Daviess County is on a three-game win streak as they enter the postseason, and the resiliency they showed during that stretch will be key as they prepare for a rematch with Henderson County on Friday.
Though the two teams tied with McCracken County for the top spot in Class 6A District 1, the Colonels are the 2-seed and the Panthers are the 3-seed based on tiebreakers.
In the first meeting at Daviess County, the Panthers actually blew a late lead but recovered quickly to eventually win 30-27 in overtime. Head coach Matt Brannon expects another tough matchup, especially with Henderson County playing host this time around.
“When you play a team for the second time, nobody is going to get out of what they do well, but they are going to have some different looks defensively and we’ve got to be prepared for that,” he said. “Being able to adjust in the game, that’s been big for us.”
The Colonels will have a bit of a different look on offense with Ben Dalton lining up more often at quarterback. Brannon said Dalton is more aggressive, and he adds an extra dimension to the attack.
Other playmakers for Henderson County will be their other quarterback Sam Elliot (1,545 yards, 17 TDs), running back Logan Green (1,083 yards, 6 TDs) and receiver Edmund Brooks (767 yards, 6 TDs).
The Panthers’ offense will first look to running back Shane Riley (1,434 yards, 17 TDs), who rushed for three scores in the first meeting. If the Colonels focus too much on him, DC will lean on quarterback Joe Humphreys (9 TDs passing, 7 TDs rushing) and his ability to create plays outside the pocket.
Both defenses have shown big-play potential. The Panthers have 17 fumble recoveries and five interceptions, while the Colonels have 13 and six, respectively.
Brannon said a big key for the Panthers to keep their season alive will be not letting negative plays like turnovers slow them down.
“We’ve talked about the waves of a football game,” he said. “Big plays are going to happen. We’re going to have the momentum and then we’re going to lose it. We have to know that if we can make a play here or there that’s what you’ve got to do.”
Henderson County hosts Daviess County at 7 p.m. Friday. With a win, the Panthers would face the winner of 1-seed McCracken County vs. 4-seed Apollo. They would either travel to McCracken County or host the Eagles.
Brannon said they have to take care of their own business first, as Henderson County won’t make it an easy night.
“I always refer to it as a heavyweight fight,” he said of a tough matchup. “When we punch them, they’re definitely going to punch back. They’re not going to just stand there and take it. We have to continue to fight and punch until the last play.”
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