In week five, Owensboro finishes off their city-county slate with a trip to Daviess County. The Red Devils are playing an in-town rival for the third week in a row and have a chance to lock up the city-county title with a win.
Owensboro Catholic returns home after a dominant victory on the road, and they’ve got a favorable matchup against a winless Hopkins County Central team.
Apollo is hosting Meade County in the next-to-last game at Eagle Stadium, and the Eagles are looking for their first win since week one.
ABOUT THE MATCHUPS:
OWENSBORO at DAVIESS COUNTY
The Red Devils (3-1) have dominated their first two city-county matchups and will look to make it three in a row, while the Panthers (1-3) will try to slow them down after picking up their first win last week.
After struggling offensively through the first three games, Daviess County finally found some rhythm in a dominant showing at Ohio County. They’ll need all that and more, though, as Owensboro’s defense has smothered the opposition so far.
The Red Devils’ Kobe Skortz and Jaiden Greathouse have combined for 33 tackles (10 for loss) and six sacks to lead the defensive pressure, though it’s been a team effort all over the field. Nearly the entire unit are veterans for OHS, and they’re working together to stifle opposing quarterbacks.
DC, meanwhile, is fielding an offensive group that is largely playing their first year as varsity starters. Quarterback Joe Humphreys finally find some footing last week, throwing his first touchdown of the year, and he’ll have to carry any confidence into this matchup.
So far the Panthers’ offense has been led by running back Shane Riley, who has taken 72 carries for 561 yards and seven touchdowns. Lance Newman is coming along as a complementary back, but Riley has carried the load.
Owensboro’s offense is also fairly youthful, though they’ve shown great strides already and have multiple weapons through the air and on the ground. It starts with quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, who now has 815 passing yards to go with 83 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns.
Ethan Avery is the biggest threat in the backfield and can break off big runs, but most of his production has come from short-yardage situations. Out wide, the Red Devils have four receivers who can streak past a defense to find space, and Tyren Hayden leads the way with 337 yards and five touchdowns.
DC’s defense is led by an experienced front and they’ve relied on that to stay in games early. Joseph Henry and Tyler Garner have been able to get into the backfield, recording seven tackles for loss and nine of the team’s 14 sacks.
The Panthers’ defense will have to try to slow down a surging OHS offense, but the big key will be finding a way past a Red Devils’ defense that has only allowed two touchdowns all year.
OWENSBORO CATHOLIC vs. HOPKINS COUNTY CENTRAL
The Aces (3-1) scored more points in their first game of the year than the Storm (0-4) have scored all season.
Catholic’s offense is still pass-heavy, but running back Dre Thruston is stepping into his role in the backfield and adding an extra dimension for the Aces.
Last week Thruston finished with four touchdowns — two receiving, one rushing and one on special teams — and has a chance to break through again this week against a Storm defense that has allowed more than 1,000 rushing yards.
Braden Mundy has also developed into a key piece for Catholic, as he leads the team with 345 receiving yards and a pair of scores on 20 catches. He’s also returned two punts for touchdowns.
The Storm’s biggest threat is quarterback Aiden Stringer, who has thrown for 902 yards and six touchdowns. He also leads the team in rushing with 60 yards and two scores.
Without much threat from the opposing ground game, Catholic’s defense can focus on pressuring Stringer. The Aces’ attack has been led so far by Chris Boarman, who has a team-high 55 tackles (17 solo), three sacks and one fumble recovery.
APOLLO vs. MEADE COUNTY
The Eagles (1-3) have a more favorable matchup this week, but they have to find an answer on defense if they hope to pick up a win over the Green Wave (2-1).
Apollo is averaging 49 points allowed per game — the most in Class 6A — though they should be able to focus on stopping a couple of key players for Meade County.
Meade County quarterback Cason Brady only has 312 passing yards and one touchdown through the air, though he has run for 143 yards and three scores. Running back Austin Oppel leads the team, and he’s taken 66 carries for 546 yards and nine touchdowns.
Apollo’s defense has been led by Jarrod Gray with 41 tackles and Logan Weedman with five sacks, but overall they’ve struggled to stop anyone so far.
Offensively, Eagles’ quarterback Damian Lovinsky has proven dangerous when he escapes the pocket, but he’s also thrown seven interceptions and only five touchdowns. They’ve also got playmakers in running back Harold Hogg as well as receivers Geoffrey Johnson and Austin Weaver.
Though the offense is capable of production, the outcome will largely be decided on what Apollo’s defense can do.
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2019 football coverage is presented in part by Drew Cunningham, agent at State Farm.
