Covington Catholic ensured themselves a No. 1 seed in the Class 4A football playoffs after taking down Mason County 49-0 in a convincing Friday night win in Park Hills.
Claiming yet another Class 4A, District 5 title, Colonels’ junior quarterback Cash Harney opened the scoring as he rushed for two back-to-back touchdowns inside the red zone.
Up 14-0 early in the second quarter, junior Zach Brooks correctly jumped the gun on Royals quarterback Teegin Route’s pass to come up with his third interception of the season. Continuing their defensive success, the Colonels have recorded at least one interception in all nine games this season.
“We’ve stressed coming up with turnovers very heavily this season,” Colonels head coach Eddie Eviston said. “It’s important to not only put ourselves in those positions but to actually convert them. We’ve really seen the fruits of our labor there.”
The Colonels have really ramped it up defensively as of late, allowing just six points in their last four games.
CovCath’s offensive success continued as a 30-yard run by senior captain Andrew Bessler, a third touchdown run by Harney, and a red zone run by sophomore Owen Pitzer put the Colonels up 35-0. To end the half, Colonels junior Logan Sanning came up with his first of two interceptions of the night just before the halftime whistle.
“A lot of our success comes from how hard our scout coaches push us during the week,” Lanning said. “On the field I think we’ve all just built trust in one another to come up with the big plays when we need it most.”
The Colonels pressure didn’t simmer in the second half as a strip sack by senior Nicholas Krallman resulted in a fumble and a quick score by fellow senior Tate Kruer from the four-yard line. A rushing touchdown from Sam Boyce was the final nail in the coffin for a Mason County program who had recently put up 200 points through their previous four games.
After an 0-2 record to start the season, CovCath seems to have found the recipe for success with seven straight wins.
“Our season shifted for us after our week three win against Simon Kenton,” Harney said. “We always say we’re everyone’s superbowl. Teams celebrated against us early on in the season and I think we’ve played with a chip on our shoulder ever since.”
A runaway 42-3 win over Simon Kenton and a convincing 49-28 victory over Beechwood were two key victories for Eviston’s young program this season.
“Our guys have grown up,” Eviston said. “When guys step up everyone follows in place.”
The Colonels rushed for over 200 yards on the night with seven touchdowns. More importantly, CovCath gave up just over 100 yards to a Mason County offense who averaged over 300 yards per game.
Harney finished with 73 rushing yards and three touchdowns, puttin him over 900 rushing yards on the season to go with over 800 passing yards.
“Cash (Harney) is such an explosive athlete with the ability to execute a number of things for us,” Eviston said. “Taking the chance to play young guys at a couple key positions has been a risk that’s really paid off well.”
While every opponent circles the Colonels’ name on their calendar, CovCath will look to redeem themselves in the postseason after being shut out 41-0 against Boyle County in last year’s Class 4A state finals.
“We know we’re going to get everyone’s best game each week,” Lanning said. “It comes with the territory.”
The Colonels will close out their regular season next week on the road against Campbell County.
COLONELS 49, ROYALS 0
COVINGTON CATHOLIC — 7-28-7-7 — 49
MASON COUNTY — 0-0-0-0 — 0
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(CC) Harney 4-yard run (5:02) Urti kick
2nd Quarter
(CC) Harney 3-yard run (11:08) Urti kick
(CC) Bessler 30-yard run (7:37) Urti kick
(CC) Harney 12-yard run (4:57) Urti kick
(CC) Pitzer 10-yard run (1:21) Urtu kick
3rd Quarter
(CC) Kruer 4-yard run (7:34) Urti kick
4th Quarter
(CC) Boyce 18-yard run (7:37) Weitzel kick
Game Stats
Passing Yards: CovCath 36 (Harney 5-11, Queen 1-1), Mason County 45 (Route 6-14)
Rushing Yards: CovCath 229 (Harney 7-73, Gaiser 8-45, Bessler 2-33, Brander 3-24, Pitzer 2-22, Lampe 1-20, Boyce 1-18, Kruer 1-4), Mason County 59 (Anderson 5-21, Horn 3-12, Avery 3-8, Route 3-8, Staggs 2-7, Brooks 2-3)
Receiving Yards: CovCath 36 (Krallman 1-15, Brooks 1-8, Bradshaw 1-7, Guard 2-6), Mason County 45 (Horch 3-31, Authur 1-14, Avery 2-10)
First Downs: CovCath 12, Mason County 4
Turnovers: CovCath 0, Mason County 4
Penalties: CC- 1(5), MC- 6(50)
Records: CovCath 7-2, Mason County 7-2