[Stardust]

By Kyle Burch • [email]kburch@enquirer.com[/email] • September 18, 2009

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While NewCath was able to control the clock, penalties and turnovers cost them mightily. On all but one possession, the ‘Breds drove inside the Camels 35-yard line but were repeatedly turned away by mistakes and a staunch Campbell defense.


It had been a long six years since Campbell County had walked away a winner on the gridiron against its county rival Newport Central Catholic, so when the opportunity to strike presented itself, the Camels didn’t hesitate.

Trailing 17-14, on the first play after recovering a NewCath fumble, Campbell County quarterback Michael Kremer connected on a 48-yard pass with receiver Matt Smith putting the Camels in scoring position. One play later Kremer scrambled six yards for a touchdown, giving his team a 21-17 lead and eventual victory.

According to Campbell County coach Troy Styer, the play was drawn up in hopes of swaying the games momentum in the Camels favor.

“In football, anytime there is a turnover in a close game, the next play you want to go for the home run. That’s what we were looking for there,” Styer said. “(Kremer) did a good job of finding Smitty open and getting him the ball.”

The 48-yard pass was just a sample of what the Camels were able to do with their pass offense throughout the game.

Kremer finished completing 22 of 37 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns.

Three different Campbell receivers finished with over 60 yards receiving, led by Nate Geiman’s six catches for 95 yards. Kremer’s ability to improvise and throw on the run gave the Thoroughbreds defense fits.

“That quarterback was amazing at keeping the plays going when we rushed the pocket,” NewCath head coach Bob Schneider said. “He does a heck of a job of getting away from the rush and finding the open man.”

Early in the game the NewCath offense kept Kremer and the Campbell County passing attack at bay by controlling the clock with its running game. The ‘Breds pounded the Campbell County defense with run after run from quarterback Brady Hightchew and running back Chris Kelly. That combination kept the chains moving and the Camels offense off the field limiting them to just 29 plays from scrimmage in that span.

In the third quarter alone, Kelly rushed 14 times for 88 yards and finished with 34 carries for 197 yards and two touchdowns.

“We literally couldn’t get on the field long enough for our offense to do anything,” Styer said. “It wasn’t that we weren’t executing in the first half, it was that NewCath was doing a great job of controlling the game.”

At one point, Campbell trailed 17-7 late in the third quarter, facing a 3rd and 6 at midfield when Austin Johnson caught a screen pass from Kremer before scampering 49 yards for the score to put the Camels right back in the thick of things.

“Those are killers,” Schneider said of his team’s first half penalties. “Stuff like that is what takes you out of games. Those opportunities to score, especially in the first half, really hurt us.”