By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
Many
expected a rematch of last year’s epic Class 2A state championship game in
Bowling Green on Saturday.
The Newport
Central Catholic Thoroughbreds downed the Caldwell County Tigers, 30-26 when
Tyler Lyon caught a four-yard pass from quarterback Josh Cain with 26 seconds
left in the game. Caldwell County received the nod as favorites with the return
of the majority of those players including quarterback Elijah Sindelar.
But the
rematch will not happen. Murray upset the Tigers, 27-14 in the regional finals
on Nov. 22.
So the
Thoroughbreds (10-4) will instead defend their crown against the Louisville
DeSales Colts (13-1) at Noon on Saturday. The game takes place at Houchens
Stadium on the campus of Western Kentucky University.
“We’ve heard all year long that the west side of the
state is going to win it,” said Dan
Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “The east
side doesn’t have a chance so the pressure is on (DeSales). We’ll just go down
and see how it goes.”
This marks
the third appearance in the state championship game in four years of high
school for the 12 seniors. NewCath also beat Owensboro Catholic, 42-0 to win
the crown in 2010.
“We’re stressing not getting ahead of ourselves in
practice all week,” said Kalvin
Moore, NewCath senior running back/linebacker. “Yes, it’s the state championship. But we still have to prepare like we
do every week.”
A win would
mark arguably the best four-year run in program history. The Thoroughbreds
appeared in four consecutive state title games between 2005 and 2008 winning it
in 2005 and 2006 before falling to Fort Campbell in 2007 and 2008. NewCath is
5-6 entering its 12th state championship appearance with nine coming since
2000.
NewCath
enters the game on a nine-game winning streak. The Thoroughbreds have outscored
opponents, 446-277 on the year. They’ve rushed for 2,238 yards and passed for
2,011. Defensively, they’ve allowed 1,760 rushing and 2,141 passing. They edged
Somerset, 49-48 in double overtime in the state semifinals.
NewCath saw
the importance of special teams in that game. Senior John Caudill made all
seven extra-point attempts while Somerset missed it’s kick in the second
overtime and that turned out to be the difference in the game.
“We’re going to work on (PATs in practice this week),” Caudill said. “Repetition
makes perfect honestly. The snappers are getting good snaps and holders are
getting good holds. It’s all there. You need all three to make the kick.”
DeSales
comes in on a six-game winning streak with its lone loss coming 27-24 to
Louisville Christian Academy on Oct. 18. The Colts are led by second-year Head
Coach Harold Davis, a 1982 DeSales alum. Davis served as defensive backs coach
for six years prior to becoming head coach last year. The Colts lost 43-31 to
Caldwell County in the state semifnals last year.
They’ve
outscored opponents, 633-132 with six shutouts this year. That includes wins
over Class 5A schools Warren Central (40-27) and John Hardin (25-20) in
consecutive weeks early in the season. Both those teams came within seven
points of Highlands during the regular season.
“Our seniors have demonstrated a desire to get better
every day,” Davis said. “They have set great examples for the
underclassmen to follow. Our offseason workouts have made a big difference in
our success this season.”
NewCath
runs a Spread offense that could give the DeSales defense problems. The Colts
do not have defensive backs to match up with NewCath 6-foot-5-inch senior wide
receiver Tommy Donnelly. Donnelly has 33 catches for 624 yards and nine
touchdowns. Brandon Gray leads NewCath with 35 receptions for 494 yards and
three touchdowns.
DeSales
runs a 4-4 defense like NewCath. The Colts have allowed 1,130 yards rushing and
1,155 passing defensively. Senior linebacker Matt Bouchard leads DeSales with
88 tackles. Senior safety Conner Shipley has five interceptions and senior
defensive lineman Mario Morales had three fumble recoveries to lead DeSales.
“They’re a very aggressive defense,” said Dave Schneider, NewCath Offensive Coordinator. “They like to bring a lot of pressure so we
have to be tuned in on our assignments and get off the ball and attack. They’re
a very well-coached defense. We have to relax, see their defense, let them
bring their pressure and get the ball to the right guy. If we do that, we’ll be
fine.”
NewCath
senior quarterback Mac Franzen has completed 127-of-215 passes for 1,983 yards,
24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and rushed for 599 yards on 143 carries and
six touchdowns. Jacob Smith leads NewCath with 954 yards rushing on 175 carries
and 13 touchdowns.
“It’s difficult for us to prepare for a quarterback
that throws the ball as well as (Franzen) does,” Davis said. “We
don’t throw very much offensively, so it’s hard to simulate a quarterback in
practice like Mac. We’ll work on our technique and zone drops. Hopefully, we
can put some pressure on him with our front four.”
DeSales
runs a Wing-T offense that averages about 7.5 passes a contest. The Colts have
rushed for 4,110 yards and passed for 1,066. They run a play called the tackle
trap.
“I used to coach the Wing-T when I was (coaching) at
(Cincinnati) Indian Hill so I’m fairly familiar with it. It’s not new,” Wagner said. “It’s
been around a long team. If you pay attention to what you’re supposed to be
paying attention to, the linemen will take you exactly to the ball. We tell
them all the time not to buy what they’re selling (in the backfield), but stick
with your key and lineman because it’s designed to block a certain way. You can
blow the play up before it ever starts if you do what you’re supposed to do.”
Senior
running back Dylan Byrd leads DeSales with 1,889 yards rushing on 231 carries
and 34 touchdowns. Colt senior quarterback Nathan Rousch has rushed for 928
yards on 140 carries and 14 touchdowns and completed 58-of-104 passes for 1,055
yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. Byrd also leads the team with 17
passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior
linebacker Jack Sutkamp has 195 tackles for NewCath and Lyon has 97. Lyon leads
the Thoroughbreds with five fumble recoveries and Nate Enslen has three
interceptions.
“Jack may be the best linebacker we will have faced
this season, and we’ve played against some good ones,” Davis said. “We
may have to put two people on him. He’s a great player.”
This will
mark the fourth meeting between the two teams. NewCath leads the all-time
series, 2-1 beating DeSales in 2007 (31-3) in the state semifinals and in 2008
(54-19) in the regional title game before DeSales beat NewCath, 23-10 in the
2009 2A Regional title game.
DeSales is
seeking its first state championship. The Colts lost 29-9 to Fort Campbell in
the 2009 2A title game and 20-7 in the 1981 4A title game to Lexington Henry
Clay.