It wasn’t their prettiest game of the year, but the Owensboro football team picked up their sixth win in a row with a 35-21 victory on the road at Henderson County Friday night.
The Red Devils (8-2) never trailed, and it was in large part due to a stout defense that kept the Colonels (6-4) in check. Holding a 21-7 lead in the third quarter, Owensboro twice stopped Henderson County on 4th-and-goal from inside the 10-yard line.
The Colonels did go on to score a couple of touchdowns, but each time the Devils responded to regain a two-score lead. OHS head coach Jay Fallin said they struggled at times, but he’s still happy with another win.
“You’re not always going to play your best when you play, hopefully, 15 games,” he said. “Good teams find a way win when they don’t play their best. We certainly didn’t have our best performance, particularly on offense throughout the game tonight, and defensively in the second half.”
There were a few moments that Fallin said made a big difference.
“The guys stepped up and made the plays they had to make to get the win,” he said. “One that stands out in particular is Jaiden Kendall on the onside kick. He made a huge play recovering the ball there. That’s what you want seniors to do. That’s why we’ve got him there. We expect him to make that play.”
Another important play was the final touchdown of the game, when Treyvon Tinsley caught a 12-yard pass from Will Warren on 4th-and-goal with 4:35 to play.
It was the fourth touchdown pass of the night for Warren, who also threw an interception on the Owensboro 20, though his defense got the stop in the red zone.
Warren’s first touchdown went to Tre Green on a 32-yard pass midway through the first quarter. Henderson County answered with a 12-yard touchdown run.
Austin Gough carried it in from 2 yards out at the end of the first, and Owensboro doubled their lead with 1:04 left in the half on a 6-yard touchdown catch by Tyren Hayden.
Henderson County scored with less than a minute to play in the third quarter, but Warren connected with Monte Owsley 14 seconds later for a 60-yard touchdown.
The Colonels final score came with 6:36 to play, though Tinsley had the answer at the other end to secure the win.
Fallin said the Red Devils will try to regroup next week as they head into the postseason.
“We have to get consistent focus in practice and understand that even though practice gets monotonous this time of year — in some ways we’ve been running similar things since July 10 — that’s what it takes to be successful. You have to be able to dial into the monotony and focus on the monotony and work through it.”
Owensboro will host Greenwood (2-8) to start the state tournament Friday. Fallin said the plan is to advance well into the playoffs, but everyone has to be on the same page.
“We have to have one vision here,” he said. “We have to find a way to stay fresh and invigorated as a staff and as players. From this point forward, we have to understand it’s win or go home. We have to bring that mentality to practice.”
