The Owensboro football program fought intensely against the defending 3A state champions Christian Academy-Louisville. Despite an early lead and a third-quarter rally, the Red Devils fell short 27-17 as CAL pulled away late.
Owensboro struck first with a field goal by Romer Payne, giving the Red Devils an early 3-0 after the opening drive. However, CAL quickly responded with a touchdown pass down the sideline, taking a 7-3 lead with just over 5 minutes left in the first quarter.
The Red Devils regained the lead early in the second quarter when quarterback Trevor DeLacey connected with Cayden Ray on a 35-yard pass, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Eli Hampton. With the extra point, Owensboro was up 10-7.
CAL answered back with a touchdown of their own, though the missed PAT left the score at 13-10. Owensboro’s offense showed signs of life with two explosive passing plays, but penalties derailed their drive. The Centurions capitalized on the momentum shift, extending their lead to 20-10 with a 70-yard catch-and-run followed by a 4-yard touchdown pass.
The Red Devils’ troubles continued when a DeLacey pass was intercepted, giving CAL another chance to add to their lead before halftime, though the score remained 20-10 at the break.
In the third quarter, Owensboro narrowed the gap with DeLacey finding Evan Hampton for a 12-yard touchdown, making it 20-17. The Red Devils’ defense then came up with a crucial stop as time expired in the third quarter, giving them hope heading into the final period.
But CAL got a stop and quarterback Connor Hodge scored on a 22-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 27-17. Owensboro continued to fight, with DeLacey connecting on a 40-yard pass to Ray, though penalties once again hampered their efforts, nullifying what would have been a 20-yard touchdown.
With less than 3 minutes to play, Owensboro faced a desperate fourth down but failed to convert, sealing their fate as CAL ran out the clock for the win.
“We have to concentrate on what we can control,” Owensboro head coach Jay Fallin said. “I thought we played pretty well overall, but the interception and fumble hurt us, and penalties were a big issue. We’ll review the film, and if the penalties were legitimate, we’ve got to clean that up.”
Despite the loss, Fallin remained optimistic about his team’s progress.
“We’re light years ahead of where we were at this time last year,” he said. “We’re not panicked. The sky’s not falling. We’ll go back, get better, and get ready for another big game next week.”
DeLacey threw for 184 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Evan Hampton led Owensboro’s ground attack with 90 rushing yards on 15 carries. CAL’s Hodge threw for 233 yards and three touchdowns, while Trey Cotton hauled in five receptions for 136 yards and two scores.
The Red Devils will look to bounce back when they travel to face Bowling Green, the defending 5A state champions, next Friday.
