By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Last week, Covington Catholic’s football team nearly lost its season-opening game against Dixie Heights due to a shaky performance in the second half, but the Colonels finished strong Friday to come away with a 19-17 win over the visiting Beechwood Tigers.
CovCath outscored Beechwood, 10-0, in the final two quarters to post its 17th consecutive victory and run its winning streak against the Tigers to six in a row. The Colonels now have a 46-1 record during the last three seasons.
CovCath defensive end David Sullivan, No. 82, tries to block a pass by Beechwood quarterback Cameron Hergott. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
Beechwood senior quarterback Cameron Hergott scored two touchdowns and had a combined total of 180 passing and rushing yards in the first half that ended with his team holding a 17-9 lead over the defending Class 5A state champions.
But the Tigers were limited to 37 yards on just two offensive possessions during the second half and Hergott finished the game with a combined total of 208 yards (194 passing, 14 rushing).
CovCath’s offensive leader was senior quarterback Caleb Jacob with 108 yards passing and 56 rushing.
With 3:19 left in the fourth quarter and his team holding a one-point lead, Jacob picked up 16 yards on a crucial third-down play and the Colonels were able to run out the clock.
Beechwood opened the game with an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. The Tigers got most of that on a 47-yard pass from Hergott to Brady Moore, who was brought down at the 4-yard line. Two plays later, Hergott scored on a 1-yard run and Colin Graman kicked the extra point.
CovCath’s defense scored the team’s first two points on a safety. Less than two minutes later, the Colonels took the lead when Jacob threw a 23-yard pass into the end zone and Ezzy Shields wrestled the ball away from a defender for a touchdown. Trey Gronotte’s extra-point made it 9-7 with 2:01 left in the first quarter.
Caleb Jacob
After each team committed a turnover, the Tigers put together a pair of drives that resulted in a 34-yard field goal by Graman and an 8-yard touchdown run by Hergott to open up a 17-9 halftime lead.
During the first half, Hergott accounted for 180 of his team’s 219 yards. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 138 yards while rushing for 42 yards and two touchdowns.
CovCath’s offense was limited to 84 yards in the first half. The Colonels were also saddled with several penalties on both sides of the ball.
But the second half began with a 13-play, 60-yard CovCath drive that ended with a 3-yard run into the end zone by Sam France. The extra-point kick by Gronotte cut Beechwood’s lead to 17-16 going into the fourth quarter.
On their next possession, the Colonels moved the ball 52 yards and then brought in Gronotte to kick a 33-yard field goal that gave the home team a two-point victory.
CovCath finished with a 256-254 advantage in total yardage. The Colonels were penalized nine times for 100 yards and Beechwood was flagged five times for 50 yards.
CovCath wide receiver Ezzy Shields makes a difficult catch in the end zone against a Beechwood defender. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
BEECHWOOD 7 10 0 0 — 17
COVCATH 9 0 7 3 — 19
B – Hergott 1 run (Graman kick)
CC – Safety: Intentional grounding in end zone.
CC – Shields 23 pass from Jacob (Gronotte kick)
B – Graman 34 FG
B – Hergott 8 run (Graman kick)
CC – France 3 run (Gronotte kick)
CC – Gronotte 33 FG
RECORDS: CovCath 2-0, Beechwood 1-1.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
Boone County 28, Scott 22 OT
Covington Catholic 19, Beechwood 17
Conner 29, Campbell County 6
Gallatin County 27, Bellevue 7
Highlands 23, Ryle 14
Holmes 12, Newport 6
Ludlow 54, Brossart 33
Newport Central Catholic 32, Holy Cross 6
Simon Kenton 36, Walton-Verona 6
Corbin 26, Dixie Heights 22
Louisville DeSales 42, Cooper 14
Saturday’s game
Webster County at Dayton, 3 p.m.
