Football season is officially here, and the local slate features some big matchups. Apollo and Owensboro Catholic kick things off with a city-county game at Steele Stadium. Owensboro takes on 3A defending champs Christian Academy-Louisville. And Daviess County travels to Warren East for a grudge match after a close battle that went to overtime last season. Here’s what to know about tonight’s games.
Apollo (Class 5A, District 1)
at Owensboro Catholic (Class 2A, District 2)
7 p.m. at Steele Stadium
Highlights
It’s not a district game, but that certainly doesn’t mean there’s nothing at stake in this game. Bragging rights are on the line as both teams try to take the first step toward claiming their stake as the best local team. The Eagles had won this matchup three years in a row until the Aces ran away with a 42-14 victory last year. Apollo lost most of their skill position players from a year ago and will rely on their experienced linemen. Meanwhile, Catholic has a bevy of returning talent across the board on both sides of the ball.
Last season’s record
Apollo: 2-9, lost in first round of playoffs
Owensboro Catholic: 9-4, lost in third round of playoffs
Players to watch
Apollo: RB/DB Niles Board, WR/DB Eli Masterson, DB Jamison Brown
Owensboro Catholic: QB/LB Brady Atwell, WR/DB Tutt Carrico, RB/LB Vince Carrico
Coaches’ thoughts
Apollo Head Coach John Edge: Catholic is a good program. They’ve got a lot of returners back. They’re gonna be really, really explosive on offense. Defensively, they’re gonna be really good with really good linebackers coming back. I would say going into the game our expectation is that we’ve got to control the game. We’ve got to control the tempo. We’ve got to be fast and try to keep their defense on their heels and keep them from scoring. If they get in a rhythm, they’re gonna have a great night.
Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Jason Morris: Apollo has got a very strong running game and a very strong offensive line. They’ll have a new quarterback, so I look for them to come out trying to establish the running game. We’ve had a couple of decent scrimmages, but we got banged up a little bit, so our focus has been on trying to get as healthy as we can. We’re going to try to put the best game plan we can together to combat what we think Apollo’s strengths are, which are how good they are on both sides of the offensive and defensive line and then also stopping their running game.
Owensboro (Class 5A, District 1)
at Christian Academy-Louisville (Class 3A, District 3)
6:30 p.m. at CAL
Highlights
Owensboro returns a handful of key players but will otherwise be relying on a fairly inexperienced squad as they take on the defending 3A state champs. CAL returns one of the top quarterbacks in the state and his favorite receiver but lost some major pieces of their own in the offseason. The Red Devils have been knocking on the door of their own state championship in recent seasons, and they are eager to prove they’ve got another championship-caliber roster by taking on one of the best teams in Kentucky from a year ago.
Last season’s record
Owensboro: 11-3, lost in third round of playoffs
Christian Academy-Louisville: 15-0, won state championship
Players to watch
Owensboro: RB/DB Deion Winstead, WR Blake Kimbrell
Christian Academy-Louisville: QB Cole Hodge, WR Darwin Cotton
Coach’s thoughts
Owensboro Head Coach Jay Fallin: They’re a great team. They return one of the best quarterbacks in the state and have a great receiving corps. They’re inexperienced up front on the offensive line, but they’re talented. We’ll have our work cut out for us. We’ll try to slow down their offense, and we’re gonna have to find ways to move the ball, sustain drives, get first downs, and score points on offense. Going to their place in week one is a great challenge and a great opportunity.
Daviess County (Class 6A, District 1)
at Warren East (Class 4 A, District 1)
8:30 p.m. at Warren East
Highlights
The Panthers are eager for revenge after losing 49-48 in overtime to Warren East in the final regular season game last year. DC roared back from a 42-28 deficit late in the third quarter and scored first in overtime, but their PAT was blocked, and that proved to be the difference. The Raiders went 11-1 last season, falling in the third round of the playoffs. DC will be relying on quite a few new players after losing nearly all of their top performers on both sides of the ball. Warren East also lost some big playmakers, but return their dual-threat quarterback — who was also their leading rusher — and their top receiver.
Last season’s record
Daviess County: 7-5, lost in second round of playoffs
Warren East: 11-1, lost in third round of playoffs
Players to watch
Daviess County: QB Russ Crowe, DEF Gatlin Maysey
Warren East: QB Dane Parsley, WR Tray Price
Coach’s thoughts
Daviess County Head Coach Matt Brannon: I like our chances going into Warren East. It’s a great opening night game for us. They’re a team coming off a tremendous season. We lost to them in overtime in the last game of the year, so there are kind of some fresh memories of that game. They’re a new-look team. They’ve lost some players and so have we. I don’t know a lot about who they are this year, and they probably are the same with us. So it should be a pretty competitive opening night.
