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LCA Holds off Owensboro Catholic 33-28 in 2A State Finals

Troy Howellby: Troy Howell6 hours ago

The No. 9 Lexington Christian Academy Eagles (12-3) defeated the No. 13 Owensboro Catholic Aces (13-2) on Friday to win the UK Healthcare Sports Medicine 2A State Championship 33-28.

On a very cold December afternoon, the Eagles used a hot start to win their second state championship and first since 2009.  

They were back in the finals for the first time since dropping back-to-back heartbreakers to Beechwood in 2020 and 2021.  

“I have been at LCA for 12 years and we have been knocking on the door for a long time,” said first-year head coach Oakley Watkins.  “We have had a lot of heartbreak in the room. We lost a couple of back-to-back state championships by a combined three points.”

Sophomore dual-threat quarterback Nash Whelan was 14-for-20 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He added 95 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. 

“I dreamed of this since I was a little kid, winning a state title at Kroger Field,” Whelan said postgame.

Daven Hood rushed for 103 yards and a score, and LCA also came up with two crucial red zone interceptions.

“(Owensboro Catholic quarterback) Dre’Mail Carothers is one of the best talents we have seen… We wanted to keep (their offense) off the field,” Watkins said, “So you saw us run it a little more in the first half than we usually do.”

Senior receiver Tyler King, who has been catching passes from Whelan since he was eight years old, led the team with 91 receiving yards. Sam Pearson had four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown, and added a defensive interception.

The Eagles played a challenging schedule and started 1-3, suffering several early-season injuries and close losses to 4A finalists Boyle County and Franklin County, sandwiched around a blowout loss to 3A finalist CAL.

“This team has no quit in us,” King said. “Adversity is going to hit. It’s just how you respond.”

Owensboro Catholic finished as runner-up for the third straight year and fell to 0-7 in state championship games. They will look to avoid being in the same category as the ’90s Buffalo Bills next season. For the third straight year, the Aces were plagued by a slow start in the championship game, falling into a quick 13-0 hole.

“They were really physical early with us and we made adjustments,” Aces Coach Jason Morris said. 

Morris signaled that failing to get off the field a couple of times on third and long was a key difference in the game. 

Owensboro Catholic lost star running back Miles Edge to injury early in the game.

“We came down and had a chance in the fourth quarter to win, and that’s all I could ask from my players,” Morris said. “We are having a hard time figuring out this last game, but I’m super proud of this program.”

Junior quarterback Dremail Carothers, who came into the game with the second most passing touchdowns (44) and yards per game (260) in the state, was 26-for-49 for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Xavier Maddox had eight catches for 57 yards and two scores. Sophomore Jude Evans added a rushing touchdown and a blocked punt.

Expect both teams to be back in the mix again next season. 

“The feeder system looks great,” Morris said. “Our numbers in high school are up. The community support is like no other. You don’t get here three times in a row by luck.”

Game Recap

After forcing a three-and-out, the Eagles marched down the field for a long touchdown drive, capped off by a two-yard Hood scoring run. Whelan connected with King for a 19-yard pass the previous play to set up the score.

After another Owensboro Catholic three-and-out, The Eagles continued their offensive fireworks, with Whelan finding King for a 37-yard deep ball completion. Whelan kept it himself for a short touchdown run a few plays later to extend the LCA lead to 13-0. The extra point attempt missed.

After each team traded punts, the Aces converted a fourth down on a 28-yard strike from Carothers to Luke Thomas to get inside the red zone for the first time.

The Eagles’ defense came up big again, though, when a blitz forced a questionable throw that was picked off by Pearson.

The Eagles failed to gain any yards and got off a very ineffective punt to give Owensboro Catholic great field position at the LCA 27-yard line. Carothers connected with Maddox twice, including a wide-open touchdown pass to cut the Eagles’ lead to 13-7.

Pearson’s incredible catch on a Whelan deep ball got the Eagles back in the red zone. Whelan then ran for an 18-yard score, his second rushing touchdown, to make it 20-7 Eagles.

The shootout was on though, with Owensboro Catholic responding with their own scoring drive punctuated by a five-yard scoring pass from Carothers to Cameron Woodward.

The Eagles had a chance to add a field goal to end the half, but the extra point hit the upright and bounced off. The state championships use the smaller college uprights as opposed to the wider high school-sized ones.

LCA received the second-half kickoff and continued to light up the scoreboard. Whelan connected with Pearson for a 26-yard scoring strike that was just over the outstretched arms of an Owensboro Catholic defender to take a 27-14 lead.

After getting the ball back, LCA looked like they were about to put the game out of reach, but Carter James recovered an LCA fumble on the Aces’ 11-yard line to give life to Owensboro Catholic.

The Aces drove all the way down the field, but it was all for naught because Hood came up with the Eagles’ second red zone interception.

Evans kept the Aces alive with a huge blocked punt that gave them the ball at the LCA 17-yard line. He rushed for a touchdown a few plays later to cut the LCA lead to 27-21.

The Eagles kept on rolling though, with Whelan completing a long third-down pass to Dawson Farmer and adding a touchdown strike to tight end Conrad Hart.

Owensboro Catholic got within five points following a Carothers-to-Maddox touchdown pass with 3:26 remaining.

The Aces attempted an onside kick and almost recovered it, but Hart was able to grab it for LCA. The Eagles gained a pair of first downs and then punted inside the Ace’s five-yard line inside the final minute. The Eagles forced a four-and-out before ending the game in victory formation.

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2025-12-05