By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
After his team fell behind, 21-6, in the third quarter, senior running back Corey Freihofer provided the reliable offense Cooper needed to pull out a 22-21 win over Conner in a Class 5A district game on Friday in Hebron.
Freihofer rushed for more than 100 yards and scored 10 of 16 points during the comeback. His two-point conversion run put the Jaguars ahead with 6:01 remaining. He then picked up 33 yards on eight consecutive carries during his team’s final possession to run out the clock.
“We knew that I might have to run the ball more, but the O-line needed to block like they did,” Freihofer said of the rally. “We knew it would take a team effort, but I knew myself that I had to step up a little bit, too.”
It was Cooper’s 10th consecutive victory in district games over three seasons.
The Jaguars won most of the previous games by wide margins, but Conner got off to a good start in Friday’s homecoming game.
The Cougars scored the only touchdown in the first half on a 25-yard pass from quarterback Ethan Estvanko to Dawson Bell with 0:51 left in the first quarter.
After a field goal attempt by Cooper fell short, Conner engineered another drive and had a first down on the 2-yard line after a face mask penalty. But the Cougars weren’t able to cross the goal line and extend their 7-0 lead.
“We had two empty drives in the first half, but I think that one in particular is when the momentum swung back toward them a little bit,” said Conner coach Chase Floyd.
Freihofer scored the first touchdown of the second half on a 4-yard run. But Conner was able to open up a 21-6 lead on two breakaway runs in the third quarter. Estvanko went 49 yards to the end zone on the first one and running back Jasiah Lampkin covered 34 yards on the second one.
Cooper’s comeback began with a 12-play, 60-yard drive that ended with Freihofer’s 6-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion to make it 21-14.
The Jaguars’ next possession started at the Conner 44-yard-line. After Freihofer picked up a pair of first downs, Kaiden Savage caught a 23-yard TD pass from Zach Kostopoulos that made it 21-20.
Cooper coach Adam Begley decided to go for the two-point conversion and Freihofer carried the ball into the end zone to give the Jaguars their first lead.
“He’s a great player,” coach Floyd said of Freihofer. “He made plays and we didn’t. We knew it was going to him and he just had the will to win.”
Begley said the successful goal line stand just before halftime gave his players the mental lift they needed after going scoreless in the first two quarters.
“(Conner) gave us all we could handle, but we were able to adjust at the half and come back and put points on the board,” Begley said. “Basically, we told the kids we’ve got to get back to playing our ball. We were playing tentative, just go play hard and let the chips fall where they may.”
COOPER 0 0 6 16 — 22
CONNER 7 0 14 0 — 21
CON — Dawson Bell 25 pass from Ethan Estvanko (Jaiden Pendleton kick)
CON — Estvanko 49 run (Pendleton kick)
COO — Corey Freihofer 4 run (kick failed)
CON — Jasiah Lampkin 34 run (Pendleton kick)
COO — Freihofer 6 run (Freihofer run)
COO — Kaiden Savage 23 pass from Zach Kostopoulos (Freihofer run)
RECORDS: Cooper 4-2, Conner 1-5
Friday night football scoreboard
Cooper 22, Conner 21
Dixie Heights 49, Scott 12
Holmes 20, Jackson County 6
Beechwood 63, Owen County 0
Ludlow 34, Bellevue 14
Louisville DeSales 28, Brossart 7
Covington Catholic 41, Louisville Central 14
Eminence 34, Holy Cross 14
Highlands 78, Harrison County 6
Lexington Sayre 43, Newport 16
Ryle 35, Lexington Tates Creek 0
St. Henry 52, Gallatin County 0
Lexington Bryan Station 21, Simon Kenton 7
Walton-Verona 27, Bracken County 10