Lexington Christian turns back Belfry to earn a spot in Class 2A state finals

Lexington Christian Academy’s first season under first-time head coach Oakley Watkins could not have started much worse. It could end in glory.

The Eagles turned back a rally Friday night to defeat Belfry 34-29 and punch their ticket to the Class 2A state championship. Their kickoff against Owensboro Catholic, which fended off Beechwood in a 41-40 thriller, is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at Kroger Field.

LCA (11-3) lost senior quarterback Carter Penix to a leg injury in its season-opening win against Class 6A North Hardin at home. It was the Eagles’ last victory for a month. They couldn’t finish a comeback bid at Boyle County (28-21), were crushed at Christian Academy-Louisville (47-7) and had two kicks blocked — a PAT and a field goal — in what could have been a signature win at Franklin County (28-27).

Other injuries piled up over the course of the season, but wins finally showed up too: LCA torched through the remainder of its regular-season slate, including a second win over a Class 6A program, Pleasure Ridge Park, to close the regular season.

Friday night’s victory was the Eagles’ 10th straight overall and second over a perennial powerhouse after clipping Mayfield last week.

“The resiliency we came out with in the second half, after a hard-fought first half, was just amazing,” sophomore Nash Whalen said. “All of our guys did their job and did it right. That’s what got us the victory tonight.”

Whalen took the reins of the offense after Penix went down. He completed less than half his passes against Boyle County and CAL but fell into a groove against Franklin County and never left. He has completed about 66% of his throws on the year for 2,299 yards and delivered 26 TDs. Whalen’s also LCA’s leading rusher (exactly 1,000 yards) and TD scorer (14).

Belfry (12-2) yielded little room for Whalen to scamper in the first half after giving him 16 on two carries during LCA’s first series. The Pirates forced a punt, and then another after failing to move much on their first possession, before striking first; JB Woolum got loose for a 20-yard score and Belfry tacked on a 2-point conversion spurred by an LCA penalty.

The Eagles answered quickly, pulling within 8-7 on a 33-yard pass from Whalen to Sam Pearson a couple of minutes into the second quarter, but Belfry quickly retook the lead after Chase Varney got across to cap a 77-yard drive. LCA followed with a three-and-out but earned another bid late in the second quarter and capitalized; Whalen sent a goal-line toss to Conrad Hart, standing wide open in the end zone, with 10 seconds left in the half.

LCA forced a Belfry three-and-out for the first time to open the third quarter, and then did it again after going empty on its first series in the second half. The Eagles took their first lead from there — Whalen got loose and evaded multiple tacklers en route to a 31-yard TD run — and didn’t have to wait long to pad it. Belfry from its own 22-yard line attempted a fourth-and-short conversion and failed to get it; three plays later, LCA junior Daven Hood was celebrating along with a host of teammates who pushed him across the goal line.

Belfry got back on track from there. Woolum went unscathed for a 59-yard TD and, after their defense forced a three-and-out, the Pirates retook the lead on a 56-yard trot by Ace Caudill with 10:17 to play.

LCA answered with the game’s final TD to go back in front — Hood completed a 67-yard drive with a 5-yard run — but narrowly missed on a two-point pass.

The Pirates on their ensuing series quickly returned to LCA territory but Bode Darland forced a fumble and Whalen recovered it at the Eagles’ 30-yard line. A dicey fourth-and-2 call — the Eagles opted to go for it from their own 38 — resulted in a 5-yard pickup by Hood and forced Belfry to churn through all three of its timeouts.

“Our kids came over, and they wanted to go for it,” Watkins said. “In a big game like this, you’ve got to make decisions like that. You can’t always stay true to your cards. That’s something we haven’t done all year, but I knew that was a big play and we needed to do it. It worked in our favor, but that’s why coaching is such a hard thing. That one could’ve easily gone the other way and people are like, ‘What is this guy doing?’”

Belfry forced a punt but got the ball back on its own 28 with a little more than a minute remaining. Three plays into a desperate drive, Varney threw a prayer downfield that ended up in the hands of LCA’s Pearson for an interception to seal the game.

“Our defense played lights out,” said Watkins, who noted an injury to sophomore Thomas Sizemore, who was helped off the field with 3:01 left in the first quarter. Sizemore, LCA’s leading tackler, later was seen leaving the stadium on a stretcher. “For guys to step up behind him, it’s a testament to his leadership.”

Hood finished with a game-high 11 tackles in addition to 62 rushing yards and his two scores. Whalen was 19 of 30 for 215 yards with an interception; he also rushed for a team-high 83 yards. Woolum had a game-high 166 yards on 18 carries for Belfry.

Tyler King, one of the few players who logged any kind of snaps for LCA in 2022 when it last played for a state title, finished with 120 yards on 12 catches. He and the 12 other senior Eagles started their prep careers under former head coach Doug Charles, a longtime coach in the program who retired earlier this year but still serves in an administrative role. Watkins, an assistant since 2014 and the tactician behind its prolific offense, was his heir apparent.

But how his first season in charge would unfold was far from knowable after losing a Day 1 quarterback and a series of major measuring-stick games.

“I think that’s what made us so much better for this moment,” Watkins said. “That’s why you play those games, you wanna learn a lot about yourself. In moments like this you can do one of two things. You can fold, and if you don’t play in these types of games, it’s easy for guys to do that. The guys answered the call tonight and really bounced back from the adversity we faced.”

Friday’s other Class 2A semifinal

Owensboro Catholic 41, Beechwood 40: The Aces denied a 2-point conversion by Beechwood on the final play of the game to earn their third straight Class 2A state championship game appearance and take down the defending champions.

Down 14 with under 4 minutes to play, the Tigers (11-2) quickly scored twice and pulled to within the final margin on a 5-yard pass from Emmett Queen to Brody Aylor with no time remaining on the game clock.

Beechwood elected to go for the win in regulation but failed to connect on a 2-point pass attempt.

Dre’Mail Carothers went 26 of 34 for 355 yards and two TD passes for the Aces (13-1).

KHSAA Football State Championships

At Kroger Field, Lexington

FRIDAY’S FINALS

Class A: Raceland vs. Kentucky Country Day, noon.

Class 2A: Lexington Christian vs. Owensboro Catholic, 4 p.m.

Class 4A: Boyle County vs. Franklin County, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY’S FINALS

Class 3A: Murray vs. Christian Academy-Louisville, noon.

Class 6A: Trinity vs. South Warren, 4 p.m.

Class 5A: Pulaski County vs. Owensboro, 8 p.m.