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Beechwood wins 18th state championship

LEXINGTON, Kentucky – Few teams in the state of Kentucky have seen the postseason success that the Beechwood Tigers have enjoyed and the tradition got even richer on Friday as the school picked up its 18th state championship and fourth Class 2A title in five years by knocking off Owensboro Catholic 50-34 at Kroger Field in Lexington.

The win marked the 10th straight victory for the Tigers. Yet somehow it was Beechwood that came into this game with a chip on their shoulders. The team was knocked out in the semi-final round a year ago by Mayfield and this year’s senior class was determined to not let history repeat itself.

“Our seniors wanted to get back to this game so much. Last year was a disappointment losing at Mayfield in the state semifinals,” head coach Jay Volker stated. “They knew they wanted to get back to this game. They knew they wanted to go out in their senior year with a state championship.”

It was the play of several of the seniors that made the difference in this one. Senior running back Chase Flaherty was named the game’s MVP, finishing with 76 yards on 24 carries and four touchdowns in the win. Flaherty, who suffered an ankle injury, a round earlier, finished the postseason with 16 touchdowns in five games. Pretty remarkable considering he could barely walk earlier in the week.

“The first time I was running was out here today in warmups,” Flaherty said after the game. “I haven’t run all week. I was in a boot on Monday and Tuesday, so I was just going out there giving it my all. This is my last game ever so I might as well go out and give it my best.”

Aside from Flaherty, the Tigers’ offense got a big boost from wide receiver James Cusick, who pulled in six catches for 113 yards in the first half before exiting the game with an injury in the third quarter. He and classmate Clay Hayden connected on several key third downs that set the tone early. Beechwood converted 10-of-14 third downs in the game and was 1-for-1 on fourth downs.

Hayden made plays when they needed to be made. In his final game under center for the Tigers the senior completed 14-of-20 passes for 166 yards. He also rushed seven times for 42 yards.

“Clay has just done a great job all year of finding who was open,” Volker said.

On defense, it was also seniors that shined. Defensive back Luke Erdman had one of the biggest plays of the game when he came up with the only turnover of the game as he intercepted the Aces’ Brady Atwell in the second quarter and returned 63 yards to the Owensboro Catholic 7-yard line. It was an early turning point in the game.

In addition to avenging last year’s disappointing exit, the team had some bulletin board material as some comments made by Owensboro Catholic leading up to the game didn’t sit well with Volker and his team.

“They made some remarks about us being a track team and not a very good football program and we took that to heart. This is number 18 for a reason we pride ourselves in playing football and we have a lot of guys who are dedicated and they went out and showed it tonight.”

Beechwood was outgained in total offense (463 to 385 total yards), but the ability to move the sticks had them owning a 10.5 minute edge in the time of possession and the Aces, who were playing a bit shorthanded, eventually wore down.

Aces quarterback Brady Atwell threw for 366 yards and two touchdowns on 29-of-49 passing, but the interception and the team’s struggles on third down (5-of-12) were too much for Owensboro Catholic to overcome.

The state title marks the first for Volker, who took over for Noel Rash after the 2023 season. Rash finished with eight state titles. The coach expressed both gratitude and and relief after his team sealed the deal.

“Honestly it is a relief to get number one just because of how successful this program has been. I know that is what our goals are every single year,” Volker claimed. “I am lucky enough to step into this and have unbelievable players, unbelievable coaching and an unbelievable support system. I am excited to be the head coach at Beechwood and bring this 18th title back to Fort Mitchell.”

SCORING BY QUARTERS
Beechwood: 7-14-14-15-50
Owensboro Catholic: 0-7-14-13-34

POSTGAME INTERVIEWS

SCORING PLAYS
B: Chase Flaherty 2-yard run (Colson Lair kick)
B: Chase Flaherty 2-yard run (Colson Lair kick)
O: Wayne Ebelhar 20-yard pass from Brady Atwell (Andrew Garvin kick)
B: Chase Flaherty 3-yard run (Colson Lair kick)
O: Dereon Crowe 1-yard run (Andrew Garvin kick)
B: Nathan Pabst 34-yard run  (Colson Lair kick)
B: Tyler Fryman 36-yard run (Colson Lair kick)
O: Brady Atwell 1-yard run (Andrew Garvin kick)
B: Chase Flaherty 1-yard run (Colson Lair kick)
O: Dereon Crowe 11-yard pass from Brady Atwell (Andrew Garvin kick)
B: Jack Meier 50-yard kickoff return (Nathan Pabst pass from Hayden)
O: Brady Atwell 5-yard run (no kick)

RECORDS: Beechwood (14-1); Owensboro Catholic (14-1)

*Photo by Les Nicholson / KHSAA (from @KHSAA on X)

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