By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
Home and away, near and far. The four Northern Kentucky high school football teams fighting for the right to head down to Lexington and UK’s Kroger Field for the state championship games, have some history to work through Friday night.
BEECHWOOD, MAYFIELD: OLD FRIENDS, LONG-TIME FOES
First for the Class 2A semifinalists, Beechwood and Mayfield. The schools may be 319.7 miles apart but there’s definitely a bond between these two although it didn’t start out that way with Mayfield’s Cardinals winning the matchups the first seven times since 2002.
And then Beechwood turned it around, winning the last two games – in the semifinals two years ago in Fort Mitchell and in last year’s championship game, 14-13, in Lexington. But the Tigers have never made the trip to War Memorial Stadium, capacity 5,000 — and come back with a win.
Beechwood Tigers with a big road trip to Mayfield. (Photo provided)
First-year Beechwood Coach Jay Volker has made one similar trip, back when he was coaching at Cincinnati LaSalle and the Lancers headed off to Memphis’ Christian Brothers High School and he’s hoping this trip turns out better than that one. “They took it to us,” he said after Beechwood’s 55-0 regional championship win last Friday that had his coaches already inside watching Mayfield’s surprising 58-36 romp over Lexington Christian Academy before he got off the field.
You hear the conversations after the game and there’s a familiarity and respect for Mayfield born from more than football, although Mayfield Coach Joe Morris was a big part of the connection between the two communities.
But it was the tornado of Dec. 10, 2021, just over two weeks after the teams had played in the playoffs, that changed all that after leveling or damaging more than 4,000 structures in this town of 10,000, killing 24 in Graves County alone as it ripped through 165 miles of Western Kentucky. The response of a Beechwood community was to pitch in to send two tractor trailers full of aid and supplies and $20,000 and even a police cruiser to Mayfield within days led by principal Justin Kaiser and retired Beechwood Coach Noel Rash.
That football respect carried over to the next December when Beechwood and Mayfield would, in a script made for a movie, meet again in last year’s state championship game with the Tigers edging the Cardinals, 14-13, in a game even Beechwood fans were rooting silently for the comeback kids from Mayfield as the possible game-tying extra point kick with just over a minute left in the game hit the upright.
And Rash, in the postgame press conference, talked as much about Mayfield as his team: “We all got to remember that team is going home and that town isn’t fixed. I hope we all put them in our hearts,” he said. “For all the stuff that they’ve been through, now you got 14- to 18-year-olds struggling in their hearts dealing with this loss. I don’t know why it happened, but it happened and here we stand.”
But only one of these teams that have combined for 29 state championships (Beechwood 17 and the last three straight and Mayfield 12) will be standing after Friday night. According to stats put together by the Kentucky High School Football Report, Mayfield has a record of 266-45 since 2002 with six state championships and seven runner-up finishes. Beechwood is 252-57 in that time with nine state championships and two runner-up finishes.
Each has lost once, interestingly to each of the two teams who will match up in Park Hills in Class 4A. An 11-1 Mayfield team’s lone loss was to Paducah Tilghman, 35-28, while 12-1 Beechwood’s loss came to CovCath, 35-31. Neither is afraid to step up in class.
Mayfield is balanced on offense with Jutoriaus Starks having carried it for 1,313 yards and 26 touchdowns. Quarterback Zane Cartwright has thrown for 31 TDs against just two interceptions and averages 178 yards a game with a 72.4 completion rate.
Beechwood has been riding the arm of junior Clay Hayden, the state’s No. 6 passer, who has thrown for a school-record 46 TDs against just five interceptions while averaging 268 yards a game in the air on a 75.5 percent (185 of 245) completion average. Much of that success is thanks to the receiving of two speedy Top-50 receivers – freshman Tyler Fryman (41 receptions, 15 TDs) and junior Luke Erdman. (43 catches, 15 TDs). Add James Cusick’s 12 TDs on 39 catches to the mix and the Tigers are a tough out on offense.
In team stats, these two distant rivals could not be closer. Mayfield is the state’s second-highest scoring team at 51.1 points a game, Beechwood is No. 3 at 49.1. In scoring margin, Mayfield is No. 3 in the state, outscoring opponents by 36.3 points a game. Beechwood is No. 4, with a 35.8 points a game margin.
COVCATH, PADUCAH TILGHMAN HAVE A HISTORY
CovCath Coach Ed Eviston with the Colonels at home against Paducah Tilghman Friday. (Photo provided)
As unlikely as it might seem, these teams from 313 miles apart – from Paducah to Park Hills – have a meaningful history, even if it’s only two games long. That’s because both games came in the state championship.
And both times, in Class 3A state championship games in back-to-back years in 1987 and 1988, CovCath came out on top, coming from behind in the fourth quarter in each. In 1987, the Colonels won 16-6 on 14 fourth quarter points. In 1988, CovCath scored 21 fourth-quarter points to send the game into overtime where its lone TD sent the Colonels home, 30-24 winners.
And now here they are again, the Blue Tornado and the blue-and-white Colonels. And from the numbers, looking a lot alike. Both teams are unbeaten at 13-0. Both teams have a top running back – Tilghman with Demarkus Wilson (1,031 yards and 14 TDs in 13 games, CovCath with Owen Leen (767 yards and 12 TDs in 10 games).
But it’s been in the air where these teams have done the most damage. Tilghman’s Jack James is the state’s top passer, completing 242 of his 350 attempts (69.1 percent) for 3,851 yards and 55 TDs with just four interceptions. CovCath’s Evan Pitzer has hit on 155 of 213 (72.8 percent) for 2,508 yards and 32 TDs with four interceptions.
If there’s an edge in the passing game, it could be CovCath’s UK-bound tight end Willie Rodriguez, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound tough-to-bring-down target with 12 TDs among his 470 receiving yards although each team has three of the state’s Top 50 receivers. CovCath’s go-to guy is Braylon Miller (54 receptions, eight TDs, 836 yards) along with Oliver Link (25 receptions, 457 yards, four TDs).
Paducah’s answers there start with Martels Carter’s amazing 26.0 yards a catch on his 39 for 1,015 yards and 10 TDs that has him No. 5 in the state. JoeAvion Starks has 1,010 yards on his 68 catches with 17 TDs.
As for the teams, they bracket Mayfield and Beechwood among the state’s top four scoring machines with Tilghman No. 1 at 51.2 points a game, CovCath No. 4 at 43.2. The defensive numbers are just as impressive – and close. Tilghman is No. 4 there, allowing 11.9 points a game, CovCath No. 5 with 14.1 points given up on average.
Where CovCath has the advantage, and why the Colonel are at home, is in the RPI rankings where CovCath, with wins over Highlands and Beechwood, has the No. 1 3A Colonels over the No. 5 Blue Tornado.
Highlands will be home at David Cecil Memorial Stadium Friday against Cooper. (Photo provided)
KEEPING IT HOME IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY IN 5A FOR HIGHLANDS, COOPER
As far apart as the Class 2A and 4A semifinalists are, the 5A opponents – Highlands and Cooper – could not be much closer. It’s just 23.6 miles from Union – thanks I-275 – to Fort Thomas where the No. 1 Bluebirds and the late-breaking Jaguars will face off in a rematch of their exciting 58-51 regular season game in Union that, if truth be told, might not have been quite as close as the score.
Cooper’s two late TDs, and 581 passing yards, showed there’s no quit in the young Jaguars. But if Cooper is the most overlooked, under-ranked team in the state after whipping up on favored Scott and Southwestern on the road the last two weeks, Highlands is Highlands.
Once again.
Which is why the 12-1 Bluebirds were able to put up 424 yards on the ground against Cooper while holding the Jags (11-2) to a minus 34 yards rushing.
Both teams come into Friday’s 7 p.m. game on a roll. Since that Cooper game Sept. 22, Highlands is averaging 47.4 points a game while giving up just 7.8. Cooper, meanwhile, is averaging 39.3 points a game, allowing just 11.1 points, in its seven-game win streak.
Both teams have weapons everywhere you look on offense. Highlands’ two-man passing duo of senior Brody Benke and sophomore Rio Litmer have thrown for 46 TDs between them (Benke 26, Litmer 20). Tailback Cam Geisler has run for 1,268 yards (97.2 a game) with 11 TDs while Benke has run for 1,128 more with 22 TDs as a runner/receiver.
For Cooper, quick-armed sophomore Cam O’Hara has thrown for 43 TDs on 206 of 300 passing for 3,021 yards with just five interceptions. Keagan Maher has produced 18 TDs on 1,118 yards although it’s in the air where the Jags are the most dangerous.
Juniors Isaiah Johnson, with 69 catches for 11,287 yards and 20 TDs and Austin Alexander (56 receptions for 995 yards and 16 TDs are as good a 1-2 threat as any in the state.
Look for this one to come down to defense. Can the Jack Lonaker-led Jags hang with the Birds or will the deeper veteran Highlands defense be the difference. Highlands has six defenders with 40 or more tackles led by Nate Welch’s 89 with Ethan Grimm (60), Dalton Roller (34), Carson Shelton (50), Christian Stojkovic (42) and Leo Fenik (41).
Contact Dan Weber at dweber3440@aol.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @dweber3440.
