By Terry Boehmker
NKy Tribune sports reporter
Covington Catholic football coach Eddie Eviston wasn't happy with his team's performance in the first half of Friday's home game against Dixie Heights and he let the players know it when they got into the locker room.
CovCath junior Grant Dyer breaks free on a 57-yard touchdown run. (Photo by Steve Dyer)
"We challenged them at half to fight more than what they were fighting and everybody kind of stepped up their game," Eviston said.
CovCath's defense kept Dixie Heights out of the end zone during the second half and the home team scored 21 points early in the fourth quarter to post a 35-12 victory that clinched first place in the Class 5A district.
This the first time since 2006 that CovCath has won a district title, but it didn't come easily. Dixie Heights trailed by only two points, 14-12, coming into the second half and moved the ball deep into CovCath territory on its first possession of the third quarter.
On a fourth-down play at the 18-yard line, however, Dixie Heights quarterback Austin Rice was stopped short of the first-down marker and turned the ball over on downs. That was a crucial play because Dixie Heights didn't get much done on offense the rest of the night.
"I give credit to our defensive staff for making the proper adjustments that shut them down the second half," Eviction said. "I'm just glad we did better in the second half than we did in the first first."
The scored remained 14-12 until the first play of the fourth quarter. That's when CovCath junior running back Grant Dyer took a pitch in the backfield, got around the right end and raced down the sideline on a 57-yard touchdown run.
CovCath's defense recovered a fumble a few minutes later and it took the offense only two plays to score again on a 5-yard run by senior Anthony Best that gave his team a 28-12 lead.
Dixie Heights abandoned its running game that was working so well in the first half and tried a couple of passes on its next possession. But the second pass was picked off by CovCath defensive end Kameron Butler and he returned it 20 yards for a touchdown.
That was the third touchdown CovCath scored in less than four minutes and it put the Colonels ahead, 35-12, with 9:11 remaining in the game.
"Whenever we do our job and do what we're coached to do, that's when we make plays," Butler said. "We shut them out in the second half because we did what we're supposed to do the way that we're coached."
Dixie Heights picked up 258 of its 297 total yards on the ground with Rice getting 128 yards on 12 carries. CovCath got most of its 200 rushing yards on TD runs of 57 yards by Dyer and 62 yards by sophomore Casey McGinness.
CovCath quarterback AJ Mayer completed just nine of 20 passes, but they accounted for 193 yards. Sophomore receiver Jack Coldiron caught two passes for 98 yards.
DIXIE HEIGHTS 6 6 0 0 — 12
COVCATH 7 7 0 21 — 35
CC – McGinness 62 run (Kloska kick)
DH – Barrett 2 run (kick failed)
CC – Best 2 run (Kloska kick)
DH – Barker 1 run (run failed)
CC – Dyer 57 run (Kloska kick)
CC – Best 5 run (Kloska kick)
CC – Butler 20 interception return (Kloska kick)
RECORDS: CovCath 7-2, Dixie Heights 5-4