By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
One of the closest games in the first round of the Kentucky state football playoffs on Friday was a gritty defensive battle that ended with Walton-Verona pulling out a 22-12 win over Newport in Class 2A.
The final points came on a two-point safety by Walton-Verona. That was a fitting end considering the two teams had a combined total of just 288 offensive yards and converted on just seven of 25 third-down plays.
Walton-Verona fullback Ben Teipe uses a stiff arm on a Newport defender trying to tackle him. (Photo by Carla Martin)
The defenses were so stubborn that Walton-Verona had to settle for field goals on two of its scoring drives and Holy Cross turned the ball over on downs four times.
Three of the game’s four touchdowns came in the second quarter. Newport took a 6-3 lead on a 4-yard run by MyKell Martin. But Walton-Verona junior quarterback Jackson Smith threw a pair of TD passes to Geoffrey Kretzenberg and Logan Ryan that put his team ahead, 17-6, at halftime.
Lincoln Mann kicked his second field goal of the game to extend the Bearcats’ lead to 20-6. A few minutes later, however, Newport sophomore quarterback Kyle Lee connected with Logan Ryan on a 53-yard scoring pass with 6:25 left in the third quarter.
There was no scoring after that until Martin was tackled in the end zone for a safety with 1:22 remaining to make the final score 22-12.
Walton-Verona finished with a slight 145-143 advantage in total yards. The team leaders for the Bearcats were Ben Teipe with 76 yards rushing and Smith with 74 yards passing. For the Wildcats, Lee had 106 yards passing and Martin had 71 yards rushing.
Walton-Verona (9-2) will take an eight-game win streak into next week’s second-round playoff matchup against Lloyd (8-3). The Juggernauts advanced with a 42-7 win over Owen County on Friday.
CovCath running back Owen Leen tries to escape a tackle in his team’s playoff win over Great Crossing. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
In a Class 5A game on Friday, Covington Catholic (9-2) posted its second shutout of the season in a 21-0 win over Great Crossing (8-3). That victory puts the Colonels up against Frederick Douglass (11-0) in next week’s second round.
In this week’s Associated Press statewide media poll, Douglass was No. 1 and CovCath was No. 6 in Class 5A. The last game between the two teams was the 2019 state championship final and CovCath came away with a 14-7 win.
The Colonels’ defense limited Great Crossing to 151 yards with the help of two pass interceptions, six tackles for a loss and three turnovers on downs.
On offense, CovCath had 329 total yards (198 passing, 131 rushing). Owen Leen rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Zac Roberts scored the other TD on a 1-yard quarterback keeper.
Six local teams scored 42 points or more in their first-round victories on Friday and three of them — Beechwood, Newport Central Catholic and Simon Kenton — surpassed the 50-point mark.
Ryle (6-5) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 42-14 win over Louisville Eastern in Class 6A. Dayton (6-5) played its first Class 1A playoff game at home since 2007 and posted a 22-7 win over Berea.
High school football playoffs scoreboard
CLASS 1A
Dayton 22, Berea 7
Newport Central Catholic 52, Eminence 0
Frankfort 50, Ludlow 13
Brossart 36, Fairview 14
CLASS 2A
Walton-Verona 22, Newport 12
Lloyd 42, Owen County 7
Beechwood 55, Trimble County 0
Carroll County 35, Holy Cross 6
CLASS 4A
Bourbon County 28, Holmes 14
Lexington Catholic 50, Scott 6
CLASS 5A
Highlands 49, Montgomery County 0
Scott County 56, Cooper 20
Frederick Douglass 50, Conner 0
Covington Catholic 21, Great Crossing 0
CLASS 6A
Ballard 55, Dixie Heights 14
Ryle 42, Louisville Eastern 14
Simon Kenton 54, Marshall County 7
Louisville Trinity 47, Campbell County 14
Next week’s high school football playoff games
CLASS 1A
Dayton (6-5) vs. Kentucky Country Day (8-2)
Newport Central Catholic (9-2) vs. Frankfort (7-4)
Brossart (9-2) vs. Paintsville (5-5)
CLASS 2A
Walton-Verona (9-2) vs. Lloyd (8-3)
Beechwood (10-1) vs. Carroll County (7-4)
CLASS 5A
Highlands (9-2) vs. Scott County (10-1)
Covington Catholic (9-2) vs. Frederick Douglass (11-0)
CLASS 6A
Ryle (6-5) vs. Louisville Ballard (9-2)
Simon Kenton (8-3) vs. Louisville Trinity (7-4)
