The Red Devils will look to pick up where they left off in the regular season against Christian County on Thursday taking a six-game winning streak into the first round of the postseason.
Owensboro is coming off of a hard fought defensive battle last week, having defeated Henderson County 14-8. Senior Kenyatta Carbon led the way offensively out of the backfield with 95 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while senior quarterback Kasey Boone threw for 130 passing yards and a touchdown on 8-21 passing to go along with his two interceptions.
Defense was the key for the Red Devils last week, being the first opponent to hold Henderson County to single digits for the first time this season. They’ll need to be just as sharp to open up the postseason, as Christian County is coming off one of its strongest games this season offensively.
The Colonels use a two-quarterback system including junior Jordan Miles and freshman Deameion Leavell, while it was Leavell who shined in their regular season finale. Leavell threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns on 19-34 passing, with senior Elijah Underhill (10 receptions, 208 receiving yards, one touchdown) and junior JaSean Riley (six receptions, 103 receiving yards and one touchdown).
“They have several talented, athletic players,” Head Coach Jay Fallin said. “They have used two guys at QB, but in last week’s win against McCracken they threw the ball very effectively with a freshman in Leavell.”
While their record may not be the sharpest at 2-8 overall, Fallin and the Red Devils are not underestimating a team that will be ready for a battle at Rash Stadium on Thursday.
“They are as good a 4 seed as there is anywhere in 5A,” Fallin said. “They play in a very tough district and they are battle tested.”
Owensboro’s expectations for themselves are the same as every week—continuous improvement in all three phases of the game en route to a win. In order to be at their best and start this postseason with a win, Fallin and the Red Devils want their concentration, awareness, effort and execution at an all-time high when they take the field on Thursday.
“It’s the postseason now, so we have to bring a renewed focus and intensity to everything we do,” Fallin said. “We have to take advantage of every opportunity to improve as we move through the playoffs.”
