Nine weeks ago, Owensboro football was sitting at 0-2 and fresh off back-to-back blowout losses against two of the top teams in the state. Since then, the Red Devils have emerged as one of the top teams in 5A, winning eight straight and outscoring opponents 407-66 over that span.
Not to be lost in transition by the team’s dominant turnaround is a pair of offensive record-breaking seasons by senior running back Evan Hampton and sophomore wide receiver Kingston Dillard.
Hampton continued to climb the Red Devils’ all-time rushing leaderboard, surpassing Drew Hall for second all-time, while Dillard hauled in 13 touchdowns, a new school single-season record. He also torched Madison-North Hopkins for 192 receiving yards, Owensboro’s new single-game record.
Two major focal points of the Red Devils’ high-octane offense, the duo will look to continue their dominance in the team’s upcoming playoff run.
“When you have athletes like those guys, they do all of the work,” Owensboro Head Coach DaMarcus Ganaway said. “It’s our job to just find opportunities and mismatches for them and put them in positions to do what they do.”
Entering the year, Hampton acknowledged that there was some outside chatter of him surpassing Hall for second all-time, but the Vanderbilt commit had one singular focus – winning a state championship. It wasn’t until over halfway through the season that it dawned on him how close he really was – around 500 yards away.
“Once I knew I was close, something in my brain flipped a switch,” Hampton said. “I really wanted to play well for the team and to get the record.”
The senior entered the final game of the regular season against Henderson County 177 yards shy of surpassing his defensive coordinator for second all-time. He responded with 198 rushing yards and three scores – breaking the record on a 52-yard rushing touchdown.
“We were around the 52-yard line, and we ran an outside zone play,” Hampton said. “I cut back once I got to around the 30, and I knew I was scoring. I kind of put my arms up out wide, and it felt good.”
Sitting as Owensboro’s second all-time leading rusher, Hampton acknowledged none of this would have been possible without his offensive line and coaching staff.
“My twin brother Eli is my left tackle, and the left guard is Keaton Land, whom I spend a lot of time with outside of football, Hampton said. “My center is Carter Vanover, one of my best friends. My right guard is J.W., who is also a friend of mine, and Drew Johnson, who is my right tackle. I have grown up with these guys and played with them since Middle School, so my trust in them is 100%.”
While Hampton has racked up 1,165 rushing yards this season, the Red Devils offense also torched opposing defenses through the air. In his first year at the helm, Junior QB DaMarcus Ganaway Jr. has thrown for 1,784 yards, 889 of those to Dillard.
Despite playing in Florida the last few years and just returning to Kentucky this offseason, the connection between Ganaway Jr. and Dillard didn’t miss a beat.
“We became best friends in first grade, and we were in class together,” Dillard said. We stayed in touch when he lived in Florida, so our connection has always been there. When he got back, it grew even more. There would be times outside of practice where we would go to the field and run routes. Sometimes we would send each other plays and discuss what we would do.”
After hauling in a pair of touchdowns against Graves County, Dillard acknowledged his role was becoming easier, and he realized that he could break out. Moving into the season finale against Henderson County, Dillard sat one touchdown short of tying the school’s single-season record.
At the end of the first quarter, Ganaway Jr. found Dillard for a 33-yard touchdown strike, tying the school record. In the second quarter, the two connected once again, this time from 10 yards out to put Dillard in sole possession.
“It was a corner route, and Marcus knows if he sees me in a matchup that he knows I can win, he will throw me the ball,” Dillard said. “It was just a mismatch on the left side of the field, so he threw me the ball and trusted me to go catch it. He threw it over my shoulder, and I caught it in the back of the endzone.”
But Hampton and Dillard acknowledged that each other’s presence makes their jobs easier. Hampton stated that Dillard brings a needed balance to the offense, while the receiver acknowledged that defenses are forced to choose to either load the box to stop the run or double-team a receiver.
This was on full display in week nine against Madisonville-North Hopkins, a 61-7 route. The Maroons were focused on attempting to stop the run, and the sophomore receiver capitalized – recording five catches for a new school single game record of 192 yards.
“The defense was trying to stop Evan, so it just allowed me to stay open, and we just clicked from there,” Dillard said. “They kept trying to guard me one-on-one, and it wasn’t working. So, it got to a point where they had to either start doubling me or I was going to keep adding to my stats.”
This Friday, the Red Devils are set to host Grayson County in the opening round of the playoffs, in what the Red Devils hope is a long run. To continue excelling at a high level, Dillard wants to see every player on the offense continue to excel at their role.
“Nobody is going to be selfish; everybody is going to accomplish their assignments, and if one person needs to block, they are going to block,” Dillard said. “Our coaches trust us to do the right thing and make the play we need to make.”
