Daviess County jumped on the Red Devils early, using a quick offensive attack and possessing the ball well to win 7-0 and grab a ninth straight 3rd Region Championship.
The Panthers were aggressive right out of the gate Thursday night, earning a corner kick to create an early scoring opportunity in the eighth minute. It was a senior duo that got it done for Daviess County, as Hayden Boswell controlled the ball just outside the box and found Higgs in it for a goal and a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers padded onto their lead in the 11th minute, as senior Dax Sandifer was able to control the ball in the box and score to make it a 2-0 game. Owensboro tried to bounce back with a goal of their own, earning a corner kick and then a free kick a few possessions later.
Junior Sang Thang nearly made Daviess County pay for the handball, but junior Connor Johnson was able to make the save. The Panthers stayed steady and kept pushing forward with an edge in the possession battle, as sophomore Carter Payne worked his way to the middle of the field from the left wing to score and make it 3-0 in the 26th minute.
Daviess County continued to get plenty of opportunities offensively as the first half progressed, but they weren’t able to find the back of the net again and took a 3-0 lead into halftime.
It didn’t take them long to get going offensively in the second half though, as Higgs broke down multiple defenders to find his way into the box and score to make it 4-0 in the 46th minute. Seven minutes later senior Braden Dant helped the Panthers earn another, crossing it in the box for Boswell for his first goal of the night and a 5-0 lead.
Daviess County wasn’t able to find the back of the net again until the 70th minute, as Payne served the ball in the box to senior Tyler Wilkerson for a goal and a 6-0 lead. Less than a minute later the duo connected again, as Payne found Wilkerson in the box on a cross from the wing to make it 7-0 in the 71st minute.
This would be all the Panthers would need to close the door, as they possessed the ball well to run out the clock and put the finishing touches on their ninth straight 3rd Region Championship.
“I thought we played really well,” Head Coach Doug Sandifer said. “In the first half we made a couple of extra passes around the box that led to a couple of goals that were really nice. Getting that third goal in the first half was nice, because it gave us a little bit of a comfort level. I just think overall we played really well on both sides of the ball. We were quick to step to the ball to intercept and then got on the attack with numbers.”
This was the fourth time these two had met this season, with Daviess County winning the previous three. The Panthers were happy with how they played in those regular season games, so they didn’t change much of their gameplan and prepared to adapt quickly if Owensboro threw a wrench into their plans.
“We liked some advantages we thought we had in certain areas of the field,” Sandifer said. “So we were going to stick to that and make adjustments if we needed to, but we didn’t need to really. It seemed like the areas we wanted to go to remained open or gave us opportunities.”
The past nine years or so Daviess County has been atop the 9th District and the 3rd Region more often than not, setting high expectations for new Panthers every year. Sandifer said there’s no pressure put on the players, but rather preach to the legacy that they can leave on their school while being a part of something special.
“It’s not a pressure thing for these kids to continue that, it’s just be a part of it that we tell them,” Sandifer said. “Be a part of the team’s that have done it before you and continue that. Nine straight region titles. We’ve been very fortunate and that’s all I can say… These kids know it. They know the history, they know the tradition and they want to uphold it.”
Senior center back Nate Dailey shared the notion, saying just how much it means to the program to get the 3rd Region Championship and be a part of so much winning history with the Panthers.
“It’s an honor,” Dailey said. “It really is. It’s really great. I’m really proud of the team and I’m really proud of how I’ve come up [myself]… This is about the best start we could’ve had to get that momentum rolling [for state]. Just [gotta] go back to practice, focus up, get ready for the next game and hopefully play good here again.”
Daviess County now quickly turns its attention to the state tournament, as they will take on the winner of the 8th Region on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Panther Field.
Meanwhile Owensboro’s season comes to a close, as they finish the 2022 campaign as the 9th District and 3rd Region Runner-up with an overall record of 11-9-3. Head Coach Ryan Haley said he felt like his guys got off to a good start, but after Daviess County was able to score a few that they were a bit defeated.
“We let one in the net and the guys didn’t hang their heads, but after about three they started hanging their heads a little bit and it kind of opened up to more goals,” Haley said. “That’s the funny thing about soccer. Belief in winning the game can really keep a team fighting and when they see it’s out of reach the tempo drops, heads start dropping, effort starts dropping and that’s kind of what happened here today.”
Regardless of the end result, Owensboro achieved their pre-season goal of reaching the 3rd Region Championship, while proving to be a formidable foe in the 9th District. This is something Haley and company are proud of, especially as a team that only has three seniors.
“On the season I’m extremely proud of these guys,” Haley said. “We made it to this point and that was a season goal at the beginning of the year to make it to this game. Daviess County is a good side. They’ve got 13 seniors and we field three. They’re a very good team… On the season we’re very happy we made it this far. Of course we would’ve liked to win this game, but I’m proud of them.”
Haley is already excited about the team that Owensboro can field next season, noting that they will bring back a number of players who were guided well by a strong senior class this year. With this experience, the Red Devils have high expectations for the program in the foreseeable future.
“We bring back several starters for next season and I like our chances next season to be right back here fighting in this very same game,” Haley said. “We’re going to miss our senior boys. It’s going to be tough to replace them, but they’ve kind of paved a path for the younger guys moving forward. I think we’ll have a tough team next year, and the year after and the year after that. I don’t see us dropping off any time soon and I expect us to be in this game for the next five years, no doubt.”
In order to live up to those expectations, Haley told his players after the game that it will come down to effort. Especially in the offseason, as this is the best opportunity for each player to improve individually to help grow the team’s maximum potential.
“What I spoke to the boys about in the huddle there at the end was about what they do in the offseason,” Haley said. “It’s about every single practice and giving it your all every single practice. When you get to this point you have to be ready. In order to get ready, you have to work hard all year round. What I stressed to the boys who are up and coming, was this offseason is a chance to hone their skills and be better individually. To really work on their technical abilities and improve their game.”
Haley reiterated just how much Jacob O’Bryan, Aiden Frego and Zach West have helped the program improve over the past four years, noting he’ll miss the guys that he’s coached for almost six or seven years. Haley said they started moving them back towards competing to be atop of the 9th District and 3rd Region and know the Red Devils want to build on that going forward.
“Definitely going to miss our senior boys,” Haley said. “The relationships you build with them [are special]. I’ve had them since they were in fifth and sixth grade and it’s sad to see them go. But I’m also proud of them for making it to this point. Daviess County’s kind of owned the city for I guess now would be 10 years. We’re really looking to change that. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve got a good program, an undefeated middle school team and a JV team that lost only two or three games. We’ve got some good players coming up and the future is very bright for this program.”
