What does NC need to do to beat streaking Beechwood?

Allen Ramsey Photo. Newport Central Catholic senior Clint Bartels (4) looks for running room in a recent game against Newport. The Thoroughbreds are aiming for their fifth straight win of the season Friday against Beechwood.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

This line should be familiar entering the season finale for both teams.

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds and Beechwood Tigers football teams once again rolled through their respective districts and want to continue that momentum entering the playoffs. NewCath (4-4) of Class 6-2A has won four straight and Beechwood (7-2) of District 4-1A has won seven in a row.

Game time is 7 p.m. at Newport Stadium on Friday. NewCath has won the last two meetings by 34-31 and 34-14 scores in 2013 and 2012 respectively.

The teams have two common opponents in the Dixie Heights Colonels and Covington Holy Cross Indians. NewCath lost to Dixie Heights (34-13) on Sept. 20 and beat Holy Cross (50-21) last week. Beechwood also lost to the Colonels (48-21) on Sept. 5 and beat the Indians (58-0) on Sept. 12.

“It is always a good crowd,” said Dan Wagner, NewCath Head Coach. “It should be a good game. It’s the type of game this is. People are not getting cheated when they watch this game. We hope to have another good one this week.”

The Tigers and Thoroughbreds have not been in the same since the Kentucky High School Athletic Association split from four classes into six in 2007. NewCath has been in 2A since then and Beechwood has been in 1A.

The Thoroughbreds have won 31 straight district contests dating back to 2006 when the Tigers beat them, 28-21 when they were both in Class A. But NewCath came back and beat Beechwood, 26-21 in the playoffs on the way to the state championship.

“They know us and we know them,” Wagner said. “We pretty much know what they do and how they’re going to do it. It just comes down to playing. We have to make sure we control the line of scrimmage because they’re big and strong.”

The Thoroughbreds have dominated the line of scrimmage recently led by players like junior Maleek Lawrence. They’ve allowed 1,402 yards rushing and 978 yards passing on the season in addition.

Beechwood has a huge offensive line led by Brayden Combs, Chase Bright, Chase Campbell and Jake Etler. The Tigers are known for pounding the ball in between the tackles in the I-formation. Junior Ethan Stringer has been their main back this year and junior Kyle Fieger is their quarterback. Fieger throws to players like tight end Jonathan Stokes.

“We just have to hold the backs,” said Clint Bartels, NewCath senior defensive back. “The linebackers need to know where they’re going, keep their heads on a swivel and just make the right plays. It’s about being tough against the big guys. We’ll see what happens.”

The Thoroughbreds run a sound 4-4 defense. Junior linebacker Kobe Tallon leads the way with 81 tackles. Junior cornerback Erik Anderson leads NewCath with four interceptions and senior Brandon Gray has two fumble recoveries.

Gray will also be a key on the offensive side in NewCath’s spread offense. He has a team-high 26 catches for 254 yards and Nate Enslen has 15 for 245 and three touchdowns. Quarterback Patrick Henschen has completed 67-of-105 passes for 751 yards and five touchdowns.

Gray said the Tigers blitz a lot in their 4-3 defense. Senior defensive Riley McKown and Stokes lead the Beechwood defense.

“Pat is going to have to get it out of his hands pretty quick,” Gray said. “He’s come a long way since his first start. Like Coach (Schneider) says, you have to be on the same page even if you don’t talk.”

The NewCath offensive line and wide receivers have blocked better for junior running back Jacob Smith in recent games. He has 748 yards rushing on 123 carries and 13 touchdowns. Smith also has 19 catches for 162 yards.

“You have to see the defense and get your head up,” said Dave Schneider, NewCath Offensive Coordinator. “You can’t make it too complicated. This will be a good challenge for all of us. We’ve had a good run. Beechwood will give us a good determination of where we’re at and how much we’ve improved.”

Beechwood leads the all-time series, 23-14. The Tigers last beat the Thoroughbreds, 29-20 to end the 2011 regular season and spoil NewCath’s bid for a perfect regular season.