The Firemen’s Bell looked destined to head down the road two miles. Then Newport Central Catholic’s defense made sure it stayed put.
Newport held a 6-0 lead with less than seven minutes remaining at Ciafardini Athletic Complex, putting itself in position to snap a 28-game losing streak against its city rival.
But three turnovers in a span of less than two minutes turned a defensive struggle into a 17-6 Thoroughbreds victory, extending Newport Central Catholic’s winning streak in the series to 29 games.
“Hats off to our defense,” Newport Central Catholic coach Terry Brown said. “Kept us in the game long enough, swarmed around and were fast and physical.”
NewCath’s defense delivered when it mattered most, forcing a fumble for a touchdown, intercepting a pass to set up another score and capitalizing on a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to seal the victory.
The decisive stretch began with Newport backed up near its own goal line. William Stevie stripped Wildcats running back Damarco Jackson, and Drake Ramirez scooped up the loose ball and returned it three yards for a touchdown, giving the Thoroughbreds a 7-6 lead.
“I just saw it rolling. I saw my guy Will Stevie hit it,” Ramirez said. “I was like, all right, gotta pick it up. I gotta score. We gotta get this momentum.”
Two plays later, Stevie intercepted Newport quarterback Jaden Conley, setting NewCath up at the Wildcats’ 23-yard line. Van Hundemer scored on a 20-yard run two plays later, completing a stunning turnaround that put the Thoroughbreds ahead 14-6 in just 84 seconds.
Newport’s struggles continued when it fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Jaiden Wittrock converted the mistake into a 25-yard field goal, extending NewCath’s lead to 17-6 with 1:45 remaining.
“Our attention to detail, our discipline, and our conditioning really helped us out in the second half there,” Brown said.
For much of the night, however, Newport had controlled the game and appeared poised to end the streak.
Neither team found the end zone until the closing seconds of the first half, when Jackson connected with Elijah Brandt for a touchdown to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead. Newport held a 140-36 advantage in total yards at halftime and led 199-45 through three quarters.
NewCath struggled to sustain drives early, managing just 36 yards in the first half and failing to reach the red zone in three quarters. The Thoroughbreds finally found traction in the fourth quarter, gaining 88 yards and leaning on Hundemer, who finished with 124 rushing yards.
With the game still within reach, Newport had opportunities to extend its lead but could not capitalize. Instead, the Wildcats’ mistakes opened the door for a NewCath defense that had kept the game close.
“We talked about winning play by play and if the play before doesn’t go well, move on to the next play,” Newport coach Paul Wiggins said. “We had plenty of opportunities to go up a couple scores on them, and we didn’t. We just didn’t take advantage of the opportunities when we had them.”
Hundemer said the Thoroughbreds recognized the urgency as the fourth quarter progressed.
“There was 11 minutes left and we were in the huddle and said we just have to put it all on the line,” Hundemer said. “Line stepped up huge and Drake brought the momentum up so much with that score.”
The victory carried added significance for Brown, whose playing career at NewCath included losses to Newport in 1998 and 1999. The Wildcats’ last win in the series came in 1999, Brown’s senior season.
“This is my first experience winning the bell on the varsity level,” Brown said. “I’m glad for these guys, they deserve it.”
NewCath improved to 2-5 and will travel to Dayton next week for a key district matchup, with the winner gaining an advantage in the race for the regular-season district title.
Newport also fell to 2-5 and will visit Bellevue next week.
THOROUGHBREDS 17, WILDCATS 6
NEWPORT — 0-6-0-0 — 6
NEWCATH — 0-0-0-17 — 17
Scoring Plays
2nd Quarter
(N) Jackson 1-yard pass to Brandt (:05) run failed
4th Quarter
(NCC) Ramirez 3-yard fumble return (5:56) Wittrock kick
(NCC) Hundemer 20-yard run (4:32) Wittrock kick
(NCC) Wittrock 25-yard FG (1:47)
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Newport 91, NewCath 23
Rushing Yards: Newport 112, NewCath 110
Turnovers: Newport 3, NewCath 1
Penalties: Newport 6-36, NewCath 5-45
First Downs: Newport 12, NewCath 7
Sacks: Newport 3, NewCath 1
Records: Newport (2-5, 0-1), Newport Central Catholic (2-5, 1-0)
