By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
It would take a shootout, no doubt.
For a Simon Kenton team that hadn’t held an opponent under 29 points this season in a Senior Night regular season finale against an Ashland Blazer team that hadn’t lost to a Kentucky team this year, nothing less would work.
But instead of a shootout at Independence Friday, the host Pioneers mostly shot themselves in the foot with early interceptions, fumbles and missed tackles to fall behind, 38-7 on the way to a 58-28 loss.
“That second quarter,” Simon Kenton senior quarterback Brady Lee said with a shake of his head at the 27 points the Tomcats racked up in those 12 minutes. “I was pressured and just started throwing interceptions.”
Lee, Kentucky’s No. 2 passing quarterback overall and No. 1 in Class 6A with 2,716 yards passing coming into this game (301.8 a game), had very little time against the quick Ashland pressure that had a hand in his face or gave him little room to roll out with its rush.
“They dropped guys off,” Lee said of the way the Tomcats’ top two offensive players doubled as secondary defenders with Cameron Davis and Braxton Jennings each grabbing an interception with Jennings, who would go on to score five TDs (from the 3, the 4, two from 12 yards out and one from 66), returning his 35 yards to set up his first TD in the second quarter.
Could Lee get his average passing and get to 3,000 yards for the season was the question coming into this game. At the end, the question was whether Lee gained more grounds keeping the ball and scrambling on the ground than putting it up in the air?
“I don’t think he’s ever done that,” Simon Kenton Coach Roy Lucas said.
He has now. Unable to get free or find anyone open against a Tomcat pass defense allowing just 71 yards a game, Lee came back after sitting out two series to calm down after his first two interceptions. Unofficially, he ran the ball for 155 yards including a 34-yard TD and another 48-yard keeper on 15 carries while throwing it for just 76 yards completing six of 15.
“That might be a first,” Lee said. “Stuff just happens.”
A week ago, they were talking about him getting to 3,000 yards, Lee said before getting shut out by Ryle. “But I forgot all about it this week.”
Next week, in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs on the road against a tough Louisville St. Xavier team, there’s no guarantee he’ll get the more than 200 yards needed to get there, either.
“One game at a time,” Lee said as he was still de-briefing himself from this one.
Ashland displayed serious star power in Jennings, Davis and quarterback LaBryant Strader that nearly derailed Covington Catholic’s unbeaten run to the Class 4A finals a year ago. And a pass defense coupled with a solid ground game that will be tough to stop.
“They’re a pretty good team,” Lee said, having seen a couple of them – with Ryle – in back-to-back weeks.
“We’ve got a lot of guys coming back,” Lucas said of his young team that played a couple of freshmen including quarterback Grant Webb, who spelled Lee those two series.
SCORING SUMMARY
ASHLAND BLAZER 12 27 7 12–58
SIMON KENTON 7 7 14 0—28
Ashland: C. Davis 3 run (PAT) kick blocked
Simon Kenton: Brown 6 run (PAT) Eveland kick good
Ashland: Ashby 39 run (PAT) 2-point run fails
Ashland: Jennings 4 run (PAT) 2-point pass fails
Ashland: Strader 8 keep (PAT) Morris kick good
Ashland: Jennings 12 run (Morris kick good)
Ashland: Ashby 24 run (PAT) Morris kick good
Simon Kenton: Weaver 31 pass from Lee (PAT) Eveland kick good
Ashland: Jennings 66 run (PAT) Morris kick good
Simon Kenton: Lee 34 run (PAT) Eveland kick good
Simon Kenton: Brown 3 run (PAT) Eveland kick good
Ashland: Jennings 3 run (PAT) kick blocked
Ashland: Jennings 12 run (PAT) kick fails