Beechwood Rolls Past Owensboro Catholic 50-34, Wins 18th State Title
The No. 12 Beechwood Tigers defeated the No. 7 Owensboro Catholic Aces 50-34 to win the 2024 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine 2A State Football Championship on a cold, sunny December day at Kroger Field.
Beechwood (14-1) won their 18th state title and seventh in the last nine seasons. Owensboro Catholic (14-1) fell to 0-6 in state championship games, finishing as a state runner-up for the second straight season.
“Last year was a disappointment losing at Mayfield in the semis,” said second-year Beechwood coach Jay Volker. “(These seniors) knew they wanted to win a state championship and put a banner on the wall. (For me) it is a relief to get (title) number 1. I know that is what our goal is every year.”
After missing practice all week due to an injury sustained in the semifinal last week, Chase Flaherty earned Player of the Game honors with 24 carries for 74 yards and four touchdowns.
“I hadn’t run all week until warmups (tonight), I was in a boot,” Flaherty said after the game.
James Cusick had a monster game with six catches for 113 yards before leaving with an injury in the third quarter. Quarterback Clay Hayden was 13-of-19 for 155 yards.
Owensboro Catholic was led by Mr. Football candidate Brady Atwell. The Western Kentucky baseball commit threw for 366 yards and two touchdowns and added two touchdowns on the ground. He ranks second in Kentucky state history in single-season touchdowns (68 in 2023).
“Brady Atwell is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He’s put this team on his back for three straight years,” said Owensboro Catholic head coach Jason Morris. “I hope and pray he knows how important he is to Owensboro Catholic football.”
Coming off of an injury, Vince Carrico led the Aces in tackles with eight, as he did each of the last four seasons. He finishes his career with over 800 tackles. Dereon Crowe had eight receptions for 132 yards and added a rushing touchdown.
Beechwood (46.8 points per game) and Owensboro Catholic (45.9 points per game) came in ranked 1-2 in Class 2A scoring, but it was the Beechwood defense that ruled the day, holding Owensboro Catholic to 28 points before a garbage-time touchdown on the game’s final play. The Tigers added a 69-yard interception return and a 50-yard onside kick return for a touchdown while outgaining the Aces 183-57 on the ground.
Game Recap
First Quarter
Atwell gained two yards on a fourth-and-one quarterback keeper to the Owensboro Catholic 31-yard line. The teams eventually traded punts without either offense making much headway on their first drive. On the Aces’ next possession, Xavier Maddox got behind the defense, but Atwell was unable to connect on the deep ball.
After the Tigers forced another punt, they put together a touchdown drive on possession number two. Hayden connected with Cusick for 35 yards to the Aces’ 21-yard line. The two hooked up again to convert a third down. Flaherty punched it in a couple of plays later to make it 7-0 Tigers.
Second Quarter
The Tigers turned up the heat when Luke Erdman intercepted an Atwell pass that deflected off a receiver. Erdman returned it 69 yards to the Owensboro Catholic seven-yard line. Flaherty picked up his second touchdown of the game from two yards out two places later.
After another Aces punt, Hayden completed a 38-yard pass to Cusick to the Aces’ 16-yard line. It seemed like the Tigers were about to break things open, but the Owensboro Catholic defense bowed up a forced field goal, which the Tigers missed.
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Atwell heated up on the next drive, completing a pair of first-down passes to Crowe before throwing a 20-yard touchdown to Waryn Ebelhar.
Beechwood had an answer, though. Cusick’s incredible 22-yard catch on 3rd-and-long set up a three-yard Flaherty touchdown run with only 32 seconds remaining before halftime.
Third Quarter
The Tigers forced a 3-and-out and took over at their own 18-yard line following a Beechwood punt.
Atwell fumbled but it was recovered by teammate Kail Kabalen. Atwell then got the up-tempo offense working to perfection with first down passes to Maddox, Crowe, and Cam Woodward to get to the Beechwood two-yard line. Crowe rushed it in two plays to cut the Beechwood lead to 21-14.
Beechwood went ground heavy on the next possession, with Nathan Pabst finding a seam on the right side from 28 yards out to extend the Tigers lead to 28-14 with 4:24 remaining in the third quarter.
Owensboro Catholic rolled the dice on 4th-and-four from their own 40-yard line, but his pass out to flat was knocked down and nearly intercepted by the Tigers. Tyler Fryman made the Aces pay and started to put the nail in the coffin with a 36-yard cutback touchdown run.
Atwell found Crowe on a slant, who turned on the jets for a 39-yard gain into Tiger territory. Atwell then connected with Woodward for 22 yards and Ebelhar for 21 yards, before calling his own number on a one-yard touchdown run.
Fourth Quarter
The Tigers put together an eight-minute touchdown drive to salt the game away. They converted a key 3rd-and-6th on an eight-yard pass from Hayden to Flaherty before Flaherty punched it on a 4th-and-goal from the one-yard line.
Owensboro Catholic scored another touchdown capped off by an 11-yard pass from Atwell to Crowe, but Beechwood responded with lineman Jack Meier returning the onside kick 50 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was successful.
“It was pretty cool,” Meier said. “I didn’t expect to come untouched. I thought I was going to be clobbered.”
Owensboro Catholic kept fighting, with Atwell adding a short rushing touchdown as time expired.
Historical Facts
- Beechwood (18) ranks third in Kentucky for most football titles, behind Louisville Trinity (28) and Fort Thomas Highlands (23). Trinity plays in the 6A championship against Ryle tomorrow.
- This is the 13th out of the last 14 years that Beechwood or Mayfield won a state title.
- Beechwood is 7-0 in their last seven trips to the state finals. They lost to Pikeville in the 2015 Class 1A finals.
- Beechwood won titles in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by a combined four points.
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