Kentucky’s longest active win streak ends. It took ‘biggest play I’ve ever seen’ to do it.
Lexington Christian junior safety Jackson Dillow didn’t have much time to think.
Christian Academy-Louisville had just recovered an onside kick and had the ball at LCA’s 46-yard line trailing 14-12 with 1:55 to play — more than enough time for the Centurions to mount a game-winning drive on their home field.
But on the first snap after the recovery, CAL quarterback Cole Hodge uncorked a pass deep down the right hash line toward wideout Justin Ruffin, who had just scored his second TD of the game moments earlier to keep the Centurions in it.
Realizing the deep pass was coming, Dillow didn’t hesitate.
“I saw him running and I just took off, turned my head and the ball ended up in my hands,” Dillow said of his game-saving interception at LCA’s 2-yard line.
Dillow outran Ruffin to the ball, outjumped him to make the catch, and cradled the pass into his arms as they both fell to the ground.
Within seconds, Dillow’s LCA teammates swarmed him.
“It was really exhilarating, really exciting. It was a great time,” Dillow said.
Dillow missed last week’s game because of an ankle injury and was pressed into full-time duty at safety after teammate Parker Chaney got hurt during Friday’s action.
“Man, Dillow, he was in a boot this week in school with a hurt ankle, and he came out here and made the biggest play I’ve ever seen on defense tonight,” senior LCA linebacker Major Brown said. “I love that kid to death. That was awesome.”
“What an interception that cat made,” LCA coach Doug Charles said.
With CAL (3-1) out of timeouts, Lexington Christian took three kneel-downs to run out the rest of the game clock and seal the 14-12 win. With it, LCA snapped the defending Class 3A champions’ 18-game win streak, the longest active win streak in the state.
Both LCA and CAL averaged about 42 points per game in their first three outings, and their third consecutive regular season meeting was expected to be an offensive showcase for their heralded quarterbacks, LCA’s Kentucky commit, Cutter Boley, and CAL’s East Carolina commit, Cole Hodge.
But Boley struggled to solve CAL’s defensive scheme, completing only 10 of 23 passes for 64 yards.
“They were making it difficult for me today, but it was definitely a great game for us,” said Boley, who added that he believed Friday’s adversity will pay off for LCA down the road as he learns to adapt to different defenses. “They have some dogs back on defense. They really scouted us well.”
Regardless, Boley scored LCA’s first TD on a 1-yard run on the Eagles’ opening drive in the first quarter. And he made key plays during LCA’s second-half touchdown drive. LCA twice converted fourth downs during that series, including a 17-yard scramble by Boley on fourth-and-12 at the CAL 40-yard line.
Brady Hensley completed the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to put LCA up 14-6 with 3:02 left in the third quarter. A holding penalty negated what would have been another Hensley score late in the fourth quarter. LCA turned the ball over on downs two plays later. Hensley finished with 131 yards rushing on 28 carries.
CAL’s Hodge completed 21 of 34 passes for 289 yards and two TDs. Hodge’s scoring throws to Ruffin were both short passes that Ruffin broke for big plays — a 66-yard TD in the first quarter and a 60-yard TD in the fourth after LCA’s turnover on downs on CAL’s 15-yard line.
The final Hodge-to-Ruffin connection came on a fourth-and-5 play with 2:09 left in the game. Hodge scrambled to his right as Ruffin rolled with him a few yards ahead. Hodge’s pass hit Ruffin in stride as one LCA defender fell away and another got blocked off the play. Ruffin turned up the sideline to cut CAL’s deficit to 14-12.
However, LCA’s defense responded on the two-point conversion attempt that followed. Eagles linebacker Hunter Adams sprinted through a gap in CAL’s offensive line and rushed Hodge’s pass attempt to running back Jeffrey Vazzana. The pass fell short of Vazzana’s diving grasp at the goal line.
Still, CAL would not go quietly as place-kicker Justin Coleman’s ensuing onside kick took a perfect Centurions hop over LCA’s line. Connor Hodge snatched the ball out of the air and secured CAL’s last gasp that Dillow thwarted..
“Nobody asks for refunds on our game,” Charles joked. “We give them their money’s worth. We make things really interesting.”
Going into next week’s rivalry game with Lexington Catholic, LCA (3-1) has wins over preseason Class 5A No. 1 Bowling Green, Class A No. 1 Pikeville and now, Class 3A No. 1 Christian Academy-Louisville. LCA’s only loss came to Class 4A No. 1 Boyle County in Danville.
This story was originally published September 9, 2023 at 9:47 AM.
