Defense wins championships.

Paintsville’s was on display as the Tigers corralled Newport Central Catholic the final 37 minutes of the game and rallied for a 21-7 win over the Thoroughbreds at Memorial Field on Friday night.

The Tigers, now 9-2, will face Kentucky Country Day (10-1) at 11 am Friday at Kroger Field . It is a rematch of last year’s state semifinal matchup won by the Tigers on the road. Paintsville is looking to win its first title in the 100-year history of the program.

Paintsville used a balanced ground attack and time-consuming drives in playing keep away from NewCath (8-3).

Running back Harris Phelps ran for 168 yards and all three Paintsville touchdowns, including the clincher on an 11-yard run with 3 minutes, 9 seconds to play. His first was a 31-yard run to tie the game at 7-all with 9:39 left in the first half.

Phelps raced 36 yards to put the Tigers ahead for the first time and for good with 8:06 remaining in the third quarter.

Quarterback Karsten Poe added 82 yards on 14 carries and Luke Hyden added 61 yards on 10 rushing attempts.

At Paintsville

(Class 1A State Semifinals)

SCORE BY QUARTERS:

NCC (8-3)…..7  0  0  0 –  7

PV (9-2)…….0  7  7  7  -21

Scoring:

First Quarter

NCC – Joey Runyon, 46-yard pass from Malaki Herndon (Sam Lavin kick), 1:00

Second Quarter

PV – Harris Phelps, 31-yard run (Braydon Combs kick), 9:39

Third Quarter

PV – Harris Phelps, 36-yard run (Braydon Combs kick), 8:06

Fourth Quarter

PV – Harris Phelps, 11-yard run (Braydon Combs kick), 3:09

Next up: Paintsville (9-2) vs. Kentucky Country Day (10-1), 11 am, Dec. 18, Class 1A championship, Kroger Field