‘Let’s come out and pound this team.’ LCA rolls into state championship game.
After a dominant defensive showing and an all-around clinic performed by its ascendant quarterback, Lexington Christian Academy is headed back to the state football finals for the first time since 2009, when the Eagles won the program’s only championship.
The host Eagles routed Murray, 48-13, in the KHSAA Class 2A semifinals Friday night in Lexington. Drew Nieves continued a stellar junior campaign under center, throwing for 196 yards and two touchdowns and adding 77 yards and two more scores on the ground. Nieves piled up 185 yards passing and 72 rushing during a first half in which the Eagles outgained the Tigers on offense 295 yards to 60.
“He’s just a natural,” LCA Coach Doug Charles said of Nieves. “The guy’s got God-given arm talent and he plays within our scheme. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. I couldn’t be more proud of a kid.”
LCA (10-1) could hardly have scripted a better start, while a nightmare scenario unfolded early for Murray.
The Eagles won the toss and deferred, yet grabbed the lead just 45 seconds into the game. Elijah Hammond picked off a Murray pass and returned it to the Tigers’ 5-yard line, then Tyler Morris scored his fifth touchdown of the season on a sweep.
On the first play of Murray’s next possession, Hammond recovered a fumble off a mishandled snap exchange. Xavier Brown cashed in on the turnover with a 7-yard touchdown run, and the Eagles led 13-0 a minute and a half into the game.
Hammond stonewalled Murray’s next possession with a third-down sack and Nieves quickly drove the Eagles down the field, scoring his fifth rushing TD of the season to make it 19-0 with 6:15 to go in the first quarter.
“That just amped us up so much,” Nieves said of Hammond’s big plays. “After he did that we were all like, ‘all right, let’s come out and pound this team. We’re not letting up, we’re going to stomp down on them.’”
Murray found its footing on the next possession, with a huge run by senior tailback Charvelle McCallister contributing to a 60-plus yard drive that penetrated LCA’s red zone. On fourth-and-9, Murray quarterback Rowdy Sokolowski connected with an uncovered Colin Wilson in the end zone, but the Tigers were penalized for illegal procedure. They turned the ball over on downs the next play, and moments later Nieves tossed a 30-yard TD to Will Vernon to push the Eagles’ advantage to 25-0.
Later in the quarter with the Eagles backed up deep in their own territory, Nieves off play action hit Mason Moore in stride with a beautiful deep pass. Moore outraced the Murray secondary for an 89-yard touchdown, his 10th of the year, to make it 32-0.
In the third quarter, Moore came up with an interception near midfield that led to a 44-yard field goal by Andrew Dobbs to push the lead to 35-0 and trigger a running clock. In last week’s quarterfinals win over Metcalfe County, Moore intercepted two passes.
The Tigers got on the board in the fourth quarter when McCallister ripped off a 9-yard touchdown run. McCallister punched in an 11-yard touchdown with less than 10 seconds to play to set the final score.
It was a tough end to a great season for Murray (8-4), which knocked off longstanding rival Mayfield in triple overtime on Nov. 27 then dominated Owensboro Catholic last week to reach the semifinals.
LCA’s defense suffered a major loss when Johnny Drake went down with an injury midway through the second quarter. The sophomore linebacker had to be helped off the field and appeared unable to put weight on his left leg. Drake watched the rest of the game from the sideline with a pair of crutches and an ice wrap on his left knee. Charles said after the game he believed Drake’s injury was a hyperextension, not a torn ligament.
The Eagles will face perennial powerhouse Beechwood in the Class 2A championship game. The Tigers jumped out to a 20-0 lead on host West Carter and survived a furious rally, winning 35-34. In 19 championship game appearances Beechwood (9-1) has won 14 state titles, most recently in 2018. The Eagles and Tigers are scheduled to meet at Kroger Field in Lexington on Friday at 3 p.m.
“It was an absolute blast out there tonight,” Nieves said. “We had a great game plan and we just came out and did our thing. We’re headed to Kroger Field now.”
Standing near midfield as teammates celebrated all around him, Nieves turned and pointed to the state championship banner hanging underneath the press box.
“We haven’t got one since 2009, and we’d love to put another one up there,” Nieves said. “It would mean everything.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 12:05 AM.
