Owensboro Catholic will play Daviess County on the road in a city-county matchup for week 2, while Owensboro hosts Christian Academy-Louisville. Apollo and Hancock County are also both home against Heritage Hills and Breckinridge County, while McLean County travels to Caverna.
Owensboro Catholic (Class 2A, District 2) @ Daviess County (Class 6A, District 2)
The Aces opened the season with a statement, beating Bowling Green on the road 23-17. Dre’Mail Carothers impressed in his first game as the starter, orchestrating the game-winning drive that culminated in the defense forcing a fumble to secure the win.
Head Coach Jason Morris was pleased with his team’s focus on Monday’s practice, acknowledging that his team has moved on from the win and is ready to get back to work.
“The kids were able to celebrate the win on Sunday and then came to school on Monday with a workman-like attitude,” Morris said. “We preach not letting it be our Super Bowl, but the kids are focused. It is an experienced group of seniors who are all in.”
Daviess County is coming off an impressive win of its own, cruising past Russellville 45-6. Jace Hunt scored three total touchdowns, including returning a punt 70 yards to the house, while Daviess County’s defense held Russellville to 220 total yards.
Head Coach Quadarius Wallace was pleased with his team’s Monday practice, but stated the team has moved on and that they can’t dwell on one win and need to prepare for the next opponent.
“The Aces are strong up front and I think that their running back, Miles Edge, is a good player,” Wallace said. “He did some things to hurt Bowling Green and was involved in very clutch moments. Carothers makes things go, is a good decision maker, and gets the ball out fast. Their receiving core has plenty of guys who can make plays. Maddox in particular, stood out against Bowling Green, making guys miss.”
To limit Carothers and the Aces offense, Wallace wants to see his players receive the football.
“I just want to see 11 guys on the football, no matter if it’s in the backfield or 10-15 yards down the field,” Wallace said.
Morris and Owensboro Catholic have plenty of respect for Daviess County and are expecting the Panthers’ offense to attempt to dictate the tempo of the game and milk clock.
“Jace Hunt is one of the best athletes in the city, and they will find multiple ways to get him the ball,” Morris said. “I have seen huge improvement in Garrison Barker. He does a great job of not turning the football over and distributing the ball to where it needs to be.”
Morris was also complimentary of the Panthers’ defense, noting how they almost shutout Russellville.
“Defensively, they are showing improvement,” Morris said. “Anytime you almost get a shutout is to be respected. They’re doing a great job of playing with great effort, they are flying with the football, and they seem to be buying into the culture Coach Wallace is trying to build. We’re going to have to do just like what we did last week in play it play by play, and just try to do the best we can to execute.”
Morris wants to see his team clean up their special teams, while Wallace acknowledged that to beat the Aces, they cannot turn the ball over and they have to be disciplined.
Kickoff is set for tonight at 7 pm at Daviess County.
Apollo (Class 5A, District 1) Vs. Heritage Hills (Lincoln City), IN
Quick Notes: Apollo showed flashes in their season-opening loss against Murray, including a Caiden Tutt 95-yard kickoff return, and QB Max Johnson’s three touchdown passes. Looking for their first win, this week Apollo hosts Heritage Hills.
Head Coach John Edge said: We need to clean up some things on kickoff coverage. If we do this, we will keep teams from gaining field position advantage like Murray did last week. We also need to cleanup some penalties, and we will be fine.
Heritage Hills will run Ole Miss commit Jett Goldsberry a lot. They will look to get Oklahoma commit Tyler Ruxer the ball as well. Our main focus is to continue to get to the ball.
They have a solid team on both sides of the, but you have to know where Tyler Ruxer and Jett Goldsberry are on the field.
Hancock County (Class 2A, District 2) Vs. Breckinridge County (Class 4A, District 3)
Quick notes: The Hornets’ offense was firing on all cylinders in their 42-28 season-opening win over John Hardin. Brady Ubanks threw a pair of touchdowns while Kyle Anderson added three more scores on the ground. Tonight, they host Breckinridge County, whom they beat 62-7 a year ago.
Head Coach Robert Eubanks said: We expect to play a full four quarters and bounce back from a very physical opener. Our emphasis this week is quick recovery and staying sharp throughout the game.
We plan to play our game and take what the defense gives us. Controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides will be key. Breckinridge County has athletic playmakers and a dual-threat quarterback with a strong arm, so we must contain the QB and keep plays in front of us while limiting big-play opportunities.
Offensively, we need to focus on execution and take what the defense gives. Defensively, attention will be on containing their QB and trying to keep him contained. They have some really nice receivers who can take the top off if we allow them to get behind us.
McLean County (Class 2A, District 2) @ Caverna (Class 1A, District 1)
Quick notes: The Cougars struggled in their season-opening loss to Muhlenberg County, and tonight travel to Caverna with their eyes on bouncing back. The Cougars haven’t played Caverna since 2014 and are 7-1 against the Colonels.
Head Coach Zach Wagner said: We had a very bad night last week and we need to put it behind us and move on.
We need to keep an eye on Tyson and Kenyon Martin. They are both big and fast kids who do it all for them. Both are 6’2 215 and are twins.
Owensboro (Class 5A, District 1) Vs. Christian Academy-Louisville (Class 3A, District 3)
Quick notes: After losing to St. Xavier, the Red Devils will once again be tested, this time against the reigning 3A champs, Christian Academy-Louisville.
Head Coach DaMarcus Ganaway said: We are expecting them to be the high-caliber program that they are. Being back-to-back state champs, they are going to come in with the expectation of competing and winning, similar to last year. For us, it is our first home game of the season, and there will be a lot of excitement and an opportunity for us to show who we really are. I think it will be a great matchup.
On the offensive side of the ball, they have great athletes, and we will need to contain. They are big upfront, so it will be a full defensive effort. Their QB is a dual threat, has a great arm, commands the offense well, and can take off and move with his feet. So, we just need to make sure we have eyes on him at all times and our reading our keys.
On defense, they are big upfront, disciplined, and their linebackers flow to the ball heavily. They also read their keys well, make their drops, and when they come to the ball, they will lay a good hit on you.
After last week, we didn’t have an opportunity to get going and show who we are or what we are really capable of. There is still a lot of focus on us. We know what they are capable of from front to back and we are still trying to find our identity and get a little bit of rhythm established and showcase what we have. We need to get Evan Hampton going, get the ball in space to Kingston Dillard, and let him do what he does. And we need to make sure we get other supporting players involved.
