Highlights: Lexington Christian survives thriller; Boyle County takes revenge
Lexington Christian’s penchant for thrilling games decided in the final seconds won’t help anyone’s heart conditions, but they sure are fun.
Especially so for the Eagles when they come out on top as they did Friday night at Owensboro Catholic.
LCA’s Major Brown knocked down the Aces’ last-gasp pass in the end zone as time ran out and the Eagles held on to a 33-27 Class 2A region championship win that saw 25 fourth-quarter points scored in the last 10 minutes.
“Well, you get into third-round playoff games on the road and things get a little chaotic every now and again,” LCA head coach Doug Charles said. “All three phases came in at times and made big plays. It’s hard, man. It’s hard to win games on the road.”
How wild was it? Four consecutive second-quarter interceptions, two for each team, capped by Aces defender William Carrico’s 77-yard pick six was only a hint of things to come. It helped Owensboro Catholic stake a 14-0 lead with 5:23 left till halftime.
By the start of the fourth quarter, LCA sophomore quarterback Cutter Boley had fully shrugged off the interceptions and helped the Eagles take a 21-14 lead. He found Will Nichols for a 5-yard TD just before the break, and then hit him again from 7 yards out to tie the game on their first drive of the second half. Then he ran in the go-ahead score from a yard out with 1:14 to play in the third quarter.
“Getting that touchdown with 19 seconds to go in the first half when we know we got the ball coming out in the second half was probably the biggest single momentum switch of the game,” Charles said. “We gave up a pick six … but Cutter came back, had a short memory, and made some big plays.”
Owensboro tied the game at 21-21 early in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard Brady Atwell run. LCA’s Boley took the lead back, 27-21, scoring from a yard out to cap a six-play 73-yard drive. The extra point was missed.
With possessions dwindling, Owensboro Catholic opted to go for a fourth-and-6 at their own 20-yard line. Atwell’s pass to midfield was broken up. LCA scored two plays later on J’Vontae Emerson’s 4-yard run for a 33-21 lead with 6:04 remaining. Emerson finished with 48 yards rushing, 20 of them on the two plays of that series.
But Owensboro Catholic did not go away. The Aces drove 68 yards in two minutes and cut their deficit to 33-27 on Vince Carrico’s 2-yard run with 3:55 left.
LCA could not sustain its next drive and was forced to punt. Owensboro Catholic got the ball back at their own 9-yard line with 1:49 to play. A touchdown and an extra point could win it.
Huge Atwell passes to Mitchell Sims for 31 and 32 yards on back-to-back plays helped put the Aces on the doorstep. Owensboro Catholic had a third-and-1 at the 4-yard line with 13 seconds left. Atwell ran a draw for a first down to the 2-yard line with six seconds left. He then threw the ball into the ground to stop the clock with 3.4 seconds left — time for one more play.
Atwell rolled right and tried to dump it off into the end zone for the potential tying score. Brown batted it down with a leaping left-handed swat. Cue the celebration.
“Sometimes it’s not how,” Charles said, laughing. “It’ll show up as a W and we’ll advance. We’re just blessed to be one of the 24 teams left standing.”
LCA must next make a 265-mile road trip to Mayfield to take on the 12-time state champion Cardinals in the state semifinals.
Rebels gets their revenge
Boyle County took advantage of a first-quarter interception at the goal line and jumped to an early 14-0 lead over rival Lexington Catholic, the team that ended their district championship streak with a 21-point fourth-quarter rally last month.
This time, the Rebels (11-2) did not let up, pulling away to a 41-21 win to claim a Class 4A region championship as they to try to defend their state title for a second year in a row.
“We finished,” Boyle County head coach Justin Haddix said. “You’ve got to give credit to Lexington Catholic. What a really good football team. … But I feel like we were just physical, and we were able to run the ball and sustain drives to keep their offense off the field.”
Boyle County rushed for 361 yards and dominated time of possession by holding the ball for 35:29 to LexCath’s 12:21.
Avery Bodner, back at running back after a few weeks in relief at QB, rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Montavin Quisenberry had 102 yards rushing and 104 yards receiving, including a catch and run for a momentum-sapping 59-yard TD early in the fourth quarter after the Knights had cut the lead to 24-14 late in the third.
“He made a play,” Haddix said. “We did a great job of blocking and Tavi did a great job of cutting it back and then getting to the outside.”
Sage Dawson threw for 122 yards and two TDs and rushed for 65 yards in his first game since going out with an injury against Frederick Douglass in the final week of the regular season.
Jackson Wasik threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, two to Hunter Foster and the other to Sam Clements, for Lexington Catholic (10-3).
Class A
Pikeville 43, Paintsville 7: The defending state champion Panthers (10-2) won their 26th region championship in program history after a big night from Blake Birchfield. Birchfield had four rushing touchdowns, three from inside 10 yards and one from midfield. Isaac Duty added a pair of touchdown passes. The lone Paintsville (6-6) score came on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Frederick James to Connor Fugate.
Raceland 17, Hazard 14: Rams QB Logan Lundy led a late drive capped by his 2-yard rushing touchdown that proved to be the difference. Raceland (12-1) faced just its second fourth-quarter deficit of the season against Hazard (8-5), which missed a game-tying field goal attempt wide left. Noah Wallace had 14 carries for 113 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown for Raceland. Hazard scored on a pair of rushing TDs from senior Max Johnson.
Louisville Holy Cross 24, Crittenden County 12: Chris Perry threw a pair of 65-yard TDs to Jayse Hardesty in the second quarter for the Cougars (10-3). Hardesty tacked on a 36-yard field for a 17-0 lead at halftime. Perry ran for Holy Cross’ last score in the third quarter. Crittenden County (8-5) got a 5-yard TD by Micah Newcome and a 61-yard TD pass from Case Gobin to Caden Howard in the fourth quarter.
Newport Central Catholic 28, Kentucky Country Day 21: Luke Runyon scored all four of his team’s touchdowns, including three scoring runs in the first quarter, and the Thoroughbreds (11-2) held off a late charge by the Bearcats (9-3).
Runyon’s 7-yard TD catch from Kolton Smith for a 28-13 lead late in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference.
Kentucky Country Day’s Ethan Harris threw TD passes to Troy Humphries and Dylan Keene, ran for another score and got a two-point conversion run to cut its deficit to the final margin, but the Bearcats could not capitalize on their final possession.
Class 2A
Mayfield 28, Metcalfe County 0: Isaac Stevenson opened the scoring with a 48-yard catch and run from quarterback Zane Cartwright for the Cardinals (13-0), who were never threatened by the previously upbeat Hornets (12-1). Jutarious Starks rushed for two touchdowns. Ian Williams added the other.
Lloyd Memorial 41, Breathitt County 32: The Juggernauts (10-3) got a 65-yard TD run by quarterback Isaiah Sebastian and a 28-yard option pass for a score from Elijah Collins’ to Kaiden Zulager in the fourth quarter to hang on for their first region title in 19 years. Zulager accounted for five touchdowns in the back-and-forth game, including a kickoff return TD in the first quarter and three rushing scores. Kory Combs rushed for 140 yards and scored four TDs for Breathitt County (9-3).
Beechwood 49, Shelby Valley 12: The two-time defending champion Tigers (12-1) advanced to the state semifinals for a remarkable ninth straight season. Chase Flaherty had 11 first-half carries for 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Carson Craycraft also had a 33-yard pick six as Beechwood established a running clock margin before halftime.
Class 3A
Ashland Blazer 34, Bell County 16: Braxton Jennings ran for 157 yards and a TD and Atayveon Thomas pounded in three rushing touchdowns as the visiting Tomcats’ defense stifled the Bobcats’ Daniel Thomas, the top rusher in the state.
Thomas, who averaged 182 yards per game coming into the region championship, was held to 40 by Ashland (9-4). Thomas threw for one of his two scores for the Bobcats (10-3). He had an 18-yard TD to George Pace in the second quarter that cut Ashland’s lead to 14-8. Ashland scored the game’s next 20 points to put it away.
Bardstown 66, Union County 33: Shannon Tonge took the opening kickoff 68 yards for a touchdown in a high-scoring game the Tigers (13-0) controlled throughout. Tonge also had and interception and a TD catch from Brayden Clark. Bardstown got three rushing TDs from Tyleeq Williams, and two each from Kaden Stone and Sevyn Hamilton. Cannon Sheffer threw for three TDs and ran for another for the Braves (12-1).
Christian Academy-Louisville 30, Paducah Tilghman 24: Gavin Copenhaver scored four TDs, two rushing, two receiving as the Centurions (13-0) built a 30-10 lead in the third quarter over the Blue Tornado (6-7), the team that stunned CAL last year at this same stage. Jack James threw two second half TDs to get Tilghman back in it, but the Tornado couldn’t capitalize on a CAL fumble late in the game.
Mason County 27, Greenup County 14: The Royals (13-0) rallied from a 14-7 halftime deficit with 20 unanswered points as Keshaun Thomas completed a 24-yard TD pass to Isaac Marshall and a 47-yard TD pass to KG Walton to go with Caden Clark-Roberts’ 26-yard TD run in a furious third quarter. Thomas and Walton had connected on a 14-yard TD in the second quarter. Tyson Sammons scored both TDs for Greenup County (8-5).
Class 4A
Franklin County 49, Warren East 21: The Flyers (8-5) scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to break open a game that was called in the fourth quarter after a heated scuffle ensued between the teams with 8:36 to go.
The shoving started when words were exchanged when Franklin County fielded a punt at midfield. Several flags were thrown as officials and coaches struggled to contain players. Both coaches mutually agreed to end the game there.
“Hated that it ended that way, but it was the right thing to do,” Warren East head coach Jeff Griffith told the Bowling Green Daily News. “Nothing was going to come of it than more of that.”
Giles Galloway scored on TD runs of 63 and 65 yards in Franklin County’s first and final possessions of the first half. Zach Claudio threw a TD pass to Delano Collins and ran for another. Kaden Moorman scored the second-half TDs for Franklin on an 8-yard run and a 46-yard pass from Smith.
Dane Parsley threw TD passes to Tray Price and Ahmad Alexander and broke a 63-yard rushing score for Warren East (12-0).
Corbin 35, Johnson Central 21: The Redhounds (13-0) got 150 yards and three TDs passing from Kade Elam, while Cameron Combs added two rushing touchdowns late in the fourth quarter. Johnson Central (10-3) got within seven points with less than five minutes remaining after an 83-yard touchdown pass from junior Jacob Grimm to sophomore Zack McCoart, but couldn’t complete a comeback.
Central 55, Logan County 19: Cortez Stone rushed for 360 yards and five TDs in the rout. Javion Wallace added a pick six and Avian Johnson took in a 95-yard scoop and score for the Yellow Jackets (9-4)
Class 5A
Southwestern 23, Scott County 22: The Cardinals (11-2) led 22-8 at halftime, but the Warriors (13-0) rallied with 15 unanswered points thanks to back-to-back scores set up by a successful onside kick in the third quarter to help capture the school’s second region title.
Southwestern held the ball for 10 minutes in the third, scoring on short TD runs by Tanner Wright and Roger Oliver. Wright ran in for the two-point conversion after Oliver’s score to help the Warriors take the lead with 1:57 left in the third quarter. Oliver threw a 26-yard TD pass to Mason Hibbard in the second quarter to keep Southwestern in it.
Jacob Fryman scored two TDs and Ellis Huguely had the other for the Cards, who converted two of three two-point plays after their touchdown scores.
Bowling Green 38, South Oldham 7: The Purples (11-2) forced six South Oldham turnovers, including a 19-yard scoop and score by Wick Dotson in the second half that established a 31-7 lead the Dragons (8-5) could not recover from. Deuce Bailey threw for a pair of TDs, one to Christopher Sweeney and the other to Javen Huddleston. Huddleston also had a TD run. Jeffery Burton scored for South Oldham.
Owensboro 36, Fairdale 0: Kenyata Carbon and Jeremiah Goodwin each rushed for more than 120 yards and two TDs in a rout by the Red Devils (11-2).
Class 6A
Ballard 43, Madison Central 7: The Bruins (11-2) capitalized on a snap over the Madison Central punter’s head for the game’s first two points and scored on a 47-yard TD run by Tristen Hawkins moments later. It only got worse for Madison Central (9-4) from there.
Hawkins scored again before halftime and threw a 50-yard TD pass to Grant Berkley in the third quarter as Ballard’s defense held down the Indians. Ballard’s Steven Shanklin and William Elliott also scored in the second half. Madison Central’s Brady Hensley broke a 65-yard TD late in the game.
Bullitt East 28, Central Hardin 15: Mason Gauthier rushed for 112 yards and three first-half touchdowns for the Chargers (12-1), who will make their first state semis appearance since 2008.
Walker Meredith broke a 32-yard TD run for the Bruins in the third quarter, but Central Hardin (11-2) didn’t score again until his 3-yard run with 5:40 to play. Bullitt East tacked on a TD pass from Jack Zwerneman to Cam Brogan for a 28-7 lead moments earlier.
Male 23, Henderson County 10: Lucas Cobler had TD runs of 47 and 70 yards in the first half, Lance Gossett knocked in a 40-yard field goal and Daniel Swinney tacked on a late TD as the Bulldogs (9-4) advanced. Jordan Wright scored a third-quarter TD to go with Carson Weiss’s 43-yard field goal for Henderson (10-3).
Friday’s high school football state semifinals
Times to be determined
Class A
Newport Central Catholic at Pikeville
Louisville Holy Cross at Raceland
Class 2A
Lloyd Memorial at Beechwood
Lexington Christian at Mayfield
Class 3A
Mason County at Bardstown
Ashland Blazer at Christian Academy-Louisville
Class 4A
Central at Boyle County
Franklin County at Corbin
Class 5A
Owensboro at Frederick Douglass
Bowling Green at Southwestern
Class 6A
Male at Ballard
Bullitt East at Bryan Station
This story was originally published November 19, 2022 at 2:15 PM.
