NewCath finishes another undefeated district run

G. Michael Graham Photo. Newport Central Catholic wide receiver Brandon Gray (2) comes down with a reception in NewCath's recent win over Bishop Brossart. Gray had four catches for 67 yards in Friday's 48-0 Thoroughbred win over Covington Holy Cross.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The score surprised no one.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team dominated the battle of Class 2A’s last three state champions, 48-0 on Friday in Newport over the Covington Holy Cross Indians. The Thoroughbreds moved to 24-0 in Class 2A, District 6 action since 2007 when the Kentucky High School Athletic Association expanded from four to six classes.

The Thoroughbreds (5-4 overall, 4-0 district) outscored the district opponents 153-28 with their second straight shutout. They also improved to 19-2 in the all-time series against the Indians (1-8, 1-3).

“I thought we made a lot of strides this week,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “We played our best game all-around with not many mistakes made. We might find a few when we watch the tape. We were pretty efficient in everything we did so we’re happy for now.”

NewCath won their fourth and fifth state championships in 2010 and 2012 and Holy Cross won it in 2011. But the Indians have gone 4-16 since that title.

NewCath garnered 353 yards of total offense to 163 for Holy Cross. That included 193-28 through the air and 12-9 in first downs.

NewCath quarterback Mac Franzen completed 11-of-12 passes for 193 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 25 yards and a touchdown on two carries.

Thoroughbred wide receivers Tommy Donnelly and Brandon Gray once again put up big games. They had three and four catches respectively for 67 yards each. Nate Enslen followed with one catch for 42 yards. Donnelly added two touchdown catches.

Jacob Smith put together another nice game running the football for NewCath. He had 72 yards rushing on 10 carries.

The Thoroughbreds wanted to contain Holy Cross senior running back Jalen Beal. He entered the game with 1,199 yards rushing on 154 carries and 15 touchdowns. Beal had 109 yards on 18 carries. He had a 20 and 17-yard run in the fourth quarter against the NewCath reserves.

“We got after him pretty good,” Wagner said. “We never really let him get started. I think he was still banged up because they only ran him 18 times.”

The Thoroughbreds led 14-0 after the first quarter and never looked back. Franzen completed a 42-yard score to Enslen before hitting Donnelly for a 22-yard connection.

NewCath extended that lead to 28-0 at halftime. Franzen and Kalvin Moore had 12 and 7-yard runs respectively.

The Thoroughbreds finished the game with 20 points in the third quarter. Smith scored on a 43-yard dash before Maleek Lawrence intercepted a Holy Cross pass in the end zone and Franzen hit Donnelly for a 30-yard connection.

They take on the old district rival and Class 1A power Beechwood Tigers (6-3) to conclude the regular season. Game time is Saturday at Noon in Fort Mitchell.