Region finals roundup: Central clips Lexington Catholic

After taking a 7-0 lead just a couple of minutes into the contest, Lexington Catholic couldn’t score again in its 30-7 loss to Central in its Class 3A Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridion Bowl region final on Friday night.

Kirk Fagot scored on a 32-yard scamper to put LexCath on the board first with 9:29 left in the opening quarter. Central’s Corey Johnson scored twice in the second quarter, a touchdown as time expired before the break to put Central ahead for good, 14-7.

Fagot led the Knights with 93 yards on 20 carries. The senior quarterback was 11-for-22 for 140 yards.

LexCath (7-6) was without junior Dameon Jones, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in its win over Bardstown last week.

Johnson had 102 yards on 28 carries, just behind Chereioun Jones’ 15 rushes for 111 yards.

Yellow Jackets quarterback James Simpson went 11-for-21 for 230 yards and two TDs. Ukruri Baker was a productive target, coming down with four catches for 114 yards and a score.

LexCath’s Jack Fagot, Kirk’s twin brother, had a game-high 11 tackles. Luke Bowman led Central with 10 tackles.

Central will host Elizabethtown next week.

Elizabethtown 35, Caldwell County 10: The Panthers reached the state semifinals for the second straight season. Jay Becherer returned an interception 85 yards as part of the Etown win.

Belfry 43, Russell 12: It was the first time the Pirates allowed points this postseason but they cruised into the state semifinals for the seventh straight season.

Corbin 38, Casey County 17: The Rebels became just the second team to get more than 14 points against the Redhounds, but that wasn’t enough to keep Corbin from its second straight state semifinal. The Redhounds will host Belfry, which advanced to the finals with a 42-14 win in last year’s meeting.

Russellville 48, Bethlehem 12: Johnny Drumgole rushed for 194 yards and three TDs wile Jaylyn McMurry chipped in 153 yards and two scores for the Panthers, who won their second straight region title.

Beechwood 42, Kentucky Country Day 7: KCD tied the game briefly with 3:07 remaining in the second quarter before the Tigers responded to take a 14-7 halftime lead and blew things open in the final periods. Aiden Justice had 168 yards and two TDs on 22 rushes for Beechwood, which hosts Russellville in a repeat of last year’s state semifinal.

Paintsville 21, Raceland 14: Kent Phelps, a Wofford commit, had 164 yards and a TD to lead the Tigers to their second straight region title. Darren Morris threw two TDs for Paintsville, which will again take a 13-0 record into the state semifinals.

Hazard 42, Pikeville 19: The Bulldogs avenged a 29-21 loss to the Panthers earlier in the season and won a regional for the first time since 2012. Hazard will host Paintsville next week.

Mayfield 28, Owensboro Catholic 6: It was the Cardinals’ 24th straight win overall and their 23 straight postseason victory since falling to Hazard in the 2011 Class A state finals.

Louisville Christian 21, DeSales 14: Anteneh Thompson scored on 4th and 1 from one yard out to give the Centurions their first region title. Louisville Christian had been ousted by DeSales in the last four postseasons. It’ll host Mayfield next week in its state semifinals debut.

Covington Holy Cross 26, Newport Central Catholic 21: CHC beat its district rival for just the third time in program history and advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since winning their only state title in 2011. The Indians will travel to Danville, which defeated Lexington Christian 34-28 on Friday.

Franklin-Simpson 33, South Warren 16: Jackson Caudill threw for 278 yards, including an 84-yard TD to senior star Josiah Robey, to help knock off the defending champs and lift the Wildcats into the state semifinals for the first time since 2011. They’ll travel to John Hardin next week.

John Hardin 52, Shelby County 31: The Bulldogs will play in the state semifinals for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. They avenged a 44-14 loss to the Rockets which ended a seven-year semifinals streak last season.

Wayne County 30, Mercer County 14: Senior running back Dalton Garner did not play for the Cardinals, who advanced to the semifinals for the third time in four seasons.

Johnson Central 51, Ashland Blazer 0: Wayne County will host the Golden Eagles in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, which Johnson Central won 21-14.

Bowling Green 50, Owensboro 21: The Purples reached the 50-point mark for the sixth time this season and extended their win streak to 25 straight games.

Fern Creek 35, Covington Catholic 28: CovCath couldn’t convert on 4th and goal with 6.5 seconds left to extend its season, sending the Tigers to their second straight semifinal. They’ll host Bowling Green next week.

South Oldham 45, North Bullitt 42: Cooper Cantrell, who’s headed to the University of Kentucky to play soccer, hit a game-winning field goal with four seconds left to finish off a 14-point rally by the Dragons in the fourth quarter.

Pulaski County 41, Southwestern 27: The Maroons won their fourth straight region title and could play in their fourth straight championship game if they defeat South Oldham at home next week.

St. Xavier 31, Male 21: Once mainstays in the state semifinals, the Tigers are back for the first time since 2009, the same year they won their last state title.

Trinity 63, Ballard 20: The Shamrocks lost a five-game streak of keeping opponents scoreless and trailed Ballard briefly before winning their 11th game by double-digit points this season.

This story was originally published November 19, 2016 at 3:40 AM with the headline "Region finals roundup: Central clips Lexington Catholic."