An impressive outing by Owensboro’s defense helped them stay close in a game that came down to the wire Friday, but the offense didn’t quite have enough as the Red Devils lost 10-8 in their home opener against Evansville Central.
The final few minutes capped off a hard-fought battle, and Owensboro (1-1) narrowly missed on a couple of opportunities to take the lead late.
The Red Devils’ put together a drive that left them facing 4th down inside the 10-yard line, and the field goal attempt hit the upright. A penalty on the Bears (2-0), though, allowed OHS another shot on 4th down. This time, needing only two yards, the Red Devils went for it but they came up empty.
The Owensboro defense again came up strong on the ensuing drive, nearly recording their second safety of the night to tie the game at 10-all. Instead, Central punted away to give the Devils one last chance with less than two minutes to go.
A final push ended with an interception at the goal line, and Central was able to run out the clock for the win.
While the offense couldn’t capitalize on a few trips to the red zone, OHS head coach Jay Fallin was proud of the defense for limiting opportunities at the other end of the field.
“We are a good football team and we played well against a top-notch program tonight,” Fallin said. “I know we played hard tonight and I’m super pleased with the entire defensive unit. Our kids ran to the football, showed great hustle, and they never gave up on plays. Tonight I believe we showed that we are a good team and we can play with teams like Central.”
Though much of the game was a defensive battle, Central promptly marched downfield on their first drive and nailed a 26-yard field goal. The Red Devils and Bears held each other in check for the next seven drives before Central was able to find the end zone.
The Bears managed to push across their only touchdown of the contest — a 7-yard run from quarterback Collins Turner — and left Owensboro with just 23 seconds before halftime. The Red Devils were unable to come up with any quick magic, and the score stood 10-0 at the break.
The OHS defense recorded the team’s first points on Central’s opening drive of the second half. Red Devils’ quarterback Gavin Wimsatt’s punt pinned the Bears on their own 1-yard line, and two plays later Owensboro forced a safety when the Bears’ running back was pushed out of the back of the endzone.
Ben Flaherty returned the ensuing punt to the Central 39-yard line, landing the Red Devils in prime field position. Owensboro put together their most successful drive of the game, ending with an Ethan Avery 4-yard run for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 10-8.
The 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Devils trailing by two midway through the third quarter.
The Red Devils slightly outgained Central 233-213 in offensive yardage, but they finished with two turnovers while Central had zero.
Though Wimsatt threw two interceptions, Fallin was proud that his young quarterback didn’t hang his head.
“Gavin is a superb athlete,” Fallin said. “He’s a gamer, both in practice and under the lights. At 15 years old, Gavin busts his tail all the time. Even at the end of the game when he threw an interception, he hustled 74 yards downfield to make a big tackle. That says a lot about who he is as a player and as a person.”
Owensboro will be back in action Friday when they host Owensboro Catholic (2-0) in a city-county rivalry.
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2019 football coverage is presented in part by Drew Cunningham, agent at State Farm.
