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By Brett Bibbins
NKyTribune contributor
Lloyd needed a late rally to come away with a 31-14 win over Walton-Verona in a Class 2A playoff game on Friday.
The Juggernauts had an 18-0 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Walton-Verona scored two touchdowns that reduced the margin to 18-14.
Lloyd needed two touchdown runs by Justin Durham to nail down the victory and advance to next week’s regional final at Newport Central Catholic.
Durham finished with 151 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Alex Runion scored Lloyd’s other two TDs on a 10-yard run and 55-yard interception return.
Walton-Verona senior Halsey Page rushed for 129 yards and set a team record with 1,595 total yards this season. Hunter Ruber recorded 12 tackles for the Bearcats, making him the third player in team history with 100 tackles in a season.
LLOYD 0 18 0 13 — 31
WALTON-VERONA 0 0 0 14 — 14
L — Durham 11 run (Run failed)
L — Runion 10 run (Pass failed)
L — Runion 55 interception return (Pass failed)
WV — Page 9 run (Moran kick)
WV — Poore 5 run (Moran kick)
L — Durham 81 run (Pass failed)
L — Durham 3 run (Oshon kick)
RECORDS: Lloyd 9-3, Walton-Verona 6-6
COOPER 14, CONNER 6
The Class 6A playoff game between the county rivals ended much like their regular season game.
Dente Hendrix caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Brown in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory for the Jaguars. Three weeks ago, Cooper made a field late in the game to pull out a 15-13 victory.
Brown scored Cooper’s first TD by recovering the ball on a muffed punt and returning it six yards to the end zone in the first quarter. The score remained 7-0 until the fourth quarter when Conner quarterback Kyler Padgett scrambled for a 6-yard touchdown, but the extra point kick failed.
The big performers were Cooper running back Jaden Jackson with 146 rushing yards and Padgett with 187 passing yards.
Cooper has a home game against Simon Kenton in the Class 6A regional final next Friday.
CONNER 0 0 0 6 — 6
COOPER 7 0 0 7 — 14
Cooper — Brown 6 fumble return (Hollifield kick)
Conner — Padgett 6 run (Kick failed)
Cooper — Hendrix 36 pass from Brown (Hollifield kick)
RECORDS: Conner 8-4, Cooper 10-2
SCOTT 28, ASHLAND BLAZER 18
Ashland took an 18-0 lead in the first quarter, but Scott came back to win the Class 4A playoff game.
The Eagles’ rally started with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Danny Fitzgerald to Ryan Muck in the second quarter and ended with a 16-yard scoring strike from Fitzgerald to Muck in the third quarter.
Scott’s other two touchdowns came on short runs by by Nelson Perrin and Roberto London. Perrin finished with 81 rushing yards on 13 carries and caught five passes for 59 yards.
Senior defensive back Jordan Velasquez had two pass interception for the Eagles, who will host Johnson Central in a regional final next Friday.
SCOTT 0 13 15 0 – 28
ASHLAND 18 0 0 0 — 18
A — Brown 3 run (kick failed)
A — Roberts 2 run (run failed)
A — Brown 6 run (kick failed)
S — Muck 6 pass from Fitzgerald (Seay kick)
S – Perrin 8 run (kick failed)
S – London 1 run ( Berling run)
S – Muck 16 pass from Fitzgerald (Seay kick)
RECORDS: Scott 10-2, Ashland 9-3
BEECHWOOD 48, FRANKFORT 10
Beechwood junior running back Aiden Justice scored the first two touchdowns and the Tigers went on to take a 34-3 halftime lead in the Class 1A playoff game.
The Tigers’ offensive attack was solid across the board. Senior quarterback Kyle Fieger was 10-of-15 for 209 yards and three touchdowns and Justice ran the ball nine times for 106 yards and three TDs. The receiving duo of Brett Slusher and Logan Castleman combined for seven catches, 182 yards and three scores.
Beechwood will visit Louisville Holy Cross in the regional final next week.
FRANKFORT 3 0 0 7 — 10
BEECHWOOD 13 21 14 0 — 48
B — Justice 10 run (German kick)
B — Justice 41 run (Kick blocked)
F — Newton 24 field goal
B — Justice 27 run (German kick)
B — Castleman 6 pass from Fieger (Mescher kick)
B — Slusher 33 pass from Fieger (Mescher kick)
B — Castleman 49 pass from Fieger (Mescher kick)
B — Overstreet 30 interception return (Mescher kick)
F — Faulkner 21 pass from Newton (Newton kick)
RECORDS: Frankfort 3-9, Beechwood 11-1
COVINGTON CATHOLIC 28, MADISON SOUTHERN 7
CovCath had a 14-0 lead in the Class 5A playoff game before Madison Southern returned the second-half kickoff to steal the momentum.
The score remained 14-7 until the fourth quarter when CovCath sophomore quarterback A.J. Mayer and freshman running back Casey McGinness ran in touchdowns to clinch the victory.
CovCath finished with 433 yards of total offense while holding Madison Southern to 137. The Colonels’ team leaders were Mayer with 158 passing yards and Tony Best with 115 yards rushing.
Next Friday, CovCath will play at Highlands in the regional final. The last time the Colonels beat the Bluebirds was the 2006 season.
COVINGTON CATHOLIC 7 7 0 14 — 28
MADISON SOUTHERN 0 0 7 0 — 7
CC — Best 1 run (Kloska kick)
CC — McGinness 25 pass from Mayer (Kloska kick)
MS — Richardson 95 kickoff return (Sipple kick)
CC — Mayer 1 run (Kloska kick)
CC — McGinness 9 run (Kloska kick)
RECORDS: Covington Catholic 5-7, Madison Southern 5-6
HIGHLANDS 52, DIXIE HEIGHTS 21
Since starting the season 1-5, the Highlands Bluebirds have rattled off six straight wins to make it back to the Class 5A regional final.
Highlands scored early and often in the win over Dixie Heights, putting up 21 points in the first half and 24 points in the third quarter on the way to its second-highest scoring output of the season.
The Bluebirds had more than 300 yards rushing with Nick Kendall picking up 238 and Grant Murray getting 127. They each scored two TDs.
Ethan Schulte had a big game for the Colonels, totaling 108 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also kicked three extra points in his final high school game.
Highlands will play at home against Covington Catholic in the Class 5A regional final on Friday.
DIXIE HEIGHTS 0 0 14 7 — 21
HIGHLANDS 14 7 24 7 — 52
H — Murray 67 run (Dougherty kick)
H — Kendall 90 run (Dougherty kick)
H — Kendall 82 run (Dougherty kick)
H — Cain 11 pass from Hergott (Dougherty kick)
DH — Schulte 45 pass from Faeth (Schulte kick)
H — Murray 33 run (Dougherty kick)
H — Pulsfort 20 run (Dougherty kick)
D — Caple 8 pass from Faeth (Schulte kick)
H — Dougherty 37 field goal
H — Mayhew 33 fumble return (Dougherty kick)
D — Barrett 41 fumble return (Schulte kick)
RECORDS: Dixie Heights 3-9, Highlands 7-5
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC 46, HOLY CROSS 15
NewCath scored 30 unanswered points from the end of the first quarter to midway through the third quarter to win the Class 2A playoff game.
Senior quarterback Patrick Henschen completed 9 of 12 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns to lead the NewCath offense. The rushing tandem of Jacob Smith and John Harris did the rest for the Thoroughbreds. Smith rushed 23 times for 177 yards and a touchdown and Harris rushed 16 times for 111 yards and a touchdown.
NewCath will play at home against Lloyd in next Friday’s regional final.
HOLY CROSS 7 0 8 0 — 15
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC 8 17 14 7 — 46
NCC — Sack for safety
HC — Barnes 20 pass from Scott (Scott kick)
NCC — Wrobleski 39 pass from Henschen (Run failed)
NCC — Harris 33 pass from Henschen (Hans kick)
NCC — Harris 1 run (Hans kick)
NCC — Hans 22 field goal
NCC — Smith 36 run (Hans kick)
HC — Barnes 3 run (Scott run)
NCC — Freppon 7 pass from Henschen (Hans kick)
NCC — Anderson 5 pass from Henschen (Hans kick)
RECORDS: Holy Cross 6-6, Newport Central Catholic 7-5