Owensboro’s journey for a 5A State Championship is off to a dominant start after blowout wins over Grayson County and Greenwood. Tonight, they host Fairdale, a team they haven’t played since 2022.
“Fairdale is very athletic,” Owensboro Head Coach DaMarcus Ganaway said. “They have some very good athletes in the skill positions, and they have some size in the box and come off the ball well. We will need to establish the line of scrimmage.”
Owensboro’s offensive success continues to stem from the connection between DaMarcus Ganaway Jr. and Kingston Dillard with the duo connecting for 157 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Greenwood. Evan Hampton had another excellent game, leading the run game, recording 128 total yards, and a touchdown.
The Red Devils offense has plenty of weapons, but they will have their hands full with Fairdale’s Leron Jackson, who is fifth in 5A in total tackles (102). Owensboro will also need to watch out for Chass Tutt, who leads his team in sacks with four.
“I want our offense to continue to do the same thing,” Ganaway said. “From week to week, just grinding it out, being able to run, take what they give us when it comes to putting the ball on the perimeter and just being able to execute as much as we possibly can.”
Ganaway expects Fairdale to put the ball in the air, but acknowledged that they are still a threat in the run game.
“I’m kind of interested to see what their approach will be versus us,” Ganaway said. “We are just preparing to make sure we can tackle in space and make sure we read our keys in case they do want to try and ground and pound game. When it comes to covering, we haven’t been challenged as much lately, so our guys will need to be where they are supposed to be.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by QB Jarel Butler, who takes care of the ball. The junior has thrown for 1,181 yards and 12 touchdowns against only three interceptions. DyMetrius Taylor leads the ground game, rushing for 782 yards and 10 touchdowns.
