Conner 35, Campbell County 28

Last week the Conner Cougars let a 21-point lead slip away as they lost to Dixie Heights, but this time it was the Cougars that rallied from 22 points down to knock off the Campbell County Camels, 35-28.

The rally was completed in the game’s final seconds as quarterback Drew Barker connected with Tyler Padgett from two yards out for a touchdown with 7.9 seconds left in the game to give Conner (3-1) the improbable victory.

Campbell County (2-3) got on the board first with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Junior running back Alex Howard punched one in from 14 yards out to make it 7-0, followed by a 77-yard Tyler Durham-to-Jake Zabonick TD reception on the Camels’ next possession. After a failed two-point conversion the score stood at 13-0 as both teams headed to the locker room.

The second half started well for Campbell County too as Durham exploded for a 56-yard rushing touchdown and after a successful two-point conversion the home team was up 21-0.

The Cougars finally dented the scoreboard midway through the third quarter when Barker connected with Padgett from 13 yards out (kick blocked) to cut the lead to 15. However, the momentum would be short lived as Barker would be picked off by linebacker Robert Metz on Conner’s next possession leading to a 7-yard TD run by running back Bobby Moore to help Campbell County regain a three-score advantage at 28-6.

From that point on it was all Cougars. Senior Cameron Fogle started the comeback by striking for a 45-yard touchdown scamper with 4:16 left in the third quarter, but a second straight blocked field goal kept it 28-12.

The fourth quarter started out with a bang as Barker connected with Austin Way for a 21-yard scoring pass and then ran in the two-point conversion to trim the lead to eight.

Meanwhile, the Cougars’ defense continued to shut down the Camels forcing a three-and-out. Barker tied the game with a 4-yard TD run and another successful two-point conversion on Conner’s next drive.

The two teams would continue to trade possessions before setting up the final heroics. The Cougars got the ball with 52 second lefts in the game and marched down the field, including a 16-yard catch on 4th-and-9 by Fogle to keep the drive alive for Barker and Padgett to hook up for a passing TD for the second time.

Conner finished the night 563 total yards of offense to Campbell County’s 316. They held the Camels without a first down for the final 16 minutes of the contest. Fogle finished with 253 yards of offense, rushing six times for 76 yards and catching 13 passes for 177 yards.

District play kicks off for next Friday as Conner hosts South Oldham. Campbell County gets a bye before opening up their district schedule with Simon Kenton on September 28.