Football Gameday Guide: Week 9

October 17, 2019 | 12:22 am

Updated October 17, 2019 | 12:22 am

Illustration by The Owensboro Times

With the postseason drawing near, district matchups are becoming especially important as teams position themselves for the playoffs. All four local teams are back in action, and a couple of No. 1 seeds are potentially on the line.

Owensboro travels to Graves County in a matchup of the top two teams in Class 5A District 1, while Owensboro Catholic hosts Hancock County in a meeting of the top squads in Class 2A District 2.

After narrowly missing out on an upset victory a week ago, Apollo is on the road again as they take on Marshall County. Both teams are looking for their first win in Class 6A District 1. In the same district, Daviess County County will host Henderson County as they try to shake up the standings.


OWENSBORO at GRAVES COUNTY
The Red Devils (6-1, 3-0) haven’t given up a single point to district opponents yet this year, though the Eagles (4-3, 3-0) may be the most likely to finally break through. One or two scores may not be enough, though, as Owensboro’s offense has found ways to run up the score even when they aren’t at their peak.

Owensboro has proven versatile on offense with mobile quarterback Gavin Wimsatt leading the way. In addition to 1,456 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, Wimsatt also has 192 rushing yards and a team-high seven scores on the ground.

Eight players have rushed for a score, while six have caught a touchdown pass, making it hard to know which guy to focus on for opposing defenses.

The Red Devils’ defense has been their backbone, and they’ve forced 14 turnovers and scored twice. OHS has 47 tackles for loss and 27 sacks, but they pressure the pocket from start to finish each night.

The Graves County offense is fairly balanced — 1,283 passing yards and 1,058 on the ground — though most of their scoring has come through the air. John Brown has thrown 16 touchdowns, with five going to leading receiver Race Richards and four going to Mason Grant.

The Eagles’ defense has forced 13 turnovers and scored three touchdowns. They’ve also recorded 20 sacks and 25 tackles for loss.


OWENSBORO CATHOLIC vs. HANCOCK COUNTY
The Aces and Hornets will have totally different approaches as they battle for sole possession of first place in the district. Though they’ve established a healthy run game, Catholic is a pass-first team that isn’t afraid to air it out. Hancock County, meanwhile, almost strictly relies on their rushing attack.

Aces’ quarterback Drew Hartz averages 354 yards per game, while the Hornets have only 282 passing yards for the entire season. On the flip side, Hancock County leading rusher Xander Early has 714 of the teams’ 1,331 rushing yards, while Catholic has only run for 749 as a team.

The Aces (6-1, 2-0) have had some trouble out of the gate in a handful of their games, but their high-powered offense has allowed them to really pull away. They’ve got multiple weapons out wide and in the backfield that can score on any play.

Of the 35 touchdowns Hartz has thrown, 13 have gone to Hagan Edge, eight have gone to Jackson Staples and six each have been two Braden Mundy and Dre Thruston.

Early is the biggest threat on offense for the Hornets (4-3, 2-0), though Darian Clay and Tristan Robbins are also dangerous out of the backfield.

Hancock County’s defense has recovered nine fumbles and made 10 interceptions, adding 26 sacks. Catholic has forced 12 total turnovers and recorded 16 sacks.


APOLLO at MARSHALL COUNTY
Though they came home with a loss last week, the Eagles still had plenty to be happy about after a major turnaround coming off their bye.

Their defense, after hardly stopping anyone through their first six games, put forth an outstanding effort and shut out Henderson County through the first half. And if not for an injury to quarterback Damian Lovinsky, all signs were pointing toward a surprising win for Apollo.

The Eagles (2-5, 0-2) have a good chance to build on that momentum and pick up their first district win this week at Marshall County (2-5, 0-3), even if Lovinsky is unable to play or is not at full health.

The Marshals have only mustered 89 points this year, scoring a touchdown or less in all five losses. They’ve also only gained a total of 1,236 yards on offense, with 522 coming in their two wins.

Should Apollo’s defense come out strong again, they’ve got enough offensive threats to get past Marshall County with or without Lovinsky. Harold Hogg has proven more than capable of carrying the team, bruising his way to 1,110 yards and nine touchdowns on 144 carries.

The Marshalls have allowed at least 42 points in each district game so far, so the Eagles should be able to find a way to score. With a victory, they’d lock up a spot in the postseason and eliminate Marshall County.


DAVIESS COUNTY vs. HENDERSON COUNTY
A win would go a long way for each team as they fight for postseason positioning, trying to earn a home field advantage in the playoffs. The Colonels would lock up a top-two seed with a win, but a DC victory would put the two in a tie heading into the final week of district play.

The Panthers (2-5, 1-1) are trending upward and can enter with extra confidence after watching the Colonels (6-1, 2-0) barely escape with a win last week.

Though Henderson County’s passing game is more polished, both teams will look to establish the ground game behind their dominant runners.

For DC, Shane Riley has gone for 957 yards and 11 touchdowns on 109 carries. He’s also gotten some help from Lance Newman with 269 yards and a score.

For the Colonels, Logan Green leads the way with 707 yards and four touchdowns on 119 rushes. Layton Fletcher has added 159 yards and four scores on 30 carries.

Daviess County’s front line will again be a big factor as they have been all year — they’ve got 12 fumble recoveries to go along with four interceptions. If they can stop the run and pressure the pocket like Apollo did a week ago, the Panthers will have a good chance to come away with an important win.

Stay up to date on all your local sports coverage by following @OwensboroSports on Twitter and by liking us on Facebook.
__________
2019 football coverage is presented in part by Drew Cunningham, agent at State Farm. 

October 17, 2019 | 12:22 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like