By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
After averaging just 127 rushing yards in its first three football games of the season, Dixie Heights ran the ball surprisingly well during a 28-20 win over Beechwood on Friday in Ft. Mitchell.
The Colonels rushed for 294 yards and three touchdowns with junior running back Pierce Rohlman and junior quarterback Logan Landers leading the charge.
Rohlman picked up 167 yards on 29 carries and scored twice. Landers carried the ball 14 times for 98 yards and one touchdown. In the final seconds, Landers secured the victory with a 17-yard run on a crucial fourth-down play.
“We weren’t running the ball really well so this week we worked hard on challenging the kids and told them we’ve got to get the run game going,” said Dixie Heights coach David Brossart.
“The offensive line and the defensive line as well, they both played nasty. I was really proud of their physical effort,” Brossart added.
Landers also completed 7 of 12 passes for 166 yards. He got most of that total on the only pass he threw in the second half.
On a third-down play with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Landers fired the ball to junior Devin Holbert, who caught it in stride and raced to the end zone on a 88-yard touchdown strike that gave the Colonels a 28-13 lead.
Beechwood junior Parker Mason answered with a big play of its own. On the ensuing kickoff, he returned the ball 82 yards for a touchdown that cut the margin to 28-20 with 4:15 remaining.
Beechwood attempted an on-side kick, but Dixie Heights recovered it at the Tigers’ 45 and was able to maintain possession until time ran out.
“The pressure was right back on us (after that kickoff return),” Brossart said. “But we got the first downs we needed to run out the clock and once again that was all about the offensive line. I’m just proud of their effort up front. They played very well together.”
On one fourth-down play, Beechwood’s defense jumped offside to give the Colonels a first down at the 35 with 2:44 remaining. Four plays later, Landers picked up the final first down on his 17-yard quarterback keeper.
“Landers struggled last week and I knew he was disappointed in his performance, and he just came back so strong (Friday),” Brossart said. “He ran the ball well and managed the offense. He just stood out. I thought he looked like the best player on the field.”
The game started with Dixie Heights recovering an onside kick and Landers getting the first touchdown on an 8-yard run. The Colonels’ next two touchdowns came on short runs by Rohlman as they opened up a 21-7 lead.
Beechwood got most of its 292 total yards in the first half when the Tigers scored on a 5-yard run by senior quarterback Cam Hergott and a 74-yard pass from Hergott to sophomore Mitchell Berger.
Both teams will take a 2-2 record into their first district game next week. Simon Kenton will visit Dixie Heights in Class 6A on Thursday and Beechwood will host Holy Cross in Class 2A on Friday.
DIXIE HEIGHTS 14 7 0 7 – 28
BEECHWOOD 7 6 0 7 – 20
DH – Landers 8 run (Silvers kick)
B — Hergott 5 run (Graman kick)
DH – Rohlman 1 run (Silvers kick)
DH – Rohlman 9 run (Silvers kick)
B – Berger 74 pass from Hergott (kick failed)
DH – Holbert 88 pass from Landers (Silvers kick)
B – Mason 82 kickoff return (Graman kick)
RECORDS: Dixie Heights 2-2, Beechwood 2-2
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
Campbell County 14, Pikeville 8
Cooper 27, George Rogers Clark 26
Covington Catholic 45, Boone County 7
Dixie Heights 28, Beechwood 20
Holmes 28, Rowan County 21
Lloyd 28, Ludlow 7
Newport 51, Bellevue 20
Scott County 28, Ryle 18
Walton-Verona 14, Carroll County 6
Dayton 36, Trimble County 8
Brossart 42, Nicholas County 34 3-OT
Russell 32, Simon Kenton 31 OT
Harrison County 42, Scott 34
Lexington Sayre 28, Holy Cross 14
SATURDAY GAME
Highlands at Conner, 7 p.m.