Score 50 and Lose? Beechwood, Owensboro Catholic Set for High-Octane 2A Final

The No. 12 Beechwood Tigers will battle the No. 7 Owensboro Catholic Aces in the 2024 UK HealthCare Sports Medicine 2A State Football Championship on Friday at 4:00 p.m. EST at Kroger Field.

The 2A championship game has produced a ton of excitement in recent years, with Beechwood winning three championships by a combined four points in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and Owensboro Catholic falling to Mayfield in a wild 53-48 shootout last season. Expect more of the same this year as Beechwood (46.8 points per game) and Owensboro Catholic (45.9 points per game) rank number one and two respectively in 2A scoring.

Crazy stat – After a 1-year absence, Beechwood is back in the state title game where they won 3 titles in a row from 2020-2022 by a combined 4 points! Talk about getting it done in the clutch. https://t.co/cIL8nw93CD

— Troy Howell (@teeroyhowell) December 3, 2024

Atwell’s third rushing TD makes it 53-48. Mayfield still leads. 4Q

Brohm/Bush part 2?! pic.twitter.com/wIkJByDk5C

— Troy Howell (@teeroyhowell) December 1, 2023

Owensboro Catholic is seeking its first state title after finishing runner-up five times. Beechwood is seeking its 18th state title and seventh in the last nine seasons. The Tigers rank third in overall state titles behind Louisville Trinity and Fort Thomas Highlands. If Beechwood wins it would be the 13th time out of the last 14 years that either Beechwood or Mayfield won a state football title. 

Owensboro Catholic (14-0) earned the No.1 RPI ranking in 2A and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Aces have not played a team that finished in the KSR Top 25, but do have an early season 43-31 win over rival Owensboro on their resume.  

The Aces are led by quarterback Brady Atwell, who ranks second overall in passing touchdowns in a season (68 in 2023). The dual-threat Mr. Football candidate (47 passing touchdowns, 18 rushing touchdowns) is a Western Kentucky University baseball commit. Atwell’s top targets are seniors Waryn Ebelhar (1,131 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns) and Dereon Crowe (901 receiving yards, 21 touchdowns). Vince Carrirco, who led the team in tackles each of the last four seasons, has missed the last three games due to injury.

Beechwood (13-1) earned the No. 3 RPI ranking in 2A and is coming off an impressive 44-24 home win over then-No. 11 Lexington Christian Academy. The Tigers’ only blemish is an early season 49-28 loss to a Top 10 Covington Catholic team.

The Tigers have one of the top backfields in the state in senior quarterback Clay Hayden (2,808 yards passing, 46 touchdown passes) and senior running back Chase Flaherty (1,381 rushing yards, 26 rushing touchdowns). Seniors James Cusick (14) and Luke Erdman (12) each have double-digit receiving touchdowns.

If history is a good indicator, this 2A showdown will be must-watch football. Get your popcorn ready.

Score Prediction