‘We’re going down there to win it.’ Scott County dominates for 5th state finals trip
Scott County’s football team waved Kroger bags around during their post-game kneel down with head coach Jim McKee, who broke out one of his own from his back pocket before addressing his team. It was a much-awaited celebration at the end of a state semifinal decided before halftime.
The Cardinals dominated all three phases of the game in a 40-6 rout of Madison Central in the penultimate round of the Class 6A KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl. They’ll face Male, a 27-20 winner over Trinity, in the state finals next Saturday at Kroger Field in Lexington.
It is Scott County’s first trip to the state finals since 2013, when the Cardinals defeated Meade County for the program’s second state championship. Scott County has played in five state championship games but this will be its first at Kroger Field, which hosted for the finals for the first time last season.
McKee quickly turned his sights to that trip.
“We played great, enjoy it,” McKee told his team, “but make one thing perfectly clear now, we’re going next Saturday night to win the thing. We’re going down there next Saturday night at eight o’clock, and we’re not going down there to enjoy being down there. We’re going down there to win it.”
The Cardinals led 27-0 after one quarter courtesy of two touchdown runs by Bronson Brown — an 83-yard scamper and a 1-yard score — and two Glenn Covington TDs, both within a couple minutes of one another. Covington first scored after getting separation on a 58-yard reception from Cade McKee with 4:35 left in the first quarter and then returned an interception of Madison Central’s Derrick Miller 75 yards for a score with 2:13 left in the period.
Scott County put a running clock into effect 2:09 left in the first half following a TD by Payton Brown — a 51-yard catch from Cade McKee — and a 1-yard plunge by Austin Barnett, the Cardinals’ leading rusher.
Jim McKee said this year’s trip to state was as much for his past few classes of seniors as it is this season’s class. The Cardinals each of the last three seasons have lost to the eventual state runner-up — to Lafayette in the 2015 region finals, Lafayette again on a two-point conversion in 2016’s semifinals, and at St. Xavier despite a comeback bid late in last year’s semifinal round.
“I’m happy for the kids, the community,” Jim McKee said. “It’s the fifth time we’ve been. Am I happy personally? Sure. But I’m happier watching those guys take pictures with their families and hug. I’ve had an opportunity to do that myself, too, and it’s a life-long memory.”
Cade McKee finished 4-for-5 for 180 yards. “They were bound and determined to take Barnett away,” Jim McKee said of Madison Central’s defensive effort, “so we had to hit ’em, and we did.”
Scott County hadn’t played a home game during the 2018 postseason before Friday night. It won 36-13 at Campbell County to open the playoffs before upsetting Frederick Douglass, 28-27, in Lexington the following week. The Cardinals cruised, 56-28, at Simon Kenton last week to play one last home game at Toyota Stadium; Scott County next year is set to share a new facility with Great Crossing High School.
The Cardinals at one point lost three of four games in the middle of the season, including a 51-27 home loss to Henry Clay that captured the state’s attention for a weekend. The next week they lost by 18 at Frederick Douglass, the top-ranked team in Class 6A entering the playoffs, before avenging that defeat.
“It wasn’t the perfect script but, y’know, I’ve been coaching a long time, and I’m not saying that makes me a good coach but it keeps me off the panic button,” Jim McKee said. “The media people like you guys, you love to fall in love with somebody real quick in August or September, and I always just try to stay the course. Our guys didn’t panic when we lost a game or two; we lost to good teams.”
Jim McKee felt like that mid-season stretch — which also included a landmark win at Cincinnati Moeller — was healthy for his team, especially to the development between Cade McKee, his son, and Covington as a offensive duo. Less encouraging was the week of practice leading up to the semifinals.
“This was the perfect trap game,” Jim McKee said. “We beat Douglass and Simon Kenton, we’re thinking about next week, moms and dads are in their ears (saying) ‘You’re going to the finals,’ and we didn’t have the greatest week of practice. But it sure did not show.”
HIGHLIGHTS
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bronson Brown gets himself another TD out of a timeout. Scott County leads Madison Central, 14-0, with 6:25 left 1Q. <a href="https://t.co/vHPbi9bwXG">pic.twitter.com/vHPbi9bwXG</a></p>— Josh Moore (@HLpreps) <a href="https://twitter.com/HLpreps/status/1066130781658075136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Only thing stopping Glenn Covington here was the fence, and he might have scaled it if he hadn’t just ran 80 yards. Catches the TD pass from Cade McKee to make it 20-0, Scott County, with 4:35 left 1Q (two-point pass no good). <a href="https://t.co/gzs0QyXR8E">pic.twitter.com/gzs0QyXR8E</a></p>— Josh Moore (@HLpreps) <a href="https://twitter.com/HLpreps/status/1066132506855030785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Glenn Covington with one of the more exciting plays I’ve witnessed in person. He brings it back 75 yards (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/oaksie72?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@oaksie72</a> on the yardage) and Scott County’s lead swells to 27-0 over Madison Central with 2:13 left 1Q. <a href="https://t.co/0HWmkzlSK3">pic.twitter.com/0HWmkzlSK3</a></p>— Josh Moore (@HLpreps) <a href="https://twitter.com/HLpreps/status/1066134331872165889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">You could say Scott County is having success with its pass rush. Another Madison Central punt coming. <a href="https://t.co/IlE7aNSE9F">pic.twitter.com/IlE7aNSE9F</a></p>— Josh Moore (@HLpreps) <a href="https://twitter.com/HLpreps/status/1066131473365942272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This story was originally published November 23, 2018 at 11:15 PM.