The Kentucky Spartans are national champions. They can breathe easy now that they have the title in hand, but it took big play after big play in Sunday’s semi-pro championship to come away with a 20-15 victory over the Palmetto Hurricanes.
Quarterback Evan Harvey, an Owensboro Catholic graduate, helped the Spartans take a 20-9 lead over the previously undefeated Hurricanes. As time ticked away, Palmetto cut the lead to 20-15, and they threatened to go in front with a pair of late 1st-and-goal opportunities.
With about 7 minutes to go, a Spartans’ pick-6 was called back due to a penalty, and the Hurricanes ended up with a 1st-and-goal from the 9. A few plays later, Kentrell Seabrook got an interception in the end zone.
The Spartans couldn’t get a first down on the ensuing drive, and a 14-yard punt set the Hurricanes up with a short field and 3 minutes to play. They converted on fourth down to get inside the 10 with 2 minutes to go, but back-to-back sacks and an offensive penalty left Palmetto at the 25-yard line with two 37.2 seconds and two chances to reach the end zone.
A pair of incompletions later, and the Spartans took over. All they had to do was kneel down once, and they were officially national champions.
Harvey said the team never doubted they would come out on top.
“(After the pick-6 was called back), there was no doubt our defense could still stop them,” he said. “We weren’t ever concerned that we weren’t going to pull it out there at the end.”
The Spartans started strong, building a 14-3 halftime lead thanks to a stout aerial attack. Brelin Dixon caught a pair of touchdowns, and the defense forced a safety for the scores.
“In the first half, we could throw the ball all over,” Harvey said. “They came out ready for a power running game, and that’s just not our team. We run the ball well, but we have the best set of receivers in semi-pro football as far as I’m concerned. That gave us a big advantage in the first half.”
After halftime, the Spartans scored once more on a touchdown pass to Colby Carter, but the Palmetto defense stiffened up and stopped Kentucky for the rest of the game.
“Those last few minutes were nerve racking,” Harvey said. “The other team made some good adjustments in the second half. Their defensive line was really good. We were having some issues with our running game. Our defense had to really pull it out for us.”
They got the stops they needed, and now the Spartans are bringing the championship they’ve worked so hard for back home.
“It means the world to be able to bring it back to Kentucky in general,” Harvey said. “We have a lot of guys from other places in the state, but to bring a national championship back to Owensboro is huge. We wanted to come down here and make a name and put Owensboro on the map, and I think that’s exactly what we did.”
Harvey, Dixon and Terrence Brooks were named the Most Valuable Players for the Spartans. Brooks had more than 100 yards receiving.
Harvey said as the players have been trying to revitalize the organization and prove they are worthy of recognition, it’s a relief to finally see the hard work pay off. He said with some players likely to retire, the championship is a nice final accomplishment.
“It’s huge for the Spartan organization,” he said. “I know a lot of the guys that have been around Owensboro semi-pro are calling it a career. They are handing the torch over to the young bucks. We came down here and saw what national level semi-pro football looks like. We proved we belong.”
