On top of securing another city-county championship Friday night, the Owensboro football team reached a major milestone by earning their 750th win in program history with a 55-17 victory at Daviess County.
Red Devils head coach Jay Fallin spoke highly of the tradition they preserve at Owensboro and was pleased to share the landmark win with his team.
“There was a lot on the line and it meant a lot to us,” he said. “When you play football at Owensboro High School, the tradition of excellence means something to us. That’s something we strive to instill in our kids.”
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For a full photo gallery from the game, click here.
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The Red Devils (4-1) have relied heavily on their passing game all season but utilized a more balanced approach, attacking with the run early.
Running back Ethan Avery played a pivotal role on the ground, accounting for two of their three touchdowns in the first quarter. Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt finished with three rushing touchdowns of his own — two on sneaks and the third on a 9-yard scramble.
“You have to take what the defense is giving you and it was evident that they were determined to take away the passing game, particularly the vertical passing game,” Fallin said. “We’ve had a lot of success with (our passing game) the past few weeks and tonight we were forced to run the ball, and I think we did that effectively.”
Owensboro jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter on the backs of Wimsatt and Avery before Daviess County quarterback Joe Humphreys responded with 39-yard keeper up the sideline. Another Avery touchdown put the Red Devils up 21-7 after the first quarter.
Wimsatt recorded two more touchdowns in the second quarter before Humphreys connected with Isaiah Tomes on a 10-yard pass just before halftime to trim the Owensboro lead to 35-14.
The Panthers struck first in the second half when Carter Hoagland kicked a 26-yard field goal after they pinned Owensboro deep in their own territory on a bobbled punt.
It was all Owensboro after that, as they scored three unanswered touchdowns — two of which were passes to Treyvon Tinsley. His first touchdown reception came in the third quarter when Wimsatt hit him in stride up the middle, and the second was a 39-yard catch down the sideline from second-string quarterback Taquan Robinson.
The other second-half score came on a 15-yard run by Cameron Thompson.
Daviess County’s 17 points are the most any team has scored against the Red Devils this season. The Panthers (1-4) used their seasoned offensive line to run the ball effectively but were burdened by turnovers for most of the first half.
Head coach Matt Brannon still liked the promise his team showed on both ends of the field.
“I’m proud of the way we fought in the second half,” he said. “Turnovers killed us in the first half. We have to eliminate those. You can’t do that against a team like this. They’re going to take advantage of your mistakes.”
Fallin was overall happy with the defense and gave credit to the Panthers’ approach.
“I think we gave a good defensive effort overall from a scoreboard standpoint, which is ultimately the most important thing,” Fallin said. “I still don’t think we’ve played our best defense, but with that said, Daviess County is a good football team. They’re very good up front on offense and their running backs are good. They never quit. That’s the first time we’ve been tested by a team that just ran right at us.”
Brannon is hopeful that their tough schedule to start the season has prepared them for the tough district games ahead.
“I think we’ve challenged ourselves in the first half of the season,” he said. “We’ve played championship-caliber teams. Now we can take a breath and get ready for district play, where we have some opponents we feel like we can compete with, and put ourselves in position for the playoffs.”
The Red Devils return to district action next week — their week one win over Breckinridge County was also a district contest — when they travel to take on Ohio County.
The Panthers will stay home to take on Marshall County in their district opener.
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2019 football coverage is presented in part by Owensboro Health Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.
