LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As the Newport Central Catholic players slowly walked off the field, their frosty breath unable to mask the tears streaming down their faces, DeSales senior running back Kyle Perry walked along the fence behind his bench, slapping hands with well-wishers and feeling something extraordinary.
Something he couldn’t explain.
Two years ago, the Thoroughbreds met the Colts in the Class 2A playoffs and proceeded to score four unanswered touchdowns in the second half to end DeSales’ season. Last year, the two teams faced off again in the state tournament, and once again, NewCath dominated the Colts into submission.
Perry hadn’t forgotten that feeling. How could he? All summer long, as he sweated and grunted himself stronger in the DeSales weight room, he could look at the wall and remember.
That’s what made Friday night so succulent for Perry as he caught a touchdown pass and ran for another while the Colts grinded out a 23-10 victory against NewCath in the third round of the state playoffs.
As the defeated Thoroughbreds (7-6) wept en route to the locker room, Perry barely could contain his glee.
“Coming into (the 2007 season), we had a total of nine sophomores starting,” Perry said “We were really young, and playing NewCath in the playoffs, it was just like an experience I’ve never seen. It was like playing the best of the best. We went into halftime 3-3, and they came out and showed us what kind of ballclub they were. Last year, we had five seniors starting, and again, they overpowered us.”
That’s when the DeSales coaching staff posted the final score of last year’s game on the wall of the weight room. So, as Perry and his teammates lifted weights this summer, they couldn’t help but notice the 54-19 slap in the face.
“We squatted our (tails) off the whole summer,” Perry said. “We did everything they told us to do, and I loved it. It wasn’t a revenge thing. It was something to look forward to and to work hard for in the weight room.”
That physical power was on display Friday night at Louisville South High School.
The Colts (10-3) defense forced a punt from NewCath on the first series of the game.
Then, behind the running of senior quarterback Ryan Johnson (a team-high 65 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries) and Perry, who was on the lookout for NewCath senior defensive lineman Jake Smith and then made him miss on the 10-yard score, the Colts took a 7-0 lead.
The Thoroughbreds responded with a nice drive that ended in an Andy Miller 22-yard field goal, but after that, their offense didn’t gain much against DeSales. The Colts were just a little more physical than NewCath.
“They were tonight,” agreed Thoroughbreds interim coach Dave Schneider, whose ill father Bob remained at home resting. “We’ve come a long way from the beginning of the year. We had a problems early holding onto the ball and making mistakes. They just worked hard.”
NewCath temporarily took control of the game early in the second half.
The Thoroughbreds forced a three-and-out from the Colts, and then, junior running back Chris Kelly heated up, gaining 37 yards on a fourth-and-one before turning the next play into a 16-yard touchdown run. Suddenly, NewCath had some momentum. Until, that is, DeSales took possession and went on a 13-play, 76-yard drive that ended with a Garrit Leicht 7-yard touchdown run.
“After we scored, they just jammed it down our throats,” Schneider said. “That’s what they do. They run the ball down the field. That was their big series.”
While the Thoroughbreds held DeSales senior running back Andrew Beeler – who gashed Holy Cross last week for 200 yards rushing – in check, they couldn’t keep Perry out of the end zone. Which, considering the pain NewCath has inflicted upon him the last two seasons, thrilled him to no end.
“It’s the greatest feeling I’ve ever had,” Perry said. “Coming out here with my teammates and beating a great team in Newport Catholic, it’s unexplainable. It really is.”
For the Thoroughbreds, it was a tough way to end their season. They started the year 1-5 before rallying for six-straight wins. Then, they had to watch Bob Schneider, their longtime coach and the state’s all-time victories leader, fight through blood clots in his legs and a heart aneurysm and take a leave of absence.
“He’s doing OK; he’s working through it,” Dave Schneider said. “He’s tired of being at home. I think he’d want to coach again. It’s just a matter of how he comes through all his problems. I’m sure he doesn’t want to end his career not out there.”NEWCATH 3-0-7-0–10 at DESALES 7-7-6-3–23 D–Perry 10 run (Johnson kick) NCC–Miller FG 22 D–Perry 7 pass from Johnson (Johnson kick) NCC–Kelly 16 run (Miller kick) D–Leicht 7 run (kick failed) D–Johnson FG 40 RECORDS: DeSales 10-3, NewCath 7-6.
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