LCA handles Hazard, earns trip to 1A finals

When Paul Rains took over as Lexington Christian Academy’s football coach in 2003, he boldly told the young players in the program that his goal was to get them to a state title game before they graduated.

Pie in the sky?

Nope.

LCA, in only its seventh year of varsity play, knocked off previously unbeaten Hazard 45-21 ltonight to earn a spot in next Friday’s Class A finals at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.

LCA (11-3) will play nine-time state champ Beechwood (12-2) in Friday’s title game. The Tigers beat Frankfort last night to reach the finals for the 13th time in 17 years.

“For us to do this in five years is nothing short of a small miracle,” Rains said, fighting back tears. “I give all the credit to God, and to all the people here.”

Hazard beat LCA 41-21 to end the regular season, but the Eagles won the rematch behind the pin-point passing of Lucas Witt, the power running of Domonique Hayden, and a defense that made huge stops in the second half.

“This is the biggest win of our lives, and the biggest win in our program,” Witt said. “But we’ve got one more to get — a state championship next week.”

LCA built a 24-10 lead late in the first half, but Hazard rallied to within 24-21 early in the third quarter.
The Eagles’ defense delivered in the clutch after that.

Kyle Ostrander and Evan Barnett sacked Hazard quarterback Tyler Olinger on the visitors’ next two possessions, forcing them to punt.

LCA’s Clay White ended the next Bulldogs’ threat with an interception.

Hazard drove to the Eagles’ 15-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but LCA forced a fumble to tame the ‘Dogs once again.

Craig McIntosh put a big hurt on Olinger, sacking him for a 20-yard loss with four minutes left.

And Drew Walls (shown above wrapping up Hazard’s Michael Campbell) capped off the defense’s sensational second half by returning an interception 90 yards for a score in the final seconds.

“Hazard had the momentum there early in the second half, but our defense changed that,” said Rains, who coached the Bulldogs 15 years ago.

Witt, a sophomore quarterback, had his radar locked in most of the night. He completed 19 of his first 23 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.

Hazard couldn’t contain LCA receiver Brandon Burdette, who had had five catches for 144 yards and a score in the first half.

Hayden had three short TD runs and consistently moved the chains in the second half.

Hazard Coach Mark Dixon praised his team’s effort, not only in last night’s game, but  for the season, which included a school-record 13 wins.

“We had a great season, an outstanding season, and I’m so proud of these kids,” Dixon said. “They played with a lot of heart all year and I appreciate what they did for us.

“But LCA deserved to win tonight. Coach Rains has done a great job here.”

Football and basketball mix it up

In a perfect world of high school sports, the football and basketball seasons wouldn’t overlap. But we live in an imperfect world, so when I’m covering the Class A football semifinal game between Hazard and Lexington Christian Academy tonight, part of me will be wondering how the hoops are going in the Mr. Basketball Classic at Tates Creek.

While Hazard QB Tyler Olinger and LCA QB Lucas Witt (shown at left) are throwing downfield, a couple miles away University Heights’ Scotty Hopson (shown below right), Bryan Station’s Shelvin Mack and Mason County’s Darius Miller will be throwing down dunks.

I wish it weren’t so. Indiana wrapped up its football championships last weekend in the RCA Dome, and basketball started up this week in Hoosierland. Here in Kentucky, the football title games aren’t until next weekend at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville. I’m not saying football should hurry up and get out of the way. But I would like to see football finish up a week earlier, and basketball start up a week later just so things aren’t so muddled. OK. Enough with my complaining.

In football, perennial powers are poised to add more hardware to their trophy cases. (I’ll be surprised if the six title games result in any first-time state champs.)

Five observations heading into tonight’s football semifinals:

1. The most intriguing matchup has Beechwood visiting Frankfort in Class A. It’ll be the Tigers’ muscle against the Panthers’ speed. Beechwood has history on its side. It’s been to the state finals 12 times in the last 16 years and won 9 titles. Frankfort hasn’t made it to a state championship game since it lost to Bellevue 21-0 in the 1977 Class A finals. But Frankfort has shown it can take down traditional powers by beating Danville and Mayfield in the last month.
2. I’m supposed to be unbiased, but part of me hopes Lone Oak makes it to the 4A finals so I can watch Purple Flash QB Corey Robinson fling the ball all over the field. I’ve seen most of the state’s record-setting passing QBs in person over the years, and I’d hate to miss watching a guy who’s thrown for a national record 86 TDs.
3. No disrespect to Meade County and Boone County, but is there anybody of sound mind who doesn’t think St. Xavier and Trinity will face off in the 6A finals next week?
4. Breathitt County visits Belfry in a showdown of unbeaten 3A contenders. It’s no surprise the Bobcats and Pirates are still alive. Both coaches have been especially successful the last 13 years. Mike Holcomb’s Breathitt County teams have won 138 games and 3 state titles since 1995. Philip Haywood’s Belfry teams have won 133 games and 2 state titles in that time.
5. With troops in hot spots Iraq and Afghanistan, it would be nice if Fort Campbell families could cheer on their Falcons in the 2A finals next week.

In boys’ basketball, it looks like there are a bunch of really good teams, but no superpowers like last year when Scott County went 30-0 against Kentucky competition on its way to a state title and top 10 national ranking.

Five observations as hoops season cranks up:

1. It’ll be interesting to see if stars Darius Miller of Mason County, University Heights Academy’s Scotty Hopson and Henry Clay’s Victor Moses show more aggressiveness this season. All three had a tendency last year to have quiet times on the court. Maybe that was due to their laid-back personalities, and their unselfishness in deferring to teammates. But they’re seniors now and need to play with more fire.
2. I wish Lexington Catholic would trim its holiday tournament to a more manageable (and fairer) 16-team field from its present 24-team extravaganza. Too many teams, too many games. How is it right that the lesser-light teams must win five games to take the title, while the stronger teams have to win only four?
3. Maui Madness: I wish my bosses would let me accompany Mason County on its basketball trip to Hawaii the week before Christmas.
4. Unless you’re willing to drive halfway across the state, you may have only one chance to see the state’s top-rated junior, Madisonville’s Jon Hood, play anywhere close to Lexington. The Maroons and Hood, who already has offers from UK and several other big-time programs, play in the Louisville Invitational Tournament in mid-January. Other than that, Madisonville stays in western Kentucky. Unless, of course, it makes it to Rupp Arena for the Sweet Sixteen.
5. You’ll have to wait a while to see the top two teams in the pre-season ratings — Mason County and Scott County — play each other. Scott County visits the Royals’ fieldhouse on Jan. 11.

This week in Kentucky high school sports history

1953

Ralph Carlisle’s defending state basketball champ Lafayette Generals hit 37 of 106 shots in a win over Fleming County. The Lexington Herald makes reference to Lafayette’s “brilliant 34.9 shooting percentage” . . . Vic Thorndale’s 20 points pace Baldy Gilb’s Henry Clay Blue Devils to a 57-37 victory over Irvine at Lexington Junior High’s gym . . . James Clay’s 15 points lead the Douglass Demons as they roll over Nicholasville Rosenwald 88-37 . . . Sonny Tibbs has 28 points to spark Nick Wanchic’s Lexington Catholic Knights past Camargo 86-49.

1967

Sophomore George Troxler pours in 30 points to lead Woodford County to a surprising 72-68 season-opening win over Bryan Station. This was a day after Bryan Station coach Charles “Stumpy” Shipley told his players they were “the No. 1 team in the city.” Yellowjackets Coach Ed Allin was asked where Troxler came from. “Straight from the freshman team,” he said . . . James Custard’s 17 points and Gary Ross’s 14 lead Harrison County past Tates Creek . . . A Lexington Herald article says that “once-feared basketball power Lafayette, relegated to the role of 11th Region goat since the retirement of Ralph Carlisle,” may be ready for a resurgence under new coach Charles “Jock” Sutherland and 6-10 all-state candidate Gary Waddell. Sutherland, who coached at Madisonville before coming to Lafayette, is desribed as “an energetic and youthful-looking veteran of 12 years of high school coaching” . . . Madison Central, led by Paul Adams’s 30 points, beats Lexington Catholic 86-80.

1982

Corbin beats Glasgow 18-6 to win the Class 2A state football title. Senior linebacker Steve Jewell helps hold Glasgow star David Bailey to just 28 yards on 10 carries. The Redhounds, under Coach Larry “Cotton” Adams, also beat the Scotties 20-12 during the regular season . . . Randy Reese guides Paris to its second consecutive Class A football title and 27th consecutive victory with a 35-6 win over Cumberland at Fairgrounds Stadium . . . Highlands repeats as 3A champ by beating Franklin-Simpson 6-0 in a driving rainstorm. Jeff Kremer’s TD pass to Mike Thompson in the first quarter is the only score . . . Junior star Belitta “Bebe” Croley’s 35 points and 17 rebounds lead Henry Clay’s girls to an 83-59 win over M.C. Napier . . . Bryan Station’s boys’ basketball team, led by Brian Stevens’ 32 points, beats Lafayette in the finals of the Bluegrass Festival at Lexington Catholic.

Football playoffs: Round 4 matchups

Remember when the football season kicked off three months ago in stifling heat and humidity? That seemed like forever ago Friday night when everybody was shivering through the bitter cold of the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

Now we’re down to the serious (but fun) business of the semifinals in each of the six classes. Most of the teams we figured to be contenders are still alive. It looks like a St. Xavier-Trinity battle in the 6A finals is inevitable. The most tantalizing semifinal has unbeaten Breathitt County visiting unbeaten Belfry in 3A. This Friday’s games include a couple of rematches from the regular season — In 4A, Lexington Catholic visits Harrison County. LexCath beat the Thoroughbreds 14-0 in late September. In 1A, Hazard visits Lexington Christian Academy. The Bulldogs beat LCA 41-21 in the regular-season finale earlier this month.

The big question in 4A is whether Lone Oak quarterback Corey Robinson, who’s thrown a national-record 86 TD passes, can fling the Purple Flash past Warren East and earn the long-shot team from western Kentucky a shot at a state championship.

Class A

• Beechwood (11-2) at Frankfort (11-2)
• Hazard (13-0) at Lexington Christian (10-3)

Cantrall ratings: 1) Beechwood 75.0; 2) Frankfort 66.6; 3) LCA 59.2; 4) Hazard 55.0

Class 2A

• Fort Campbell (11-2) at Metcalfe County (11-2)
• Newport Catholic (12-1) at DeSales (8-5)

Cantrall ratings: 1) NewCath 81.1; 2) Ft. Campbell 75.4; 3) Metcalfe County 66.4; 4) DeSales 50.0

Class 3A

• Central (8-5) at Paducah Tilghman (9-4)
• Breathitt County (13-0) at Belfry (13-0)

Cantrall ratings: 1) Belfry 75.4; 2) Central 75.3; 3) Breathitt County 68.5; 4) Tilghman 62.0

Class 4A

• Warren East (11-2) at Lone Oak (13-0)
• Lexington Catholic (11-2) at Harrison County (10-3)

Cantrall ratings: 1) Lexington Catholic 85.3; 2) Warren East 77.1; 3) Lone Oak 71.3; 4) Harrison County 59.5

Class 5A

• Bowling Green (12-1) at Owensboro (12-1)
• Lincoln County (11-2) at Highlands (13-0)

Cantrall ratings: 1) Bowling Green 93.1; 2) Highlands 91.5; 3) Owensboro 82.1; 4) Lincoln County 80.8

Class 6A

• Meade County (10-3) at St. Xavier (13-0)
• Boone County (10-3) at Trinity (11-2)

Cantrall ratings: 1) St. X 97.9; 2) Trinity 97.6; 3) Boone County 83.9; 4) Meade County 81.8

Trinity rocks and rolls over Henry Clay 50-14

Henry Clay at least had a few minutes of fun in its showdown with playoff nemesis Trinity tonight.

The Blue Devils took an early 7-0 lead in their Class 6A quarterfinal game, giving them and their fans hopes of ending years of futility against Trinity.

But the fun quickly dissolved into frustration as the Shamrocks rolled to a 36-7 halftime lead on their way to a 50-14 victory on a cold night at Marshall Stadium.

“It’s that time of year, and our kids like having their backs to the wall,” said Bob Beatty, who notched his 100th win in his eighth season as Trinity coach.

For Henry Clay, it was a painfully familiar end to the season, the third year in a row Trinity has ousted the Devils from the playoffs.

“This was a tough loss,” Coach Sam Simpson said. “I really felt we had a chance to come in here, keep it close and maybe win it at the end.”

But Trinity’s defense forced three turnovers, and its offense was outstanding under the direction of Will Stein. The senior quarterback had six touchdown passes to give him 48 for the season, eclipsing the school record of 47 set by Brian Brohm.

“That’s not my record,” Stein said. “That’s the whole offense’s record. I couldn’t do it without my offensive line; my receiving corps makes me look good, and (running back) Tim Phillips opens things up for everybody.”

Trinity, in the hunt for its 18th state championship, will host Boone County or Shelby County in the semifinals next week.

Trinity, which beat Paul Dunbar 41-7 and Lafayette 56-6 late in the regular season, had no trouble lighting up the scoreboard again last night.

Stein was masterful, completing 17 of 24 passes for 345 yards and six scores.

The Dutton twins — Alex and Nathan — had a big night catching the ball. Alex had seven receptions for 174 yards and two TDs. Nathan had five grabs for 132 yards and three TDs.

Tim Phillips ran 24 times for 180 yards and a TD (shown above)

Trinity finished the night with 551 yards to Henry Clay’s 440. The Devils were led by Dontey Gay’s 100 yards rushing. He also had six catches for 83 yards and a score.

Ryan Phillippi completed 19 of 37 passes for 270 yards and one TD.

But Henry Clay made too many mistakes to pull the upset. It lost two fumbles in less than two minutes midway through the first half, and Trinity cashed in with touchdowns both times.

Henry Clay star receiver Aaron Boyd also dropped a couple passes, including a TD toss that he had in his hands, that might’ve given the visitors some momentum.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Beatty said. “To hold an explosive team like Henry Clay to (14 points) is absolutely outstanding.”

Simpson, whose Devils finished 10-2, said he and his staff must “figure out a way to get over the hump” after Trinity ran its all-time record against Henry Clay to 7-0.

Picture this: Cam Hundley

The Herald-Leader’s high school basketball preview section that was published today includes a photo of a Scott County player slicing in for a layup. The player is identified as Cam Hundley, but it’s actually Matt Walls, the Cardinals’ all-stater who graduated and is now at Marshall University. The photo was misidentified when it was originally shot and never corrected.

The real Cam Hundley is shown in the photo at right.

Hundley made a name for himself in the Sweet Sixteen semifinals last March when he was 13-for-13 on free throws while scoring 23 points in Scott County’s 73-64 win over Holmes. He had 9 points in the Cardinals’ 56-50 victory over Ballard in the state championship game.

Hundley, Walls and Bud Mackey of Scott County made the all-tournament team.

Fields’ Friday football top 20

While you’re still digesting your turkey, here are some football rankings to chew on. I’m including only teams still alive in the playoffs. I confess to going heavy on the gravy at Thanksgiving, and going heavy on Class 5A and 6A teams in these ratings. I think the bigger schools have a decided advantage over smaller schools in football. There are exceptions, but they are exceptions.

Some fans have questioned my sanity for having Louisville Central rated so high with such a mediocre record. I think the Yellowjackets are a legitimate threat to win the 3A title, and have only been toughened up by losses to Highlands, Johnson Central, Male, Manual and St. Xavier.

1. St. Xavier (12-0) Marshall County
2. Trinty (10-2): Henry Clay
3. Highlands (12-0): Letcher Central
4. Henry Clay (10-1): at Trinity
5. Bowling Green (11-1): at John Hardin
6. John Hardin (12-0): Bowling Green
7. Owensboro (11-1):Oldham County
8. Bell County (12-0): Lexington Catholic
9. Lexington Catholic (10-2): at Bell County
10. Newport Catholic (11-1): Corbin
11. Male (10-2): Meade County
12. Belfry (12-0): at Somerset
13. Beechwood (10-2): Lou. Holy Cross
14. Johnson Central (10-2): at Lincoln County
15. Lincoln County (10-2): Johnson Central
16. Central (7-5): at Russellville
17. Meade County (9-3): at Male
18. Boone County (9-3): Shelby County
19. Shelby County (8-4): at Boone County
20. Breathitt County (12-0): at Russell

This week in Kentucky high school sports history

1948

Kentucky Military Institute, led by Bill Rowekamp’s 3 TDs, swamps Somerset 32-0 in the 11th annual Shrine Football Classic at UK’s Stoll Field in front of 13,000 fans. In the preliminary game, Brown Feix and Edward Ewalt lead the Cynthiana Bulldogs to a 38-6 victory over the previously unbeaten Nicholasville Tarantulas . . . Dwight “Speedy” Price, the city’s leading scorer the previous year, has 16 points to lead University High to a 36-22 win over Frankfort Good Shepherd . . . An overflow crowd at Lafayette watches the Generals open the season with a 60-38 win over Bourbon County Vocational. Bob Mulcahy’s 21 points lead Lafayette.

1960

The Lexington Herald trumpets the Thanksgiving Day Class 2A state finals showdown at UK’s Stoll Field between unbeaten powers Highlands and Lafayette as “the high school football game of the decade.” Homer Rice’s Bluebirds win 21-13 before 9,000 fans. John Burt scores 20 of Highlands’ points, despite finishing the game with a fractured wrist . . . Lynch repeats as Class A football champ by mauling Murray 39-0 behind fullback Adam Hoiska’s 3 TDs. Lynch’s defense doesn’t allow Murray a first down until the closing minutes of the game . . . Donnie Lane’s 15 points lead Versailles over Lafayette . . . Former UK star John Crigler makes his debut as Scott County coach and the Cardinals beat Madison Central 62-58. Glenn Wright’s 17 points led the winners. The game was postponed for four days because of a diptheria epidemic. No cheerleaders, students or other youngsters were allowed to attend the game in Georgetown . . . Frankfort made its debut under new coach John Lykins by ripping Midway 66-38 behind Jim Brown’s 16 points.

1975

No. 1 Ashland beats Lafayette 21-6 in the State Class 4A semifinals. The unbeaten Tomcats (13-0) are led by Jeff Sloan’s 141 yards rushing . . . Scott County rolls to a 36-0 halftime lead on its way to a 43-0 win over previously unbeaten Green County in the 2A semifinals. Bill Scott’s Cardinals are led by Courtney Talbert and Charles Jackson, each of whom rushes for more than 100 yards. UK Coach Fran Curci is among the spectators. He’s there to scout Green County QB Mike Deaton, who completes 9 of 20 passes for 70 yards . . . . Cawood falls to Highlands 35-6 in the 3A semifinals. The Bluebirds’ Larry Oberding rushes for 124 yards and 3 scores . . . The Herald-Leader’s all-state football team includes linemen Tom Kearns and Woody Yonts of Tates Creek, Jeff Schlosser of Highlands and Ken Roark of Middlesboro. The QB is Rick Buehner of St. Xavier. Ashland’s Herb Conley is Coach of the Year . . . In basketball, Jim Young’s 31 points lead Lexington Catholic to a 69-61 win over Model. The Knights’ Danny Haney has 14 points before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with muscle spasms.

Football playoffs: Round 3 matchups

We’re down to the elite eight in each of the six classes in the football playoffs. That means 48 teams will be practicing on Thanksgiving Day, working off the turkey and dressing and pumpkin pie. Not many surprises among the survivors. Almost all of them have a history of playing well in the post-season.

Greenup County (5-7) and Oldham County (5-7) are the only teams left with a losing record. Bardstown and Campbellsville take 6-6 records into the quarterfinals. Eight teams still have a shot at an undefeated state championship: Hazard, Belfry, Bell County, Breathitt County, Highlands, John Hardin, Lone Oak and St. Xavier.

Dave Cantrall’s ratings project these matchups in the state finals on Dec. 7-8 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville: Trinity vs. St. X in 6A; Bowling Green vs. Highlands in 5A; Lexington Catholic vs. Warren East in 4A; Belfry vs. Central in 3A; Newport Central Catholic vs. Fort Campbell in 2A; Beechwood vs. Pikeville in 1A.

Class A

• Mayfield (9-3) at Frankfort (10-2)
• Lou. Holy Cross (7-5) at Beechwood (10-2)
• Pikeville (9-3) at Lexington Christian (9-3)
• Campbellsville (6-6) at Hazard (12-0)

Class 2A

• Metcalfe County (10-2) at Trigg County (9-3)
• Bardstown (6-6) at Fort Campbell (10-2)
• Prestonsburg (9-3) at DeSales (7-5)
• Corbin (11-1) at Newport Central Catholic (11-1)

Class 3A

• Henry County (9-3) at Paducah Tilghman (8-4)
• Russellville (9-2) at Central (7-5)
• Belfry (12-0) at Somerset (9-3)
• Breathitt County (12-0) at Russell (11-1)

Class 4A

• North Bullitt (8-4) at Lone Oak (12-0)
• Fairdale (9-3) at Warren East (10-2)
• Greenup County (5-7) at Harrison County (9-3)
• Lexington Catholic (10-2) at Bell County (12-0)

Class 5A

• Oldham County (5-7) at Owensboro (11-1)
• Bowling Green (11-1) at John Hardin (12-0)
• Letcher County Central (11-1) at Highlands (12-0)
• Johnson Central (10-2) at Lincoln County (10-2)

Class 6A

• St. Xavier (12-0) at Marshall County (9-3)
• Meade County (9-3) at Male (10-2)
• Henry Clay (10-1) at Trinity (10-2)
• Shelby County (8-4) at Boone County (9-3)

Friday night highlights

A pass-happy quarterback broke a state record and a national record, a perennial power felt the sting of an upset at home, and several teams avenged regular-season losses by pulling playoff surprises. Those were a few of the storylines from the second round of post-season play.

• Lone Oak quarterback Corey Robinson (shown at right) broke the national record for TD passes in a season while leading the Purple Flash to a 56-22 rout of Calloway County. Robinson threw for 7 TDs, giving him 81 this year. That broke the national mark of 77 set by Thomas Thrash of Little Rock (Ark.) Pulaski a few years ago. Robinson’s 552 yards passing against Calloway County pushed his season total to 4,773, breaking the single-season state record of 4,660 set by Owensboro Catholic’s Zach Barnard in 2004. Lone Oak hosts North Bullitt in the Class 4A quarterfinals next week.
• Bardstown upset Danville 23-13 in Class 2A. The Tigers lost to Danville 20-14 in early October. But Bardstown won the rematch and ended the Admirals dream of getting back to the state finals for the sixth time in eight years.
• Harrison County, which got hammered by Franklin County 38-6 a month ago, turned the tables on the Flyers and flattened them 30-6 in a 4A upset. Harrison County piled up 454 yards of offense, led by Aaron Newby’s 274 yards on 32 carries. The Thorobreds’ defense limited Franklin County to 106 yards.
• Anderson County’s dream season came to an end with a 22-21 loss to Oldham County. Anderson County was 11-0 (a school record) going into the game, but Oldham County avenged a 35-31 loss to the Bearcats a few weeks ago.
• St. Xavier, even without star running back Deuce Finch, dominated Manual 27-7.
• Shelby County QB Alex Matthews, who threw for 9 TDs in a win over Scott County last week, was firing away again in a 37-20 win over Madison Central. Matthews completed 30 of 46 passes for 511 yards and 4 TDs. Jordan Burk caught 12 passes for 277 yards and a score.
• Breathitt County stayed unbeaten with a 55-7 rout of Estill County. Colby Fugate threw for 157 yards, and his brother Channing ran for 124.
• Pikeville earned a trip to Lexington by pummeling Paintsville 55-0. Daniel Harmon ran for 194 yards and 4 TDs for the Panthers, who visit Lexington Christian in the 1A quarterfinals next week.
• Russell, which beat Mason County 27-26 in overtime during the regular season, had to fight off the Royals 26-21 in the rematch in 3A last night. Adam Bates led the winners by rushing for 113 yards and 2 TDs.