It is the end of an era for the Red Devils and the beginning of the next, as head coach Jay Fallin retired after a decade at the helm and in his stead is DaMarcus Ganaway. The former Kentucky Wesleyan University All-American and later Ohio County head coach, Ganaway returns to the Owensboro area after spending the last few years coaching in Florida.
“I think it’s hard to sit here and say what we are going to do to improve on what Jay set as a standard,” Ganaway said. “But with Owensboro already having a standard in place, we are already at a good place to start. Having the kind of athletes and quality of kids we have now, I know some of the things I want to do, we might get there a little bit faster if we take care of business and come out with the right intensity.”
Taking over the program, Ganaway acknowledged one of the most important lessons he wants to instruct into his team is everyone being part in and doing their jobs.
“In football, you need everyone to be part of their job and bought in,” Ganaway said. “That involves communication, trust, discipline, and as much effort as possible. If you don’t do your job, someone else won’t be able to do theirs and vice versa. If our guys can learn to support and rally around each other and understand that they need each other, then that is when team’s become special.”
The Red Devils enter the season with a new quarterback in DaMarcus Ganaway Jr., and he is surrounded by plenty of offensive weapons, including Evan Hampton, Ty Ashley, Kingston Dillard, Chadyn Morris, and Tee Green.
A year ago, Hampton rushed for 1,549 yards and 20 touchdowns and acknowledged that with his college commitment behind him, the pressure has been lifted, and he can solely focus on being a Red Devil. Joining Hampton in the backfield are freshmen Nolan Basham and Jack Tipmore and veterans Tee Green and Mikai Kindle.
“As long as they develop, I believe both can make a difference in this program,” Hampton said. “We have Tee Green coming back and Mikai. A lot of really good players who provide plenty of depth to our running back room.”
Ganaway Jr. will be blocked up front by Carter Vanover, Drew Johson, JW Muster, Keaton Land, and Eli Hampton, stating that without them, the quarterback has nothing.
The Red Devils return plenty of experience on the defensive side of the ball, including Trey Shemwell, Jalen Carr, Xavier Conrad, Landon Clark, Eli Hampton, Green, and Ashley.
“On defense, we will have multiple defenses,” Ganaway said. “I’m big on just adapting to personal and the teams that we play and the styles that they play. So, one week our roster may change on who is starting and what positions because we find certain matchups that are key and that we want to possibly exploit.”
On special teams, freshman Cooper Ellis is in line to start at kicker, while Ashley returns as the punter.
The Red Devils start their season this Friday on the road at St. Xavier and will also travel to Daviess County. On Friday, Aug. 29th, they will host Christian Academy in their first home game of the year and will also be home against Owensboro Catholic. In district play, they will travel to Graves County on Oct. 19 and Apollo on Oct. 26, before hosting Marshall County on Oct. 3 and Madisonville-North Hopkins on Oct. 17. They end the season on Halloween night at home against Henderson County.
