Trevor DeLacey threw for four touchdowns and added one on the ground as Owensboro trounced Daviess County 59-6 at Rash Stadium to pick up their first win of the season Friday night.
All four of DeLacey’s touchdown passes went to a different teammate, and the first one came on the opening drive after Owensboro marched down the field and took an early 7-0 lead with a 22-yard reception by Cayden Ray.
On the ensuing drive, a Panthers’ botched snap led to a short punt and Owensboro took over on the opposing 36-yard line. Evan Hampton took advantage, ripping off a 36-yard touchdown run to put the Red Devils up 14-0 with 5:43 remaining in the first quarter.
Owensboro’s kickoff died on the 1-yard line, and Daviess County was only able to return it to their 6. A few plays later, Eli Hampton picked off Remi Davis. The Red Devils quickly marched down the field, leading to a one-yard rushing touchdown for Delacey with 4:38 left in the first quarter.
After another Daviess County punt, the Red Devils followed up an impressive catch-and-run by Kingston Dillard with a 12-yard touchdown reception by Evan Hampton to make it 28-0.
After a quiet start, DC’s Jace Hunt showed off his explosiveness, hauling in a long pass from Davis before beating two defenders in the air and taking it to the house for a 66-yard touchdown. The Panthers missed the extra point but cut the lead to 28-6 to start the second quarter.
“We’ve known Jace for a long time and he’s been playing well for them since he was a freshman,” Owensboro head coach Jay Fallin said. “He’s very dynamic and explosive.”
The Red Devils needed only one play to respond. Delacey found Blake Kimbrell for a 63-yard touchdown and a 35-6 lead with 9:54 left in the first half.
On their next drive, Daviess County went for it on 4th-and-4 from their own 21 but turned it over on downs after Davis was unable to find an open receiver.
A few plays later, Dillard gave Owensboro a 42-6 lead after barreling his way in for a 3-yard rushing touchdown with 7:53 left in the half. The Red Devils added another score when Chadyn Morris caught a 10-yard pass for a commanding 48-6 lead just before the half expired.
Owensboro scored once more in the third quarter when Ty Ashley connected with Cayden Ray for a 3-yard touchdown. The Red Devils added a 30-yard field goal in the fourth.
Fallin and his team will spend time watching film and cleaning up their errors as they prepare for powerhouse Owensboro Catholic next week.
“Generally speaking, we will focus on the same things everyone’s got to work on,” he said. “Execution. Being prepared to work hard for 48 minutes. Finding the right rotations as a coaching staff to get the right guys on the field in key moments. Finding the rotations early in the game to give the key guys who are playing both ways enough rest so they can still play hard in the fourth quarter. It’s a little bit of an art to that.”
