Football teams around the state have been waiting months for tonight as football is back in the bluegrass.
There are three local games tonight as three sites in Daviess County will be lit up with week one contests.
Apollo heads across town to Owensboro High School to take on the Red Devils, while Daviess County hosts Ohio County and Owensboro Catholic hosts Mt. Vernon (Ind.).
Apollo at Owensboro
The first game of the John Edge era at Apollo is against a familiar foe in the Owensboro Red Devils as the two teams hit the field tonight at Rash Stadium.
Each team returns standout players on offense. Apollo brings back Harold Patterson and his 2,142 rushing yards to go with 23 touchdowns along with quarterback Damian Lovinksy.
Lovinsky passed for 1,272 yards and 11 scores last season but also rushed for 660 yards and added nine touchdowns on the ground.
For Owensboro, the Red Devils return junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt who’s seen his recruitment skyrocket in recent months. Wimsatt threw for 2,729 yards last season and had 31 touchdowns through the air, also recording 12 scores on the ground.
Leading receiver Treyvon Tinsley caught 59 passes for 909 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
Apollo’s Logan Weedman anchors the Eagle line, and Tennessee Tech will get his services next season. For the Red Devils, Austin Gough returns to an already solid defense for Owensboro.
Ohio County at Daviess County
The Daviess County Panthers finished 5-6 last season and coach Matt Brannon knows a win tonight would be a big first step in getting back over .500 in 2020.
Ohio County hasn’t been able to tame the Panthers since 2011, when they finished 9-2 overall.
Joe Humphreys returns to lead the Panther offense with his 1,388 passing yards and 11 touchdowns from last season.
Humphreys’ top two targets are also back in Decker Renfrow (442 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns) and Isaiah Tomes (273 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns).
On defense, Gunnar Evans led the way with 142 tackles a year ago and he’ll lead the Panther defense into 2020.
Ohio County finished 4-6 in Class 5A last season as the Eagles didn’t make the playoffs.
QDaryius Jennings ran for 1,026 yards and 11 touchdowns to lead the Eagle offense.
Mt Vernon (Ind.) at Owensboro Catholic
Owensboro Catholic coach Jason Morris and his Aces are ready to get back on the field and the Mt. Vernon Wildcats are the first team they’ll take on.
Owensboro Catholic finished 9-3 last season before being upset by McLean County in the second round of the KHSAA Class 2A State Playoffs.
The Aces offense will be led by Braden Mundy Jr., who caught 54 passes for over 1,000 yards last season to go with nine touchdowns. Mundy will look to replace some of the production of Hagan Edge and his 1,571 yards and 24 touchdown catches last season.
Lincoln Clancy will take over for Drew Hartz, who graduated last year after throwing for 4,173 yards and 57 touchdowns in his senior campaign.
Christopher Boarman leads the defense as he paced the Aces in tackles (171), tackles for loss (22) and sacks (7.5).
Mt. Vernon (Imd.) comes into Friday riding high at 3-0 as they’ve beaten Heritage Hills, South Spencer and Princeton.
The Wildcats get most of their offense on the ground, so the Aces defense will have to stop the run to gain a victory.
