[Stardust]

BOWLING GREEN – Newport Central Catholic football coach Eddie Eviston likes to take chances in games. Though it cost him early, it may have paid off in the end.

Three plays after senior quarterback Josh Cain connected with junior receiver Mac Franzen on an unscripted 54-yard pass, Cain tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to junior Tyler Lyon with 26 seconds left to play to give NewCath a 30-26 win over Caldwell County in the Class 2A title game at Feix Field/Houchens Stadium.

It is NewCath’s second Class 2A title in the last three seasons under Eviston and its fifth state title overall. They also won a Class 2A title in 1984 and Class A titles in 2005 and 2006).

NewCath’s game-winning drive came after it held Caldwell County (11-4) to a 19-yard field by Brett Seymore with 2:30 remaining that put the Tigers on top, 26-24. NewCath (11-4) forced the field goal by stopping Caldwell County on a 3rd-and-goal play from the Thoroughbreds 2-yard line.

Seymore’s ensuing kickoff went out of bounds at the NewCath 40 as he attempted to squib it down the right side. On the second play from scrimmage Cain rolled right - on what was supposed to be a short pass - and spotted Franzen well behind the Caldwell County defense. The pass hung in the air long enough that by the time Franzen hauled it in as he back-pedaled Caldwell County defenders had caught up enough to tackle him at the Tigers 4.

“We were going to chip away, that was the plan, but it came open, Josh made a good read and got it done,” said Eviston.

“Before the play (Franzen) talked to me and said he was going to run a deep post,” said Cain. “It wasn’t supposed to be a long play, but I looked and he was open and I chucked it down field. I thought someone was going to knock it down. I didn’t think he was going to catch it at all.”

Cain completed 14 of 23 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice.

“We have that quarterback/wide receiver connection,” said Franzen. “He saw me going deep and he gave me a chance and I came through for him.”

Franzen finished with 81 yards on four receptions and the 54-yard catch gave him the single-season school record for receiving yards. He finished with 1,143 yards, bettering the old record of 1,109 set by Josh Canafax in 2005.

After a run by Dylan Hayes, who sat out most of the fourth quarter due to a leg cramp, took the ball to the Caldwell County 1, a run by Pete Collopy lost three yards leading Eviston to take a timeout with 30 seconds remaining. He called for Cain to fake a pitch right and when Cain straightened up he lobbed a pass to a wide open Lyon for the touchdown. It was just Lyon’s sixth reception all season, but it was his third touchdown.

“I think everybody expected us to run it and go for the field goal and the way they were stacking the box we thought we could get it,” said Eviston.

The wild finish mirrored what had been a wild game throughout with NewCath rolling up 405 yards total offense and Caldwell County 404 (258 passing by sophomore Elijah Sindelar, who was 21 of 29 and added 54 yards rushing). Neither team punted in the game, and the two teams combined for nine fourth-down conversion attempts.

The strangest fourth-down attempt came late in the third quarter with NewCath leading 21-20 and faced with a 4th-and-1 from its own 15. Hayes, who finished with 106 yards on 27 carries, was stopped for no gain.

NewCath did hold Caldwell County to only a field goal, a 24-yarder by Seymore with 1:40 left in the quarter that put the Tigers on top 23-21.

“I’m an idiot there,” said Eviston. “Our defense was struggling and we tried to sneak one and it didn’t work. It was good our defense held them to three. I put them in a bad position, but no matter what position they’re in they always have my back.”

Cain was intercepted on NewCath’s next possession, but then NewCath corner Noah Freppon, who was in the game for the ailing Hayes, intercepted an overthrown pass by Sindelar at the NewCath 21.

Cain connected with Dan Ruwe for 39 yards to take the ball to the Caldwell County 16, but on 4th-and-1 from the Caldwell County 7, Nathan Grosser was called on to try a 24-yard field goal, which he made with ease to put the Thoroughbreds up, 24-23 with 6:50 remaining.

That set up the wild finish.

NewCath wound up winning its last nine games after starting the season 2-4.

“This game sums up our season,” said Eviston. “These kids just fought and kept fighting. I knew there was something special. It’s a great group of kids. It was a memorable win in a memorable season. It’s the way a state championship game should be.”
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Caldwell’s Elijah Snider threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.