Miles Edge zigzagged 72 yards through the Somerset defense, juking would-be tacklers from sideline to sideline and electrifying the home crowd before setting up a go-ahead touchdown early in the second quarter. It was the first of many big plays for the senior running back, who powered Owensboro Catholic to a hard-fought 27-19 win Friday night in the Class 2A state quarterfinals.
With the win, the Aces (12-1) advance to the state semifinals and will host perennial powerhouse Beechwood next Friday at Steele Stadium.
Head coach Jason Morris said the performance wasn’t always pretty, but the grit showed through.
“It wasn’t clean, but what we did was we stayed together and just kept battling,” Morris said. “Playing guys on one side allowed us to kind of wear them down with our conditioning. Just super proud of how we fought over four quarters.”
After a scoreless first quarter that included turnovers on downs from both teams, Edge’s long run flipped the field and set the tone. Jude Evans capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown catch on fourth down. Later in the second, Edge punched in a 7-yard score to make it 13-0, following an interception by Evans that gave Catholic great field position.
Somerset (11-2) stormed back with a pair of touchdowns, including a 40-yard strike late in the first half and a 6-yard run to start the third quarter. The Briar Jumpers then took their only lead of the game, 19-13, after another short touchdown run with 2:40 left in the third.
But Catholic responded like a championship-caliber team. Edge bulled his way into the end zone from six yards out early in the fourth to reclaim the lead, then capitalized on a botched Somerset punt with a 15-yard touchdown for his fourth score of the night.
“There’s really no word to describe what Miles Edge means to this football program,” Morris said. “He’s got the heart of a champion. We’ll always lean on him in crunch time.”
Still, the Aces had to hang on late. Somerset converted multiple fourth downs on a final drive, getting all the way to the Catholic 25-yard line before a holding call, a delay of game, and back-to-back incompletions set up third-and-25 with under 30 seconds remaining.
That’s when senior Nick Simms sealed the win with an interception — a poetic moment for a player Morris said had transitioned from safety to linebacker this year but moved back to safety for the final series.
“For him to be able to make that interception to seal the deal just makes it a little bit sweeter,” Morris said.
Now the Aces will turn their focus to Beechwood, a storied program that’s captured more than 20 state championships. The Tigers, who enter at 11-1, will visit Steele Stadium next Friday for a Class 2A semifinal showdown.
“We’re expecting nothing but a battle,” Morris said. “That’s why I’m really glad we got tested tonight — so next week won’t be the first time in a long time we’ve had to go four tough quarters.”
