By: Lauren Maples, Special to the Courier-Journal
A goal-line stand in the final moments of the fourth quarter allowed Fern Creek to come away with the 35-28 win over Covington Catholic on Friday night, earning the Tigers a spot in the Class 5-A semifinals next week.
Fern Creek (11-2) had a 21-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but the Colonels (9-4) responded with back-to-back touchdowns and got the ball with 2:32 left in the game. The contest came down to its final seconds when Fern Creek held Covington Catholic on fourth-and-goal with 6.5 seconds left to perserve the win.
The Tigers will face undefeated Bowling Green in the semifinals in a 7:30 p.m. game at home on Friday.
Fern Creek head coach Joshua Abell said that his team plays better when they are not favorited and the predictions for game may have influenced the team's drive to compete.
"From the kids' perspective, I don't think they had any doubt that they were gonna win that game," Abell said. "They came out hungry."
Colonel head coach Eddie Eviston said he was so proud of his team's efforts on the field and the continual drive they have shown throughout the season. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get the win.
"We just had too many ups and downs," Eviston said. "We didn't play consistent enough and you can't do that in a regional final game and expect to win. We fought, but we just can't play that inconsistent."
Related: CovCath football results, stats
Senior running back Kyree Hawkins had a phenomenal evening, finishing with 138 rushing yards and three touchdowns and a two-point conversion for Fern Creek. Hawkins said he just had his focus on keeping the team's spirits up.
"I was just encouraging my team as they started to get tired," Hawkins said. "We haven't had a lot of battles in this season to where we're neck-to-neck with each other and they're coming back and I was telling my team to keep pushing to achieve the goal that we wanted to."
Abell said he wants to make sure the team is ready for their next game against Bowling Green. He said the team will rest up this week and try not to over-coach themselves in preparation for the upcoming matchup.
"We're gonna do what we do well and have a couple adjustments in wrinkles based on how they're gonna play and that's it," he said. "The biggest thing we have to do this week is get healthy."
Fern Creek 6 8 21 0 - 35
Covington Catholic 7 7 0 14– 28