Revenge sure is sweet.
Suffering a 24-7 loss to Lloyd Memorial in their season opener a year ago, Newport Central Catholic got payback with a 27-14 triumph Friday night in Dennis Griffin Stadium on the campus of Covington Catholic.
“Last season they physically dominated us,” NewCath coach Stephen Lickert said. “They physically whipped us up front and everywhere on the field. Our kids got in the weight room and said that will never happen again. They withstood Lloyd’s punches all night long.”
It was the rushing attack that proved to be the dominant force for the Thoroughbreds this go around.
Led by Kaleb Cole with 127 rushing yards on 14 attempts, NewCath had a total of 239 rushing yards.
Cole had a five-yard rushing touchdown and broke loose for a 69-yard house call, both in the second quarter.
“The play was to try to get a little and get out of bounds,” Cole said “I lowered my shoulder and as soon as I got through it parted like the Red Sea.”
Louie Collopy had 31 yards and a touchdown and Eddie Bivens added 60 yards as well.
It sure did help quarterback Emmanuel Miles, who started his first varsity game under center. The junior had 51 passing yards and 21 rushing yards.
“I love it. He’s going to be a heck of a player for us,” Lickert said. “He’s got things he needs to work on like everyone else, but he can run our offense as good as anybody I’ve ever coached. I was really pleased with his attitude all night. If he got mad, he would come off the field, get over it and make the next play.”
Lloyd’s early mistakes put them in a tough position early on.
The Juggernauts had two turnovers on downs and a fumble by Yurii Collins-Comer. Most of Lloyd’s offense came through their passing game where Kaleb Evans had 230 passing yards and a 38-yard passing touchdown to Colten Barger.
“I want to give NewCath credit,” Lloyd coach Kyle Niederman said. “They’ve got a good team. They dominated the line of scrimmage and ran the ball effectively. In the second half we did some good things, but we just need to get the young guys more reps, watch the film and adjust some things.”
Collins-Comer had the other touchdown though through a two-yard rushing touchdown.
“We had a little bit of trouble blocking them early,” Niederman said. “We then decided to throw it more.”
The first half was a different game than the second half for both teams.
Thirty-four points combined were scored, while the ‘Breds went scoreless in the second half and Lloyd had the only score.
Their defense stepped up to take care of business in the game’s final 24 minutes.
“We’re senior dominated,” Lickert said. “Most of the guys have been starting for three years. When we make an adjustment, they make the adjustment. In the past, when they were younger, they wouldn’t do that.”
Offensively, aside from Kaleb Cole’s touchdowns, Charlie Ford also provided two electrifying plays in the first half. He pulled in Miles first completion for 42 yards and even after a fumble, took a punt 49 yards to paydirt to make it 20-7 NewCath.
Newport Central Catholic has usually struggled in the first week, but this year is different.
“It’s fantastic,” Cole said. “I couldn’t have drawn it up any better. I’ve been here three years. We haven’t won a week one since I’ve been here so to beat them is great.”
The Thoroughbreds (1-0) hit the field next week at Walton-Verona. The Juggernauts (0-1) look to bounce back in a road contest at Boone County.
THOROUGHBREDS 27, JUGGERNAUTS 14
LLOYD MEMORIAL — 0-7-7-0 — 14
NEWPORT CENTRAL CATHOLIC — 7-20-0-0 — 27
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(NCC) Collopy 3-yard run (0:39) Collopy kick
2nd Quarter
(NCC) Cole 5-yard run (9:28) Collopy run
(LM) Y. Collins 2-yard run (6:28) Miller kick
(NCC) Ford 49-yard punt return (3:28) Collopy kick failed
(NCC) Cole 69-yard run (0:07) Collopy kick
3rd Quarter
(LM) Evans 38-yard pass to Barger (6:31) Miller kick
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Lloyd Memorial 230 (Evans 22/38), Newport Central Catholic 51 (Miles 3/8)
Rushing Yards: Lloyd Memorial 67 (Y. Collins 6-37, Evans 3-17, Sebastian 2-13) Newport Central Catholic 239 (Cole 14-127, Bivens 12-60, Collopy 6-31, Miles 7-21)
Receiving: Lloyd Memorial (Barger 6-83, Copeland 5-64, Sebastian 6-59, Y. Collins 5-12, E. Collins 2-12), Newport Central Catholic (Ford 1-42, Collopy 2-9)
Turnovers: Lloyd Memorial 3, Newport Central Catholic 1
Penalties: Lloyd Memorial 3-22, Newport Central Catholic 8-55
Records: Lloyd Memorial 0-1, Newport Central Catholic 1-0
