Friday night’s football showdown between Beechwood and Covington Catholic in Park Hills provided more fireworks than what was seen across the Ohio River at Great American Ballpark following the Reds’ victory over the Cubs.
And fittingly for a rivalry that so rarely disappoints, it came down to the final seconds.
In a 77-point shootout, Beechwood snapped a four-game losing streak to its neighborhood rival, defeating Covington Catholic 42-35 behind an offensive performance that was every bit as physical as it was explosive.
Nathan Pabst delivered the final blow.
With 21 seconds remaining, the Beechwood senior powered his way into the end zone from 3 yards out for his fifth touchdown of the night, putting the Tigers ahead for good.
“I feel on top of the world. It’s best feeling in the world,” Pabst said. “Now it’s time to win the big one now, though.”
Pabst finished with 201 yards from scrimmage (161 rushing, 40 receiving) and five touchdowns, the kind of performance that normally makes the player who produced it the obvious story.
But Pabst was quick to point elsewhere.
“It’s the big boys up front,” Pabst said. “All we heard was chirping from their D-line, saying they’re the best in the state. So…”
So was Beechwood coach Noel Rash.
“O-line, O-line, O-line, don’t forget the O-line in all this because they were in there grinding, grinding, grinding, and you got to grind against those dudes,” Rash said. “So proud as heck of the O-line as much as I am anybody.”
Beechwood’s offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the night, allowing the Tigers to establish the run and dictate the terms of the game. Beechwood finished with 189 rushing yards, but the importance of the offensive line went beyond the yardage total.
It allowed Beechwood to stay on schedule. It allowed the Tigers to extend drives even when everyone in the stadium knew where the ball was going (Pabst or Tyler Fryman, who finished with 13 catches for 127 yards).
Third down became another place where Beechwood imposed its will. The Tigers repeatedly found a way to extend possessions, leaning on the running game, their offensive line and quarterback Emmett Queen’s efficiency in the short passing game to Fryman .
Queen completed 18 of 22 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, both to Pabst.
For one quarter, it looked as though the Tigers might run away from the Colonels.
Beechwood jumped to a 14-0 lead after one quarter, forcing a CovCath three-and-out and then turning the Colonels away on downs after Covington Catholic came up inches short on fourth-and-1 in Beechwood territory.
“It was weird that we got off to such a slow start. It’s kind of like we were waiting on something,” Colonels coach Eddie Eviston said. “Eventually we got it going, but it ended up being too late.”
But this rivalry has a way of turning games into something much different than they appear early.
CovCath scored touchdowns on its next five possessions. It was the Colonels’ turn to extend possessions with critical plays.
The Colonels found the end zone twice in the second quarter to pull within 21-14 at halftime. The second came with just eight seconds left, when Dylan Courtney found Jamir Kirtley for a 29-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-score game heading into the break.
Then came another CovCath burst to open the second half. Kiyan Miller took the first snap from scrimmage 71 yards, immediately putting the Colonels in position to tie the game, but the extra point was blocked, Beechwood clinging to a 21-20 lead.
From there, the game became a back-and-forth exchange in which every possession felt precious.
Covington Catholic had the offensive firepower to match Beechwood. Courtney threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns, his last a 32-yard strike to Kirtley on fourth down to knot things up at 35. Miller ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns, and added four receptions for 61 yards. Kirtley caught four passes for 86 yards and the two scores.
Beechwood kept answering though. Pabst and Tyler Fryman became the Tigers’ defining offensive combination.
With 4:05 to play and the game tied at 35, Beechwood needed 69 yards to punch back. They did so with a 10-play, 69-yard drive in 3:44 to get the lead back at 42-35. On the defining drive, Pabst had five touches, Fryman also with five touches which included a diving catch inside the Colonels 20 on third and long.
Covington Catholic’s sixth consecutive possession ending in a touchdown was never given the opportunity to happen. They had to go 80 yards in 19 seconds, unable to get past midfield in the short amount of time.
And just like that, Beechwood had the rivalry victory it had been chasing.
For the Tigers, the significance extends beyond ending the four-game skid against CovCath. The victory puts Beechwood in position to carry considerable momentum through the remainder of the regular season and into the opening weeks of the postseason, while also giving the Tigers a strong opportunity to remain at home in Fort Mitchell deep into the playoffs, with a potential trip to Kroger Field for a state title in Lexington waiting at the end.
“We don’t care who’s on the other side of the other side of the field,” Rash said. “We got to go out and play Beechwood football, and we got to go in and grind. We’re going to get back in the weight room and we got to go do our thing. So no matter who it is, whoever draws the short stick, we don’t care.”
For Covington Catholic, the loss drops the Colonels to 3-2.
“They got a lot of experience on that side and it might have shown tonight,” Eviston said. “It’s a good experience builder for us, but we’d rather end up with the victory.”
But another major opportunity is already on the horizon. In two weeks, Highlands comes to town for another high-stakes matchup, one carrying district championship implications and the possibility of securing at least two home playoff games.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
TIGERS 42, COLONELS 35
BEECHWOOD — 14-7-7-14 — 42
COVCATH — 0-14-13-8 — 35
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(B) Fryman 1-yard run (7:51) Mercer kick
(B) Pabst 6-yard run (1:22) Mercer kick
2nd Quarter
(CC) Courtney 66-yard pass to Pitzer (11:43) Gillette kick
(B) Queen 3-yard pass to Pabst (1:02) Mercer kick
(CC) Courtney 29-yard pass to Kirtley (:08) Gillette kick
3rd Quarter
(CC) Miller 71-yard run (11:39) kick blocked
(B) Queen 5-yard pass to Pabst (7:25) Mercer kick
(CC) Miller 12-yard run (3:01) Gillette kick
4th Quarter
(B) Pabst 7-yard run (9:53) Mercer kick
(CC) Courtney 32-yard pass to Kirtley (4:16) Courtney pass to Pitzer
(B) Pabst 3-yard run (:21) Mercer kick
Records: Beechwood 4-0, Covington Catholic 3-2
