By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
After opening the season with an uncharacteristic pair of losses, Covington Catholic’s young, unproven Colonels had just one thought.
“After those first two games, we said ‘8-2,’” junior quarterback Cash Harney said after his three-touchdown, 102-yard total offense night in a district-clinching 49-0 romp over a now 7-2 Mason County team in Park Hills. “Right now, it’s looking promising.”
Looking as good as the seven straight wins CovCath has racked up with an almost perfect four Class 4A district games where the Colonels outscored their opponents, 215-6. Yep, that’s right. Just six points away from four straight shutouts in district play.
But it’s not just on defense where this CovCath team has gotten better, says Coach Ed Eviston. “It’s all across the board.”
And on the scoreboard. The last seven games have seen the Colonels score 42, 47, 49, 56, 54, 56 and 49 points and then going for 35 the first half against a Mason County team that had lost just one game, by three points, to Boyd County.
Even in those two opening losses to toughies Ryle and Highlands, “We were in those games,” Eviston said. Just not ready to win them. Now they are. Just one penalty in this game. And gang-tackling all over the field.
“We’re starting to come together,” junior Logan Sanning said after his two first-half interceptions that had a trio of juniors – along with Harney and tailback Dylan Gaiser — taking over Senior Night in a one-sided first half that made for a running clock the entire second half.
Not that the seniors didn’t step up. In the first half, Andrew Bessler ran through four different Royals on his way to a 30-yard TD in the second quarter to make it 21-0. Linebacker Tate Kruer got a chance to run for his first touchdown of the season in the third quarter as the lead defender took one in from the 4.
Then another senior, Sam Boyce, took the final score in from the 18 as a CovCath team that likes to pound the football just kept pounding it – for 229 of their total 265 yards on offense, averaging 8.2 yards a carry. A Mason County team that would rather throw it managed just 78 yards on 17 carries, a 4.6 average.
The problem for the Royals in their lone one-sided loss this season was that they didn’t get much out of their passing game against a quick Colonels’ defense that picked them off three times while allowing just five of 13 completions for 54 yards.
“They’re really coachable,” Eviston said of his improving team. And he’s getting help from his veterans, the seniors honored on this night.
“The seniors are becoming better leaders,” Kruer said. “We didn’t have a lot of vocal guys.” But now they do, including Kruer, whose plans are to become a physician, like his father, probably an orthopedic specialist. “We’re holding people accountable.”
“They really challenged us,” Sanning said, “I knew we’d come together and start playing.”
For Harney, who is also the quick point guard and leader on the CovCath basketball team that opens Dec. 7, his future would seem to be football for a program that wants the quarterback to run the ball – like the option teams Army and Navy.
But it’s not the offense Harney credits for the Colonels’ seven-game win streak. “Our defense has stepped up a lot.”
“No doubt,” Sanning said in agreeing with his quarterback.
The win hands CovCath the No. 1 seed in the Class 4A District 5 playoffs in two weeks but first the Colonels finish the regular season at Class 6A Campbell County Friday at 7 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
MASON COUNTY 0 0 0 0–0
COVCATH 7 28 7 7–49
COVCATH: Harney 4 run (PAT) Urti kick good
COVCATH: Harney 1 run (PAT) Urti kick good
COVCATH: Bessler 30 run (PAT) Urti kick good
COVCATH: Harney 12 run (PAT) Urti kick good
COVCATH: Pitzer 10 run (PAT) Urti kick good
COVCATH: Kruer 4 run (PAT) Urti kick good
COVCATH: Boyce 18 run (PAT) Weitzel kick good
TEAM STATS
Royals Colonels
First Downs 8 14
Third Down Efficiency 2-7-29% 2-6-33%
Fourth Down Efficiency 1-3-33% 2-3-67%
Rushing Att-Yards-Avg 17-78-4.6 28-229-8.2
Passing Att-Yards-Avg 15-54-10.8 12-36-6.0
Pass Cmpt-Att-Int-% 5-15-3-33% 6-12-0-50%
Tot Off Yards 132 265
Sacks-Yards 0-0 3-0
Penalties-Yards 5-30 1-5
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-0
Punts-LG-Avg 3-21-12.0 1-34-34.0
Field Goal Made-Att 0-0 0-0
Touchdowns Tot-Run-Pass 0-0-0 7-7-0
# Possessions 9 10
Total Plays 32 39
Time of Poss 26:19 20:14