The Owensboro football team has largely relied on their defense for success so far this year, and Friday night they paired that with a dynamic passing game to propel them to a 46-0 victory over Apollo.
The Red Devils (3-1) have only allowed two touchdowns all season and showed no intention of slowing down anytime soon. Head coach Jay Fallin attributes much of their success on defense to their ability to be good in various situations.
“What we try to instill in our kids is you might give up some first downs, and you might get in a situation where they’re threatening, but the offense could take the ball to the 20-yard line and turn it over on downs,” he said. “A lot of teams, when the offense gets down to the 10-yard line, they break. The mark of a good team is how they play defense at the goal line.”
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For a full photo gallery from the game, click here.
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Fallin’s message was well-received, as OHS stood tall in the red zone and forced the Eagles (1-3) to turn over possession in there on fourth down on multiple occasions.
“The defensive effort was really good overall,” he said. “I think we had a really good pass rush on (Apollo quarterback Damian Lovinsky). He’s a really good player and we were able to bottle him up and contain him.”
The Red Devils pieced together their best offensive attack of the season, primarily relying on a trio of receivers who reeled in six total touchdowns. Tyren Hayden led the way with three trips to the end zone to go along with 140 yards, while Steven Stevenson added two scores and tallied 132 yards.
“We think we have really quality receivers,” Fallin said. “For so many years we were a run-heavy offense because we didn’t have many trained receivers. Now we have two years of training under our belts and they’re understanding that they never quit on a route, keep working to get open for our quarterback, and when the ball is in the air, you have great determination.”
Owensboro quarterback Gavin Wimsatt also played a pivotal role in the win, accounting for five touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. The sophomore finished with 305 passing yards and a team-high 21 rushing yards.
“The offensive line did a great job picking up the blitzes and Gavin did a great job evading the extra rusher,” Fallin said. “Any time the defense is bringing seven, someone’s going to be wide open. Gavin did not only a great job hitting them, but hitting them in stride. From there it’s just a race to the end zone.”
Hayden put the Red Devils on the board early with touchdowns of 9 yards and 36 yards on back-to-back drives in the first quarter. Wimsatt then scored on a 1-yard keeper, and Stevenson reeled in a 47-yard catch for a 26-0 halftime advantage.
Owensboro struck again with a highlight play to start the third quarter when Stevenson streaked up the right sideline and juggled the pass a few times before hauling it in for a 51-yard touchdown reception.
Hayden capped off the third quarter with a 79-yard receiving touchdown up the middle. Maurice Morton added a 43-yard touchdown catch from Taquan Robinson in the fourth quarter to extend the Red Devil’s lead to 46-0.
Apollo (1-3) neared the goal line in both the second and third quarters but failed to complete both times on fourth down attempts.
Lovinsky finished with 31 passing yards, while Ashton Weaver led the team with 32 receiving yards. Harold Hogg’s 59 yards on the ground were a game high.
Owensboro returns to action next week when they take a short trip to Daviess County, where they could put a stamp on a city-county championship.
Apollo is set to host the Meade County next week and will try to snap a three-game losing streak.
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2019 football coverage is presented in part by Owensboro Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.
