Though district action is complete and all four local teams are locked into their playoff positions, there is still plenty to play for in the final week of the regular season.
Owensboro’s home matchup with Henderson County may have the most significant impact in terms of the playoffs, as the Red Devils could earn the opportunity to host their first three postseason games.
That game could also affect Daviess County, though only in terms of where the Panthers would play.
Apollo and Owensboro Catholic will square off in a city-county matchup, but the outcome will likely not affect any playoff seeding for either team, barring a few upsets in other districts. However, there are two school records on the verge of being broken for Catholic.
Daviess County will host Warren East, though neither team can improve their position heading into the postseason.
OWENSBORO vs. HENDERSON COUNTY
The Red Devils are already guaranteed to host the first two playoff games after finishing Class 5A District 1 undefeated, but they’re also in position to host the third round based on their RPI — the new ranking system used for third round and beyond.
Henderson County is coming off their most meaningful win of the season, upsetting McCracken County to create a three-way tie for first place in Class 6A District 1. With the victory, the Colonels also kept home-field advantage for the first round, spoiling the opportunity for Daviess County to host instead.
Though a win would give Henderson County an outside shot at the top seed, they’d need a handful of other teams to be upset Friday night.
The Red Devils have now won seven straight and posted their eighth game allowing 10 points or less after last week’s victory. They are still spreading the ball around offensively, with different players stepping up in the rushing and passing game each week.
Though they’ve struggled to put together clean games from start to finish on offense, the defense has carried Owensboro to a dominant regular season.
The Colonels haven’t had much trouble scoring, but few defenses are as top-notch as Owensboro.
Henderson County leads a balanced attack, with 1,629 yards and 18 touchdowns passing compared to 1,495 yards and 17 touchdowns rushing. Their defense has been a bit up and down, allowing anywhere from 7 to 35 points each week.
OWENSBORO CATHOLIC vs. APOLLO
While it’s mostly bragging rights on the line for the Aces and Eagles, a pair of Catholic players are on the verge of program records.
Quarterback Drew Hartz is one away from the most career passing touchdowns, while receiver Hagan Edge needs only one to set the new benchmark for receiving touchdowns in a season.
Catholic ran through their Class 2A District 2 without a loss and will host the first two rounds of the playoffs, though they’d need outside help to stay home for the third round based on RPI.
Apollo finished fourth in Class 6A District 1 after a pair of narrow losses to Henderson County and Daviess County over the last two weeks. They’ll be on the road no matter what each week of the postseason, and will be at either McCracken County or Henderson County in the first round.
It will be an intriguing matchup with contrasting styles, with the Aces relying primarily on the passing game and the Eagles using a run-first attack.
While Catholic has more than 3,000 yards passing through the air and just over 1,000 on the ground, Apollo has about 2,600 rushing yards and 1,300 passing.
Both defenses have given up big plays throughout the season, and both offenses have dynamic playmakers that will be dangerous this week. It could be a high-scoring affair, with the last touchdown deciding the outcome.
DAVIESS COUNTY vs. WARREN EAST
Friday night was bittersweet for the Panthers. Thinking a win would lock up home field advantage for their postseason opener, the opportunity was taken away when Henderson County pulled off a last-minute upset over McCracken County.
Daviess County still tied for first in Class 6A District 1, but they will finish third based on the tiebreaker. Essentially, the tiebreaker comes down to the numbers of wins collected by the opponents each team beat. The Colonels and Mustangs each beat teams that have collected more wins than the teams the Panthers beat.
DC will be on the road at either McCracken County or Henderson County in the first round, but the Panthers could still host a second-round game if they and Apollo both win.
Daviess County has found a rhythm on offense over the last month, averaging more than 40 points per game in the last four contests. They’ll have to shore up their defense as they move forward and try to win their third game in a row.
Both the Panthers and Raiders lean on their ground game that’s complemented by a quarterback who can escape the pocket. DC has a few more playmakers across the board, but Warren East is still capable of putting up a good fight.
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2019 football coverage is presented in part by Drew Cunningham, agent at State Farm.
