On Friday night at Rash Stadium, it was Owensboro’s defense that set the tone on the first play from scrimmage. When the dust settled, it was their defense that helped propel them to victory, as the Red Devils advanced to their first KHSAA Class 5A State Championship since 2014.
Owensboro edged Frederick Douglass 28-27 as the Broncos missed a field goal inside the final minute, giving the Red Devils revenge after last season’s loss to Douglass in the semifinals. With the win, OHS advances to next week’s KHSAA Class 5A State Championship against the Bowling Green Purples at Kroger Field.
Minutes before the final field goal attempt, junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt connected with Ethan Avery for his third passing score of the night when Avery caught the pass then dove for the pylon to give his team a 28-27 lead after an Andrew Lanz PAT.
“I just wanted to score,” Avery said. “We were doing everything we could to score. No matter what, we were going to score that position.”
Owensboro coach Jay Fallin said his team never quit.
“Our kids battled and hung tough,” he said. “I knew when they missed the PAT that we’re going to have the opportunity to come down the field and hopefully get a score. What a play by Ethan Avery getting to the pylon when he caught the ball to score. Then Drew comes out, drills a PAT and gives us the lead.
“I was going to feel like a real heel because, on the ensuing return, ref runs into me, in the white, and got flagged and gave them an extra 15. We knew through scouting they had a pretty good field goal kicker with pretty good range and all they had to do was get down there and get him a look. They did that but our kids pressured it, he pulled it a little bit and we’re going to the state championship game.”
Fallin said they’ll enjoy the victory but knows there’s more work to be done.
“We’ll take some time to process it then we’ll be able to appreciate it later but for now, just so proud of our kids and their fight,” Fallin said. “Not just tonight but all season. In June, we didn’t know if we’d have a season and they were out here working in the heat of the mornings in groups of eight, socially distanced with masks on. They showed up and they put the work in to prepare for a night like tonight. Couldn’t be more happy for them.
“Their resilience was on display tonight. We knew when we jumped up 21-0, they weren’t just going to go away, they’re not that type of team. They haven’t won all the ballgames they’ve won by laying down when they’re getting beat. They’ve got some outstanding football players.”
Owensboro’s Kenyata Carbon had a pick-six on the Broncos’ first play from scrimmage to set the tone, and it was part of a 21-0 start to the game for the Red Devils. But in true playoff fashion, the game was far from over.
Wimsatt’s first touchdown pass came with 3:52 left in the first when he hit Treyvon Tinsley for the score. Early in the second quarter, Wimsatt found Steven Stevenson for a 9-yard touchdown to give the home team a 21-0 lead.
Wimsatt admitted he didn’t have the game he would have liked the last time he lined up against the Broncos. With it being the final game at Rash Stadium this season, he knew they had to make their mark.
“We’re at home, we have a home crowd,” he said. “We’ve got to go out with a win, we’ve got to go out with a bang.”
Even with the early touchdown from Carbon, Wimsatt said they couldn’t let their guard down.
“It boosts my confidence a little more but I know I still got to go out there and make plays because it’s a four-quarter game,” he said. “They’re a great team.”
After the Red Devils’ 21-0 run, the offense stalled, which put the Broncos in a position to make their run.
With an 83-yard touchdown pass from Samuel Cornett to Dane Key, Douglass cut the deficit to 21-7 at the break.
Senior linebacker Austin Gough was vital on the defensive end during the game and said it was special to be a part of a game like that as it’s something he’s never been a part of before.
Despite the lead at the break, Gough said they had to continue to push.
“Keep that pressure, keep that pressure,” he said. “We’ve got to keep after them every play … We’ve got to keep going.”
Douglass’ Darius Key scored the next two touchdowns with 3-yard run then a 27-yard run with 8:10 left in the fourth — the latter of which he went right up the gut of the Red Devil defense.
With the score tied 21-21, Wimsatt threw his second pick of the game, which led to a 27-yard pass from Cornett to Kentucky commit Dekel Crowdus to give the Broncos a lead.
A missed PAT would prove dire for Douglass.
After the Bronco score, Wimsatt said he knew he had to step up.
“Big-time players make big-time plays,” he said. “I was just like ‘I’ve got to finish it.’ They’re going to fight through the whole game so we’ve got to be able to finish.”
Wimsatt and the Red Devils marched down the field until he eventually hit Avery for what would prove to be the game-winner.
Fallin said it was a true team victory.
“It’s one of those games we’ll look back on, just so many different plays were made at so many different times by different guys. We started a freshman at center and he’s going against one of the best offensive lineman in the country then they bring him in at nose guard, and he really held his own and did a great job for us tonight. We knew it was going to be tough sledding trying to run the ball but Ethan battled just to get the yards we had to have when we had to run the ball.
“Gavin just hangs in the pocket and hangs tough and moves so well and keeps his eyes downfield and finds receivers. Defensively, early we knew we had a plan that was going to catch them off guard. That was why we had so much success defensively early, they’re going backwards. They’re a very well-coached team and just like us, they’re going to get into the film on the sideline, they’re going to see what we’re doing and they’re going to adjust and we’ve got to adjust. That’s why they had a little more success running the ball in the second half because they had figured out what we were doing that was throwing them for such a loop in their blocking early.”
Gough finished with 11 total tackles in the game to lead the OHS defense. He said he’s worked a long time for this feeling.
“You dream of this as a kid,” he said. “We watched the 2014 team do this and to be here, we knew we could be here and we’ve been through so much adversity, I went through adversity. Our whole team, we work. We’re hard-working guys and we came out and won. It’s awesome.”
Wimsatt was 17-of-32 for 144 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions but he also ran for 75 yards in the win.
He said he’s ready to show what he can do next week at Kroger Field.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to go to the state championship,” he said. “They’re going to be a really tough team. It’ll be another four-quarter game. We’re going to have to prepare good.”
Tinsley led the Red Devils in receiving with 7 catches for 75 yards and a score while Avery added 4 catches for 20 yards and a touchdown.
Avery said he, his fellow seniors and the rest of the squad, have been working for this moment. The senior said there’s only one word to describe them.
“We’re a bunch of underdogs,” he said. “That’s the perfect word for us. Nobody expected that to be a close game like that and we came out and prevailed.”
With the victory, Fallin is now fourth all-time in victories at Owensboro with 59 wins, as he was tied with Gordon Powers coming into the game. Gerald Poynter is the all-time wins leader at OHS with 152 victories.
“I’ve been a part of some really special games here as an assistant coach and a head coach,” he said. “This one will always rank right up there.”
Fallin said it’s been a thrill to coach his players and he’s looking forward to getting to do it for another week this season.
“It’s a privilege,” he said. “They do what we ask them to do, they work really hard, they’ve got a great attitude, great work ethic. The best thing about them is they care as much about each other as they do about themselves and are as happy for their teammates’ success as they are their own.”
Owensboro will play at 3 p.m. EST next Saturday against Bowling Green at Kroger Field for the KHSAA Class 5A State Championship.
Owensboro 28, Frederick Douglass 27
FD 0 7 7 13–27
OHS 14 7 0 7–28
1st Quarter
(OHS) 11:44: Kenyatta Carbon 44-yard pick-six (kick good) 7-0
(OHS) 3:52: Gavin Wimsatt 13-yard pass to Treyvon Tinsley (kick good) 14-0
2nd Quarter
(OHS) 9:25: Gavin Wimsatt 9-yard pass to Steven Stevenson (kick good) 21-0
(FD) 7:02: Samuel Cornett 83-yard pass to Dane Key (kick good) 21-7
3rd Quarter
(FD) 6:23: Darius Neal 3-yard run (kick good) 21-14
4th Quarter
(FD) 8:10: Darius Neal 27-yard run (kick good) 21-21
(FD) 5:00: Samuel Cornett 27-yard pass to Dekel Crowdus (kick no good) 27-21
(OHS) 1:56: Gavin Wimsatt to Ethan Avery 7-yard score (kick good) 28-21
