By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Covington Catholic quarterback Josh Bleser threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kurt Bovard as the final second ticked off the clock to give the Colonels a 29-27 win over Highlands in a classic battle between the long-time rivals on Friday, Oct. 27, 2006.
After Bovard made a leaping catch in the left corner of the end zone, CovCath players, coaches and fans rushed the field to celebrate their first win against Highlands since the 2001 playoffs.
Local coaches had voted Highlands No. 1 and CovCath No. 2 in their weekly poll all season. In their Class 3A district showdown, both teams had more than 300 yards in total offense and the lead changed hands eight times.
It looked like Highlands would come out on top when running back Jordan Kramer scored on a 1-yard run to give his team a 27-23 lead with 51 seconds left. But CovCath put together a scoring drive in the final seconds with Bleser completing 5 of 9 passes for 66 yards.
CovCath’s leading scorer was actually senior kicker Shane Popham with 11 points. He converted three field goals of 47, 27 and 53 yards and two extra-point kicks. The field goals were important because they turned three stalled drives into scoring opportunities for the Colonels.
Two weeks after that game, CovCath defeated Highlands, 25-15, in the second round of the district playoffs. The Colonels went on to win the Class 3A state championship under head coach John Rodenberg.
Here’s a look at other Northern Kentucky football games played on this week’s dates — Oct. 27-Nov. 2.
1964 / Highlands 20, Holmes 0 / Friday, Oct. 30
Two big plays by senior Jim Vorhees helped Highlands come away with a 20-0 win over Holmes in front of an overflow crowd in Covington. Highlands had a 6-0 lead in the third quarter when Vorhees intercepted a pass to stop a potential scoring drive by the Bulldogs. Four plays later, Vorhees scored on a 14-yard run and the Bluebirds were able to extend their perfect record to 8-0.
1979 / Bellevue 30, Dayton 6 / Friday, Oct. 27
Bellevue senior Jon Sutkamp rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s 30-6 win over Dayton that clinched the Class 1A district title. Sutkamp got the first of his three 1-yard scoring runs early in the first quarter. The Tigers’ other touchdown came on a 6-yard pass from Jay Sprague to Paul Thorman that put them ahead, 14-0, at halftime.
1983 / Conner 34, Dixie Heights 20 / Friday, Oct. 28
Conner senior Melvin Miles returned the opening kickoff 85 yards to the end zone and scored three rushing touchdowns to lead his team to a 34-20 win over Dixie Heights. Miles finished with 147 yards on 31 carries to boost his season rushing total over the 1,400 mark. Conner’s other touchdown came on a fumble return by defensive lineman Mark Johnson.
1994 / Boone County 21, Campbell County 7 / Friday, Oct. 29
Boone County running back Shaun Alexander scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter of his team’s 21-7 win over Campbell County and the Rebels finished the regular season with a 10-0 record. Alexander carried the ball on all six plays during an 81-yard scoring drive that broke a 7-7 tie with 7:37 left to play. He scored his third touchdown in the final minutes and finished with 169 yards rushing.
2011 / Beechwood 29, Newport Central Catholic 20 / Friday, Oct. 28
Beechwood junior Max Nussbaum returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and his team went on to hand Newport Central Catholic its first loss of the season, 29-20. NewCath committed two turnovers that led to touchdowns for the Tigers. Cameron Vocke had 157 yards rushing and 103 yards in punt returns for Beechwood.
Really like the Prep-Football Flashbacks – hoping this is something Terry Boehmker continues next year. So many great Friday Night Football memories from the past. It was a tradition for our family to get copies of the Saturday morning, KY Post and Enquirer, to read about all the games, especially when my brother was playing and made the newspaper for his and his teams efforts. I have really enjoyed reading the brief game highlights from those past games on nkytribune.com