Spotting that the Daviess County defense was in zone coverage and expecting the linebackers to fly out, Owensboro Catholic quarterback Brady Atwell took off, shrugging off multiple tackles and willing himself into the endzone for a 16-yard touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. A prolific passer, it was Atwell’s legs that propelled the Aces to a 58-8 commanding win at home Friday night.
“I put a tweet out last night that I guess I’m going to watch college football all year long and confirm that Atwell is an elite level QB,” Owensboro Catholic head coach Jason Morris said. “I watched Colorado and North Dakota State last night and there is no doubt in my mind Atwell can play at that level.”
For the second straight week, Atwell posted video game numbers, completing 15-20 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 39 yards and another score, in only three quarters.
Still, it was the Aces’ defense that was the star of the show – holding Daviess County to -19 yards at halftime and not allowing a first down until 5:35 remained in the third quarter.
After Atwell’s rushing touchdown, Daviess County quickly went 3-and-out, but a bad snap on the punt led to a safety for the Aces with 5:44 left in the first quarter. A few plays later, Atwell made it 16-0. Rolling out of the pocket to his right and signaling for his receivers to cut left, he threw across his body for a 16-yard strike to Dereon Crowe with 4:34 remaining in the first.
The defense held Daviess County to another 3-and-out and with 1:42 remaining in the first, then Atwell threw his second touchdown of the quarter, this time to Cam Woodward for 1 yard.
Less than three minutes later, Atwell connected with Xavier Maddox for a 66-yard catch and run, setting up a 6-yard touchdown pass to Waryn Ebelhar on the following play for a 30-0 lead.
Just 62 seconds later, Miles Edge was able to get to Daviess County quarterback Remi Davis, forcing a fumble that Barrett Evans scooped up before scampering 20 yards to put his team up 37-0. With 4:32 remaining in the second quarter, Atwell connected with Ebelhar for a 29-yard touchdown pass and a 44-0 lead.
Part of the Panthers’ first-half struggles stemmed from their inability to get Jace Hunt, whom Morris referred to as Daviess County’s best player, involved early and often. Hunt left the game after the first quarter with an injury.
“We had to know where he was at all times and make sure we were playing over and under and bracketing him,” Morris said of his team’s strategy to limit Hunt. We had to make somebody else on their team have to beat us. Our defensive line was giving them problems all night long, so kudos to them.”
Less than two minutes into the third quarter, the Aces struck again. Nick Sims picked off Davis and took it to the house for 35 yards and a 51-0 lead. For the fourth quarter, Dremail Carothers took over at QB for Owensboro Catholic and executed a touchdown drive of his own. Mixing in some handoffs and screen passes for the majority of the drive, Carothers flexed his arm – connecting with Miles Davis for a 30-yard touchdown.
Refusing to get shut out, Davis found receiver Garrison Barker for a 34-yard completion. After Davis rushed for 11 yards he found Barker again, with the receiver making an impressive catch and taking it the rest of the way for a 37-yard touchdown. Going for 2, Isiah Irwin caught Davis’s pass for a successful attempt and a final score of 58-8.
Atwell and his offense continuously found success, but it was his defense that he couldn’t stop gushing over.
“I realized I’m blessed with a great defense,” Atwell said. “We scored and were getting the ball back a minute or two later. They had an awesome performance. They recorded multiple turnovers tonight and two touchdowns. You can’t ask for anything more. They executed great and those guys are some dawgs. When you play Owensboro Catholic you better get ready to get hit.”
