Great Crossing downs Lexington Catholic 35-28 for statement victory
No. 24 Great Crossing cemented itself as a true program on the rise Friday night, holding off Lexington Catholic 35-28 to start its season 4-0.
In just the first four weeks of its sixth season of operation, Great Crossing has secured two of its biggest wins in program history. The Warhawks first demolished rival Scott County 46-15 on August 30, winning their first game over the Cardinals in seven tries. They then held off two-time state champion Lexington Catholic Friday night, handing the Knights their fourth consecutive loss to open the season.
Great Crossing jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter, following a Jeremiah Clark 13-yard rushing touchdown late in the first and a Clark-to-Trey Campbell 38-yard touchdown with 10 minutes remaining in the second.
Clark, the Warhawks’ quarterback, was unbelievable Friday night. After entering the game with eight touchdowns on the season (three games), the junior passed for three touchdowns and ran for two against the Knights.
After falling behind by 14, Lexington Catholic senior quarterback Matthew Kern hit senior running back Aven Blair in stride for a 29-yard touchdown with seven minutes remaining in the first half to cement the eventual halftime score of 14-7. Kern then scrambled for a 15-yard touchdown near the end of the third quarter, tying the game at 14 apiece heading into the fourth quarter.
Lexington Catholic, a well respected program throughout the state of Kentucky, desperately sought a win Friday night after losing its first three games of the season (No. 12 Highlands, No. 18 Madison Central, No. 5 Corbin).
Jeremiah Clark however took over the fourth quarter, pushing the Warhawks ahead with 11:06 remaining on a 33-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Javontae Dean.
“It was 4th & 5 and I trusted my guy,” said Clark. “I knew he was going to catch it.”
The Knights bounced back to tie the game on a seven-yard passing touchdown from Kern with six minutes remaining, but back-to-back touchdowns from Clark in the final four minutes were the difference makers. His fifth and final score of the night, a 22-yard rushing touchdown with just over two minutes remaining, put the final nail in the coffin of the Knights.
“It shows that we’re growing up and playing as a team,” said the junior quarterback postgame. “We’re confident and have discipline.”
Great Crossing improves to 4-0 for the third time in program history, while Lexington Catholic falls to 0-4 (all four losses coming to teams ranked in KSR’s Top 25 Rankings). It is the Knights’ worst start to a season since 2016 (1-4).
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