Beechwood football shuts out Lloyd Memorial 48-0 in KHSAA Class 2A semifinal

Beechwood head coach Noel Rash thought back six weeks to Beechwood and Lloyd's regular season meeting and knew the Tigers would need to get the KHSAA Class 2A semifinal started quickly.

On the first play of their second drive, the Tigers scored on a wide open pass, beginning what would be a 48-0 shutout win and another trip to the state final for Beechwood.

Beechwood won the coin toss prior to the game, but elected to receive to open the game. Rash wanted his team to be the tone-setters for the night.

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"Last time we played Lloyd they took the air out of the ball and I wanted to get out to a fast start," Rash said. "They were holding the ball as long as they could last time we played them and I wanted to get points on the board and get on them if we could and so I took the ball."

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The Tigers and the Juggernauts traded quick punts on their first drives, but Beechwood quickly found its groove.

On the first play after getting the ball back, Beechwood sophomore quarterback Clay Hayden saw receiver Talon Linder completely wide open to his left and connected for a 58-yard score.

Beechwood then recovered a fumble at the Lloyd 22-yard line. Linder was again left uncovered and was hit by Hayden for the score and a 13-0 Beechwood lead.

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The floodgates had opened for Beechwood.

"We had to get the jitters out really," Hayden said. "That first drive, just having all the young guys in there getting the experience in a big game like this. As soon as we got rolling we didn't stop though on offense."

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Hayden had another touchdown pass to Liam McCormack while sophomore Chase Flaherty had three rushing touchdowns and Zander Riegler capped the night with a touchdown run of his own.

Beechwood's defense pitched its fifth shutout of the year and second of the postseason.

Lloyd appeared to tie the game early when Isaiah Sebastian returned a kickoff for a score after Beechwood's first touchdown. A block in the back penalty took the score off of the board.

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With around seven minutes left in regulation, a big return on a short kick helped set up a Lloyd drive that saw first-and-goal at the two. From there, the Juggernauts turned over on downs at the five.

Landon Johnson made a diving interception on a Sebastian pass in the first quarter which led to Flaherty's first rushing score. Beechwood defensive lineman Nicholas Alexander also had an interception and turned on his jets to go 55 yards into the end zone which was called back on a blindside block foul to the chagrin of the Tiger sideline.

"Let's just put it this way: I wasn't happy," Rash said of the blindside penalty, "That officiating crew did a heck of a job, but they missed that call. And that's ok because I missed calls tonight too."

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Whatever missed calls Rash had seemed to most to be few and far between. Rash and the Tigers advanced to their third straight state final and will see Mayfield in the finals at 4 p.m. at Kroger Field on Dec. 2. Mayfield, which Beechwood beat 38-7 in last season's semifinals, defeated Lexington Christian 38-28 in its semifinal match.

For the Tigers, Rash says they'll "peel the paint" in the next film session and continue a year's worth of work that Beechwood has almost perfected year in and year out.

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"These games that are won in November are won back in the winter months and in the weight room throughout the summer," Rash said. "Obviously our staff puts some wrinkles on it, but our kids go to work and that's the thing that's special about them and then they care about each other. When you put that combination of work ethic and that brotherhood aspect, special things happen and we were able to do it again tonight."

Beechwood 48, Lloyd 0

Lloyd- 0 0 0 0 - 0

Beechwood - 20 14 7 7 - 48

B- Linder 58 pass from Hayden (kick failed)

B- Linder 22 pass from Hayden (Kappes kick)

B- Flaherty 4 run (Kappes kick)

B- Flaherty 2 run (Kappes kick)

B- McCormack 26 pass from Hayden (Kappes kick)

B- Flaherty 1 run (Kappes kick)

B- Riegler 10 run (Kappes kick)

Records: B 13-1, L 10-4

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Beechwood football dismantles Lloyd 48-0 in KHSAA Class 2A semifinal