Class 5A football finals preview: Covington Catholic vs. Frederick Douglass
It’s championship weekend for the 2019 UK Orthopaedics/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl. Here’s a look at Saturday’s Class 5A state title game at Kroger Field.
Covington Catholic vs. Frederick Douglass
Kickoff: 8 p.m. Saturday
RPI ratings: No. 1 Covington Catholic (.70414); No. 2 Frederick Douglass (.68183).
Cantrall Ratings: No. 1 Covington Catholic (91.4); No. 2 Frederick Douglass (87.3).
Championship history: Covington Catholic (7-1) — Last won it in 2017 and lost in finals last year; Frederick Douglass (0-0) — This is only the third year of the school’s existence.
How they got here: Covington Catholic (14-0) defeated No. 13 Bowling Green 28-0 and beat No. 10 Conner twice and No. 9 Highlands once. Frederick Douglass (14-0) defeated No. 4 Owensboro 28-17 and topped No. 3 Scott County twice.
Quick hits: Douglass Coach Brian Landis and CovCath Coach Eddie Eviston are close friends and former teammates from Georgetown College. Douglass had nine shutouts on the season and leads the state in scoring defense by one point over Covington Catholic (84/85). The Colonels had had six shutouts. Douglass ranks second statewide in scoring with 43.2 points per game. CovCath ranks sixth with 39.3.
Covington Catholic standouts: Michael Mayer, Sr. TE/LB, Notre Dame commit (902 yards, 15 TDs receiving, two rushing TDs, 90 tackles, 1.5 sacks); Caleb Jacob, Jr. QB (2,723 yards, 33 TDs passing, 105 yards, five TDs rushing); Daniel Felix, Sr. RB/LB (780 yards, 14 TDs rushing, 124 yards, two TDs receiving, 69 tackles, nine sacks); Ethan Reardon, Jr. WR (799 yards, nine TDs receiving).
Douglass standouts: Josh McClurg, Sr. QB (1,393 yards, 18 TDs passing, 1,013 yards, 10 TDs rushing); Darius Neal, Jr. RB (858 yards, 13 TDs rushing); Devin Neal, Sr. RB/S, Cincinnati commit (528 yards, nine TDs rushing, 185 yards, three TDs receiving, punt return TD, 71 tackles, two interceptions); Dane Key, So. WR (537 yards, eight TDs receiving, 85 yards, three rushing TDs, four punt return TDs)
@HLpreps pick: Douglass 38, CovCath 31.
State championships
At Kroger Field in Lexington
Friday
Class A: Paintsville (11-3) vs. Pikeville (13-0), 2 p.m.
Class 3A: Belfry (10-3) vs. Bell County (14-0), 7 p.m.
Saturday
Class 2A: Mayfield (13-1) vs. Somerset (13-1), 1 p.m.
Class 4A: Boyle County (14-0) vs. Johnson Central (14-0), 4:30 p.m.
Class 5A: Covington Catholic (14-0) vs. Frederick Douglass (14-0), 8 p.m.
Sunday
Class 6A: Male (14-0) vs. Trinity (12-2), 2 p.m.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 4:16 PM.
