Thoroughbreds prepare for Tomcats, Baker in season-opener

G. Michael Graham Photo. The Ashland Tomcats (white uniforms) and Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds (blue uniforms) face off in the season-opener on Friday again this year. NewCath won last year's meeting 37-26.

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

It is a name that rings bells not only in eastern Kentucky, but for any opponent of the Ashland Blazer Tomcat football team.

Ashland standout running back Quentin Baker has been on the minds of the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds for a few weeks as they prepare for their usually tough non-district grind against bigger schools. Eventual Class 2A runner-up NewCath beat Ashland, 37-26 at Newport Stadium to open last year. Baker rushed for 238 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns in that contest.

The Thoroughbreds travel southeast to face Baker and company on Friday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at the newly-renovated Putnam Stadium in Ashland. The trip may take a couple hours. But the Thoroughbreds are not concerned about it.

Thoroughbreds open playoffs against Wildcats for second straight year

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The two football squads enter the Class 2A playoffs with identical 6-4 records.

But that’s about the only similarity between the first-round opponents. The District 6 champion Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds play host to the Gallatin County Wildcats at 7 p.m. Friday at Newport Stadium. The Wildcats took the fourth seed out of District 5.

NewCath knocked off Gallatin County, 56-0 at the same location last year. A similar result could occur this year based on the schedules. The Thoroughbreds ended up losing 24-21 to district rival Covington Holy Cross in the regional title game after winning its fourth state championship in 2010.

The Thoroughbreds’ four losses have come to bigger Ohio and Kentucky schools in Covington Holmes, Simon Kenton, Campbell County and Cincinnati McNicholas while Gallatin County’s four losses came to 2A opponents. NewCath went 5-0 against teams in their class or smaller after beating 1A power Beechwood, 34-14 last week to conclude the regular season. The Thoroughbreds enter the playoffs with a four-game winning streak.

“The players have to understand that just because we are playing well right now, we still need to improve as a team,” said Eddie Eviston, NewCath head coach. “We still have to push ourselves to be better practice players. The kids have worked hard over the last month and that is why we are playing better and that needs to continue.”

The only common opponent between the two teams is Lloyd Memorial. The Juggernauts downed the Wildcats, 66-15 on Sept. 14. NewCath dismantled Lloyd Memorial, 66-23 on Oct. 6.

Four of Gallatin County’s wins have come against 1A teams in Ludlow (44-22), Berea (40-6), Bellevue (52-16) and Bardstown Bethlehem (15-14). The other two wins came against 1-9 Louisville Atherton (48-36) of Class 4A and District 5 rival Trimble County (48-0).

Gallatin County lost to Walton-Verona (42-6), Carroll County (57-27) and Owen County (59-22) in district action. That equates to an average margin of defeat of about 34.3 points.

On the season, Gallatin County has rushed for 1,422 yards and passed for 2,082. Opponents have rushed for 1,657 and passed for 1,401.

Senior Nick Brown leads the Wildcats on both sides of the ball. The running back has gained 887 yards on 145 carries and 10 touchdowns for an average of just more than 6.1 yards a carry. Brown has also hauled in 13 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown and leads the team with 102 tackles as a free safety.

“(Brown) is one of their best players who does good things on both sides of the ball,” Eviston said. “We just need to execute our game plan and play our game.”

Wildcat quarterback Austin Chapman has completed 133-of-242 passes for 2,065 yards, 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. His top two targets are wide receivers Nate McCoy with 48 catches for 704 yards and six touchdowns and Brady Lawrence with 38 catches for 799 yards and seven touchdowns.

On the flip side of the ball, NewCath has outscored opponents, 195-46 during the winning streak. The Thoroughbreds have gained 1,878 yards rushing and 1,497 passing while allowing 1,436 rushing and 1,317 passing this season.

The NewCath spread offense has thrived lately led by senior running back Dylan Hayes. Hayes has rushed for 1,229 yards on 154 carries and 20 touchdowns for an average of about eight yards a carry.

The Thoroughbreds have been balanced as quarterback Josh Cain has completed 111-of-188 passes for 1,496 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Mac Franzen leads the NewCath receivers with 37 catches for 670 yards and four touchdowns. Dan Ruwe is second with 21 catches for 262 yards and two touchdowns with Pete Collopy haulding in 20 receptions for 158 yards and two scores.

Ross Meed continues to lead the NewCath defense with 69 tackles. Franzen has three interceptions to lead the Thoroughbreds and Myers has a team-high two fumble recoveries.

“Just like I am sure the majority of every other team does, we just emphasize that the focus and the will to win has to be at an all-time high each and every week from here on out,” Eviston said. “That is what separates the champions from all the others.”

This will mark just the second meeting between the teams all-time. The Thoroughbreds have not lost in the first two rounds of the playoffs since 1999. That also marked the last time NewCath has not advanced past the second round.

NewCath prepares for battle against improved Holmes

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

Coming off its most complete game of the year, the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team faces another potential challenge from a bigger school in non-district action.

The 2-3 Thoroughbreds travel to Covington to face the improved 3-2 Holmes Bulldogs on Friday. The Bulldogs time finished 4-7 last year in Terry Liggin’s first season. They finished third in Class 4A, District 7 behind Highlands and Covington Catholic before losing 66-20 at Johnson Central in the first round of the playoffs.

Holmes defeated Scott and 1A power Beechwood to open the season before losing on the road to two undefeated teams in Simon Kenton and Cooper. They opened district action with a 64-7 win at Pendleton County on Friday.

The only common opponent is 6-0 Simon Kenton. The Pioneers beat the Bulldogs, 31-7 on Sept. 7 in a game called at halftime because of lightning. Simon Kenton held off NewCath, 28-20 at Newport Stadium eight days later in a game the Thoroughbreds had a chance to tie before fumbling at the Pioneer 5 on 4th-and-2 with less than two minutes left in the game.

“(The Bulldogs) have very good talent and speed,” said Eddie Eviston, NewCath head coach. “It looks as if they are buying in (to Liggins) and they do some things really well.”

Holmes’ quarterback is Rashawn Colston. Their main offensive threats are running back Jonathan Scruggs and wide receiver Desean Peterson. The NCC 4-4 defense will face a Holmes offense that runs unorthodox Wing-T and Spread sets. The Bulldogs have a Diamond shotgun package where two running backs line up next to Colston and another behind him.

The Bulldogs are outscoring opponents by an average of 25-20.6. Conversely, the Thoroughbreds are outscoring the opposition, 31-23.8. NewCath has yielded 745 yards rushing and 783 passing for an average of 305.6 yards a contest.

NewCath runs a spread offense. The Thoroughbreds average 348.4 yards per contest offensively behind a good offensive line. They’ve run for 843 and passed for 899 yards offensively. Dylan Hayes leads NewCath with 523 yards rushing on 78 carries with eight touchdowns for an average of just more than 6.7 a carry.

“We’re getting a lot better at blocking,” said Steve Schneider, NewCath senior offensive right guard. “We’re getting healthy and knowing the formations and who to block is making us better. The (offensive) line has had two good days (of practice) this week – a lot of energy.”

NewCath quarterback Josh Cain has completed 68-of-108 passes for 899 yards and eight touchdowns to 11 different receivers. Mac Franzen leads the Thoroughbreds with 23 catches for 442 yards and two touchdowns. Pete Collopy and Tyler Lyon also have two touchdown receptions for NewCath.

Defensively, Franzen leads the team with two interceptions. Teammate Mason Myers has two fumble recoveries.

Eviston said the injury situation is the about the same as last week. Several key players are back but still nursing a few things with three or four players still out for a while.

“It’s that time of the year, the heart of your season, in which teams just have to grind,” Eviston said. “I honestly believe the teams that can practice well right now and truly focus on their task at hand will be the teams that will be the most competitive at the end of the year. We are preaching that as much as possible to our kids, and even though we have our moments, our kids are working hard.”

Game time is 7 p.m.

Durham, Camels run past Thoroughbreds

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM
Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter
ALEXANDRIA - The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds knew they needed to contain Tyler Durham, especially on the outside sweeps.
That did not happen Friday in NewCath's 42-16 loss to the Campbell County Camels. Durham rushed for 194 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns for an average 9.7 per touch and completed 9-of-15 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown in the win.
The Camels ran the spread-option attack like the previous opponent in Cincinnati McNicholas and it presented problems for the Thoroughbreds. The Campbell County running backs constantly ran past the NewCath tacklers to garner 302 yards rushing on 42 carries for an average of just under 7.2 a carry.
"Ït was a great job executing," said Eddie Eviston, NewCath head coach. "They took it to us. Hat's off to them."
Campbell County outgained NewCath, 465-319 in total offense. Camel junior running back Alex Howard added 90 yards rushing on 14 carries and a touchdown.
"This has been a rival for Campbell County for a long time and still is," said Stephen Lickert, second-year Camel head coach. "We wanted to make a statement because we believe that we're a 6A school and we should win these type of football games. We did that (Friday)."
On the other side, The Thoroughbreds could not get their running game going out of their spread offense. NewCath rushed for just 88 yards on 26 carries for an average of just below 3.4 yards a touch.
Campbell County held Thoroughbred senior standout tailback Dylan Hayes to just 57 yards on 13 carries mostly in the fourth quarter. Hayes did still make it into the end zone on a 3-yard run with 2:38 left in the game for his sixth rushing touchdown of the year and seventh overall.
The Thoroughbreds did better in the passing game. Quarterback Josh Cain completed 16-of-27 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown. Seven completions went to Mac Franzen for 138 yards. Noah Freppon and Dan Ruwe hauled in three each for 54 and 27 yards respectively.
"I know we can pass the ball," Eviston said. "We just have to execute. We had one big play and had three bad ones. That's the name of the game."
Cain also did a good job punting the ball. He had four for 176 averaging 44 yards a boot, including a 70-yarder in the first quarter.
Despite the score, NewCath stayed in the game until the fourth quarter. Trailing 21-0, NewCath forced Campbell County to punt and a high snap forced punter Grant Mahoney to step out of the end zone for a safety.
The Thoroughbreds took over at the Camel 45 after the free kick and NewCath scored quickly. Freppon had one-on-one coverage and took the pass from Cain down the right side for a 45-yard score to cut the Camel lead to 21-9 with 1:10 left in the third.
But Campbell County quickly turned the momentum. Durham cut left and back to the middle of the field for a 65-yard score. The Camels added two more touchdowns in the fourth to put the game away.
"We fell asleep for a couple plays,"Lickert said. "But we answered. It was really exciting."
The final six minutes of the first half hurt the Thoroughbreds. Trailing 7-0, NewCath drove to the Camel 31 but fumbled the ball to Cambpell County with 6:53 left in the quarter.
The Camels drove into Thoroughbred territory later in the quarter. On 3rd-and-10, Durham swept right and cut back to the left for a 30-yard score with 1:02 left in the first.

NCC-McNicholas Preview

By G. MICHAEL GRAHAM

Fort Thomas Matters Sports Reporter

The Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds football team tends to rise up for challenges.

They have another one this Saturday when they cross the Ohio River into east Cincinnati to face the McNicholas Rockets. McNicholas is an Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III school – the third-largest of Ohio’s six classes – and a member of the rugged Greater Catholic League Central Division.

“We obviously like to challenge ourselves,” said Eddie Eviston, NewCath head coach. “You are not going to see many small schools on our schedule besides our district that we have to play. That makes us better in the long run. I think we have the kids that can fight and rise to the challenge.”

The Rockets struggled to a 2-8 mark under first-year head coach Mike Orlando last year after going 11-3, winning the GCL Central title and driving all the way to the state semifinals in 2010. That included a 23-13 defeat to the Thoroughbreds last year at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium. This marks the first contest for the Rockets, while NewCath comes in off a 37-22 win over Dixie Heights in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown.

The Thoroughbreds hope to bring the same intensity to this game they did against Dixie. They did not turn the ball over and outgained the Colonels, 349-287 in total offense including 227 yards on the ground on 42 carries. Senior Dylan Hayes led the way with 138 yards on 23 carries with three rushing touchdowns and a kickoff return for a score.

NewCath had some balance offensively out of its spread attack against Dixie. Quarterback Josh Cain completed 16-of-24 passes for 122 yards including seven to Mac Franzen for 58 yards. Cain has plenty of experience around him until he settles in to the new full-time role.

“The guys around me make my job easier,” Cain said. “The guys pick me up if I struggle.”

The Thoroughbreds will also face a spread offense Saturday. Senior quarterback Austin Ernst returns for the Rockets after throwing for 926 yards in 2011 and senior running back Kevin McHale comes back after rushing for 647 yards last year. Ernst can throw to wide receivers Michael Mink and Thomas Vogele.

“(Austin) Ernst has a very good arm,” Eviston said. “We need to do as much as we can to get him on his toes, get him out of the pocket, and do some different things to not make him comfortable. He can do some things to nickel and dime you.”

Franzen and Hayes did pick off Dixie quarterback Drew Moore once each. Franzen’s interception led to a Hayes touchdown.

Moore completed 16-of-23 passes for 167 yards and had 92 yards rushing on 15 carries. He scrambled 78 yards for a touchdown just 2:10 into the game. The Colonels did have some success when Moore scrambled outside the pocket and on crossing routes.

“That is something we talked about as a staff and brought it up to the kids (Monday),” Eviston said. “I’m sure (the scrambling and crossing routes) is something McNich will see and try to use to its advantage. We just need to get better in those areas. We can’t let the quarterback out of the pocket when we get a good rush on him and we have to prevent the quick-hitters in the passing game.”

NewCath will face a 4-3 defense. Paul Wilson, Logan Stultz and Kevin Williams anchor the defensive line. Williams had 2.5 sacks last year. McHale leads the Rocket linebackers and junior Daniel Sandmann leads the defensive backs.

McNicholas does return a good kicker in senior Pat DiSalvio. He made 11-of-17 field-goal attempts and 68-of-72 extra-point tries last year. DiSalvio also averaged 37.3 yards per punt.

Game time is 1 p.m. at Penn Station Stadium.