The Owensboro Red Devils hit the road Thursday for their first away game of the year but they may have been on the bus longer than they were on the field in the blowout victory over Muhlenberg County.
OHS scored four times in the first quarter en route to a 55-0 win and the Red Devils’ first 4-0 start since 2008 where they went 11-1 before falling in the third round of the KHSAA State Football Playoffs to Christian County.
“When you know you physically outmatch your opponent, you want to be sharp and eliminate mistakes in all three phases of the game and that was our goal coming into the night and I thought we did a pretty good job of that,” Red Devil coach Jay Fallin said after the win.
Running back Ethan Avery scored from 41 yards out in the first couple of minutes to start the scoring and the Red Devils never looked back.
Senior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt then connected for three touchdowns passed in the frame finding Avery, Khalil Rogers and Treyvon Tinsley to give OHS a 28-0 lead after one.
A punt return for a score by Ben Flaherty then another Avery touchdown set up Austin Gough punching it in from three years out to give the Red Devils a 48-0 lead at the break. Kenyatta Carbon had a 10-yard touchdown run in the second half to round out the scoring for the Red Devils.
Fallin said it was important to get the young players in the game in the second half.
“It’s always good to get your younger guys reps in a varsity game,” he said. “When they come in, we want to coach them the same we do the varsity kids and we want them to be able to get in and function at a high level and they did that tonight.”
A couple of weeks ago, after Owensboro’s win over Daviess County, Fallin said they need to tighten up certain aspects of their defense.
Whatever Fallin and his staff focused on must have worked as the Red Devil defense has allowed just seven points over the last two games.
“I really feel over the last two weeks we’ve improved a lot on that side of the ball,” he said. “Especially the young defensive line, it has improved a great deal. We’ll get back to work Monday and keep getting better.”
Next on the schedule for Owensboro is a battle with crosstown rival Owensboro Catholic. If the Red Devils down the Aces, they’ll go 3-0 against City-County opponents this season.
“There’s a lot on the line and you have to acknowledge that in a City-County rivalry game,” he said. “Especially when it’s Owensboro High School versus Catholic. Our preparations the same as it always is. There will be another level of intensity at practice but our preparation and focus will be the same week in and week out.”
Owensboro (4-0) 55, Muhlenberg County (0-4) 0
Scoring plays
First Quarter
10:09: (OHS): Ethan Avery 41-yard run (PAT good) 7-0
6:40: (OHS) Gavin Wimsatt 23-yard pass to Ethan Avery (PAT good) 14-0
1:27: (OHS) Wimsatt 24-yard pass to Khalil Rogers (PAT good) 21-0
39.7: (OHS) Wimsatt 28-yard pass to Treyvon Tinsley (PAT good) 28-0
Second Quarter
10:51: (OHS) Ben Flaherty 65-yard punt return (Two-point no good) 34-0
8:25: (OHS): Avery 32-yard run (PAT good) 41-0
(OHS): Austin Gough 3-yard run (PAT good) 48-0
Second Half
Kenyatta Carbon 10-yard run (PAT good) 55-0
