LEXINGTON — They gave it their all, and left it all on the field.
That’s all you can ask if you’re a Bell County Bobcat fan.
Dudley Hilton’s squad made a statement early by controlling time of possession for the entire first quarter before taking an 8-0 lead early in the second quarter, but then, Christian Academy of Louisville took over, and captured the KHSAA Class 3A state championship with a 41-16 win over the Bobcats.
Bell County finishes the season with a 13-2 record while also capturing a state semifinal win, a regional and district championships.
The Bobcats dominated time of possession, 35:48 to 12:12, but when the Centurions had the ball, they scored.
Cole Hodge dominated the action, completing 18-of-20 pass attempts for 225 yards and two touchdowns while leading his team with 37 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Bell County took an 8-0 lead after a one-yard touchdown run by Blake Evans at the 11:14 mark of the second quarter.
CAL answered with a one-yard, and seven-yard touchdown run by Hodge to take a 14-8 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Hodge’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Justin Ruffin made the score, 21-8, with 9:12 remaining in the third quarter before Daniel Thomas’ 36-yard touchdown run cut the Bobcats’ deficit to 21-16 with 3:30 remaining.
The Centurions answered with 20 unanswered points to secure their state title win, outgaining Bell County in total offense, 283-248.
Thomas carries the ball 40 times in his final game as a Bobcat, finishing with 133 rushing yards and a touchdown.
