Once again, Beechwood claims the district crown as its own.
After easily defeating their district opponents, the only challenge left in the Tigers’ path was Bracken County, who also entered the matchup undefeated in district play. Beechwood maintained their momentum, overpowering the Polar Bears 38-7 to clinch the regular season district title and a No. 1 seed in Class 2A, District 5.
Quarterback Clay Hayden earned his own crown, etching his name into the record books of northern Kentucky history.
With under a minute left in the first half, Hayden connected with James Cusick for a 16-yard touchdown, surpassing former Beechwood quarterback Kyle Fieger to become the all-time leader in career passing touchdowns in northern Kentucky.
He capped off the game with another touchdown pass to Cusick, bringing his career total to 106. Hayden finished with 146 passing yards, two touchdown throws, and one interception.
“It’s really attributed to our preparation,” Hayden said. “Our offensive staff, Coach Hergott, Coach Jensen, Coach Berger, all of three of them, throughout the week are watching countless hours of film. They know what to run and it doesn’t matter what it is, they’re going to have us prepared.”
Alongside Hayden, the Tigers’ impressive array of offensive weapons made their presence felt. Wide receiver James Cusick recorded nine receptions for 117 yards, two touchdowns and a kickoff return touchdown, while Chase Flaherty sparked the ground game with 127 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
“The line gave a good push,” Flaherty said. “They made holes for me and as the game progressed it worked better and better.”
Beechwood encountered a rare district challenge early on, conceding a score for the first time in 11 district games as Bracken’s Daulton Tarter opened with a 7-0 lead on a rushing touchdown. The Tigers outscored their previous district opponents this season, 233-0.
“In all honesty, tonight was our biggest test,” Tiger head coach Jay Volker said. “They scored right away on an 80-yard touchdown drive, where I don’t even think they threw a pass. That’s what we were afraid of, but our guys stepped up were able to stop the run the rest of the half.”
The Polar Bears took a page from the playbook of the only team to defeat Beechwood this season: Covington Catholic.
“If we won the toss we were going to take the ball first,” Bracken head coach Steven Tarter said. “We switched up quarterbacks with Greg (Benedict), a mobile quarterback and I think that threw them off a bit. We watched the CovCath film, so we ran a CovCath style of football.”
James Cusick swiftly changed the momentum with an 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, setting Beechwood on a roll with 38 unanswered.
“We’ve done it a couple of times in district play the last couple years,” Volker said. “We returned two against CovCath that kept us in that game. We just have athletes that can score at any point and time.”
The Tigers managed to then stifle Bracken, limiting them to just 203 yards—nearly 100 yards below their average. Daulton Tarter topped the team with 92 rushing yards. Greg Benedict had 59 passing yards.
The seeds are finalized in Class 2A, District 5, with Walton-Verona earning the No. 3 seed and Owen County claiming the No. 4 spot. As the No. 2 seed, Bracken County (7-2, 4-1) will join Beechwood in hosting a first-round playoff game at home.
The Tigers (9-1, 5-0) are set for a bye week before the postseason begins, and their goals in Fort Mitchell couldn’t be clearer.
“Obviously a state championship,” Flaherty said. “With the bye we get to rest up and then it’s time to focus on the first round.”
TIGERS 38, POLAR BEARS 7
BEECHWOOD — 7-10-14-7— 38
BRACKEN COUNTY— 7-0-0-0— 7
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(BC) Tarter 1-yard run (6:16) Buchanan kick
(B) Cusick 83-yard kick return (6:05)
2nd Quarter
(B) Lair 27-yard field goal (1:24)
(B) Hayden 16-yard pass to Cusick (0:25)
3rd Quarter
(B) Flaherty 4-yard run (9:14) Lair kick
(B) Flaherty 2-yard run (1:50) Lair kick
4th Quarter
(B) Hayden 7-yard pass to Cusick (1:47) Lair kick
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Beechwood 146 (Hayden 12/18), Bracken County 59 (Benedict 5/13)
Rushing Yards: Beechwood 147 (Flaherty 20-127, Hayden 3-18, Erdman 1-2), Bracken County 144 (Tarter 20-92, Benedict 10-44, Lippert 3-4, Whitten 1-4)
Receiving: Beechwood (Cusick 9-117, Aylor 1-15, Erdman 1-8, Flaherty 1-6), Bracken County (Buchanan 2-53, Bravard 1-3, Tarter 2-3)
Turnovers: Beechwood 1, Bracken County 1
Penalties: Beechwood 6-85, Bracken County 6-75
Records: Beechwood (9-1, 5-0) Bracken County (7-2, 4-1)