After a 2-3 start to the season, the Covington Catholic football team admittedly had a problem finding itself and its identity.
The Colonels no longer have an identity crisis and have found themselves in the second round of the KHSAA Class 5A playoffs after defeating archrival Highlands, 38-8, Friday night at Griffin Stadium.
CovCath, 8-3 and winners of six straight, will host Conner (7-4) next Friday in the District 5 final. Highlands finishes 5-6.
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“It’s amazing,” senior running back Reid Hummel said. “The first few weeks we were figuring ourselves out. We didn’t know our true offense yet. But we’re starting to find ourselves and trusting the process, trusting what the coaches are teaching us. Everything just started piecing together.”
CovCath won its ninth straight meeting with the Bluebirds since 2016, limiting the Bluebirds offense to a touchdown or less for the sixth time in that span and fifth out of the last six meetings.
That continued a stretch of dominant defense this season that coincides with the winning streak, as the Colonels have allowed 45 points total in regulation in the last six games.
CovCath forced Highlands into three-and-outs on all three of its first-half possessions, limiting the Bluebirds to nine total yards in the half and 160 for the full game. Highlands didn’t score its only touchdown until early in the fourth quarter when CovCath led 24-0.
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“I’m speechless,” said senior quarterback Preston Agee about the defense. “They work their tails off. They take care of business. They’re 100 percent focused. They didn’t want to lose, especially against Highlands.”
While the CovCath defense has been a known quantity in recent weeks, the offense has been a work in progress all season. Without a dominant quarterback like A.J. Mayer or Caleb Jacob, or an all-world talent like Michael Mayer, the Colonels have had to focus on the running game this season and experiment with different looks at quarterback.
Tonight, the Colonels put up arguably their best performance of the season, racking up 453 yards offense against the Bluebirds.
Most of that came on the ground, as Hummel rushed for 154 yards.
Agee rushed for 144 yards. Agee scored three touchdowns and Hummel one. The QB and running back duo were in sync with the offense.
“I love that kid,” Agee said. “He’s fast, agile. He has explosive speed. He can take care of business but he’s not afraid to go up and get a lick on somebody. We have every other class together and we’re always talking about the game plan and what we need to do."
Agee also threw for 84 yards. Senior Brayden Collins spelled the duo with 55 yards rushing.
Hummel and Agee both heaped praise on a veteran offensive line.
“When you have a good o-line like that, it’s kind of hard not to run the ball,” Agee said. “We all work really hard as a team. I feel like our run game is our best attribute. Our passing game is getting there. “
Said head coach Eddie Eviston: “It’s been a weird year where we’ve had to slowly figure out what our identity is. It’s a slower process than maybe it was in the past. Our guys are playing well together. That’s what the sports’ all about, playing together.”
The Colonels were determined to leave no doubt after escaping Fort Thomas with an 8-7 win on Oct. 15. CovCath won by converting a two-point run in the final minutes then blocking field goal at the buzzer.
The Colonels scored on their third offensive play of the game when Agee broke free up the middle and sprinted for a 46-yard touchdown run.
CovCath’s next drive went to the Highlands’ 29, but consecutive sacks by Kaleb Kissee and TreVaughn Woods stalled the drive.
CovCath’s third drive started with 11 minutes left in the second quarter, and the Colonels never gave the ball up. The Colonels started at their own 38, and chewed up the remaining time of the half, mainly with Agee and Hummel getting short gains.
The drive stalled at the Highlands 2, and after two time outs, the Colonels elected to get three points off a 20-yard field goal by Eli Nally.
“It was good to have a two-score lead,” Eviston said. “It crossed my mind to go for it but we wanted to go into halftime up 10 points. We didn’t think 10 points was going to be enough. We made some adjustments at halftime, to hopefully get bigger chunks and spring something, and that’s what happened.”
CovCath forced Highlands to punt on its first two drives of the second half. Leading 10-0, the Colonels went 87 yards in a short amount of time. Agee rushed for a 38-yard gain, and Hummel scored from 26 yards out with 7:32 to go in the quarter, and the Colonels led 17-0.
After a quick three-and-out by Highlands, CovCath drove 61 yards, and Agee scored from 13 yards out with 3:53 to go in the third to give CovCath a 24-0 lead.
Highlands started to get untracked after that. On its next drive, the Bluebirds threatened when sophomore quarterback Cam Bottom found junior Charlie Noon for a 47-yard pass. On the next play, David Sullivan intercepted Bottom to give the Colonels' possession.
Highlands scored on its next drive with the help fo two pass-interference penalties by CovCath. Bottom found Matteo Matteoli for a 28-yard TD pass. Bottom connected with Brody Benke for a two-point conversion, and Highlands was within two scores at 24-8 with 10 minutes left to go in the game.
Highlands went for an onside kick but CovCath recovered at midfield. Hummel delivered three punishing runs to get CovCath inside the 10, and Agee scored to give CovCath a 31-8 lead.
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