Tonight marks the second round of the playoffs, with Owensboro and Owensboro Catholic both hosting home games. In other action, Apollo and Hancock County are both on the road.
Apollo (6-5) (Class 5A, District 1) @ Bowling Green (5-6) (Class 5A, District 2)
Apollo advanced to the second round of the playoffs behind a stout defensive performance that held Barren County to seven points. Tonight, they will have their hands full with the reigning 5A state champion Bowling Green.
“We need to continue to clean up things all around,” Apollo Head Coach John Edge said.” Bowling Green is a great football program, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes. When they do, you must capitalize on them.
Edge is expecting Bowling Green to stick to the run game and utilize their impressive offensive line.
“They have a young QB, and they like running the ball more because they have a really good Offensive line,’ Edge said. “They will still move Barber around and find ways to get him the ball.”
Hancock County (8-3) (Class 2A, District 2) @ Mayfield (10-1) (Class 2A, District 1)
The Hornets took care of business in their playoff opener, shutting out Caldwell County 41-0. Tonight, they travel to Mayfield, one of the top teams in 2A.
“Mayfield is a tradition-rich program,” Head Coach Robert Eubanks said. “They have really good players all over the field, and they like to get the ball to their athletes as much as possible. Defensively, they are very sound and are very strong upfront on the defensive line.”
To pull off the upset, Eubanks wants to see his team limit turning the ball over.
Owensboro (9-2) (Class 5A, District 1) Vs. Greenwood (7-4) (Class 5A, District 2)
Owensboro took care of business in their playoff opener against Grayson County, cruising to a 62-7 win, and tonight they will be tested against a stout Greenwood team. The Gators have a dominant rushing attack led by Davis Chaney and Nathan Self, with the duo combining for 1,574 of the team’s 2,017 rushing yards.
Owensboro Head Coach DaMarcus Ganaway wants to see his team stop the run and control the line of scrimmage.
Owensboro Catholic (10-1) (Class 2A, District 2) Vs. Crittenden County (8-3) (Class 2A, District 1)
The Aces enter the second round fresh off a dominant 61-7 win over Fort Campbell, which saw Dre’mail Carothers throw for five touchdowns.
“They are really similar to us with their schemes,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Jason Morris said. “They run a multiple 3-3 stack defense that will any time look like a 4-2-5 or a 3-4, but 3-3 is their base. They are a spread offense led by their QB and top receiver.”
Moving forward, Morris wants to see his team play efficiently and take care of the football.
“Offensively, I want to make sure that ball security is at its highest and we are playing with a strong tempo and catching the football,” Morris said. “We need to score when we get into the red zone. Defensively, I want to continue on our tackling and making sure we become better tacklers.”
