Updates from Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville:
- Fort Campbell has won its fourth state title, its first since 1979, and denied NewCath a third straight championship in front of 5,679 fans. (In the photo at right, by Ed Reinke of the Associated Press, Fort Campbell coach Shawn Berner celebrated the win. )
- Fort Campbell had two players rush for more than 100 yards — Troy Turner (109) and Dexter Durrante (120). C.J. Croft passed for 143 yards and 2 TDs. The Falcons had more than 400 yards to NewCath’s 255.
- Dexter Durrante’s 68-yard TD run down the left sideline has all but sealed Fort Campbell’s state championship. His long run gives the Falcons a 21-7 lead with 2:54 left in the game.
- NewCath was in prime position to tie the game when it had first down at the Fort Campbell 1-yard line, but the Thoroughbreds couldn’t score. They had a pair of 5-yard penalties, an incomplete pass and wound up losing a fumble at the 4 with a little more than 5 minutes left. Raquan Durrante’s hit on NewCath receiver Matt Ritter caused the turnover. Fort Campbell takes over, trying to hold onto a 14-7 lead.
- Fort Campbell has edged ahead 14-7 after driving 80 yards in 14 plays. C.J. Croft hit Lorenzo Hines on a 7-yard quick slant for the TD in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
- We’ve still got a tie — 7-7 — after three quarters. Both teams are moving the ball until they get to the red zone. Fort Campbell has 287 yards. Troy Turner has rushed for 109 yards on 17 carries. NewCath has 180 yards.
- HALFTIME: Fort Campbell 7, NewCath 7.
- NewCath converted a fourth-and-6 with a 6-yard pass from Rob Kues to Matt Ritter, and on the next play the two hooked up again on a 26-yard TD pass to tie the game with 35 seconds left in the half.
- Fort Campbell has 205 yards at halftime, led by Troy Turner’s 76 yards rushing. C.J. Croft has passed for 108 yards and a TD. NewCath has 137 yards, led by Rob Kues’ 90 yards passing and 21 rushing. Matt Ritter has 4 catches for 48 yards.
- Fort Campbell has taken a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard TD pass from C.J. Croft to Chris Allen. On instant replay, the ball appeared to have grazed the ground as Allen made a diving catch in the back of the end zone. The Falcons drove 79 yards in 12 plays to score with 7:27 left in the first half.
- No score after one quarter. Fort Campbell has moved the ball well, but failed on fourth down twice. The Falcons have 118 yards, led by Troy Turner’s 56 yards rushing. NewCath has 60 yards.
- The defenses have prevailed so far. Fort Campbell couldn’t convert on fourth-and-3 at the NewCath 35 on its first possession. NewCath took over and drove to the Falcons’ 25 but it failed on fourth-and-7 with 4 minutes left in the first quarter.
