The Owensboro Catholic football program jumped on the board early and never looked back, defeating Daviess County 50-0 at Reid Stadium Friday night. Catholic leaned on a versatile offense and early explosive catches by Tutt Carrico to propel them to victory.
Ranked in the top 25 across all classes, Catholic now stands at 2-0 after defeating both Apollo and Daviess County (0-2) in dominant fashion. They’ll face Greenwood next Friday before rounding out city-county play against cross-town foe Owensboro on September 8.
OCHS Head Coach Jason Morris said he was most pleased with how his upperclassmen stepped up and “took care of business.” Playing only one player on both sides of the ball, the Aces used their depth to their advantage.
“We play a fast-paced tempo. We’re only playing one kid both ways, so when you have that kind of depth, it’s silly not to,” he said. “We’re going to play fast; it’s all we know how to do.”
The Aces wasted no time getting started as quarterback Brady Atwell connected with Carrico for a 55-yard touchdown reception on the opening drive. After forcing a punt, Atwell marched the Aces downfield, eventually scoring on a 3-yard quarterback keeper up the middle to make it 14-0 with 5:27 left in the first quarter.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff pinned the Panthers on their own 8-yard line. Gatlin Maysey got loose for a couple of first downs, but it wasn’t enough to get on the board.
Catholic responded with a 33-yard pass from Atwell to Warryn Ebelhar before finding Deuce Sims in the endzone for a 21-0 lead with 2:12 left in the quarter.
Daviess County looked like they were piecing together a drive before fumbling an option toss in their own territory. That led to Eli Blair rushing for 18 yards and then 12 more for a touchdown to give the Aces a 28-0 lead with 9:59 left in the half.
Just before halftime, Atwell found Carrico again, this time for a 62-yard touchdown down the middle and a 36-0 lead entering the half. Carrico finished the contest with four catches for two touchdowns and 121 yards.
“Tutt did a great job creating separation from the defense,” Morris said. “He’s a senior receiver getting man coverage, and I think he takes it personally. We had two different plays where he was getting it over the top. And, he has enough speed that once he has it, it’s hard to catch him.”
Daviess County launched a desperation pass coming out of the half that Catholic intercepted. Atwell connected with Noah Rhinerson for a 50-yard TD reception on the ensuing play for a 43-0 lead with 8:55 left in the third quarter.
Garrison Barker entered the game at quarterback for the Panthers, breaking loose for a 20-yard run across midfield before the Panthers turned it over on downs. The Aces looked to strike again in the Panther’s red zone, but DC’s Parker Higginbotham recovered a high snap and took it to the Catholic 31-yard line. The Aces quickly regained possession after an interception, setting up reserve quarterback Dremail Carothers for his first touchdown.
Morris admired how his team stayed consistent and in attack mode, something he wants to see more of moving forward.
“I’m really proud of our team and what we’ve done to get to this point,” he said. “We’re going to stay humble, but we’re going to celebrate our wins because winning isn’t easy. So we’ll celebrate tonight, but come Saturday and the weekend, our mind is on Greenwood.”
Atwell connected on 14 out of 19 attempts for four touchdowns and 240 yards passing, adding one touchdown on the ground and 17 yards rushing. Miles Edge was the Aces’ leading rusher with 45 yards, while Eli Blair added one touchdown and 32 yards rushing.
Russ Crowe was 2-for-2 passing with 21 yards in the air, while Luke Floyd led the receiving core with 32 yards. Jace Hunt led the Panthers’ backfield with 32 yards rushing, while Dartez Basham added 22.
Daviess County will look to get in the win column against Owensboro at home next Friday.
