Topic: Football
2023FBCCHIGH
Covington Catholic vs. Highlands
David Cecil Memorial Stadium
Highlands High School
Ft. Thomas, KY
August 25, 2023
© 2023 by Ron Harrison
The score was tied 14-14 at halftime but Covington Catholic pulled away in the second half to earn a 35-21 victory. Covington Catholic recorded 343 yards of total offense. The Colonels were penalized five times for 42 yards and lost a fumble. Highlands recorded 359 yards of total offense. The Bluebirds were penalized six times for 56 yards and had two passes intercepted.
Owen Leen led the Covington Catholic ground game with 68 yards on 18 carries. Evan Pitzer carried the ball nine times for 47 yards and a touchdown. Evan Pitzer completed 19 of 28 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Braylon Miller caught six passes for 65 yards and one touchdown. Willie Rodriguez added four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. Oliver Link caught two passes for 23 yards. Owen Leen added four receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown. Ben McEvoy caught one pass for 27 yards. Noah Johnson added two receptions for 17 yards. Tate Kruer led the defense with eight solo and one assisted tackles. Josh Flood added six solo and one assisted tackles. Andrew Bessler recorded five solo and one assisted tackles. Joseph Harney scored on a 35 yard interception return. Braylon Miller intercepted a pass he returned 11 yards.
Brody Benke led Highlands’ ground game with 153 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Cameron Giesler carried the ball 11 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Brody Benke completed 13 of 16 passes for 86 yards with two interceptions. Cameron Giesler caught five passes for 26 yards. Jackson Arnold added three receptions for 24 yards. Luke Schneider recorded a fumble recovery
Scoring Summary
School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
Covington Catholic | 6 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
Highlands | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
COVCATH | - | Evan Pitzer 5 yard run (Andrew Weitzel kick fails) |
HIGHLAN | - | Cameron Giesler 22 yard run (Logan Nickelman kick) |
HIGHLAN | - | Brody Benke 76 yard run (Logan Nickelman kick) |
COVCATH | - | Braylon Miller 9 yard pass from Evan Pitzer (Evan Pitzer run) |
COVCATH | - | Willie Rodriguez 8 yard pass from Evan Pitzer (Andrew Weitzel kick) |
COVCATH | - | Joseph Harney 35 yard interception return (Andrew Weitzel) |
HIGHLAN | - | Cameron Giesler 37 yard run (Logan Nickelman) |
COVCATH | - | Owen Leen 8 yard pass from Evan Pitzer (Andrew Weitzel kick) |
Selected Statistics
Covington Catholic | ||||
| ||||
Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
Owen Leen | 18 | 68 | 3.8 | **** |
Evan Pitzer | 9 | 47 | 5.2 | **** |
Andrew Bessler | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | **** |
Will Michels | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | **** |
Oliver Link | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | **** |
Braylon Miller | 1 | 4 | 2.0 | **** |
| ||||
Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
Evan Pitzer | 28-19-0 | 205 | 3 | **** |
| ||||
Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
Braylon Miller | 6 | 65 | 1 | **** |
Willie Rodriguez | 4 | 53 | 1 | **** |
Oliver Link | 2 | 23 | 0 | **** |
Owen Leen | 4 | 20 | 1 | **** |
Noah Johnson | 2 | 17 | 0 | **** |
Ben McEvoy | 1 | 27 | 0 | **** |
| ||||
Highlands | ||||
| ||||
Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
Brody Benke | 14 | 153 | 10.9 | **** |
Cameron Giesler | 11 | 125 | 11.4 | **** |
Jack White | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | **** |
Adam Surrey | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | **** |
Hayden Haas | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | **** |
| ||||
Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
Brody Benke | 16-13-2 | 86 | 0 | **** |
| ||||
Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
Cameron Giesler | 5 | 26 | 0 | **** |
Jackson Arnold | 3 | 24 | 0 | **** |
Jack White | 1 | 10 | 0 | **** |
Adam Surrey | 1 | 9 | 0 | **** |
Carson Class | 1 | 8 | 0 | **** |
Davis Hinegardner | 1 | 6 | 0 | **** |
Matteo Matteoli | 1 | 3 | 0 | **** |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the Covington Catholic and Highlands Stats Crews for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight's games.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prepgridiron@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other football events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky2/prepgridiron.