NKyTribune staff
Make that 20 consecutive wins for Covington Catholic, which is showing everyone it is very capable of repeating as Class 5A state champions.
CovCath improved to 5-0 by steamrolling to a 42-0 victory over Highlands on Friday night in Park Hills. The top-ranked Colonels — who haven’t lost since Dec. 2, 2018 — churned out 446 total yards and defeated Highlands for the sixth straight time.
Highlands linebacker Jack Cavanaugh (3) stops CovCath’s Owen Nally on Friday. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Senior quarterback Caleb Jacob ignited the CovCath victory by rushing for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Colonels built a 14-0 lead after one quarter and cruised to their 20th consecutive win during the past two seasons.
CovCath opened the game by driving 56 yards in less than three minutes to take a 7-0 lead when Jacob scored on a 2-yard keeper. Jacob ignited the CovCath offense during that drive, rushing for 31 yards and passing for another 17 yards.
CovCath extended its advantage to 14-0 near the end of the first quarter on Sam France’s short touchdown run. France’s scoring run capped a 50-yard drive that Jacob keyed with 28 yards on the ground.
Jacob gained 73 yards on seven carries in the first half. The CovCath defense also stopped Highlands twice inside the 20-yard line during the opening two quarters.
Ryan Schneider added 72 yards on the ground for CovCath, while Ethan Reardon finished with 88 yards receiving. Jacob completed seven passes in 14 attempts for 99 yards.
CovCath has outscored its last three opponents by a 128-7 margin. The Colonels have not dropped a regular-season game since a 35-28 loss to Scott County on Oct. 28, 2016. Since that defeat, CovCath is 35-0 in regular-season contests.
Caleb Jacob finds an opening against the Highlands defense on Friday night. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
Sophomore quarterback Charlie Noon finished with 197 yards passing for Highlands, which dropped to 3-3. The Bluebirds, who gained 242 total yards, entered the game ranked No. 8 in the latest Class 5A state poll.
CovCath plays host to Conner next Friday at 7 p.m. and can clinch the district title with a victory. Highlands meets Cooper next Friday in Fort Thomas.
NEWCATH REMAINS PERFECT: Newport Central Catholic and Dayton both entered Friday night’s Class 1A showdown sporting perfect records. When it ended, NewCath remained unbeaten (5-0) after rolling to a 34-6 win at Dayton (5-1).
Joey Runyon rushed for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the win for NewCath, which is ranked No. 3 in the Class 1A state poll. NewCath quarterback Malaki Herndon ran for a touchdown and added a 10-yard scoring pass to Preston Baggett.
Herndon’s 13-yard scoring run in the third quarter gave NewCath a 20-0 lead.
Dayton, which established a program record by winning its first five games of the season, cut the NewCath advantage to 20-6 late in the third quarter when Trey Matthews scored on an 8-yard touchdown run. The Thoroughbreds countered with Runyon’s touchdown runs, a 28-yard scamper followed by a 5-yard score late in the fourth quarter.
Dayton is ranked No. 7 in the Class 1A state poll. The Greendevils play at Ludlow next week in a district showdown. Ludlow posted a 54-8 win at Bellevue on Friday night.
CovCath running back Dallas Wirth (3) is wrapped up by Highlands defenders Bryson Cody (31) and William Hartman (30) on Friday night. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
NEWPORT DEFEATS HOLY CROSS: Ethan Jefferson passed for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Newport held on for a 21-20 win over Holy Cross on Friday night at Newport Stadium.
Jefferson opened the scoring with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Simon Keating in the first quarter. He later found Kaleb Thompson for a 64-yard scoring pass in the second quarter as Newport took a 21-14 lead into halftime.
Holy Cross cut the Newport lead to 21-20 in the third quarter when Jeremiah Hicks returned a fumble for two yards and a touchdown.
Mykell Martin gained 42 yards on the ground for Newport, which extended its winning streak to three and improved to 4-2. Hicks rushed for 143 yards on 26 carries for Holy Cross, which dropped to 1-5.
Holy Cross finished with a 358-332 edge in total yards. The two teams combined for nine turnovers, including three lost fumbles by Holy Cross. Newport turned the ball over five times, three of those on interceptions.
Newport plays host to Beechwood next week for the Class 2A district regular-season title. Beechwood coasted to a 49-0 win over Lloyd on Friday night.
Caleb Jacob finishes off a touchdown run against Highlands as CovCath teammate Owen Nally (22) celebrates in the background. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
CovCath’s Garrett Benke (14) congratulates Caleb Jacob after a touchdown. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
CovCath defender Luke Stegman (65) applies heavy pressure on Highlands quarterback Charlie Noon during a 42-0 victory on Friday night. (Photo by Dale Dawn)
