Second-half interceptions help Douglass seal first trip to Class 5A championship game
In a battle between two of the toughest defenses in all of Kentucky high school football, Frederick Douglass came up with two huge turnovers and prevailed 28-17 over Owensboro for a Class 5A semifinal victory and a trip to Kroger Field next Saturday to play for a state title.
Douglass’ Jaylin Bybee had two second-half interceptions, including a devastating 40-yard pick six with 4.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter that put the Broncos up by what would be the final score.
“I saw him going under for a screen and I knew I had to get over the top of it,” Bybee said of what he saw from Owensboro quarterback Gavin Wimsatt on the key play. “When I saw that he kind of threw the ball too far out, I knew I had to go get it. … It was amazing. I didn’t even know what to do. All I know is that I wanted to give somebody a hug.”
The interception came after a rough sequence for the Broncos, who were having trouble moving the ball in the second half after staking themselves to a 21-10 first-half lead.
Offensive penalties put Douglass in a deep hole midway through the third quarter and set up Owensboro in its best field position of the night on the Broncos’ 40.
It looked as if Douglass might avoid damage, but Wimsatt converted a fourth-and-9 with a 23-yard TD to Treyvon Tinsley to cut the Broncos’ lead to 21-17 with 4:27 left in the third.
After a Douglass punt, Wimsatt escaped what looked to be a sure sack on a third-and-12 to move the chains. But Douglass kept up the pressure and forced the Red Devils into another third-and-long when Bybee struck for his interception TD.
“We tell each other all the time: We’ve got to make this play. Forget about the last play,” Bybee said. “Play this play.”
Douglass Coach Brian Landis praised his entire team’s effort. They got two big TD plays out of Devin Neal and a sweet 11-yard fade pass for a touchdown from Josh McClurg to Dane Key. But Landis remembered Bybee as being important to Douglass’s plan since before his program started.
“He was the very first kid I went to visit with when we took this job,” Landis said. “I said, ‘listen, you come with me, buddy, and we’re going to do great things together,’ and he won the game on defense for us. I’m so happy for him.”
Later in the fourth quarter, Bybee got a second interception and, on Owensboro’s next series, Bybee had a key pass breakup in the end zone as the Red Devils tried to rally.
“We realize that defense wins championships, and we know if we want to win this championship, defense has got to step up,” Bybee said.
Coming into the game, Owensboro’s defense had held opponents to only 5.6 points per game, second only to Douglass’s 5.2. The Red Devils had also racked up 46 sacks, the fourth best total in the state.
But Douglass has had the ability to crack big plays on everyone this year, and the Red Devils were no exception.
On a third-and-10 play on the Broncos’ second possession of the game, Devin Neal broke away for a 65-yard TD run to put Douglass up 7-0 with 7:20 left in the first quarter.
Minutes later, with Neal scrambling on the field to set up for a “safe” punt return, he retreated to his own 37 to catch Owensboro’s kick over his shoulder on the fly. He pivoted, veered right through traffic and bulled his way to the end zone for a 14-0 lead with 2:42 left in the first period.
“I caught the ball and saw the opening and just went ahead and went with it,” Neal said.
Owensboro got a field goal and a TD in the first half on a pass from Wimsatt to Treyvon Tinsley.
But Douglass quickly answered with Key’s second-quarter TD, taking advantage of his height advantage over his defender. Key, perhaps, made a bigger play in the fourth quarter as the Broncos tried to run time off the clock when he came back to catch a sideline pass from McClurg that garnered a first down.
“I’m just so happy for our kids, man,” Landis said. “Three years ago, we laid out a plan and No. 1 on that list was play great defense. And we did that tonight. … Our offense did some things when they had to and No. 5 (Neal), again, put us on his back with big plays. Special teams and defense, that’s how you win championship games and we were able to do that tonight.”
Next, No. 2 Douglass will face No. 1 Covington Catholic at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at Kroger Field in the Class 5A state title game. Covington Catholic defeated Bowling Green on Friday 28-0.
“It’s absolutely amazing. It’s probably the best feeling in the world right now,” lineman Walker Parks, Douglass’s Clemson commit said. “You know, the first regional championship the school’s ever won, the first district championship, the first time we’re going to state, and, hopefully, the first time the school’s won a state championship. We just keep stepping up the ladder and try to keep it rolling.”
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 10:30 PM.
