With Apollo and McCracken County trending in opposite directions, the Eagles have a good chance to win their first playoff game since 2001 this Friday.
The turning point for both teams came after they met in the final week of September, with the Mustangs winning an 81-51 shootout that was a little closer than the score suggested.
McCracken County’s offensive production has steadily declined each week, and they escaped last Friday with a 19-14 victory over winless Christian County.
Adding to their woes is the loss of star running back Hunter Bradley, who accounted for nearly the entire rushing attack with 1,669 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. Bradley left last week’s game with a season-ending injury.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have been getting better each week, namely on the defensive end. They finished off the regular season with a statement win, rolling past Owensboro Catholic 56-35 behind a dominant outing from star running back Harold Hogg.
Thought the Mustangs finished as the 1-seed and the Eagles are the 4-seed, Apollo head coach Phil Hawkins thinks his team has a good chance to advance to the second round.
“I think that the combination of our progression and the loss of their running back is going to help us,” he said. “We were very unsound defensively (in the first meeting). It’s been a little bit of progress each week on the defensive side of the ball, and the offense has pretty much held sway.”
Though they still haven’t kept a team to less than 20 points, the Eagles’ offense has been putting up big numbers. Hogg (2,142 yards, 23 TDs) has done most of the work, but quarterback Damian Lovinsky has also been vital to success.
Lovinsky has 11 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards passing, and he’s also the second-leading rusher with 660 yards and seven scores on the ground.
McCracken County’s offense will take a hit with the loss of Bradley, but they’re still a threat through the air. Quarterback Elijah Wheat has 2,312 yards and 31 touchdowns, with receiver Franklin Hayes (1,435 yards, 24 TDs) as the primary target.
Hawkins, in his second year with Apollo, said he’s been working toward a playoff win since his first day on the job.
“I’ve spent two years convincing our kids how important the playoffs are and how we’ve got to build and build and put ourselves in position to win in the playoffs,” he said. “I think we can win that football game. If we do the right thing and they don’t, we’re going to win it.”
McCracken County hosts Apollo at 7 p.m. Friday. If Apollo wins, they’ll travel to the winner of 2-seed Henderson County vs. 3-seed Daviess County.
After losing to both the Colonels and the Panthers during the regular season — the Eagles led in the second half of both games — Hawkins said they’d like a second chance at either.
But, he isn’t letting anyone look past McCracken County.
“We’ve got to handle our business Friday,” he said. “That would be a huge accomplishment for our kids to start out the way they did and then win a playoff game in the same year.”
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