For the first time since 2003, the Lloyd Juggernauts are back the Kentucky Class 2A state football semifinals, outlasting Breathitt County on Friday night in Erlanger, 41-32.
“It’s huge for our program. For the first time in 19 years to experience this, I’m just happy for the kids and the community and the school. It just feels good that we’re getting some respect, as well,” Lloyd Head Coach Kyle Niederman said.
Breathitt struck first on Friday night.
Entering the third-round playoff matchup at 9-2, the Bobcats’ young running backs duo of freshman Jayden Gibson and sophomore Kory Combs was as advertised as the pair pushed Breathitt down the field on its opening possession of the game, an eight-play drive culminating in a Combs 10-yard touchdown run.
Lloyd swiftly answered.
Following a brief delay of referee discussion that determined a re-kick, Lloyd’s Kaiden Zulager scored on a 67-yard kickoff return to tie the game while a two-point conversion put the Juggernauts on top, 8-6.
On the touchdown play, several would-be tacklers stopped as they assumed the senior’s knee touched but Zulager rolled on top of the Bobcats defender, never contacting the ground, and was never ruled down.
Breathitt’s next drive consumed the next seven minutes of the opening quarter with Gibson’s turn into the end zone, but the Bobcats were only able to muster six again, after its two-point conversion failed.
Zulager’s second touchdown of the game (he would have five of Lloyd’s six TDs), came on the heels of a Breathitt Co. illegal chop block penalty, which gave the Juggs great field position. Lloyd was able to take advantage of short punts by the Bobcats, the majority landing on their side of the 50-yard line and cutting the field in half.
After quarterback Isaiah Sebastian’s 14-yard keeper, Zulager bulled his way across the goal line for a 15-12 Lloyd advantage.
Breathitt’s Isaac Turner fumbled after his reception following a Bobcats holding penalty and the Juggernauts were able to capitalize before halftime.
After a facemask penalty on Breathitt as Sebastian was dragged down, Zulager’s third touchdown put Lloyd up, 22-12.
Then, a big kickoff return gave the Bobcats life before the break. Combs’ touchdown with 28 seconds left Breathitt trailing by three, 22-19.
After going three-and-out on its opening possession of the second half, the Bobcats’ sense of urgency ticked up a notch and it hoped to catch Lloyd napping. Tyler Bryant’s pass intended for Austin Sperry bounced off his shoulder pads as incomplete but would have been enough for a first down. With eight yards to gain near midfield, the Bobcats called for a fake punt, but were stopped one-yard short.
Once again, it was Zulager who took advantage of a shortened field and an offsides penalty to score his fourth touchdown of the night to give Lloyd a 28-19 lead. Zulager finished the night with 113 yards rushing.
But much like it had all evening, the Bobcats countered. A minute into the final quarter, Combs crossed the goal line for his third TD. The early first quarter conversion misses came back to haunt Breathitt, as it failed on another two-point conversion and found itself down by three, 28-25.
The Juggernauts kept the Bobcats at arms’ length again several minutes later with Sebastian finding the end zone for his line score from 35 yards out. His zig-zagging run put the Juggernauts up by 10, 35-25, as time was now working against Breathitt.
Combs’ third score of the game pulled the Bobcats to within two, 34-32, but its decision with six minutes remaining to go for an onside kick backfired and Breathitt’s final possession was too little, too late.
Lloyd’s final touchdown of the game was a memorable one: Zulager’s 34-yard run placed the Juggernauts at the nine after he was forced out of bounds. Sebastian’s keeper on the ensuing play left the quarterback hobbling off the field (he would come back) after what appeared to be an awkward tackle and freshman Kaleb Evans had to step in and immediately took a sack. Facing fourth and long with its season on the line, leading by only two, a reverse pass was called with Elijah Collins’ pass into the end zone for Zulager, the running back somehow corralling the jump ball and putting Lloyd up, 41-32, with just over three minutes to go.
“We’ve been working on that for weeks and have been running that play for about the last six weeks on Thursdays. Thankfully, we’ve been playing pretty well so we never had to use it but tonight we just figured, why not,” Niederman said.
The Class 2A semifinal is an all-Northern Kentucky affair with Lloyd (10-3) traveling to Ft. Mitchell to take on Beechwood (12-1). The Tigers routed Shelby Valley on Friday night to advance.