ALEXANDRIA — A maroon-colored tornado touched down locally on Friday night, a system that originated in the eastern part of Kentucky. To be precise, this gridiron storm spun into the Northern Kentucky area from Pikeville.
The folks at Campbell County High School, however, were more than prepared for this particular gridiron storm. By the time it ended, small-school football powerhouse Pikeville was heading home with its first loss in nearly two years.
Campbell County’s defense controlled play for most of the game, and the Camels pulled out a 14-8 victory over previously unbeaten Pikeville (3-1). The Panthers — who burned Henry Clay’s defense for more than 600 total yards the previous week during a 58-41 victory in Lexington — were unable to solve the Campbell County defense on Friday night.
The Camels locked up Pikeville star wide receiver Zac Lockhart, who hauled in a state-record 17 receptions for 388 yards and seven touchdowns in the win at Henry Clay. On Friday night, Lockhart finished with four catches for 24 yards and no touchdowns. In fact, the Camels limited Pikeville to just 69 yards passing.
“We played disciplined football, and we’ve been playing with great emotion,” said Campbell County head coach Mike Woolf, whose team improved to 2-2. “But we were executing tonight on both sides of the ball. We told the players that every inch matters, and every play matters. The kids believed in what we were doing, and we got a great victory over a great team. They are a solid program.”
As a result, Pikeville watched its 17-game winning streak vanish on a stunningly perfect fall evening in Northern Kentucky. Coincidentally, the Panthers had not lost since the 2018 Class 1A state championship game, with that setback coming against another local team — the Beechwood Tigers.
Pikeville finished 14-0 last season en route to winning the Class 1A state championship. Two weeks ago, the Panthers posted a 20-14 victory over defending Class 3A state champion Belfry. That made Friday night’s victory even more significant for Campbell County, which finished 1-10 last season.
“Our kids came to play,” Woolf said. “We focused on No. 10 (Lockhart), and switched up coverages on him. They’re a very talented offensive team. Having that film from last week (against Henry Clay) gave us a little bit of an edge. The players earned this win. It’s a great victory heading into district play next week.”
While the tough, disciplined defense of Campbell County prevented Pikeville from turning the game into a pinball machine-type of scoring contest, it was Camels quarterback Justin Little who made the clutch plays on offense. Little’s 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave Campbell County a 12-8 lead, and he followed that with a pass to tight end Derek Minning for a two-point conversion and a 14-8 advantage.
“Justin Little as a senior quarterback has become a leader on this team,” Woolf said. “He has his teammates following him.”
Little finished 8-of-13 passing for 135 yards. Minning, a 6-foot-5 senior, caught four passes for 34 yards.
Senior running back Crosley Gray also provided key plays, including a second-quarter touchdown plunge that cut the Pikeville lead to 8-6. With his team clinging to a 14-8 advantage, Gray sealed the win for Campbell County late in the fourth quarter by breaking loose for a 29-yard run that gave the Camels a first-and-goal inside the Pikeville 5-yard line.
Not needing to score, Campbell County simply snapped the ball three times. Game over. Winning streak finished. And that maroon-colored tornado reversed course, traveling back to Eastern Kentucky having done no damage locally.
The unsung heroes of the night, Campbell County’s offense line, constantly opened the holes for Little and Gray.
“We came into the season knowing our offensive line would be the strength of this team,” Woolf said. “It showed tonight blocking against a great football team. And our defense, they made big plays when they needed to. That’s why we have a score like 14-8 against a great offensive team like Pikeville.”
Don Owen is sports editor of the Northern Kentucky Tribune. Contact him at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport.