Kroger KSR Game of the Week: DeGraff Kicks Catholic to Victory
“I was just money,” kicker Max DeGraff said after his game-winner.
Week two’s Kroger KSR Game of the Week was all that and a bag of chips. DeGraff, who also plays receiver, saved the day for No. 16 Lexington Catholic by nailing a 47-yard field goal for the win against No. 12 Pulaski County to secure the 38-36 victory.
On top of the game-winning field goal, DeGraff also caught two passes for 77 yards and a score. The Knights’ were anchored by 338 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns from their quarterback Jack Gohmann as well.
Gohmann wasn’t alone on the stat sheet. Maroons quarterback Drew Polston had yet another huge game through the air with his second straight 300 yard plus performance, 163 of which was caught by Brysen Dugger.
“(Polston) has a lot of experience,” Knights head coach Nigel Smith said about the opposing quarterback. “He’s got a good set of skills. We tried to limit some of the things he did, we knew we’d give up a little bit especially on a short week’s notice.”
A lightning strike delayed game one of the Bluegrass Bowl (Fern Creek defeated Henry Clay 21-10), so Pulaski Co. and Catholic kicked off just after 9:30 p.m. Friday night and bled into Saturday morning. Despite this, Catholic was surrounded by a packed stadium inside Joseph K. Ford field.
First Quarter:
The Maroons struck first. They made the most of their first drive with a touchdown from running back Aiden Wesley, capping a 77-yard campaign. The score was set up by a 28-yard connection from Polston to Antonio Palmer that backed the Knights up against their own goal line before giving up the opening score.
The first drive would’ve gone perfectly for Pulaski Co. That is, if not for an injury to star wide receiver Barek Williams on one of the first snaps. Williams notched seven snags for 112 yards and two scores in week one, an obvious blow to this high-powered offense. The Maroons’ coaching staff fear an ankle sprain.
Lexington Catholic answered right back with an 80-yard drive of their own. A 26-yard dart to Hunter Foster set the Knights up at the six before Walker Hall punched the ball in, knotting the game at seven.
Catholic used that momentum to their advantage on the next drive. The Maroons’ defense intercepted Polston on a tipped ball that set up a three-yard touchdown run by Catholic’s Gohmann. This was set up, once again, by a 12-yard reception to his go-to receiver of the first quarter, Hunter Foster.
Second Quarter:
A little went a long way for the Maroons on their following drive. Pulaski Co. earned every yard they gained before powering the score past the pylon for a Donovan Abbott score. Pulaski County’s aggressive decision to fake the following PAT came up short. Halfway through the second quarter, Catholic held a one-point lead.
Catholic’s passing game continued to slice the Maroons’ defense. This was highlighted by a Gohmann strike to DeGraff for a wide-open 28-yard touchdown.
Pulaski had a prime opportunity to tie the game by halftime. A 30-yard rush by Abbott led the Maroons within the Knight’s 20, complemented by a Polston score on an option play. Another fake PAT was attempted and Pulaski Co. added two points to the scoreboard. The teams headed into halftime tied at 21.
Pulaski went into halftime leading in all three major offensive statistics. Abbott led both teams with 55 rushing yards (73 total), Polston threw for 199 yards (16-21) and Brysen Dugger recorded 97 yards receiving.
Third Quarter:
The third quarter (most of the second half) was slowed down by several athletes on both sides succumbing to cramps, resulting in a friendly-fire fumble by Catholic’s Walker Hall. Hall collided into his own man in the backfield, popping the ball free as it was snagged by the Maroons’ Trey Hornsby.
Top 10
- 1Hot
Kirk Herbstreit
Shot fired at First Take, Stephen A. Smith
- 2
Duce Robinson commits
FSU lands highly-rated transfer WR
- 3New
Predicting AP Top 25
Top 10 shakeup coming
- 4
Ohio State vs. Oregon odds
Early Rose Bowl line released
- 5
Updated CFP Bracket
Quarterfinal matchups set
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Pulaski, just as the Knights had in the first half, took advantage of the turnover where Polston connected to Dugger, triggering a 52-yard foot race, finishing the play into the end zone and taking their first lead since the first quarter.
If the Williams injury didn’t hurt the Maroons too much, Antonio Palmer went down with an injury in the third. If that wasn’t enough, Abbott went down after a high hit just before the fourth quarter and Pulaski was down three of their biggest offensive weapons.
Fourth Quarter:
Catholic wasn’t necessarily in panic mode early in the fourth, down by seven. They quickly erased that deficit via Gohmann’s legs for a 10-yard score. Three-and-out went the Maroons and Catholic was in prime position to create a go-ahead score while knotted at 28.
Gohmann split the defense on the ground for the second drive in a row, taking the ball from midfield to the 23 yard-line. The Knights’ no-huddle directly after took Catholic inside the 10 and into the end zone in no time, following a Tanner Pedroche touchdown launched from the arm of Gohmann.
Just as the Knights started feeling comfortable, Gohmann attempted to throw the ball away on third and long. This pass was intercepted by Jerricho Dixon with just under four minutes remaining in regulation.
Pulaski marched themselves down the field chunk by chunk, making sure Catholic wouldn’t have time to score if the Maroons did themselves. Polston led his team down inside the 10. A strike to Braden Gipson gave Pulaski six.
Pulaski Co. head coach John Hines put all his cards on the table, deciding to go for two with under a minute left. This time, his team didn’t fail him. Polston connected with Godby, silencing the crowd in Lexington; 36-35 Maroons.
57 seconds was all Catholic needed, though.
Gohmann drove his team into field goal range for a chance to allow DeGraff to win it from 47-yards out. The snap was perfect and he sent the ball sailing through the uprights for a buzzer-beating victory.
“We always harp on finishing games,” Gohmann said post-game. “It’s not over until it’s over. We had 57 seconds to put something together and we have (DeGraff, who is) the best field goal kicker in the state.”
What’s Next For DeGraff and the Knights?:
Lexington Catholic will travel to Covington Catholic next Friday for a rematch of one of 2020’s Kroger KSR Games of the Week where they defeated the Colonels 29-28 on a last-second blocked field goal.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard