Both riding winning streaks and looking to improve their district record, Apollo and Daviess County football are set for a battle on the gridiron in front of the Eagles home crowd on Friday.
The Panthers are coming off of a nice home win against Henderson County, having defeated them 38-17.
Senior quarterback Joe Humphreys added another strong performance to his resume against the Colonels, passing for 234 yards and four touchdowns on 14-30 passing. He also ran for 118 yards and a touchdown on eight carries as well.
Senior running back chipped in on the ground game, rushing for 59 yards on 16 carries, while senior Isaiah Tomes was Humphreys primary target with 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns on three receptions.
Eagles Head Coach John Edge knows that Humphreys is the key to the Panthers offense, but knows that his wide receiving core plays a key part as well.
“Obviously Joe Humphrey is what makes this offense go, but their WRs have a lot of chemistry with him,” Edge said. “The scramble drill is done perfectly and that’s a big reason they convert on 3rd down and they make big plays.”
While the Daviess County offense is extremely strong, Edge knows that their defense has vastly improved from game one this season.
“Daviess County is a very good team this year,” Edge said. “Everyone talks about their Offense a lot, but their defense has been much improved. [It’s] a big reason they are 7-1 right now.”
Panthers Head Coach Matt Brannon spoke highly of the Eagles as well, knowing that Friday will be a game going down to the final minute.
“Apollo is a true ‘blue collar’ type of team,” Brannon said. “They run the ball effectively and play solid defense. They seem to be a gritty team that finds ways to win ballgames. Teams like this are more dangerous than teams loaded with superstars. They will fight to the final play.”
Meanwhile Apollo is coming off of a 28-14 road victory against Marshall County, in which junior quarterback Christian Combs and the backfield was exceptional.
Combs threw for 220 passing yards and a touchdown on 14-9 passing, while also rushing for 46 yards on nine carries.
Sophomore Noah Rhinerson (16 carries, 117 rushing yards, 1 TD) and junior Donte Dixon (16 carries, 79 yards, two touchdowns) led the way in the ground game, combining for 196 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Knowing that the ground game is what opens things up for the entire offense, Brannon said the Panthers have been focusing on taking that away in practice.
“We must stop the run, contain Apollo’s screen game and be efficient on offense, scoring every time we get the ball,” Brannon said. “If we can play fast and get out to an early lead, we can force Apollo to get into things that they don’t want to do.”
Through the air Combs’ primary target was senior Evan Miller, grabbing 175 receiving yards and a touchdown on five receptions.
Knowing that their offense can throw multiple different strategies their way, Brannon said they have focused on that and controlling the tempo of the game in practice.
“Our focus is always on execution of our offense,” Brannon said. “Efficiency and tempo in practice. Defensively it’s about alignment and assignment. We are at the point of the season where we have seen several offensive and defensive schemes, and we must be able to adjust to what we see when it comes.”
Brannon knows that in order to win they will have to fight tooth and nail on every down, while focusing on the little things.
Meanwhile, for the Eagles to come away with a victory Edge said that they have to limit offensive outbursts and put together a complete game.
“We need to eliminate their big plays,” Edge said. “Every game they find a way to make big plays. [We must] win the turnover battle [and] be great on special teams.”
Apollo and Daviess County will hit the gridiron with playoff implications on the line on Friday at 7 p.m. at Apollo.
