By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The annual high school football game between Covington Catholic and Lexington Catholic came to a dramatic ending once again on Friday.
After recovering a fumble with less than two minutes left on the clock, LexCath moved the ball down the field and scored a touchdown in the final seconds to come away with a 34-27 win in CovCath’s first home game of the season.
Last year, CovCath’s 22-game winning streak came to an end when the Knights scored a touchdown with 32 seconds remaining to take a 29-28 lead and then blocked a potential game-winning field goal attempt by the visiting Colonels as time expired.
CovCath’s record fell to 1-2 with Friday’s loss. It’s the team’s worst start since 2015. LexCath has a 3-0 record with its victories coming by margins of three, two and seven points.
In the final seconds of the second quarter on Friday, LexCath junior Max DeGraff kicked his second 43-yard field goal that tied the score, 13-13, at the halftime break.
CovCath changed quarterbacks in the second half, replacing Adam Holtz with Preston Agee, and the move paid off. Agee scored on runs of 10 and 79 yards to give the Colonels a 27-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
With 6:51 remaining on the clock, LexCath senior quarterback Jack Gohmann started his team’s rally with a 4-yard scoring run. The Knights recovered an onside kick after that touchdown and then tied the score, 27-27, on a 44-yard breakaway run by junior Walker Hall.
CovCath responded with a drive of its own, but Agee fumbled the ball after picking up a first down. That gave the Knights an opportunity to win the game and Gohmann made the most of it. He threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Jack Monday with nine seconds remaining.
LexCath finished with 366 yards, one more than CovCath’s total. Gohmann’s completed 25 of 35 passes for 219 yards and Hall picked up 136 of the Knight’s 147 rushing yards. The Colonels’ offensive leaders were Agee with 124 rushing yards and Holtz with 88 passing yards.
CovCath had three turnovers and LexCath had one. CovCath defensive back Zion Mason picked off a pass and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown.
In another close game on Friday, Ryle edged Cooper, 14-8, to post its sixth consecutive win in the series between the two neighboring schools.
Ryle took an 8-0 lead in the first quarter when running back Lukas Colemire scored from one yard out and Gabe Savage ran in the two-point conversion. That scoring drive started on the Cooper 21-yard line thanks to an interception by Kaden Gardner.
Cooper had a couple of chances to tie the score, but the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs twice deep inside Ryle territory. One of those drives got to the 1-yard line.
In the fourth quarter, Ryle quarterback Logan Verax scored on an 11-yard run to give his team a 14-0 lead. Then Cooper got its first and only touchdown on a 2-yard run by Brendon Tye with less than five minutes left in the game.
Ryle was forced to punt on its next possession. When the snap from center bounced in front of Savage, he scooped up the ball and was able to run for a first down. That gave the Raiders a chance to run out the clock.
LEXINGTON CATHOLIC 10 3 0 21 — 34
COVINGTON CATHOLIC 6 7 7 7 — 27
LC — Hall 14 run (DeGraff kick)
CC — Lenihan 9 pass from Holtz (run failed)
LC — DeGraff 43 FG
CC — Mason 62 interception return (Nally kick)
LC — DeGraff 43 FG
CC — Agee 10 run (Nally kick)
CC — Agee 79 run (Nally kick)
LC — Gohmann 4 run (DeGraff kick)
LC — Hall 45 run (DeGraff kick)
LC — Monday 6 pass from Gohmann (DeGraff kick)
RECORDS: LexCath 3-0, CovCath 1-2
This week in high school football
MONDAY
Dayton 20, Pendleton County 16
THURSDAY
Brossart 42, Bellevue 0
FRIDAY
Ryle 14, Cooper 7
Dixie Heights 42, Conner 26
Beechwood 49, Somerset 0
Holmes 28, Boone County 14
Lexington Catholic 34, Covington Catholic 27
Dayton 14, Frankfort Western Hills 6
Highlands 42, Campbell County 7
Scott 48, Holy Cross 12
Lloyd 31, Providence (Ind.) 21
Roger Bacon (Ohio) 48, Newport Central Catholic 13
Walton-Verona 35, Grant County 20
Newport at Pendleton County (Covid cancellation)
SATURDAY
Simon Kenton at Pulaski Southwestern, 7:30 p.m.