Anyone expecting an offensive shootout Friday night at Covington Catholic hasn’t been paying attention.
Two state-ranked teams with fierce defenses clashed at Griffin Stadium in their final tune-ups before the KHSAA playoffs begin next week.
Covington Catholic’s defense made the most plays when it mattered the most, edging Ryle 10-3 in the regular-season finale on a rainy night with a steady drizzle. Both teams enter the playoffs with records of 7-3.
“The last game of the season, heading into the playoffs, you don’t always know what’s what,” said CovCath head coach Eddie Eviston. “All we know is that when CovCath and Ryle get together, it’s going to be a good battle. We looked at this as a benchmark of where we were going into the playoffs.”
Ryle, ranked seventh by the Associated Press in Class 6A, is set to play Campbell County in the first round of the playoffs Thursday in Union.
CovCath’s opponent was not set at game's end Friday. The Colonels, ranked sixth in 5A by the AP, are the top seed in 5A, District 5. Conner, Cooper and Highlands finished tied for second in the district standings, so the rest of the seeding in the bracket will be determined by the Ratings Percentage Index after tonight's games.
CovCath received a boost in its RPI rating, which could help the Colonels down the line in the playoffs if they win the district and get to the third round. That will be no easy task in the local foursome.
“We got to stay together, keep staying together as a team like we have been,” said CovCath senior Nicholas Darpel. “It’ll be fun.”
After a 2-3 start, CovCath won its last five games of the regular season, allowing 37 total points in regulation in that span. Ryle allowed 12.6 points per game in the regular season, giving up 13 or less in eight of its 10 games.
The defenses came to play Friday. The difference was CovCath forcing Ryle to come up empty on two key trips to the red zone, while the Colonels cashed in on the few opportunities that the Raiders allowed them.
“I’m proud of our guys and how they came out in senior night,” Eviston said. “Everything with that, the weather, I’m proud of how they executed. We had a decent week of practice and our coaches had a good game plan."
CovCath’s first defensive stand came in the first quarter on Ryle’s second offensive drive. After a 13-yard run by Jayce Harden to the 13, Ryle quarterback Logan Verax fumbled. Darpel pounced on the ball to end the threat.
“I was coming on a blitz and my teammate forced him right to me,” Darpel said. “I made a good hit on him and landed on the ball ... It was big. It got us all the momentum and we started going after that."
CovCath broke the shutout in the second quarter, taking up six minutes of game time on a 49-yard drive that ended in a 36-yard field goal by Eli Nally. The key play was a 23-yard pass from Preston Agee to Adam Holtz to the Ryle 25. Agee was starting his second straight game under center after Evan Pitzer was injured two weeks ago against Highlands, and Holtz has been a running back since starting at QB earlier in the season.
Ryle earned another big chance to score late in the half after punting to the CovCath 5-yard line, then forcing the Colonels to punt after one first down.
Ryle started at its own 45 with 1:45 to go in the half.
Verax threw a 16-yard pass to Hunter Vaughn, who deftly outmaneuvered tacklers to get out of bounds. Following a penalty, Verax connected with Gavin Ruark for a 15-yard pass to the 15.
On the next play, Verax threw incomplete into the end zone. Then, he connected with Jameson Smith near the 5-yard line, but he was brought down inbounds and short of a first down, and time expired.
Ryle got another opportunity in the third quarter, when Dallas Wirth fumbled a punt at midfield, but with three Raiders around him, he was able to recover the ball.
CovCath then took up nine minutes of the third quarter on a scoring drive. The Colonels converted two key fourth downs, the first on an Agee pass to Holtz. Agee converted a fourth-and-two from the Ryle 10 with a run, then scored the only touchdown of the game late in the third quarter, and CovCath led 10-0.
Ryle got on the board on its first drive in the fourth quarter. Verax connected with Kaden Gardner on passes of 20 and 26 yards, setting up a 33-yard field goal by Summer Denigan.
Ryle couldn’t get a first down on its next drive. With two minutes left in the game, CovCath went for it on fourth-and-2 from Ryle’s 44. Holtz ran through the line to barely convert the first down, and CovCath ran out the clock.
“It was a good team win,” Darpel said. “Offense starting to get there in the second half. Defense was good the whole game. We always got to do our job. We play for each other and that’s how we put up the numbers we have been lately.”
Ryle 0 0 0 3-3
CovCath 0 3 7 0-10
C – Nally 36 FG
C – Agee 3 run (Nally kick)
C – Denigan 33 FG
Records: R 7-3, CC 7-3
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