By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Highlands quarterback Patrick Towles accounted for 328 of his team’s 495 offensive yards in a wild 42-37 win over Covington Catholic on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011, in Park Hills.
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound senior completed 8 of 14 passes for 208 yards and one touchdown. He also carried the ball 10 times for 120 yards and three TDs in the Class 4A district game.
CovCath finished with 419 yards of offense in the shootout. Senior tailback Gabe Gray rushed for 167 yards and two TDs. Junior quarterback Blake Bir completed 22 of 32 passes for 194 yards and three TDs.
It was one of the few close games Highlands had during a 15-0 season that ended with a victory in the Class 4A state championship game. Towles, who was named Mr. Kentucky Football, ended up passing for 3,820 yards and 42 touchdowns with only one interception. He also had 589 rushing yards and scored 15 TDs.
Towles went on to play quarterback at Kentucky and then transferred to Boston College for his final year of eligibility.
Here’s a look at other Northern Kentucky high school football games played on this week’s dates — Sept. 22-28.
1968 / Simon Kenton 27, Dixie Heights 6 / Friday, Sept. 27
Simon Kenton running back Charlie Siffel picked up nearly half of his 151 rushing yards on touchdown runs of 44, 29 and 1 yard in a 27-6 win over Dixie Heights. The Pioneers’ other touchdown came on a 29-yard pass from quarterback Chuck Tolliver to wide receiver Jay Lehman. Both teams finished with more than 300 yards of offense, but Dixie Heights had a tough time putting the ball in the end zone against its cross-county rival.
1980 / Dixie Heights 12, Holmes 0 / Friday, Sept. 26
Two big plays enabled Dixie Heights to defeat Holmes, 12-0, in a Class 4A district game. The first play was a 47-yard scoring pass from Dixie Heights quarterback Tom Richardson to Stan Shockey late in the first half. The score remained 6-0 until late in the fourth quarter when Dixie Heights junior fullback Mike Pike broke free on a 68-yard touchdown run. Holmes struggled on offense and finished with just 14 yards rushing.
1987 / CovCath 20, Campbell County 14 OT / Friday, Sept. 25
Covington Catholic running back Scott Tranter caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Donnie Bieger in the overtime period to give their team a 20-14 win over Campbell County. Tranter scored rushing touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters that gave CovCath a 14-8 lead. Campbell County missed the extra-point kick on its final touchdown and the Colonels won in overtime for the second consecutive week.
1999 / Boone County 38, Scott County 14 / Friday, Sept. 24
With junior running back Timmy King leading the way, Boone County rushed for all of its 498 yards and five touchdowns in a 38-14 win over Scott County. King picked up a career-high 398 yards on 38 carries and scored the Rebels’ first three touchdowns on runs of 3, 27 and 53 yards. After Scott County pulled to within 24-14 in the fourth quarter, Boone County senior Jason Parkey put the game away with scoring runs of 50 and 5 yards.
2004 / Holy Cross 27, Bellevue 14 / Friday, Sept. 24
Bruce Kozerski got his first victory as Holy Cross head football coach when four of his players scored touchdowns during a 27-14 win over Bellevue. Senior quarterback Matt Koch threw scoring passes to Brad Hungler and Jeremy Cross in the first quarter for the Indians. Rushing touchdowns by Anthony Penny and Adam Placke extended the lead to 27-0 going into the fourth quarter. Bellevue prevented a shutout by scoring twice off fumble recoveries.