By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
Just what you expected after the way these teams rocked and rolled one another last week in Newport’s 44-42 regular season win over Holy Cross when they had to come back and replay it against each other in the first round of the KHSAA Class A playoffs Saturday.
The first half was an out-of-control roller-coaster ride without brakes – up, down, around and around . . . but would it ever slow down? Would anyone take control? Did either of these homeless teams have the edge here at Highlands’ David Cecil Memorial Stadium in Fort Thomas?
Here’s just one example of how out of control this one was for starters. Newport was knocking at the door, leading 6-0 in the first quarter, on the Holy Cross half-yard line with first and goal after a penalty – one of the games’ 24 flags – before the Wildcats started heading the wrong way. First a penalty for delay of game and then one for not having enough men on the line. Combined with the three on Holy Cross to get Newport to the goal line, that made five straight penalties.
Newport’s Sean Hurrry (#54) and Carson Sanders (71) apply pressure in the pass rush. (Photo by Dan Weber/NKyTribune)
But the weirdness wasn’t over. Back on the 11, Newport misfired on a couple of passes before a bad snap – make that a super bad snap longer than many of the punts in this game — sent the ball back to midfield where twice a Newport player leaped on the bouncing ball, only to cough it up and have Holy Cross’ Davonte Ryan finally fall on it at the Newport 49.
Do the math. That’s a loss of 38 yards – and the football – on a sequence that started at the half-yard line.
A real bummer for the Wildcats, right? They suit up just 19 players. How long can this go on?
All day, as it turned out. With an athletic pass rush led by the perfectly named 6-foot-1, 195-pound freshman, Sean Hurry, that just got better, and a lightning run game keyed by junior Rodzion Thompson, Newport would go on to outscore Holy Cross, 48-14, the rest of the way. And 34-zip after halftime for a 54-14 romp.
The result: nine sacks on Holy Cross quarterbacks, mostly against Donovan Ambrocio, an unusual talent who leads the Indians in both passing and tackles from his inside linebacker spot.
“Our quarterback (Ambrocio) played his butt off,” said Holy Cross Coach Bruce Kozerski, who thought his team’s “first half was great . . . We just couldn’t block them at the line of scrimmage. We had receivers open.” But no time to find them.
Newport captains with Coach Ryan Hahn await the coin toss: Carson Sanders, Khalil Buck-Barber, Rodzion Thompson, and Kyle Lee (Photo by Dan Weber/NKyTribune)
Newport quarterback Kyle Lee had more time – and more receivers as he scrambled and threw it on the run, finding Keegan Farrell and Landon Stacks for TDs from 18 and 24 yards respectively for the sixth and seventh touchdowns of the game.
But those were mostly window dressing. The real offense came from Thompson on a 70-yard kickoff return TD and then an eight-yard burst and a final 59-yard reverse-the-field TD where his speed was just too much for the Indian defenders. He got help from quick sophomore Ayden Stachel, who stepped in for the final TD in the first half on a 23-yard burst.
Now 8-3, the Wildcats move on to another return game, this one at district champ Ludlow Friday, where Newport prevailed, 16-14, in the regular season. But even with a day less than the rest of the state’s winners as the lone Saturday game, it wasn’t time to look ahead but to enjoy this one for a bit.
“Leadership” was the difference this week, Thompson said. “We had great practices and we listened to our coaches.”
Quarterback Lee, who scored twice on scrambles of six and five yards, said one of their secrets was getting so many players involved in the offense with five Wildcats scoring TDs.
And then there was Hurry, showing the way for his more veteran D-line mates. He really shouldn’t be doing this as his team’s leading tackler and sacker, should he?
“I know,” he admitted, “I’m just different.”
Indeed. He wasn’t the only defender to make impactful plays. Holy Cross DB Andrew Bales picked a Newport receiver’s pocket for a 30-yard TD that was half interception, half fumble recovery as he stole a completion and returned it to the end zone.
But there simply wasn’t enough of that for the Indians, who finish the season at 5-6.
“We need to improve in all three facets of the game, offense, defense and special teams,” said Newport Coach Ryan Hahn in his return for his first game coaching at his alma mater Highlands. “We know Ludlow is tough.”
Holy Cross Coach Bruce Kozers, the former Bengal (Photo by Dan Weber/NKyTribune)
But based on the final 24 minutes, so are these Wildcats.
SCORE BY QUARTER
NEWPORT (8-3) 6 14 12 22–54
HOLY CROSS (5-6) 0 14 0 0—14
SCORING SUMMARY
Newport: Lee 6 run (PAT pass fails)
Holy Cross: Ryan 13 pass from Ambrocio (Fisk PAT kick)
Newport: Thompson 70 kickoff return (Roper PAT run)
Holy Cross: Bales 30 fumble return (Fisk PAT kick)
Newport: Strachel 23 run (PAT run fails)
Newport: Thompson 8 run (PAT pass fails)
Newport: Lee 5 run (PAT pass fails)
Newport: Farrell 18 pass from Lee (Thompson PAT run)
Newport: Stacks 24 pass from Lee (PAT pass fails)
Newport: Thompson 59 run (PAT Thompson run)
