It should be quite the atmosphere Friday night at Apollo High School as they play their first game ever in the newly constructed Eagle Stadium.
The Eagles are hosting long-time rival Daviess County, and this year even more than bragging rights are on the line with both teams now in the same district. The Panthers are trying to lock up home field advantage for their first playoff game, while Apollo will try to create a three-way tie in Class 6A District 1 standings.
Both Owensboro and Owensboro Catholic will also be playing in town as they try to finish off a perfect run through their respective districts.
The Red Devils host Grayson County in a Class 5A District 1 matchup, while the Aces will take on Butler County in Class 2A District 2 action.
APOLLO vs. DAVIESS COUNTY
Both teams are coming off important wins, though they needed last week’s victories for different reasons.
Apollo — without key playmaker and quarterback Damian Lovinsky — escaped Marshall County with a victory that locked up a postseason berth. The best they can do is create a three-way tie for second, though the tiebreakers do not look like they will fall in their favor.
Meanwhile, DC held on for an overtime win over Henderson County. With another victory this week, the Panthers would host their first-round game of the playoffs.
The teams offer similar offensive styles this season, as they are both led by a work horse running back complemented by a first-year quarterback that is tough to contain. Both defenses have had trouble stopping opponents, so it could come down to whichever team gets a late stop.
Key for Apollo will be the return of Lovinsky. While he’ll a big upgrade coming back as a passer, his ability to run also keeps defenses on their heels. He’s the second-leading rusher for the Eagles with 495 yards and eight touchdowns, adding 975 passing yards and nine passing scores.
Harold Hogg is the feature back for Apollo and has carried the load all year. He’s up to 1,414 yards and 13 touchdowns, including a 304-yard and four-touchdown game last week.
DC counters with similar offensive threats. Quarterback Joe Humphreys has come along as a passer after a slow start, but he’s also developed as a mobile signal caller. He’s got 295 rushing yards rushing and 933 passing, with six touchdowns each on the ground and through the air.
Shane Riley has been steady at running back all season, and last week had three touchdowns including the game winner in overtime. That brought his season total to 14 scores and 1,097 rushing yards.
Daviess County’s 18 forced turnovers outpaces only 10 for Apollo, though both teams have had trouble keeping teams out of the end zone overall this year.
OWENSBORO vs. GRAYSON COUNTY
The Red Devils gave up their first touchdown to a district foe last week, and even though their offense struggled some, OHS still had little trouble picking up another win.
Graves County was arguably the toughest competition in the district, so the Red Devils should be able finish off a perfect run and earn home field advantage through the first two rounds of the postseason.
Defense has been the staple all year for the Red Devils — whose 42 points allowed is the second fewest in all of Class 5A. It’s been a full effort all over the field, from the D-line all the way to the safeties.
Cam Thompson has four of the teams 10 fumble recoveries, while Julius Eberhart has four of their seven interceptions. Up front, leading tacklers Kobe Skortz and Yovanni Sales have also added seven and nine sacks, respectively.
With the defense limiting the opposition, a young Red Devil offense has still been able to find success even when they’ve struggled in stretches of games.
Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt has a strong arm in the pocket, throwing for 1,643 yards and 19 touchdowns. He’s also able to scramble, as evidenced by his 239 rushing yards and team-high nine scores on the ground.
Grayson County started the season with six straight wins, though their schedule was light in the early goings. They’re a one-dimensional team with almost no passing game, as the Cougars have only 11 completions for 154 yards and a touchdown all season. Hunter Gibson is the biggest threat out of the backfield with 727 yards and 12 scores.
A stout OHS defense should have no trouble containing a limited attack by Grayson County.
OWENSBORO CATHOLIC vs. BUTLER COUNTY
Led by the state’s leading passer in Drew Hartz, the Aces should make easy work of their final district game against the Bears and lock up home field advantage for the first two postseason games.
Though they’ve been a bit slow out of the gate lately, Catholic is playing arguable the weakest team in the district this week. While the Aces have lost only once and have outscored opponents 381-160 this year, the Bears have a single win and have been outscored 357-146.
Hartz leads the state in both passing yards (2,915) and touchdowns (39) and has thrown only two interceptions. His main target has been Hagan Edge, who’s third in Class 2A and 13th among all classes in overall scoring.
Edge has caught 50 passes for 972 yards and 16 touchdowns, adding 210 yards rushing and three scores on the ground. Braden Mundy, Dre Thruston and Jackson Staples have combined for 28 receiving touchdowns and more than 1,700 yards.
The Catholic defense has forced 14 turnovers, while the special teams has scored three times on punt returns and twice on kickoff returns. They’ll have a big opportunity to strike again this week.
The Butler County offense is fairly balanced, and quarterback Jagger Henderson is the biggest weapon. He has 1,396 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air, adding 160 yards and a team-high five scores on the ground.
Ethan Lawrence leads the team with 300 rushing yards but has not scored, while Solomon Flener has a team-high 586 yards and six touchdowns receiving.
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2019 football coverage is presented in part by Drew Cunningham, agent at State Farm.
