Another Friday night, another blowout win for Owensboro Catholic. The Aces (3-0) stayed hot on offense and added some big plays on defense and special teams as they rolled through Greenwood (2-1) for a 43-13 win at Steele Stadium on Friday.
Known for their high-octane offense, it was a defensive play that got things going for Catholic. Tutt Carrico intercepted a pass on Greenwood’s opening drive. A few plays later, quarterback Brady Atwell hit a wide open Noah Rhinerson in stride for a 40-yard touchdown strike on 4th down.
Atwell then made a stop on the defensive end to give possession back to the Aces, and he scored on a 1-yard keeper on the ensuing drive to put Catholic on top 14-0 with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
“Anytime you have an offense like ours, we want to be able to play with the lead. That’s very important when our defense is able to hold down and just get the ball back to our offense like that,” OCHS Head Coach Jason Morris said. “Momentum is real and it’s huge to have that momentum on your side early in the game.”
The highlight for the Gators’ offense came on a touchdown carry by running back Tel Tel Long, but the extra point attempt was no good. The rest of the half was all about the Aces.
Atwell found Tutt Carrico for a pair of touchdown tosses, the first one 24 yards and the next one 34, to put the Aces up 28-6.
The teams then traded fumbles before Greenwood threatened to score again. However, their drive stalled and the Aces blocked a field goal attempt, with Vince Carrico returning the ball to the Greenwood 25-yard line.
Inside the red zone, Atwell lofted a pass to Waryn Ebelhar, who caught the ball behind the defender’s head before falling into the end zone for the 18-yard touchdown. A 2-point conversion pushed the lead to 36-6, a score that held til halftime.
“We came out focused, just executing in all three phases of the game, especially offense and defense,” Morris said. “Greenwood did some good things early in the game, but our defense stuck in there and got some big stops in that first half to get back to our offense which is clicking right now.”
Tutt Carrico returned the second-half kickoff to the Greenwood 24, then caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal. That gave Catholic 43-6 lead and started a running clock with 9:57 left in the third quarter.
The Gators reached paydirt again on a 23-yard pass late in the third quarter.
Morris said they expected a closer game but knew his team was capable of executing.
“We prepared our kids for a four-quarter battle. We do that every week,” he said. “The great thing about this team is they’re experienced. We practice and play the same all the time, no matter who the opponent is, and that’s a really good sign.”
Atwell said the Aces have no shortage of confidence this season.
“We have a chip on our shoulder. We’re taking it one week at a time, and I think we’re making a statement that we’re here and we’re not going anywhere,” he said. “We’ve got guys all over the field that make plays.”
The Aces will now turn attention to a road game at Owensboro (1-2), who picked up their first win with a 50-7 victory over Daviess County. Both teams will then begin district play the following week.
