After setting a school record for points against Marshall County, the Panthers are looking to extend its winning streak to four games against McCracken County.
Daviess County is coming off of a 71-7 victory over the Marshals, in which senior quarterback Joe Humphreys had a dominant performance.
Humphreys led the Panthers offense time and time again downfield, throwing for 411 yards on 16-21 passing attempts to go along with seven passing touchdowns.
Junior Decker Renfrow was his primary target, earning 171 yards on six receptions to go along with three touchdowns. Senior Max Dees (five catches, 123 yards, two touchdowns) and Carter Hamilton (one catch, 76 yards, one touchdown) also had strong games, combining for 199 yards.
Senior running back Gunnar Evans had a decent game out of the backfield, rushing for 40 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
While their record might not exactly prove as much, the Head Coach Matt Brannon said Daviess County will be tasked with a tough Mustangs team that is looking to bounce back from its road loss to Apollo.
“Historically they are the toughest district team we face year in and year out,” Brannon said. “We have only beaten them once, and never in the regular season. They have talent and depth at every position. They are well coached and run comprehensive schemes on both sides of the ball.”
Offensively McCracken County shined last week, putting up 49 points thanks to a strong game from junior Pryor Lamb.
While he did have three interceptions, Lamb threw for 441 yards and four touchdowns on 29-43 passing attempts.
In preparing for a strong offense and knowing that the game will be hard fought, Brannon said they’ve focused on the little things in practice.
“Our focus in practice this week has been on the details,” Brannon said. “We must be aware of every situation that may arise in a hard fought contest. We have really worked on putting together a solid game plan and concentrated on ensuring the players understand how to attack and defend the Mustangs.”
As far as a winning formula goes, Brannon said they must be prepared for the multiple defensive schemes McCracken County will throw at them and limit mistakes offensively when they take the field Friday.
“In order for us to secure the win, we must be able to identify the complex blitz schemes that McCracken has shown throughout the year,” Brannon said. “We also must be able to recognize the multiple formations that their offense will present and to align properly. We must also execute at a high level. Turnovers and penalties must also be eliminated.”
