Topic: Football
2024FBCH
Cooper vs. Highlands
David Cecil Memorial Stadium
Highlands High School
Ft. Thomas, KY
September 28, 2024
© 2024 by Ron Harrison
Cooper held on to earn a 24-21 decision over Highlands but it didn’t come easy. The game ended with Highlands facing a fourth-and-10 from the Cooper 37 yard line in the closing seconds but Rio Litmer’s pass was broken up to end the game. The game could have been settled in the first half except for a spectacular play on defense by Highlands’ Adam Surrey. Cooper was leading 21-14 late in the first half when Cooper’s Keagan Maher took a handoff on his own 26 yard line and burst into the open and seemed destined for a touchdown but Highlands did not give up on the play and before Maher hit the goal line Adam Surrey knocked the ball loose and it ended up in the end zone for a touchback as the defenders covered the ball. Cooper took a 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter but Highlands pulled back to within three; 24-21 on a determined 11 yard run by Gabe Williams after the catch on a pass from Rio Litmer setting the stage for the last seconds drama. Cooper recorded 382 yards of total offense while Highlands recorded 398 yards.
Keagan Maher carried the ball 16 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. Cam O’Hara completed 13 of 31 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown with one inter ception. Isaiah Johnson caught five passes for 116 yards. Jaidan Combs added five receptions for 79 yards, Austin Alexander recorded one reception for 71 yards and a touchdown. Ryker Campbell led the defewnse with 11 solo and three assisted tackles. Mason Stanton added 10 solo and two assisted tackles. Max Wethington recorded eight solo and four assisted tackles. Austin Perriman chipped in with seven solo and one assisted tackles. Alex Vogelpohl added six solo and one assisted tackles. Austin Alexander recorded five solo and two assisted tackles.
Jack White led Highlands’ ground game with 74 yards on 16 carries. Rio Litmer carried the ball 14 times for 47 yards. Rio Litmer completed 16 of 23 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Adam Surrey caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Jackson Arnold added four receptions for 75 yards. Gabe Williams recorded three receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown. Tayden Lorenzen caught two passes for 21 yards and a touchdown. Adam Surrey forced a fumble and Hayden Hass recorded an interception.
Scoring Summary
School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
Cooper | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
Highlands | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
COOPER | - | Jaidan Combs 90 yard kickoff return (Eyler Tibbs kick) |
COOPER | - | Austin Alexander 71 yard pass from Cam O’Hara (Eyler Tibbs kick) |
HIGHLAN | - | Adam Surrey 45 yard pass from Rio Litmer (Logan Nickelman kick) |
COOPER | - | Keagan Maher 1 yard run (Eyler Tibbs kick) |
HIGHLAN | - | Tayden Lorenzen 6 yard pass from Rio Litmer (Logan Nickelman kick) |
COOPER | - | Eyler Tibbs kicks a 22 yard field goal |
HIGHLAN | - | Gabe Williams 11 yard pass from Rio Litmer (Logan Nickelman kick) |
Selected Statistics
Cooper | ||||
| ||||
Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
Keagan Maher | 16 | 116 | 7.3 | **** |
Cam O’Hara | 3 | -4 | -1.3 | **** |
| ||||
Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
Cam O’Hara | 31-13-1 | 270 | 1 | **** |
| ||||
Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
Isaiah Johnson | 5 | 116 | 0 | **** |
Jaidan Combs | 5 | 79 | 0 | **** |
Austin Alexander | 1 | 71 | 1 | **** |
Keagan Maher | 2 | 4 | 0 | **** |
| ||||
Highlands | ||||
| ||||
Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
Jack White | 16 | 74 | 4.6 | **** |
Rio Litmer | 14 | 47 | 3.4 | **** |
Deven James | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | **** |
Gabe Williams | 6 | 15 | 2.5 | **** |
Tayden Lorenzen | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | **** |
Adam Surrey | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | **** |
| ||||
Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
Rio Litmer | 23-16-0 | 238 | 3 | **** |
| ||||
Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
Adam Surrey | 5 | 101 | 1 | **** |
Jackson Arnold | 4 | 75 | 0 | **** |
Gabe Williams | 3 | 30 | 1 | **** |
Tayden Lorenzen | 2 | 21 | 1 | **** |
Jack White | 2 | 11 | 0 | **** |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the respective teams 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.