‘We’re close.’ CAL gets a shot at back-to-back titles with defeat of Lexington Catholic.

With 5:07 to play in the third quarter of Friday night’s Class 3A state football semifinal between Christian Academy of Louisville and Lexington Catholic, East Carolina-bound Cole Hodge, the Centurions’ senior quarterback, sent the game to a running clock on a rushing score and subsequent two-point conversion: a successful pass to his brother Connor, also an ECU pledge.

“We were super motivated,” Connor Hodge said after a 43-8 victory. “We had an off week of school. So we just watched film all week.”

Though it wasn’t the final time CAL (13-1) would add to its dominant scoring differential, it served as a reminder: Last year’s Class 3A state champion isn’t going anywhere.

After the first quarter, the Centurions had a 7-0 lead thanks to a late touchdown pass from Cole Hodge to Army commit Justin Ruffin Jr., their first connection of the night. CAL would tack on three more scores in the second quarter, a run by Cole Hodge, a 59-yard touchdown pass to Ruffin Jr. and a late touchdown reception by Trey Cotton.

Connor Hodge, who entered the game tied this season for the most interceptions in the state, snagged his first of the game — and 10th of the year — before time ran out in the first half. And, after Lexington Catholic (9-5) received the ball to start the third quarter, he pulled in another. In addition to the two interceptions, he finished with 71 yards receiving and one touchdown.

“The coaches put me in good position,” Connor Hodge said. “And then I’m just running around out there. When I see that ball, I’m going to get it.”

That 11th pick of his junior season set the Centurions up for their 34th and 36th points of the game, cementing CAL’s overwhelming lead. Senior defensive end John Cobaugh would go on to recover a fumble when the Knights reached the red zone early in the fourth quarter, and CAL continued its momentum to push the lead to 43-0 courtesy of a Jackson Settle rushing score.

Cole Hodge threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two for a combined total of 410 yards. Ruffin finished with 149 yards and two touchdowns. Cotton caught seven passes for 83 yards and one score.

CAL entered Friday’s semifinal with its lone loss a 14-12 home heartbreaker to Lexington Christian in Week 4. But a return trip to Kroger Field was never promised. Lexington Catholic, of course, gave Lexington Christian a scare the following week before falling 49-42. Head coach Hunter Cantwell said that, despite the difficulties his team faced early in the season, they’re rising at the perfect time.

“They came out and played phenomenal,” Cantwell said of his roster. “Lexington Catholic is a very good football team. That being said, you know, we’re not surprised. We knew this team had the potential to be there. We struggled early in the fact that we weren’t clicking on all cylinders to get wins like this early in the season. Challenged these guys weekly, and they just kept coming and kept responding. Kept getting better, and we’re picking up at the right time, playing really good football.”

Lexington Catholic did, however, assemble a strong drive powered by tough-as-nails senior quarterback Jackson Wasik. Wasik connected with senior Tanner Pedroche to put the Knights on the scoreboard, and Lexington Catholic successfully converted the two-point attempt with nine seconds remaining in the game.

“It meant a lot,” head coach Nick Baisch said. “Jackson’s a guy that’s made us go all year long. There’s no quit in this team. Yeah, the scoreboard might have said differently, but they lined up and they played football. You know, in life, things are gonna knock you down. And it’s how you respond. You keep chipping away, and keep chipping away no matter your circumstances.”

Lexington Catholic, in its first season under Baisch, practiced on Thanksgiving for the first time since 2015. And, though the Knights fell short of their goal, Baisch said this roster — particularly the seniors — established a foundation he hopes brings success for years to come.

“I’m proud of a group that, when I came in here, started as individuals,” Baisch said. “You look out here right now, it’s a brotherhood. It’s a bond they’ve created that they’ll never forget.”

In exchange for its defeat of Lexington Catholic, CAL earned a matchup with Bell County (13-1) at noon on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Kroger Field. The game presents a unique opportunity to Cantwell and the Centurions — the chance to become the first CAL team to go back-to-back.

“Even though there’s been a lot of great football here at CAL,” Cantwell said. “In three state championships, there’s never been back-to-back. So we challenged our guys. We knew we had the pieces coming back. Obviously, nothing’s ever guaranteed. We challenged our guys that we wanted to be the first game in CAL history to win back-to-back state championships. We’re close, right? You got to finish strong next week. We know we’ll see a tough opponent.”