Riding a seven-game winning streak, Owensboro Catholic will assume the underdog role as they try to knock off the undefeated powerhouse program that is Lexington Christian.
The Aces are coming off a dominant win in which they claimed the district championship for the second straight year, defeating Hancock County 36-0.
Senior quarterback Lincoln Clancy put on a show in front of his home crowd, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns on 25-31 passing. His primary targets were senior Braden Mundy (14 catches, 165 yards, two touchdowns) and sophomore Reid Clark (four catches, 85 yards), who combined for 250 receiving yards.
Sophomore Hunter Monroe held things down out of the backfield, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
For the second time this season Owensboro Catholic shutout Hancock County’s offense and they’ll need to carry over that defense into their matchup with a strong Lexington Christian offense.
The Eagles moved to 12-0 with their recent 61-13 win over Danville, as their potent offense continued its dominant ways.
In the last six games, Lexington Christian has scored at least 50 points. They are led by junior quarterback Drew Nieves, who averages 162 passing yards and two touchdowns a game.
His primary targets are seniors Mason Moore (76 yards per game) and Xavier Brown (31 receiving yards per game), combining for about 100 receiving yards a game.
Brown is also the primary running back for the Eagles, rushing for 111 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game on just under nine carries a game.
Their defense has also been locked in all season long as well, allowing more than 14 points once this season, making them a dominant force on both sides of the field.
“Lexington Chrisitan is ranked number 1 in 2A for a reason,” Head Coach Jason Morris said. “They have beaten the number 1 team in 1A, 3A, and 4A already this season.”
Knowing that they have to be laser sharp offensively and defensively, Morris said they’ve made an emphasis on limiting mistakes in practice.
“Our focus has been on ball security, limiting penalties, and tackling in space,” Morris said. “We must force turnovers on defense and score every chance we get in the red zone. We can not turn the ball over.”
Defensively Morris said they Aces have to make sure they understand their assignment, are aligned well and give maximum effort to stifle their potent offense.
While their backs are up against the wall in facing such a strong opponent, Owensboro Catholic is fully expecting to compete and play its best game of the season.
Morris said that these are the type of games that players and coaches dream of and that they are focused and ready to battle until the final whistle blows on Friday.
“First, you must believe that you can win,” Morris said. “If you go down there hoping to play well then you probably won’t. Everybody must be on the same page with understanding the game plan, buying into it, and truly believing they can win.”
The Aces will look to upset Lexington Christian when they hit the gridiron at 7 p.m. in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday.
