The five most-heard words Friday at Newport Central Catholic were “Van Hundemer the ball carrier.”
NewCath’s senior running back was also the reason the Thoroughbreds are still in the Class A playoffs – he ran 33 times for 168 yards and two touchdowns, caught a Ty Fennell pass for a third on the way to a 24-7 second round win over Bishop Brossart at Ciafardini Family Athletic Complex.
Next for NewCath: defending state champion Kentucky Country Day in the state quarterfinals next Friday.
A question you might ask: Does Hundemer ever get tired?
“Never,” he said. “I want the ball every play.”
Here’s how dominant Hundemer was: if you count his rushing yards and the three catches for another 41, he accounted for 209 of NewCath’s 310 – that’s 67.4%.
But don’t forget NewCath’s defense. It held Brossart (7-5) to 180 yards – including just 28 on the ground – and got an interception and a sack from Will Stevie, Hundemer’s fumble recovery, and sacks from Will Meyer and Liam Horan.
In winning its sixth straight game, NewCath (7-5) is perhaps Northern Kentucky’s biggest football turnaround this season – a 1-5 start after a 31-7 loss to Campbell County on Oct. 2.
“Just keep fighting,” Hundemer said.
Since the Campbell County loss, the Thorobreds outscored Newport, Dayton, Bellevue, Mason County, Trimble County and Brossart by a combined 183-47.
“The second half of the Newport game when were down 6-0 the entire game, our defense battled back, and we rallied back, that was a huge point for us,” NewCath head coach Terry Brown said. “And then the confidence we showed going down and beating a 7-0 Dayton team, I think that kind of catapulted us.”
And Hundemer? He carried the ball 147 times for 869 yards and 11 touchdowns during the streak.
Hundemer had a slow start Friday – just four yards in his first four carries to go with the false start penalty he received. He wasn’t worried.
“Every play I line up, I’ve got the same mentality,” Hundemer said. “I’m going to get a first down, no matter what.”
Hundemer finished with eight carries for 18 yards on the opening drive, which ended when Brossart’s Austin Johnson recovered a Max Meyer fumble.
After Stevie’s interception (“It was a tip by Van,” Stevie said), Hundemer ran twice for 17 yards, including the final four for the score.
“Tough game,” Brossart coach Jacob Martin said. “They got the run game going early on. It’s one of those things – they got ahead, kept the ball in their possession, kept the clock going, and they got it done.”
Max Meyer eventually atoned for his miscue. He finished with 69 rushing yards.
Friday was Horan’s first game since spraining the acromioclavicular joint (the small joint in the shoulder where the collarbone meets the highest point of the shoulder blade) against Bellevue three weeks ago. He was cleared to play Monday.
Horan lined up as a defensive end and nose guard – an unusual combination.
“I think I like defensive end,” he said. “I get to use my speed, my quickness. I’ve been working on a lot of pass rush moves over the year. It’s good to be able to showcase my talents.”
Horan, Stevie and Will Meyer harassed Brossart quarterback Landon Spaulding much of the first half – he was 7-of-15 for 56 yards. Two second-quarter examples: Stevie sacked Spaulding for 14 yards, and Will Meyer and Horan combined for a 5-yard sack to end the first half.
Fennell, who threw for 71 yards, found Hundemer for a 23-yard screen pass touchdown with 4:56 left in the third quarter.
“I’m seeing the end zone every time I get that screen play called to me,” Hundemer said. “It’s a great play.”
Brossart avoided the shutout when Spaulding found Brady Boruske for a 64-yard score a little less than four minutes into the fourth quarter, and NewCath’s Jaiden Wittrock ended the scoring with a 33-yard field goal five minutes later.
Altogether, Brown may be the happiest man at 13 Carothers Road – NewCath’s address.
“We’ve kind of strung some games together here, six games in a row,” he said. “Boys are just playing great, man. We took some lumps early, we figured some things out … I just love the way we’re playing right now.”
Thoroughbreds 24, Mustangs 7
BISHOP BROSSART — 0-0-0–7 — 0
NEWPORT CC — 7–7–7–3 — 0
First quarter
NCC-Van Hundemer 4 run (Jaiden Wittrock kick), 2:16
Second quarter
NCC-V. Hundemer 23 run (Wittrock kick), 4:22
Third quarter
NCC-V. Hundemer 23 pass from Ty Fennell (Wittrock kick) 4:56
Fourth quarter
BB-Brady Boruske 64 pass from Landon Spaulding (Ryan Eldridge kick), 8:28
NCC-Wittrock 33 field goal, 3:11
Game Stats
First downs: BB 7, NCC 12
Passing Yards: BB 152 (Spaulding 13-25-152-1 TD-1 INT), NCC 48 (Fenell 6-6-71-1 TD)
Rushing Yards: BB 28 (Spaulding 12-21, Boruske 8-7); NCC 239 (V. Hundemer 33-168, M. Meyer 7-69, Rowland 1-5, Fennell 1-(minus-1), Hurtt 1-(minus-2), P. Hundemer 1-(minus-2))
Receiving: BB 152 (Boruske 8-124, Tischner 2-9, Ketron 1-4, Johnson 1-9, Moeller 1-6), NCC 71 (V. Hundemer 3-41, Ramirez 1-18, W. Stevie 1-8, M. Meyer 1-4)
Turnovers: BB 2, NCC 1
Penalties: BB 4-30, NCC 7-52
Records: Bishop Brossart 7-5, Newport Central Catholic 7-5.
