The Panthers enter the season with first-year head coach Anthony Payton leading the way. Payton has focused the beginning of his Daviess County tenure on winning the trust of his players.
He said he’s done so by proving that he cares about them. He added that he’s made a conscious effort to build on that trust by putting them in the best possible position to succeed.
“I want to get these guys to play football the right way,” Payton said. “To get them to understand the process of the sport and let them know football doesn’t just start once you show up. It’s not just the highlight reels and social media clips. You have to get to work, and they are embracing football as a craft.”
The Panthers will run a West Coast-style offense that is predicated on timing throws and concepts. However, they also plan to mix in some up-tempo styles and flex their versatility. Currently, the team is having a quarterback battle between senior Remi Davis and junior Garrison Barker.
Starting receiver Jayden Hamilton will miss the first few weeks with an injury, and it will be up to Bryson Carter and Christian Tandy to lead the receiving core in his absence. Senior Gatlin Maysey played under Payton in Little League and will be expected to play a leadership role.
“He runs well and has impressive vision,” Payton said.
The defense will run a 4-3-over and 4-3-under while mixing in some man-to-man and cover-three. The defense took a hit with junior Hunter Corbin suffering a season-ending injury. Despite this, it’s the next-man-up mindset.
“I want people to come out and support us,” Payton said. “It may take a while to get up and rolling, but we will be in a position to succeed.”
Daviess County will begin their season this Friday on the road against Warren East, who they lost to 24-0 a year ago. Weeks 2 and 3 will include major road matchups at Owensboro Catholic and Owensboro, while week 4 is their home opener against North Hardin.
They played North Hardin twice last year, with the first game ending in a forfeit benefiting the Panthers. The second time around, DCHS defeated NHHS in the first round of the playoffs 24-21.
Rounding out their schedule are road matchups at Meade County and Henderson County and home games against Warren Central, Christian County, McCracken County, and Apollo. Similar to last season, Daviess County’s schedule is front-loaded, and they will need to perform down the stretch for a prime postseason position.
Payton replaces Matt Brannon, who stepped down after 20 years with the program. Read our profile on Payton at the time of his hire here.
