The first round of the playoffs begins with Daviess County, Owensboro, and Owensboro are all playing at home while Apollo takes to the road. Catholic finished the regular season undefeated and as such will be favorites going into their matchup against Caldwell. Apollo has a tough challenge in playing away at Bowling Green, and DC and Owensboro will try to make the most of their home field advantages.
Caldwell County, 1-9 (Class 2A, District 1)
at Owensboro Catholic, 10-0 (Class 2A, District 2)
Highlights
The Aces completed their regular season undefeated, and now will carry that momentum into their first playoff game. They are the favorites for this match, and will host the round if they are victorious over Caldwell.
Last week
Caldwell: Won 41-7 against Trigg County
Owensboro Catholic: Won 37-14 against North Hardin
Coach’s thoughts
Owensboro Catholic head coach Jason Morris:
We need to be patient and take it one game at a time. With the RPI, we’ve been in the playoff mindset all season. Now we have to go execute and take care of business.
Caldwell can lull you to sleep with their 3 back run game and then can score by throwing over the top. They are coming off their highest scoring performance last week and we have to be disciplined in coverage.
North Hardin, 1-9, (Class 6A, District 2)
at Daviess County, (Class 6A, District 1)
Highlights
Daviess County meets North Hardin once again with higher stakes. Daviess County have been in good offensive form recently. They will need to get things in motion early on if they are to beat this tough North Hardin team.
Last week
North Hardin: Lost 37-14 against Owensboro Catholic
Daviess County: Won 26-0 against Apollo
Coach’s thoughts
Daviess County head coach Matt Brannon:
We have talked about the win or go home mentality. Postseason has always been a priority, and even with our slow start we never wavered from that. The goal is to be playing your best football in November and I feel like that is where we are.
North Hardin is a talented team that has the ability to score points. We must limit their big plays and turn them over and score points when we do. We are a much different team now than when we played them in week 4. If we play mistake free football, protect the ball and pressure the quarterback, we can advance.
Apollo, 2-8 (Class 5A, District 1)
at Bowling Green, 7-3 (Class 5A, District 2)
Highlights
After losing 57-7 in their first meeting earlier this season, Apollo has a chance to get revenge on their way to the next round of playoffs. Apollo will face big problems in Bowling Green’s star quarterback, so limiting him will be key to Apollo taking any and all opportunities on offense.
Last week
Apollo: Lost 26-0 against Daviess County
Bowling Green: Lost 27-12 against St. Xavier
Coach’s thoughts
Apollo head coach John Edge:
Offensively we need to protect the ball, sustain long drives and score. Everyone is 0-0, so anything can happen. We need to focus, play one play at a time and play for each other.
Bowling Green’s Deuce Bailey is the best quarterback we’ve seen all year. He has a ton of weapons and a great offensive line around him. On defense they do not blitz a lot and are not much of an attacking defense that Bowling Green typically has.
Ohio County, 1-9 (Class 5A, District 2)
at Owensboro, 6-4, (Class 5A, District 1)
Highlights
Owensboro are the favorites going into their first round matchup. Ohio are coming into the postseason off a string of low-scoring losses, so Owensboro will need to clamp down on the defensive end to keep control of the game and prevent Ohio from seeing much of the ball on offense.
Last week
Ohio: Lost 24-16 against Butler County
Owensboro: Won 34-6 against Henderson County
Coach’s thoughts
Owensboro head coach Jay Fallin:
Our guys have a lot of postseason experience. Our seniors have been a part of 12 playoff games, and this will be the 13th. That kind of experience helps them stay focused and level, and it keeps them ready to play at a high level. We know what is at stake. Ohio county is well coached and has a nice rushing attack. We will need to be ready to go on defense to slow down their running game.
