Final. A little closer than I thought this one would be.

http://bluegrasspreps.com/ky-football-high/beechwood-newport-central-371596.html

NCC has gotten better. This was a good game for Beechwood after the district games. Beechwood fumbled at the NCC 3, had a TD catch ruled the TE was out of bounds and then the next play a blocked FG. Then the blocked punt for an NCC TD kept it closer. I thought the NCC offensive line did great pass blocking. BW got very little pressure on the QB. NCC played hard and it was nice for Beechwood to be able to get guys a full game with some pressure on them.

This game was a good example of why this is a good opponent for Beechwood to schedule right before the playoffs. The tradition and rivalry aside, playing a strong team like Newport Catholic between the district games and the early round playoff games is necessary to keep the team ready for the tough playoff games. Newport Catholic has some talented players and they play hard. They have speed that puts pressure on the defensive backs. Newport Catholic has the players to be a serious threat throughout the 2A playoffs. Team chemistry is what will determine how far they go.

 

For Beechwood, it was their sloppiest game of the season. The weather had something to do with it. Newport Catholic has something to do with it making the Tigers work for everything. However, Beechwood had a lot of mistakes in this game. Three times the Tigers drove into the red zone and then had penalties, a fumble on a snap and other mistakes that led to Beechwood getting no points out of those three chances. It was a very sloppy night that will give the coaches a lot to work on over the next two weeks as Beechwood will have a bye in round one.

There was one big bright spot for Beechwood last night - senior running back and linebacker Tyler Donoho. It is a great story of hard work being rewarded. Donoho has worked and fought for playing time but there have been talented players in front of him that limited his snaps. The injury to Josh Derry opened the door. Donoho has stepped into that role and gets better every game. He has done a solid job and is improving at linebacker. On offense, Donoho has added another facet to the Beechwood attack at fullback. He is doing the things Beechwood fans expected from Derry. He runs hard, breaks tackles and has the speed to make big plays. It is great to see a young man just keep his head down for four years, keep working hard and seizing an opportunity like Tyler has. He was a major offensive weapon for Beechwood last night. What he is doing this year is an example of what the Beechwood program is all about. Congratulations to Tyler Donoho.