Newport Catholic’s home field might be under construction, but they look quite comfortable in their adopted home in Park Hills.
The Thoroughbreds’ four-play, opening drive in just over two minutes led by Demetrick Welch’s 32-yard run to open the drive set the dominant tone for NewCath, as it galloped away from Walton-Verona, 42-7.
Senior quarterback Kolton Smith’s touchdown from three yards out got the scoring underway for NewCath. Following the Bearcats’ three-and-out, Smith and the offense were right back to work, chipping away at the Walton-Verona defense on the hot, humid August night.
The trio of Welch, fellow running back Kaleb Cole, and Smith kept the Bearcats on their heels, culminating in Welch’s five-yard score around the right side of the line with a dive into the endzone. The Thoroughbreds led by 14 after Owen Roeder’s extra point.
“Demetrick’s just a really special player. He wants to win, and he wants to win at a high level, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen,” Thoroughbreds Head Coach Stephen Lickert said.
The second quarter began much like the first for the Thoroughbreds. With good field position at the Bearcats’ 40, Smith hit Welch on a screen for 12 yards, then found receiver Louie Collopy near the sideline downfield for a gain of 23. Two plays later, Welch crossed the goal line for his second score of the evening to stretch the NewCath margin to 21.
“He’s just a dude, man. What can you say about him? He can run, he can block, he can catch, he can play defense,” Lickert said. “Super disciplined tonight. We were very concerned about their quarterback and his speed, and he and Kolton did a really nice job of keeping that guy contained and, in the box, as did our defensive line.”
Despite getting a first down and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on NewCath during its second possession of the second quarter, the Bearcats were unable to muster any momentum. The Thoroughbreds took advantage of an offsides penalty on their first play, with Smith finding an open Charlie Ford down the middle of the field, racing toward the endzone after a 52-yard catch-and-run. Ford’s touchdown widened NewCath’s lead, 28-0.
Looking to tack on more points before halftime, Smith spotted Eddie Bivens down the field but his pass sailed just beyond Biven’s fingertips. The drive ended in a punt for NewCath, but Welch’s interception of Bearcats’ quarterback Jackson Smith on Walton-Verona’s first play near midfield gave his team possession once again.
On second down, Smith found Mitchell Doeker for a 55-yard touchdown, giving the Thoroughbreds a commanding lead at the half, 35-0.
As the third neared its end, Smith’s five-yard keeper wrapped up the scoring for NewCath, 42-0.
The Bearcats struggled all night, but can take away some things in just the second game of the season.
“Obviously, it wasn’t the outcome we were looking for, but I was happy that we showed effort in the second half but we gotta show that effort in the first half,” Bearcats coach Jeff Barth said. “You let a team like that come out here and you’re a little flat, next thing you know, you’re behind good early. Guys did scrap in the second half and we’re gonna have to watch film to see what we need to fix but obviously we need to fix a lot.”
Walton-Verona’s left-handed quarterback kept fighting, leading his team on a 64-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter, with running back Eli Diop grinding out yards on the ground. Down to their last opportunity on fourth and long, Smith found Jonathon Strunk for a 26-yard score.
“That’s why we’re scheduling N.C., that’s why we’re scheduling K.C.D. (Kentucky Country Day); teams that have been in the state finals and won state championships because that’s where our ultimate goal is and in order to get there, we gotta see some teams like this,” Barth said. “This was an eye opener for us and let us know that if we’re not sharp, we can be real average, if we’re precise, we can be pretty good. We’ll figure it out and fortunately, we have some time to figure it out.”
NewCath (1-1) faces 0-2 Scott next week, while 1-1 Walton-Verona has a bye, next traveling to Kentucky Country Day on September 8.
Newport Central Catholic 42, Walton-Verona 7
Newport Catholic – 14 – 21 – 7 – 0 – 42
Walton-Verona – 0 – 0 – 0 – 7 – 7
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(NC) Smith 3-yard run (10:17) Roeder kick
(NC) Welch 5-yard run (2:08) Roeder kick
2nd Quarter
(NC) Welch 2-yard run (9:19) Roeder kick
(NC) Smith 52-yard pass to Ford (6:07) Roeder kick
(NC) Smith 55-yard pass to Doeker (3:42) Roeder kick
3rd Quarter
(NC) Smith 5-yard run (1:45) McCloskey kick
4th Quarter
(WV) Smith 26-yard pass to Strunk (5:29) Mann kick
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Newport Catholic 178 (Smith 8/15), (Miles 1/1), Walton-Verona 70 (Smith 8/22)
Rushing Yards: Newport Catholic 211 (Welch 10-68, Bivens 2-3, Smith 9-68, Miles 1-1, Anderson 2-5, Cole 7-62, Alford 1-4), Walton-Verona 93 (Smith 13-64, Daniels 2-9, Diop 2-14, Wiethorn 3-6)
Receiving: Newport Catholic 178 (Ford 2-58, Collopy 1-23, Welch 2-17, Bivens 1-0, Meyer 1-6, Schirmer 1-12, Doeker 1-55, Cole 1-7), Walton-Verona 70 (Corpus 3-14, Strunk 1-26, Spiller 1-11, Montgomery 3-19)
Turnovers: Newport Catholic 0, Walton-Verona 1
Penalties: Newport Catholic 1-15, Walton-Verona 2-20
Records: Newport Catholic 1-1, Walton-Verona 1-1