Hartz, Edge reach milestones as Aces roll past Bears

October 26, 2019 | 1:13 am

Updated October 26, 2019 | 3:58 am

Dre Thruston returns a punt for a touchdown in Owensboro Catholic's win Friday night. | Photo by Ryan Richardson

Drew Hartz and Hagan Edge shined again for the Aces, with each tying a program record as Owensboro Catholic dismantled Butler County 63-24 at home Friday to finish off a perfect run through district play.

With his five touchdown passes, Hartz tied the school record of 102 in a career. Edge caught three of those to bring his season total to 19, which is tied for a program high in a single year.

The Aces (8-1, 4-0) scored early and often to take care of business, and a Hartz-to-Edge connection as time expired capped off a 34-point first quarter. Hartz rolled out of the pocket to his left and located Edge in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown pass.

That stretched the Catholic lead to 34-0, while simultaneously helping the senior duo reach their respective milestones. Hartz — the state’s leading passer — also went above 3,000 passing yards on the season, while Edge crossed over 1,000 yards receiving.

Hartz finished the night 13-of-13 with 225 yards, while Edge caught five passes for 114 yards.

The win locks up the top spot in Class 2A District 2, securing home field advantage through the first two rounds of the postseason. Aces head coach Jason Morris said he’s proud of his team’s stellar senior leadership.

“Each district opponent came out and gave us their best shot this year, and each week my guys responded appropriately to get a victory,” Morris said. “Winning games isn’t easy in high school football, no matter who you’re playing against, and my seniors have worked hard to put us in a position where we’ve been able to win another district championship.”

The Aces took a lead less than a minute in when Hartz hit Edge for a 9-yard score. Hartz ran one in himself from 11 yards out before finding Edge again for a 49-yard strike. Braden Mundy also added a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Dre Thruston took a punt return 36 yards for a score, also catching a 24-yard touchdown pass. Hartz then found Luke Evans for a 20-yard touchdown to give the Aces a 55-8 halftime lead. Catholic’s final score came on a 12-yard run by Brice Boarman in the fourth quarter.

Butler County (1-8, 0-4) got a pair of touchdown runs by Jagger Henderson, who connected with Bryar Beasley for a 52-yard score late in the contest.

With a big win against the Bears behind them, Catholic will now turn attention to the final week of the regular season as they host cross-town rival Apollo. Morris is excited for the energy he expects to surround the game.

“Next week is going to be a great atmosphere to test us going into the playoffs,” Morris said. “The kids are going to get a great look at what a third- or fourth-round state tournament matchup will feel like, and I’m excited to see how our kids are going to respond next week.”

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 26, 2019 | 1:13 am

Share this Article

Other articles you may like