Crestview Hills, KY – UPIKE football closed the books on the 2021 campaign Saturday afternoon with a 13-7 victory over Thomas More in a gritty battle that tested both teams offensively.
Bringing his first season as the starting quarterback to a close, freshman
Lee Kirkland looked solid as ever in the win. Kirkland tossed for 249 yards on 24 completions, accounting for both of the Bears touchdowns. The South Carolina native's 68.6% completion rate is his second-highest of the season behind his career day back in September against Webber.
Randy Ramanan served as Kirkland's primary target and brought in seven receptions for a season-high 86 yards. Ramanan's longest snag, a 27-yard reception that put the Bears on the Saints 28, would aid the Bears first scoring drive of the ball game in the second quarter.
Putting points on the board for the Bears was wide-out
Alexander Shelton and running back
Adrian Medacco who each found the endzone once. Shelton was explosive in the contest overall, picking up four catches for 71 yards. Medacco's touchdown came on a quick route out of the backfield, his score ultimately securing the Bear's win.
Impact linebacker
Jonathan Morton put double-digit tackles on the stat sheet for the fourth time this season, finishing with 10. Morton recorded six solo tackles and got in on a QB sack to lead the defense.
Timothy Butler once again impressed, matching Morton with six solo takedowns, adding an assist. Butler also cost the Saints six yards on a tackle in the backfield.
The first quarter seemingly crept by and was almost completely a back-and-forth for the defenses. Neither squad managed a drive over 45 yards in the first 15 minutes, resulting in a scoreless period in which the total combined offense was less than 120 yards.
The shift happened for UPIKE on their first drive of the second quarter after taking over following a missed field goal by the Saints. The Bears pieced together a textbook drive that spanned just under seven minutes, marching 80 yards downfield for their first touchdown of the contest. The Bears forced a three-and-out on the following possession and were pinned by a solid Saints punt, starting the drive on their own one-yard line. The drive resulted in a punt which proved crucial for the Bears as Thomas More bobbled the ball around their 35-yard line. Ramanan picked it up for UPIKE, giving them the ball and a fresh set of downs within striking distance. It took Kirkland just three plays to punch it in, completing a 25 yarder to
Bralin Barton before finding Medacco in the endzone a play later to put the Bears ahead 13-7.
UPIKE's defense won the third quarter, holding Thomas More to under 60 total yards.
Myson Livingston picked up his second sack of the season toward the end of the quarter, forcing a big fourth down in UPIKE territory, which would ultimately be a turnover on downs thanks to a pass breakup by
Will Thompson.
The critical nature of the fourth saw the two teams in a shootout with the Bears working to keep momentum and the Saints just a few big plays away from putting themselves in contention. After two dead-end drives, TMU finally punched in their only touchdown to make it 13-7 with 2:22 to go. With the ball on their own 18, Thomas More had the Bears backed into a punting situation with just 1:55 on the clock. A costly roughing the kicker call gave the Bears a first down, allowing the Bears to hold on for the closing minute and a half to secure the win.
"What a awesome way to finish the season," said Head Coach
Corey Fipps, "So proud of this group of seniors who embraced change in such a positive way. We are all looking forward to a great off-season and hitting the recruiting trail."
UPIKE will head into the off-season optimistically following Saturday's win, completing a season that provided much insight for the first-year coaching staff. Coach Fipps and company finish at 4-6 on the season with a conference mark of 2-5. Follow along on UPIKE Athletics social media platforms and upikebears.com for news and information in the coming months.
