CAL beats LCA 49-14; Cutter Boley Injured
On the first play of the game, Christian Academy of Louisville picked off a Cutter Boley pass that bounced off a Lexington Christian Academy player’s hands right into the arms of Isaac Patrick at the LCA 15-yard line. Junior quarterback Cole Hodge rushed for a touchdown two plays later to put the Centurions up 7-0.
CAL (4-0) never looked back in a dominant 49-14 road victory over LCA (2-2).
It was that kind of night for the Eagles, who were playing their first game on the school’s new turf field. They turned the ball over four times and lost highly regarded quarterback Cutter Boley to an injury in the third quarter while trailing 28-14. The Eagles’ two backup quarterbacks were injured earlier in the season so any bid at a comeback was over.
A Boley-to-Will Bivens touchdown pass tied the game at seven, but Gavin Copenhaver caught a touchdown pass (from Hodge) and rushed for a touchdown to put CAL up 21-7. LCA’s Parker Chaney ran for a score right before the half to pull LCA within 21-14.
CAL utilized a fake punt to rush for a first down on 4th and long in their own territory on the first drive after halftime, leading to another Hodge-to-Copenhaver touchdown pass.
Boley, who has offers including Alabama, Michigan, and Kentucky, was tackled and injured while dropping back to pass in the third quarter. He hopped off the field, spent several minutes in the tent, and later emerged on the sideline where he was standing and walking but not in uniform.
He will have x-rays on Saturday.
After the injury, LCA was down to their 4th (and for a few plays, 5th) string quarterback. CAL, who didn’t allow a point in their first three games, bottled up LCA and scored three more touchdowns to win in impressive fashion.
CAL head coach Hunter Cantwell cited experience as a factor.
“We brought back nine (starters) on defense. Seven on offense,” Cantwell said. “A lot of people haven’t really been talking about our veteran group. In high school football (if) you have a veteran team, regardless of skill level you have a chance and we really showed that tonight.”
The Centurions, who lost to LCA 37-14 in the regular season last year, were excited for the step up in competition after blowing out three unranked teams to start the year. Cantwell said they needed a game like Friday’s against a quality team in LCA to see where they stood.
“We have been kind of been chomping at the bit, honestly, to play a game like this, win, lose, or draw,” Cantwell added. “We’ve been facing predominately run-heavy teams. We had a lot of things that we had been waiting to show for a game like this. Guys have been working on these schemes since January.”
Copenhaver rushed for two scores, caught two touchdown passes from Hodge, and led the Centurian defense with five tackles, including 1.5 for loss. He rushed for 89 yards on 13 carries and caught four passes for 107 yards. Hodge finished 8-for-17 for 216 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He rushed nine times for 58 yards and a score.
For the Eagles, Boley was 16-for-23 for 203 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions before his injury. Chaney caught eight passes for 103 yards to go along with his rushing touchdown. Evan Brown caught six passes for 64 yards and picked off a pass. Major Brown had 8.5 tackles. Drew Nieves, who played quarterback last year and moved to receiver this season, missed his second straight game due to an injury that is expected to keep him out a few more weeks.
Rankings Impact
After blowing out three lowly regarded teams to start the year, CAL will vault up from No. 16 into the top 10 in the overall state rankings thanks to the big victory. They will stay at the top of the 3A rankings ahead of Paducah Tilghman, who upset the Centurions in the state quarterfinals last season.
LCA will fall a few spots from their No. 15 overall ranking but will remain in the Top 25. They will stay behind Beechwood and Mayfield in 2A. Another 2A team to watch is Owensboro Catholic, who upset No. 9 Owensboro 21-17 last night.
Next week
CAL hosts Owensboro Catholic
LCA travels to No. 22 Lexington Catholic for the Holy War Game.
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Week 4 High School Football Scores
- Somerset 35, Paintsville 34 OT
- Bardstown 21, E-Town 0
- Hazard 52, Letcher County Central 50
- Frankfort 81, Doss 60
- Butler 20, Fern Creek 13
- Henry Clay 18, Eastern 12
- Holy Cross (Lou.) 9, Western 0
- Conner 21, Scott 20
- Corbin 24, Pulaski County 21
- Owensboro Catholic 21, Owensboro 17
- Bowling Green 35, Hopkinsville 6
- Trinity 31, La Salle (OH) 10
- Lexington Catholic 42, PRP 19
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