Jaiden Greathouse scored a defensive touchdown just 12 seconds into the game, and it was all Owensboro all night Friday as the Red Devils rolled to a 42-0 victory at Breckinridge County in a district matchup on opening night of the football season.
On the first play from scrimmage, Greathouse stripped the ball from Fighting Tigers’ quarterback Gavin Dowell and returned it 40 yards for a quick 7-0 lead.
Owensboro (1-0) led 28-0 by the end of the first quarter, had a running clock early in the second and went up 42-0 by halftime. Head coach Jay Fallin said his team played a clean game all around, and it was a good start to the season.
“On a night like tonight when you’re in a situation where you’re a physically superior team, you want to come out and execute well and be clean in all three phases of the game,” he said. “I think we did that tonight.”
First-year quarterback Gavin Wimsatt led Owensboro on three scoring drives. The sophomore carried the first one in himself for a 16-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead. A few minutes later, he connected with Tyren Hayden on a 57-yard pass for a score.
The OHS defense added another touchdown when Kam Watkins recovered the ball in the end zone after the Tigers muffed the snap on a punt attempt with 1:30 still to play in the first quarter.
The Red Devils went up 36-0 and started a running clock less than two minutes into the second quarter when Wimsatt hit Treyvon Tinsley for a 17-yard touchdown strike. Ben Flaherty caught the 2-point conversion.
The final score came on a 5-yard run by Lukas Howell, and the half ended with an interception by Colburn Payne.
Fallin said the defense did their job and focused on their assignments throughout the game.
“We really communicated well on defense,” he said. “We got aligned properly pre-snap to the various formations that they gave us. If we can continue to do that throughout the course of the year, we’ve got a chance to be successful on defense.”
Wimsatt finished 7-for-11 with 129 yards and two passing touchdowns. His 16-yard run was the longest of any player all night. Hayden had two catches for 71 yards to lead all receivers. Defensively, Greathouse and Kobe Skortz each had a sack.
The Red Devils now turn attention to their home opener Aug. 30, when they host Evansville Central. Fallin expects a tough matchup but he’s confident in Owensboro’s chances.
“We feel that we can compete with them and we’re going to have an opportunity to win the game. We’re very excited about it,” he said. “We love playing good opponents.”
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