Carbon was a force to be reckoned with once again on Friday, leading Owensboro to a 49-42 win over a Daviess County team that wasn’t going down without a fight.
The Panthers had the chance to set the tone and put the game’s first touchdown on the scoreboard, but junior Decker Renfrow was unable to keep both feet in.
On the next play, senior Isaiah Tomes was wide open and headed for the endzone as well, but the ball slipped through his hands and Daviess County came up empty on the drive.
Two drives later, Owensboro took advantage as junior Kenyatta Carbon took one 62 yards to the house to take a 7-0 lead with 5:24 left in the first quarter.
After the opening drive, Daviess County’s offense had practically come to a standstill, with the Red Devils charging downfield to take advantage late in the quarter.
With just over a minute left in the first quarter, senior Gavin Wimsatt connected with junior Ethan Pendleton for a seven-yard touchdown to send Owensboro into the second quarter up 14-0.
The Panthers looked to bounce back in the second quarter, scoring minutes into it. Senior Joe Humphreys took matters into his own hands and took a QB keeper three yards and then later helped convert the two-point conversion to cut their deficit to 14-8.
During their next drive, Owensboro quickly responded as Carbon struck again with a 25-yard run for a touchdown to take a 21-8 lead.
Minutes later, junior Jeremiah Goodwin picked off Humphreys, nearly had a pick-six but fumbled in the endzone, only for junior Xander Early to recover it and put the Red Devils up 28-8 with 3:19 left in the second quarter.
Daviess County was able to make it a two-touchdown game before going into the locker room, as Humphreys found senior Carter Hamilton for a 21-yard touchdown pass to make it a 28-14 game following the blocked extra point.
Owensboro took no time picking where they left off in the second half, with a kickoff return to the 15 by junior Khalil Rogers kickstarting the offense.
This led to a Wimsatt keeper at the one-yard line two plays later, putting the Red Devils up 35-14 with 9:10 left in the third quarter.
Following the touchdown for Owensboro, it seemed like they were going to run away with the easy win, but Humphreys and senior running back Gunnar Evans had other ideas.
These two kept the offense moving the chains each and every drive, with Humphreys starting the scoring spree with a 46-yard touchdown pass to senior Max Dees to make it a 35-21 game.
After forcing a Red Devils’ turnover on downs, the Panthers found themselves at the one facing third and goal after back-to-back stops. However, Humphreys wouldn’t be denied and got to the outside to run it in and cut their deficit to 35-28 with 2:32 left in the third quarter.
20 seconds later, Wimsatt’s pass was deflected, and a pick by senior Mason Boswell quickly had the Panthers back on offense going into the fourth.
Some Daviess County deja vu had them back facing third and goal for the third time on the night, and Humphreys made sure they converted once again.
Humphreys had rolled out and snuck a pass into Evans for the equalizer to make it a tie game with 10:38 left to play for the first time since 0-0.
But once again, when it seemed like momentum had shifted, Carbon silenced the crowd with a big play.
Following the big touchdown for Daviess County, Carbon took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to the crib, earning his third touchdown of the day to reclaim the lead at 42-35.
Owensboro Head Coach Jayson Fallin said that Carbon’s return was a monumental moment in the game, turning the tides and helping lead them to victory.
He wasn’t done scoring either, helping the defense put the offense back on the field and then taking a handoff 64 yards for his fourth touchdown of the night and making it a 49-35 game with 7:03 left to play.
Carbon was unstoppable all night, rushing 10 times for 181 yards and three touchdowns, as well as a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Fallin said that he’s an impact player on both sides of the field and that his defense was just as crucial as his offense against the Panthers.
“Probably what he did for us on defense tonight didn’t show up in the stat line, but him being back there took away a lot of the shots that they wanted to take downfield,” Fallin said. “He’s in the shape he needs to be in now for him to help us in all three phases of the game.”
The Panthers did all they could to close the gap before time expired, scoring on a 17-yard touchdown reception for Renfrow with 1:54 left.
Down a touchdown and looking to get the ball, Daviess County attempted an onside kick, but it was to no avail. The personal foul on the play wrapped up the game, allowing Wimsatt to take a knee and give Owensboro the 49-42 victory.
The Panthers did everything they could offensively to give themselves a chance to win. Evans had a solid game turning 15 carries into 138 yards.
Fallin said that the game plan was to invite them to run the ball, and Evans did a great job exploiting his defense.
This allowed Humphreys to be successful as well, as the senior threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns on 39/59 attempts.
Fallin said that Humphreys is a special talent and said that even with the Panthers’ backs against the wall, the game is never over when he’s under center.
“[I’m] glad he’s graduating,” Fallin said. “He’s good, and he’s got the kind of arm that he can catch you three yards away. Most high school quarterbacks can’t make you pay if a receiver is open by two or three yards. When we’re coaching against Joe, I feel like everyone else feels when they’re coaching against Gavin. We’ve gotta be perfect in coverage at all times because he maintains his composure.”
Despite the success Daviess County had offensively, the Red Devils were able to make stops later when they needed to. Fallin credited that to his team’s passion and fight.
“Getting stops in a game late like that has got a lot to do with heart,” Fallin said. “Our kids dug down and found what they had to find to get the stops that we had to have. Obviously, when you look at the stats, we gave up over 500 yards. It’s not going to look like an impressive defensive night, but we got just enough stops, and we got them when we had to have them.”
Owensboro now sits at 2-1 overall and will return home for its matchup with Owensboro Catholic, set to kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10. Meanwhile, Daviess County will hit the road to take on Ohio County at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 10, looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season.
