The Panthers earned the sole title of the No. 1 seed in Class 6A District 1, as a potent offense and defense led to a 43-21 road win over the Eagles.
Apollo moved up the field quickly to start the game, nearly getting on the board. However, an early field goal attempt was missed and the ball was given to Daviess County.
The Eagles kept the Panthers from getting any traction offensively after a bobbled ball turned into an interception and brought all the way back to the 35 on their next drive.
Trying to get in field goal range they went for it on fourth and five, but turned it over on downs and Daviess County took advantage. The Panthers then charged downfield and a pass interference call against Apollo set them up to score.
Senior quarterback Joe Humphreys rolled out and hit senior Isaiah Tomes for the 12-yard touchdown to close out the drive and then followed it up with a keeper for the two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter.
Daviess County opened up the second quarter with a near touchdown, but a holding call brought it back. This didn’t deter Humphreys who threw a bomb nearly 50 yards downfield to put them at the 25 on the next play.
The very next play he hit senior Carter Hamilton on a screen play who took it the 25 yards for a touchdown. Following the extra point, the Panthers were in charge 15-0 with 10:25 left in the first half.
With the Daviess County defense holding its own, Humphreys continued to take over the game as he scrambled out of the pocket for a 56-yard rushing touchdown on its next drive to take a 22-0 lead with 7:58 left in the first half.
The Panthers struck once more before halftime, as Humphreys rolled out on the very first play of the drive and found junior Decker Renfrow who took it all the way for the 80-yard touchdown.
Combine Humphreys and company’s dynamic offense and solid defense and Daviess County headed into the locker room with a 29-0 lead.
The Panthers didn’t let off the gas to start the second half, as less than a minute in Humphreys found junior Bryson Parm midfield and turned it into a 76-yard touchdown to take a 36-0 lead.
Apollo responded on the ensuing drive to finally put one on the board, as senior Donte Dixon rattled off a massive run to put them in the redzone.
Two plays later sophomore Noah Rhinerson capped off the drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 36-7 game with 6:27 left in the third quarter.
But Daviess County’s offense wasn’t done, as Humphreys found Tomes once again, this time for a 45-yard touchdown to give them a 43-7 lead with 9:17 left to play.
The Eagles were able to score again thanks to some broken tackles from sophomore Christian Combs, as he turned a bad snap into a touchdown by finding sophomore Eli Masterson to make it 43-15 after the two-point conversion.
Apollo recovered the ensuing onside kick, later scoring again as Combs hit junior Carter Contratto for the touchdown.
The extra point was no good, making it a 43-21 game with 2:20 left. While the Eagles were gaining traction, it was too little too late as Daviess County earned the 43-21 victory.
“Really proud of the way we came out here and competed,” Head Coach Matt Brannon said. “We knew it was going to be a tough environment. Apollo’s had a good season, but we felt like if we could execute our gameplan and get our offense going early we could run away with it.”
Humphreys was the star of the show, throwing for 348 yards and five touchdowns on 13-16 passing. He also ran for 73 yards and a touchdown on four carries as well.
“The chemistry that those guys have and Joe’s ability to make plays on his feet [is incredible],” Brannon said. “It’s pick your poison. If you blitz him he’s going to take off and if you try to sit back and play coverage on him he’s going to find the creases. Just proud of the way he played.”
Brannon said the chemistry between Humphreys and the receiving core has been steadily growing since the summer, as they continue to become more in sync game after game.
It showed against the Eagles, as Tomes led the receiving core in touchdowns,finishing with two while earning 66 yards on three catches. Hamilton, Renfrow and junior Bryson Parm all earned a receiving touchdown as well.
The touchdown for Parm—the 2020 leading rusher for the Panthers—was a big one, as he played his first game of the season after suffering a broken collarbone in the first scrimmage of the season.
With him now fully healthy, Brannon said their offense becomes even more powerful when Parm is in the backfield.
“He’s just a dynamic player,” Brannon said. “We knew that he was the type of player that has the ability to go to the house at any point. To have a backfield like that with Joe and Parm back there and then being able to slug it out with Gunnar—he’s done a great job all year as well—just adds another layer to what we can do offensively.”
Daviess County defense was able to limit the Eagles to 182 passing yards, as Combs threw two picks and two interceptions on 15-26 passing. The Panthers also held them below 100 rushing yards for the game as well.
“We just played very physical up front tonight,” Brannon said. “Our d-line and linebackers played excellent.”
The win gives the Panthers the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2008, as they will be the host for the first two rounds of the playoffs. It also puts the all-time record for Daviess County at 25-24.
Overall the Panthers sit at 8-1 overall and will ride their five-game winning streak into a home matchup with Warren East to close the regular season at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29.
Meanwhile, the loss snapped Apollo’s five-game winning streak as they look to bounce back to close the regular season against Greenwood at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28.
