Kroger KSR Game of the Week: Harrison County at Covington Catholic Preview
The Kroger KSR Game of the Week is heading to northern Kentucky for the first time in the 2023 season. The Harrison County Thorobreds (4-3) will travel to Covington Catholic to take on the undefeated (7-0) and No. 5-ranked Colonels in a critical 4A matchup.
Friday’s game marks yet another geographical area within the Commonwealth that KSR has visited this fall. Covington Catholic is a traditional powerhouse and will be taking on Harrison County for the first time since 2014. Both teams have stars. Kentucky football commit and Covington Catholic senior tight end Willie Rodriguez has missed his team’s last two games due to injury, but KSR can confirm he will be in action on Friday. Harrison County is led by senior quarterback Kaydon Custard, who has lit up the stat sheets through seven weeks of action on both sides of the field.
Let’s break down both teams even further as we look ahead to Friday’s Kroger KSR Game of the Week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST at Dennis Griffin Stadium.
From Mayer to Rodriguez
Covington Catholic has proved the move to 4A was as seamless as possible. When the Colonels made the jump in 2022, some wondered if the school’s championship ways might be over. In 5A, Covington Catholic had become a perennial contender in football, including a 2021 appearance at Kroger Field in a loss to Woodford County. In the Colonels’ lone season thus far in 4A, they fell to Frederick Douglass in the Class 5A 2022 State Football Finals.
This season, Willie Rodriguez and the Colonels will look to finally add a ring to their accomplishments. Covington Catholic’s last state championship came in 2019 with a 14-7 win over Douglass that capped off an undefeated season led by current Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer. Many point to Mayer’s commitment to Notre Dame as one of the biggest in-state recruiting losses in the Mark Stoops era at UK. However, as a top-30 prospect in all of high school football, Mayer was one of the most sought-after players in the entire country.
Fast forward four years later, and another tight-end leads the Colonel offense. Future Wildcat Willie Rodriguez has caught 11 passes for 235 yards and five touchdowns through five games. Covington Catholic will look to find their star on Friday, as Rodriguez averages over 20 yards per reception.
No. 5 Covington Catholic
Senior quarterback Evan Pitzer will start under center Friday. He has thrown for 1,428 yards, 16 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. Pitzer adds to the Colonels’ ground game with 334 yards and six scores on the ground.
Covington Catholic will use a mix of senior Owen Leen and sophomore Dylan Gaiser at running back. Leen is the lead back for the Colonels, with 296 yards on 54 carries and five touchdowns. Gaiser is listed as a QB on the Colonels’ roster but has not thrown a pass and has instead rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns.
Junior Tate Kruer’s 55 tackles lead Covington Catholic’s defense. Senior Josh Flood is the team’s second-leading tackler with 28. The Colonels have only let up an average of 17 points per game — and just six total points over the last two outings — putting tons of pressure on Harrison County’s offense heading into the matchup.
Harrison County
The Harrison County Thorobreds have emerged from their recent home defeat to Mason County with resilience on their minds. Coach Marshall Graham’s squad boasts a commendable 4-3 record this season in Class 4A, featuring triumphant victories over Calloway County, Estill County, Bourbon County, and Grant County.
While they may have encountered challenging losses in the form of West Jessamine (58-42), John Hardin (58-31), and the aforementioned Mason County defeat (40-13), the Thorobreds look to add a much-needed win to the schedule. They’re poised for redemption, but with an average of 36 points scored on offense and 37 points surrendered, they’ll need to play near-perfect football on Friday.
Senior quarterback Kaydon Custard has dazzled for the Thorobreds throughout every turn. Even in losses, Custard has put up numbers that can compete with some of the very best in 4A. Custard has completed 98 of 202 passes for 1,668 yards. The veteran has thrown 18 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. He also has 769 rushing yards and 12 more touchdowns on the ground to his name this season. Custard even has two interceptions on defense and 50 total tackles. If Harrison County wants to compete with a top-five team in the state, Custard will have to do a little bit of everything.
Elsewhere for the Thorobreds, senior running back Jessie Mitchell has accumulated 358 rushing yards and five touchdowns this season, along with 16 receptions for 169 more yards and two additional scores. Harrison County features a pair of 400-plus yard receivers in juniors Tanner Tumey (457 yards) and Jashon Lewis (452), who have combined for nine receiving touchdowns.
On defense, junior Jaxson Zink leads Harrison County in tackles with 75 while junior Carsen Marshall isn’t far behind with 64 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss. Senior Malachi Barnett leads the Colonels in fumble recoveries with four.
KSR can’t wait to visit Covington Catholic and take in the Colonels’ state-championship-winning history.
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