The Red Devils are one win away from competing for a football state title.
Friday’s game at Frederick Douglass marks the first time Owensboro has advanced to the semifinals since 2014 — when they were runner-up in Class 4A — and it’s the deepest run so far under fifth-year head coach Jay Fallin.
It’s hard to fault the Red Devils for not making deeper runs in recent seasons even with talented rosters. In the last six years, OHS was knocked off by the eventual state champion five times (Collins in 2013, Highlands in 2014, Bowling Green in 2015 and 2016, South Warren in 2017).
Fallin was confident heading into last week’s matchup with Fairdale, saying it was a great opportunity to finally advance past the quarterfinals — where they have lost three times since being reclassified to Class 5A in 2015.
“Fairdale is a good team, but we felt like this was our best chance in half a decade to have an opportunity to win (in the third round),” he said. “We didn’t really feel like we had to play over our heads to win like we have sometimes when we get to this round in the past. We just had to play within ourselves and execute.”
And that’s exactly what they did. They won all three phases of the game, but once again the defense led the way.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors and veterans on that side of the ball,” Fallin said. “They take a lot of pride in how they play and how many yards they give up and ultimately how many points they give up. It means a great deal to them.”
The defensive starters allowed less than 100 yards and no points against Fairdale, who led Class 5A in scoring with 46 points per game leading up to Friday’s meeting. The lone score for the Bulldogs came on a long drive that even the OHS backups made difficult.
Fallin said the team’s success this season stems from a group that understands they can’t just show up and expect to win.
“These kids just take preparation seriously. It means something to them,” he said. “If you want to play well on Friday, you’ve got to prepare well Sunday through Thursday. These guys really do that.”
Owensboro (12-1) has already turned attention toward Frederick Douglass (13-0), who will likely be the toughest opponent so far this season for the Red Devils. Should OHS advance, they’ll meet the winner of Covington Catholic (13-0) vs. Bowling Green (9-3) in next week’s championship game.
Fallin said it was an awesome feeling getting last week’s win, and he’s happy his guys get to play at least one more time this year.
“There’s something really special about practicing on Thanksgiving when you know you’re one of the last four teams in the state still playing,” he said. “I’m glad these kids are going to get to experience that.”
Stay up to date on all your local sports coverage by following @OwensboroSports on Twitter and by liking us on Facebook.
