Daviess County and Apollo football are set to meet for the 50th time on Friday night, with the Eagles looking to even the series while playoff seeding implications are on the line for both teams.
The Panthers lead the way in the all-time series between the two, sitting at 25-24 coming into the home matchup with the Eagles. Daviess County will be looking to add onto that by bouncing back from a tough loss to the Colonels last week, in which they fell at a score of 73-35.
The Panthers were able to find themselves within ten at 45-35 going into halftime, but were just unable to match Henderson County’s offensive production in the second half. Defensively Head Coach Matt Brannon knows that Apollo also has plenty of weapons that they will have to stifle this week, so they have harped on this side of the ball being a focal point this week in practice.
“Combs does a good job extending plays with his scrambling ability and Dixon and Board are a tough combination out of the backfield,” Brannon said. “We must be disciplined in our coverages and contain the QB all night.”
The trio of Eagles played well against Marshall County last week, as they won 48-14 to grab their first district win of the season. Combs had his hands all over the win, as he threw for 145 yards and a touchdown on 13-16 passing, while also rushing for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
Senior Donte Dixon also cracked the century mark by rushing for 107 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, while sophomore Niles Board followed close behind with 60 yards on six carries.
But Apollo will have its hands full defensively as well, as junior quarterback Lake Wilson led Daviess County with 126 passing yards and two touchdowns on 13-16 passing, while senior Bryson Parm led the way out of the backfield with 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
With three other players getting carries and six different players earning receptions in the Panther’s matchup with Henderson County, Head Coach John Edge and company know that they will have each individual player on their a-game on both sides of the ball.
“Daviess County does a great job getting everyone the ball on offense,” Edge said. “Defensively they bring pressure every play. [We have to] take what the defense gives us. Defensively we need to make sure DC doesn’t have big plays against us.”
Edge said that Daviess County has a number of good players and playmakers, so playing clean by limiting turnovers, minimizing penalties and tackling well will be key this game and for the Eagles going forward as the playoffs approach. As far as the mental approach to the rivalry crosstown battle, Edge said he and his players know just what to expect and are ready for battle.
“Nothing needs to be said on our end,” Edge said. “We know it’s a rivalry game. I’ve coached in a ton of them. It’s a rivalry game and records are always thrown out the window. May the best team win.”
The same goes Brannon and the Panthers, as they know records and past performances do not matter when it comes to the intense environment that this game will bring. With an opportunity to bounce back and playoff seeding up in the air, Daviess County knows they will need to be focused on every single play to come away victorious at home when the two meet at 7 p.m. on Friday.
“Second place in the district and a home playoff game is at stake,” Brannon said. “We can also claim a share of the City/County Championship (3-way tie) with a win. This will be our senior night, and we must be focused on the game and execute the game plan, keeping outside distractions at a minimum.”
