Nearly a year to the date, the Red Devils football team will look to avenge its 2021 season-opening home loss when they take on St. X on the road on Friday.
The Owensboro team that will take the field isn’t much different from a year ago, with senior Kasey Boone returning to lead the way under center with a barrage of returning teammates. However, Head Coach Jay Fallin knows that the Tigers are also very experienced and will be put to the test on both sides of the ball.
“They return almost everyone on defense from a stellar defensive unit that led them to a state championship in 2021, so they are very stout on the defensive side of the ball,” Fallin said. “Their D line and LBs are as good or better than anyone we will face all season.”
On the offensive side of things Fallin said that while they did graduate a lot of production, they will be a solid group that will be run focused with the capability of making ground through the air as well.
It’s never a small task going to the home field of one of the Commonwealth’s powerhouse high school football programs, so Fallin and company expect a great environment and are thrilled to have such a tough test early in the season.
“It is a great challenge and opportunity to play a team like St X,” Fallin said. “In addition to being a great, well-coached team, they are also a first-class organization whose kids will lay it on the line and play very hard, but within the bounds of the rules and with class. We are all very much looking forward to the opportunity.”
The Red Devils have played multiple scrimmages coming into this season to see where they are at and Fallin said that they have plenty of work to be done in all three phases of the game. Fallin went on, saying that Owensboro wants to make sure that they leave no stone unturned in preparation to give themselves the best possible chance to come away with a win.
“St X. is the defending 6A state champions, so they are obviously a great team. It is week one, so to some extent both teams are still figuring out their identity and there will likely be some mistakes made by both teams. We will need to focus on limiting our mistakes and playing as disciplined and “clean” as we can throughout the course of the game.”
Fallin said that as long as the Red Devils stay mentally sharp, the physical will follow and they can grab a huge win to open up the 2022 campaign.
“The keys to winning on Friday will be similar to what they are each week- take care of the ball and stay ahead of the chains on offense while taking advantage of scoring opportunities when they present themselves, knowing the scouting report and adjusting on the fly when necessary on defense, and making sure we are sharp on special teams,” Fallin said. “We must play as hard as we can on every single snap and maintain total focus on our task each play.”
