LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Christian Academy of Louisville football has once again been named 3A State champions.

The Centurions dominated the first half and held off a second half surge by Union County to win 42-21 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky, and secure their third straight Kentucky High School Athletic Association 3A State Football Championship.

CAL quarterback Connor Hodge accounted for six total touchdowns on the day.

To start the game, Union County ran for 42 yards on the first play of scrimmage but couldn't convert on fourth down.

Hodge used an 8-yard rush to score the first points of the game and, on that first drive, Hodge completed 3-of-4 passes for 47 yards.

Union County then turned it over on downs again on the following possession and Hodge found Trey Cotton for a 70-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the first quarter to give CAL a 14-0 lead.

In the second quarter, CAL continued adding to the lead. Hodge found a wide-open Bryce Wilson for a 38-yard touchdown, and then the quarterback ran for a 20-yard score.

At halftime, CAL led Union County 28-0 and Hodge accounted for 226 total yards and four touchdowns.

But Union County didn't go away. The Braves got on the scoreboard in the third quarter after Jarren Johnson picked off Hodge and ran it back 72 yards for the score.

Union County recovered an onside kick to retain possession. The lead was cut in half with less than two minutes left in the third after Johnson ran for 11 yards to score.

But CAL responded to start the fourth quarter, as Hodge scrambled to the end zone for his third rushing score of the day.

Johnson made it a two-score game again by finding Luke Thomas for a 4-yard touchdown with less than seven minutes remaining.

Union County had a chance to make it a one-score game but CAL was able to sack Johnson on fourth down while up two scores with time winding down. The Centurions immediately fumbled it on the next play on their 25-yard line.

CAL's defense held strong and got another sack on fourth down to get the ball back with a little over two minutes left.

Hodge made sure the game would remain out of reach by scoring his fourth rushing touchdown, sixth score overall for the day, to put CAL up 42-21.

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