douglass to another state semifinal.
Following their 21-7 victory over Woodford County on Friday night, players from Frederick Douglass passed around a No. 42 jersey and held it up to any camera closing in on them. It accompanied a widespread post-game refrain.
“That was for him.”
Following their 33-6 victory over Covington Catholic last Friday night, players from Frederick Douglass were startled to learn that their teammate, Corey Gamble, was severely injured in a car accident.
The senior linebacker remains hospitalized but has communicated with his friends since the accident. A work ethic honed between the lines has helped him start rehabbing.
“He’s been sending us videos of his therapy,” said Ty Bryant, also a senior. “He wasn’t supposed to be walking stairs for two weeks but he did it in two days. He’s a warrior.”
Gamble might get the opportunity to watch his brothers in the state semifinals, now.
“We went into the locker room when it was tied at the half and we were like, ‘We’re not going to the hospital telling him we lost, man,’” said Bryant. “Cause that’s the only thing he wanted. The only thing he wanted for us to do is win so he can come out next week.”
How it happened
Douglass, the No. 1 team by RPI in the Class 5A 2022 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine State Football Finals, and Woodford County, ranked No. 7, entered play as the top two scoring offenses in their classification. They played to a 7-7 tie through two quarters.
The Broncos also boast the stingiest defense in Class 5A (4.5 ppg allowed through their first 12 games), but poorly timed penalties and several missed connections helped keep their normally potent offense off track in the first half. So did the Woodford County secondary: senior Aden Nelson picked off the second pass thrown by Douglass quarterback Cole Carpenter and he nearly stole another on the Broncos’ next drive.
Both teams failed to score in the first period. With the aid of two Woodford penalties, the Broncos covered 60 yards to strike first on a Devaun Hart touchdown run with 8:32 to play in the first half. They forced a three-and-out from the Yellow Jackets and got the ball near midfield, but a costly hold pushed the Broncos backward and sapped the drive. Woodford seized its next opportunity, driving 73 yards in three minutes to even things before the half on a TD run by Andrew Nason.
First-half inefficiencies carried into the third quarter but faded as the Broncos leaned more on Bryant out of the backfield. Bryant is committed to the University of Kentucky as a defensive back but carried would-be-tacklers like Chris Rodriguez on Friday: he rushed 16 times for 106 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown with 25 seconds to play in the third quarter.
“I told Coach (Mark) Stoops, he’s a DB but he can play running back, too,” said Broncos head coach Nate McPeek. “He’s a man.”
A fumble recovered by sophomore Logan Busson enabled an insurance touchdown early in the fourth; Carpenter hit Cameron Dunn for a 29-yard completion in the end zone. The Yellow Jackets didn’t advance further than the Broncos’ 38-yard line for the remainder, and had their fate sealed by a Jaden Dixon interception.
Looking ahead
Douglass (13-0) will host Owensboro (11-2), a 36-0 winner over Fairdale on Friday night. It’s the fourth straight postseason meeting between the Class 5A stalwarts; the Broncos lead the series, 2-1.
Last year’s contest was lopsided in Douglass’ favor (35-7), and came on the heels of three similar victories. After being held to under 30 points for the first time this season — and under 50 for just the fourth time in 2022 — the Broncos are likely to have some spirited practices ahead of and on Thanksgiving.
They, along with Bryan Station (Class 6A) and Lexington Christian Academy (Class 2A), are vying to end a drought of 13 years since a Lexington school last won a state title (LCA, 2009). The gulf is even wider for a public-school achiever (Henry Clay, 1981).
Douglass’s seniors have twice come up short in the championship round, in 2019 and 2021. Suffice to say, there’s plenty of motivation to go around come Black Friday.
“We want it to be different this year,” said Bryant. “That’s been the whole goal. …
“We go at each other’s necks every single day in practice and the good thing is, nobody takes it personal. That’s why we do it, for moments like this where we have to overcome adversity.”
Turkey Day
High school football teams relish the opportunity to practice on Thanksgiving, but it can affect one’s ability to enjoy the holiday to its fullest.
“We have a group chat and everybody be sending their plates and we’re like, ‘Bro don’t eat so much,’” Bryant said with a laugh. “You gotta keep the goal in your mind. You can’t eat three or four plates like you really want to.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2022 at 7:57 AM.