By Jim Mashek, Sporting Times reporter
LEXINGTON — Bowling Green High School’s Conner Cooper turned a busted play into a 22-yard touchdown run in the final two minutes of the first half, and at the point, the Purples had Owensboro High School on its heels.
The BGHS defense delivered a series of finishing punches over the final 16 minutes at chilly, blustery Kroger Field. Rece Jones, Tyler Moore and the rest of the Purples defenders were relentless as Bowling Green cruised to a 17-7 victory over the Red Devils in the KHSAA Class 5A championship game.
It was Bowling Green’s first state championship since the 2015-16 squads that won back-to-back KHSAA titles, and the first for third-year head coach Mark Spader, the Purples’ longtime defensive coordinator.
“I don’t think you can script it any better,” Spader said afterward.
Bowling Green earned its 10th victory against two defeats, while winning eight of its last nine games. The Purples played a more demanding schedule than Owensboro, but the Red Devils still finish a splendid season with a 12-1 record.
“We knew they didn’t play many games with physical teams this year,” Moore said.
Moore was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, and he’s just a junior. The BGHS defense was intent on containing Owensboro senior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, who passed for just 121 yards over the first three quarters.
Wimsatt, who is being recruited by several Power Five football programs, threw almost exclusively in the second half. The 6-foot-4 OHS senior found teammate Kendrick Williams for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 3:15 left in the game, and he finished with 31 completions on a staggering 60 passes for 279 yards and the lone Red Devils touchdown.
Wimsatt was intercepted twice.
The Owensboro run game, however, went nowhere. The Red Devils managed just 20 yards on the ground for the night.
“From Day One, with our defense, it’s been hard to run on us,” Spader said.
Veteran Owensboro coach Jay Fallin noticed.
“It was 10-0 at the half,” Fallin said, “but it might have seemed like it was worse … I’m proud of the fact that our kids fought to the finish.”
Both Fallin and Spader played it a little close to the vest in the first quarter, but the Purples got on the scoreboard when Colin Fratus kicked a 24-yard field goal at the 9:02 mark of the second period.
Cooper showed poise on the first BGHS touchdown drive and the Purples used standout tight end Jordan Daigle at fullback to punch out a critical first down on a fourth-and-2 play.
Then Cooper dazzled the crowd at the University of Kentucky’s stadium with a brilliant 22-yard touchdown run with 1:54 left in the first half, pushing the Purples’ lead to 10-0.
“It was a play in shotgun formation, and I fumbled the snap,” Cooper said with a smile. “I figured if I picked it up right away, the Owensboro guy was there to bring the smack down … So I hesitated, just a little, and found a way to make something happen.”
Bowling Green played with plenty of confidence after the game’s first touchdown, and sophomore offensive lineman Austin Anderson said Cooper’s deft scoring run gave the Purples an emotional lift that carried them the rest of the way.
Cooper broke a couple tackles near the line of scrimmage and got to the right sideline before the Red Devils’ pursuit could get to the ball.
“We sold it, right there,” Anderson said. “After Conner’s TD, we thought we could do anything.”
Cooper grinned just a few feet away.
“You even talk like a lineman,” he said with a laugh.
BGHS sophomore cornerback Augustin Nyembo came up with a sure-handed interception on the sideline that gave Cooper a short field with which to work. Dingle scored the Purples’ final touchdown on a 1-yard run with 4:53 left in the third quarter.
Spader showered praise on his seniors and credited his players’ attention to detail in a season turned upside down by the COVID-19 public health crisis.
“We’ve had some special teams in the history of this program,” Spader said. “I can’t say enough about our senior class.”
