Week nine features the Aces hosting McLean County in a pivotal district match, while the Red Devils travel to Madisonville-North Hopkins with the district title on the line. In other action, Hancock County is home, while Daviess County and Apollo are both on the road.
Owensboro Catholic (7-1) (Class 2A, District 2) Vs. McLean County (4-4) (Class 2A, District 2)
After three years of being in different classes, Owensboro Catholic and McLean County are set to square off in a district match. The Aces are coming off the bye week and are as healthy as they have been all season.
A run heavy team, the Cougars are averaging 251 rushing yards a game, but are going against an Aces defense who is only allowing 124 rushing yards a game and 15.6 points per game.
The Cougars run game has multiple threats, with five different players having rushed for 180 or more yards. Aden Bolden leads the way with 524 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, while Riley Walker is right behind him with 491 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
“McLean is solid in everything they do and is a run-first team,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Jason Morris said. “They like to line up in multiple formations and make you do a lot of prep work as far as your defensive alignment. When they are on defense, they like to use multiple fronts. They are a ball control kind of team that wants to win games by controlling the football.”
McLean County Head Coach Zach Wagner stated that he wants to see his team limit self-imposed penalties and extend drives to keep the ball from the Aces offense.
The Aces once again boast one of the top scoring offenses in 2A, with QB Dre’mail Carothers leading the way. the junior is first in 2A in passing yards with 1,829 passing yards and is second in passing touchdowns with 22. Xavier Maddox (665 receiving yards, 8 receiving touchdowns) has emerged as his top receiving target, while Miles Edge (653 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns) leads the ground attack.
The Aces offense will have their hands full with the Cougars Jackson Reynolds who leads the team in sacks with seven and a half and Hunter Stratton, who leads all of 2A in total tackles with 141.
Apollo (4-4) (Class 5A, District 1) @ Marshall County (3-5) (Class 5A, District 1)
Quick Notes: The Eagles are fresh off an impressive win over previously undefeated Madisonville-North Hopkins. QB Max Johnson scored four total touchdowns, and the defense forced five turnovers. Tonight, they travel to Marshal County, whom they haven’t lost to since 2016.
Head Coach John Edge said: We have reminded the boys to stay focused. It was a good win, but not the Super Bowl. We need to stay focused on Marshall County. We have talked and talked about Process. We don’t focus on outcomes, we focus on what’s at hand.
Marshall is a tempo team as well, but they rely a lot on their run game. Neyland Jezik can throw the ball well. Kamren Brown is a big target for them and is one of their better defensive players as well.
Neyland Jezik is someone we have to stop, and their DE Kamren Brown is someone we have to block well, or he will be an issue for us.
Daviess County (4-4) (Class 6A, District 2) @ South Warren (8-0) (Class 6A, District 2)
Quick Notes: The Panthers are looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss against Meade County. Tonight, they travel to take on undefeated South Warren.
Head Coach Quadarius Wallace said: Practice this week has been good. Our intention to detail and intensity has been raised. We can’t afford to let anything else slip away, so we have been locked in this week.
South Warren are a really good football team. I think they are obviously one of the top teams in the state. They have a good offense and run a multiple QB system, and both get the job done. They have some receivers that can play and a running back who is good out of the backfield in the pass game.
Defensively, they are really strong up front, and their interior lineman are monsters on their defensive line.
I want to see us compete from the opening series. This year, a few teams have scored early in the first drive on us.
Hancock County (4-2) (Class 2A, District 2) Vs. Fort Knox (3-5) (Class 2A, District 2)
Quick Notes: The Hornets are back and refreshed from the bye week. Tonight, they host district rival Fort Knox.
Head Coach Robert Eubanks said: We expect our kids to come out focused and play Hancock County football, physical up front, disciplined on defense, and take care of the football. We want to start fast and set the tone early.
The bye week was good for us. We got some bumps and bruises healed up, got back to fundamentals, and worked on a few things we wanted to tighten up before the stretch run.
It’ll be a physical game. We want to control the line of scrimmage and the clock. Fort Knox plays hard and brings effort every snap, so we’ve got to match that energy and keep executing for four quarters.
Their quarterback is a good athlete who can make plays with his legs, so we’ve got to contain him. On defense, their middle linebacker reads well and flies to the football we’ll need to account for him in the run game.
Owensboro (6-2) (Class 5A, District 1) Vs. Madisonville-North Hopkins (7-1) (Class 5A, District 1)
Quick Notes: Since starting the season 0-2, the Red Devils have won six straight. Tonight, they travel to Madisonville-North Hopkins, and a win will secure the Red Devils the district title.
Head Coach DaMarcus Ganaway said: They will be looking to bounce back this week and play physical and defend their home territory. We know we have to bring our A game and play our best.
Everything goes through Hightower. He is the leading rusher in 5A, and he is as good as advertised when it comes to his athleticism. He is really hard to bring down, and he has good vision and is just a great athlete.
Defensively, they are very strong in the box. Their defensive line and the linebacker core are the heart and soul of that defense. We have to be sound upfront and communicate well.
Offensively, we need to be efficient and have to establish the run game. We are very efficient in our pass game, but that’s because it’s balanced. When our run game is going well, our pass game is going well. We don’t want to be one dimensional, so we need to establish the run to help our pass game.
