By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Covington Catholic closed out its third consecutive unbeaten regular season with a 45-7 win over Conner on Friday to finish on top in the Class 5A, District 5 standings and remain the No. 1 team in state power rankings.
The Colonels (10-0) scored on all seven of their first-half possessions to take the 38-point lead. There were no points scored in the second half that was played with a running clock. CovCath reserve players saw a lot of action in those final two quarters.
Conner (7-2) got its only touchdown on a 12-yard run by quarterback Jared Hicks with 2:18 left in the second quarter that made the score 24-7.
But the Colonels scored 21 straight points in less than two minutes to open up a 45-7 halftime lead with the last two touchdowns coming after a fumble recovery and partially blocked punt.
CovCath finished with 504 total yards and limited Conner to 204. Junior quarterback Caleb Jacob completed 13 of 21 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns for the Colonels.
Senior tight end Michael Mayer caught five passes for 148 yards and two TDs. He opened the scoring with a 75-yard touchdown reception. Wide receiver Ethan Reardon also caught a pair of touchdown passes and running back Michael Boydston scored both of the Colonels’ rushing touchdowns. Trey Gronotte made a 30-yard field goal and converted all six point-after kicks.
CovCath has now won 39 of its last 40 games over the last three seasons. The pairings for the first round of the Class 5A district playoffs on Nov. 8 will be Cooper at CovCath and Highlands at Conner.
Simon Kenton 44, Ryle 14
Simon Kenton freshman quarterback Chase Crone provided 380 yards of offense and five touchdowns in his team’s 44-14 win over Ryle on Friday that clinched first place in Class 6A, District 6.
Crone completed 17 of 29 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried the ball 11 times for 91 yards and two TDs for the Pioneers, who finished with a 515-307 advantage in total yardage.
After Ryle running back Kyle England scored on a 93-yard run early in the third quarter to make it 21-14, Crone threw a pair of touchdown passes to senior Evan Mulberry to push his team’s lead to 35-14. Late in the fourth quarter, Crone score his second rushing touchdown on a 7-yard run.
The game’s leading rushers were England with 130 yards on 18 carries and Simon Kenton senior Austin Hammack with 128 yards on 20 carries. Mulberry ended up with eight receptions for 201 yards.
Both teams will host a first-round game in the district playoffs on Nov. 8. The match-ups will be Campbell County at Simon Kenton and Dixie Heights at Ryle.
District playoff pairings
First-round games to be played Friday, Oct. 8
Class 1A, District 4
Dayton at Newport Central Catholic; Bellevue at Ludlow.
Class 1A, District 5
Bracken County at Nicholas County; Paris at Brossart.
Class 2A, District 5
Gallatin County at Walton-Verona; Owen County at Carroll County.
Class 2A, District 6
Holy Cross at Beechwood; Newport at Lloyd.
Class 4A, District 6
Harrison County at Holmes; Rowan County at Scott.
Class 5A, District 5
Cooper at Covington Catholic; Highlands at Conner.
Class 6A, District 6
Campbell County at Simon Kenton; Dixie Heights at Ryle.