Beechwood defensive back Jake Kremer was thinking redemption. He got it and in the process kick-started the Tigers to a 42-point second half and a 56-13 victory against Frankfort in the Class A regional championship game at Sower Field.
Beechwood led 14-7 at halftime but Frankfort drove to the Beechwood 7-yard line with the opening possession of the third quarter. Panthers’ quarterback Dillon Quinn was looking for tight end Evan Wright but Kremer stepped in front of the pass at the three to thwart to drive.
Six plays later, quarterback Michael Colosimo hit Alex Brennan with a 62-yard touchdown pass to set off the Beechwood scoring barrage.
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The win advances Beechwood (10-3) to next Friday’s state semifinal against Mayfield, a 59-14 winner against Louisville Holy Cross, at Beechwood.
Kremer missed a tackle on a 50-yard run by Frankfort’s Zach Mason on the first play of the third quarter to help set up the Panthers’ scoring threat.
“I just didn’t wrap up,” said Kremer. “To make up for that, I had to do something. I saw (Quinn) rolling out and I saw the tight end delay. I just sat in front of him and got the pick.
“I knew right as I got the ball it was going to be a momentum changer.”
That it was. Frankfort went three-and-out on its next possession and Colosimo made it a three-touchdown lead with a 29-yard scoring pass to Max Nussbaum with 1:29 left in the third quarter.
Colosimo finished the game completing six of 11 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back Cameron Vocke rushed for 196 yards on 21 carries, including a 90-yard touchdown run with 11:00 left in the fourth quarter that pushed Beechwood’s lead to 35-7.
Beechwood outgained Frankfort, 458 to 365. The Tigers’ advantage was just 171-157 at halftime.
“They made the (interception) and we didn’t and momentum began to swing after that,” said Frankfort coach Craig Foley. “If it had been 7-7 at half it might have been a different football game but you can’t play the what-if game. I love playing Beechwood. It’s a measuring stick for us and we’ll get there one day.”
Beechwood took a 7-0 lead on its second possession, driving 70 yards on eight plays. Junior Joe Staten bulled his way into the end zone from the 1-yard line for the Tigers’ touchdown.
Frankfort answered on its next drive, tying the score on a 30-yard pass from Quinn to Aaron Jackson.
Jackson caught four passes for 120 yards in the first half, including a couple of acrobatic receptions along the sideline.
Jackson did not catch a pass in the second half until there was five seconds left in the game.
Beechwood took the lead for good on a disputed play in the second quarter. Junior defensive end Dane Everett knocked down a Quinn pass, which was ruled a lateral, picked it up and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.
The ruling was hotly contested by Frankfort coaches on the sideline and in the booth, who saw a TV replay from a local broadcast that indicated the pass was not a lateral.
Everett never hesitated during the play and the ruling stood. Joey Nussbaum’s extra point made it 14-7 Tigers.
“You play out the play until the whistle blows and that’s something that’s taught and drilled into them,” said Beechwood coach Noel Rash. “The nice thing is that it wasn’t just him still playing. Our guys were running down the sideline blocking for him and knocking people out and that’s what you have to do.”
Beechwood has won the regional title the past four seasons since the KHSAA went to its current six-division system in 2007. This was the third time in four seasons the Tigers knocked Frankfort out of the playoffs.
BEECHWOOD 7 7 14 28 - 56
FRANKFORT 7 0 0 6 - 13
B – Staten 1 run (J. Nussbaum kick)
F – Quinn 30 pass to Jackson (Rawlings kick)
B – Everett 30 fumble return (J. Nussbaum kick)
B – Colosimo 62 pass to Brennan (J. Nussbaum kick)
B – Colosimo 29 pass to M. Nussbaum (J. Nussbaum kick)
B – Vocke 90 run (J. Nussbaum kick)
B – Staten 11 run (J. Nussbaum kick)
B – Cruse blocked punt recovered in end zone (J. Nussbaum kick)
F – Quinn 14 pass to Wright(pass failed)
B – Walz 28 INT return (J. Nussbaum kick)
Records: Beechwood 10-3, Frankfort 9-4.