SIDNEY – The Covington Buccaneers defeated Lehman Catholic 49-12 in the final week of the regular season and secured a share of the TRC Championship with Miami East and Riverside.

This is the first league championship the Buccaneers were able accomplish since 2016.

The Buccaneers closed out the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and a 6-1 mark in the TRC, hoping to secure a spot in the state playoffs, which will be determined Saturday night.

The entire evening was memorable for the Buccaneers as Trenton Havenar broke the school record for career sacks with 26.5 after recording 3.5 sacks in the final regular-season game. He also holds the school career record for tackles for loss.

The Buccaneers started the game fast as Jordan Miller intercepted a pass on Lehman’s second offensive play and returned the ball to the five-yard line. He then scored on a five-yard touchdown run to put the Buccs up 7-0 just 28 seconds into the game.

Covington’s defense then stopped Lehman on fourth down on the ensuing possession, and Landin Cassel connected with Trenton Havenar on a pass that moved the Buccs to the 22-yard line. Cassel then connected with Jordan Miller on the next play for a touchdown to push the lead to 14-0.

Lehman followed with a huge passing play that moved the Cavaliers inside the five-yard line. Fortunately, the Buccaneers held off the Cavaliers on fourth-and-goal. Four plays later, Landin Cassel broke free on an 85-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 21-0 with 2:36 left in the first quarter. That run also put him over 1,000 rushing yards for the season.

Covington forced Lehman into a three-and-out and got the ball back at its own 43-yard line. Unfortunately, the Buccs committed a penalty that put them in a third-and-24 situation, and Lehman intercepted the ensuing pass.

James Kuether then got the ball back for the Buccs by intercepting a pass at Covington’s own 11-yard line. The Buccaneers hurt themselves again by turning the ball over on a fumble, but the defense held the Cavaliers and regained possession at Lehman’s 44-yard line.

A few plays later, Parker Hoying caught a seven-yard touchdown pass to push the Buccaneers’ lead to 28-0 with 4:31 left in the first half.

On Lehman’s next possession, Trenton Havenar recorded his 2.5th sack of the game, breaking the school career record with 25.5 sacks. This led to the Buccs getting the ball back, and a few plays later, Rider Robbins threw a great pass to Filip McMaken for a 62-yard touchdown. This put Covington up 35-0 with 53 seconds left in the half.

Covington followed by forcing a fumble that was recovered by Diego Lopez, giving the Buccs possession with 25 seconds left in the half. The score remained 35-0 in favor of Covington at halftime.

With a running clock in effect throughout the entire second half, the Buccaneers added two more touchdowns. Landin Cassel scored on a short two-yard run, and Jordan Miller broke free on a 54-yard touchdown run.

Lehman managed to score two touchdowns in the second half, but the Buccaneers had already built a commanding lead and secured the 49-12 victory.

Statistically, Covington racked up 464 yards of total offense, with 235 yards on the ground and 229 through the air. Lehman managed just 184 total yards, with 183 coming through the passing game and only one yard rushing.

Landin Cassel rushed for 109 yards on six carries and threw for 155 yards, completing nine of 14 passes. Jordan Miller tallied 127 total yards throughout the game, including 101 rushing yards, while Filip McMaken recorded 112 receiving yards on three receptions.

With the way the Buccaneers improved throughout the season and the momentum they built down the stretch, hopefully they will earn a spot in the state playoffs.

SCORING:
1st – COV: Jordan Miller 5-yd run (Filip McMaken PAT) – 7-0
1st – COV: Jordan Miller 22-yard reception from Landin Cassel (Filip McMaken PAT) – 14-0
1st – COV: Landin Cassel 85-yard run (Filip McMaken PAT) – 21-0
2nd – COV: Parker Hoying 7-yard reception from Landin Cassel (Filip McMaken PAT) – 28-0
2nd – COV: Filip McMaken 62-yard reception from Rider Robbins (Filip McMaken PAT) – 35-0
3rd – COV: Landin Cassel 2-yard run (Filip McMaken PAT) – 42-0
3rd – LEH: Benton Verill 5-yard reception from Quinten Graves (2PT Failed) 42-6
4th – COV: Jordan Miller 54-yard run (Filip McMaken PAT) – 49-6
4th – LEH: Benton Verill 29-yard run (@PT Failed) – 49-12