Following a week one in which both Daviess County and the Aces showed out in their respective wins, the two teams are set up for a fight until the very last whistle this Friday.
Owensboro Catholic is coming off of a strong win in its season opener, as they visited Apollo and were clicking on all cylinders in a 42-14 win. Sophomore Brady Atwell led the charge offensively, throwing for 235 yards on 10-14 passing, rushing for 84 yards on seven carries and throwing three touchdowns.
Junior Reid Clark led the way out of the wide receiving core for the Aces with 108 yards and a touchdown, while junior Tutt Carrico had 78 yards and a touchdown and junior Deuce Sims had a touchdown reception.
Owensboro Catholic will be relying on its offense heavily on Friday, as Head Coach Jason Morris said that they have to win the time of possession and the turnover battle to win on Friday.
“Our biggest focus is on managing the game and not beating ourselves with penalties and turnovers,” Morris said. “Getting off blocks and tackling will be very important.”
Morris also said that the Panthers have a massive offensive line and that they have to do their best to work their way around them Friday, while also remaining calm under pressure on the offensive side.
“Daviess County is very big on their offensive line and have a tremendous running back and receiving core,” Morris said. “They play aggressively defensively and will bring lots of pressure.”
The offensive core thrived for Daviess County a week ago, as they were able to grab a 43-14 win over Meade County at home in its season opener. Senior Jack Ball threw for 235 passing yards on 8-12 passing, going along with his four passing touchdowns.
Senior Decker Renfrow caught three of those touchdowns, serving as his only receptions on a night where he tallied 186 receiving yards. Senior Bryson Parm had the other touchdown reception to go with 30 yards on three catches, while he was also the leading rusher with 78 yards and two rushing touchdowns on 12 carries.
Head Coach Matt Brannon said that this week the Panthers have to continue to be physical on both sides of the ball, but will really count on his offense to play under control in order to be at their best.
“We must continue to work on execution at all three phases of the game,” Brannon said. “In order for us to win the game we have to continue to force turnovers, protect the ball when we have it and play efficient and complimentary football.”
On the defensive side of things, Brannon knows that Daviess County will have to find a way to stifle Atwell in order to halt the Aces offense. Tipping their cap to Owensboro Catholic’s defense as well, the Panthers know they are in for a battle in week two.
“As Atwell goes, so do the Aces,” Brannon said. “Brady is an outstanding football player. He has a strong and accurate arm and is the type of player that looks to run through defenders, not around. Their defense is scrappy as well. All three linebackers are very aggressive and they have a very solid defensive backfield.”
Daviess County and the Aces will square off at 7 p.m. on Friday night, with Owensboro Catholic hosting at Steele Stadium.
