Owensboro Catholic fell on Friday night at Steele Stadium in a clash with Christian Academy- Louisville (CAL). The visiting Centurions (4-1) defeated the Aces (0-5) by a final score of 49-26, thanks to outstanding quarterback play and an explosive performance from senior wideout Easton Messer.
For Aces fans, the contest started out with an encouraging opening drive from the home team, capped off by a 47-yard receiving touchdown by Braden Mundy. The senior playmaker broke free in the center of the field to haul in a pinpoint pass from Lincoln Clancy. After a successful extra-point field goal kick, Catholic led 7-0.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Easton Messer broke free on the very first play from scrimmage for CAL, ripping off a 52-yard touchdown run, his first of four touchdowns in the game. Messer’s big run tied the score at 7-7 with 9:04 to play in the first quarter.
Less than two minutes later Messer caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cole Hodge to put the visitors up 14-7. The scoring opportunity was set up by Connor Hodge’s interception just moments earlier.
Unfortunately for the Aces, CAL managed to build on their lead over the course of the first half, taking a 49-13 advantage into the break. Reid Clark’s 70-yard touchdown reception with 1:45 left in the first quarter was the lone bright spot for the home team in an otherwise stifled offensive display.
After the break, with the clock running, freshman quarterback Brady Atwell relieved Lincoln Clancy of his duties and provided a bit of a spark for Catholic. Two touchdown passes to Deuce Sims of 26 yards and 19 yards respectively contributed to a respectable final scoreline, as the Catholic defense held CAL scoreless in the second half.
The Atwell-Sims connection certainly left Aces fans with dreams of brighter days ahead, as both players seem to have bright futures with the Caholic football program. Sims, a sophomore, plays wide receiver, as well as getting reps on the defensive side of the ball. Atwell, a linebacker and quarterback, earned high praise from Catholic head coach Jason Morris after the game.
“Brady is going to be a very special football player and quarterback for us,” Morris said. “We’re going to continue to bring him along. He seems to get a little bit better every day and that’s exciting to see from a freshman.”
Perhaps a silver lining for the Aces was the collective resilience shown on the field, even after getting down big in the first half. Coach Morris was in high spirits after the game, obviously encouraged by his team’s grit and determination throughout a tough start to the season.
“I was proud of the fact that our boys didn’t quit,” Morris said. “Easton Messer is as good of a receiver as I have seen since I’ve been coaching here, and we had a hard time covering him tonight. They completed multiple deep passes when we were in third down situations and we failed to score a couple times when we were in the red zone tonight, but I can already tell you that we are a better team because of this game.”
As previously mentioned, Easton Messer finished the contest with four touchdowns, one of which being a 105-yard interception return with 2:42 left in the first quarter.
At the time, a touchdown for the Aces would’ve allowed them to pull within a single score of the Centurions, but the interception instead opened a 21-point lead for the visitors. The interception came on a deflected pass that bounced off the hands of two other players before Messer finally hauled it in and scampered all the way down the field.
On the opposite sideline, CAL head coach Hunter Cantwell was complimentary of his team’s hosts, commenting on the quality of the atmosphere during the game.
“Owensboro Catholic is just one step away from being the type of team that I know they can be,” Cantwell said. “I was really nervous watching them on film, and the Aces have a storied program with a lot of success through the years. It was a great game for us to be able to come down here and play in this environment. Hopefully, we’re going to take some long bus rides in the playoffs and getting this win under our belt hopefully makes us that much more prepared for when that time comes.”
Cantwell, a University of Louisville product, is one of six current CAL coaches to have played in the NFL. The former quarterback signed a professional contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2009, and later went on to play quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad in the following two seasons.
After assistant coaching at Campbellsville University, Cantwell took the reins at Carroll County High School as head coach for two seasons before landing the same role at CAL in 2019.
Up next for CAL is a home contest against Mercer County at 7:20 PM next Friday. For the Aces, it’s a home game next Friday against the visiting Hancock County Hornets, who are 4-1 on the season.
