End of the line

The effort was there today, and the Jackets fought hard, but could not overcome Covington Catholic, falling to the Colonels 42-13.

The game was closer than the score indicates.

Woodford County shook themselves out of its offensive malaise, driving the ball up the field on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead. Steven Duckworth seemed to shake off the demons that have haunted him since the end of the Paul Blazer game and looked more confident in the pocket.

David Bland got things rolling, scampering 26 yards on a short screen play. Then facing a fourth and five, Duckworth connected with Chris Jones on a perfectly thrown fade pass to get down to the Cov Cath 6. Bland punched the ball in from there.

The Colonels built a 21-7 lead by halftime, but the Jackets put on a valiant comeback effort in the third quarter. The defense held Cov Cath on its first drive, stopping the Colonels on fourth down. It took just one play for the Jackets to score. Duckworth connected with a wide open Jones over the middle, and Jones squirted free and into the end zone. Woodford muffed the snap on the point after attempt and trailed 21-13.

The defense came up big again on the next Covington Catholic drive, stuffing a fourth and inches play to get the ball back with momentum.

But the Colonels turned the game around when they forced a Woodford fumble and recovered the ball on the Woodford 38. A long pass took the ball down to the six, and moments later the Colonels had a 28-13 lead.

They never looked back.

In the end, the Colonels were simply a better team. Their offensive line, averaging over 250 pounds, dominated the line of scrimmage and simply wore the Jackets down. Untimely mistakes also hurt Woodford.

I have to give the Yellow Jackets props for never quitting. They played hard until the final horn, despite cold rainy conditions. It would have been easy just to pack it up in the final quarter.

I was also impressed with the way Duckworth came back this week. He admitted he has suffered a confidence problem since throwing three interceptions in Ashland. But he came out this week and played with confidence, making some really nice throws. He also gutted his way through an injury. He took a helmet to the hip early in the second quarter, but never even considered coming out of the game.