Owensboro Catholic is looking to avenge its 2020 loss to Apollo when the two go toe-to-toe on the gridiron at 7 p.m. Friday at Steele Stadium.
Last year’s game ended in an Eagles’ 10-0 victory. This year, Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Jason Morris said that he expects another close game with a big crowd excited to be watching football in-person again.
“I am expecting a good competitive game just like we have had the past three seasons,” Morris said. “There should be a very good crowd with it being an inner-city rival game in week one after the COVID-season last year where most fans weren’t allowed at games.”
Apollo Head Coach John Edge knows that Owensboro Catholic is tough, but he thinks they can come away victorious on the road.
In order for them to do so, Edge said the Eagles have to know where Braden Mundy is on every play, stop the run and try not to give up big plays.
“They are a very good team that can score and puts a lot of pressure on you defensively,” Edge said. “We need to know where Mundy is every snap. I have told our players and coaches I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays some QB too. (Lincoln) Clancy is a good QB who really works hard in the pocket. Defensively they are young, but they will attack and blitz a lot. You’re going to see the swinging gate on extra points and spread punt.”
Apollo has tried to focus on just getting better each day at practice this week, in hopes of playing mistake-free and sharp on Friday.
Meanwhile, Owensboro Catholic has been working on being in tip-top shape for when they take the field.
“Our focus is still on being in the top condition that we can be in,” Morris said. “We know that these first few weeks of games will be won or lost based on ball security and conditioning.”
Morris expects an experienced Eagles team that will be big and athletic with the roster full of upperclassmen and even a few that returned for a fifth year.
The winning recipe for the Aces according to Morris is to limit big plays while protecting the pigskin on the offensive side of the ball.
“We will need to contain Apollo’s balanced attack and make sure we aren’t giving up easy scores and big plays,” Morris said. “We need to make sure that Apollo earns everything they get. On offense, we need to have great ball security and keep the chains moving with few penalties and zero turnovers. We also must be sound on all special teams and convert extra points.”
