The Daviess County Football program jumped out to an early lead over visiting Meade County Friday night and never looked back. Propelled by early production out of running back Bryson Parm and wide receiver Decker Renfrow, the Panthers finished on top 43-14.
With Jack Ball orchestrating it all behind center, Parm and Renfrow were a two-man wrecking crew. Head coach Matt Brannon was elated with the two seniors’ performances, citing their off-season work ethic as a critical factor.
“We knew that Parm would need to carry us, and that’s what happened,” Brannon said. “He opened things up in the passing game, allowing Renfrow to get loose. There aren’t many people that can hang with Decker in the open field.”
Daviess County (1-0) had the offense clicking on all cylinders, with Parm accounting for three touchdowns on 78 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving. Renfrow finished the evening with three touchdowns on 186 yards receiving, while Ball totaled 4 touchdowns on 235 yards passing and 31 yards on the ground.
Brannon was also impressed with Ball, who had some big shoes to fill following the departure of all-state quarterback Joe Humphrey.
“It took Jack a little while to get going, but he made a great scramble on the second possession of the game to convert with Decker, and that got him going,” Brannon said. “He sees what he needs to do. It’s impossible to replicate the game’s speed in practice, but if he truly grasps the speed and our read option, it’s a two-headed monster with him and Parm.”
Parm put the Panthers on the board first with a touchdown run followed by a 2-point conversion. A turnover on the ensuing kick-off led to a 20-yard grab for Renfrow, who took it 50 yards to the house.
Minutes into the second quarter, Meade County responded with a 15-yard quarterback rushing touchdown, but County didn’t stay quiet long. Panther got back on his horse and took yet another pass from Ball 75 yards for a touchdown. Ball then connected with Parm on the 2-point conversion, making it 22-7 with 8:35 left in the second quarter.
Seconds after the two-minute warning, Parm exploded again for a 20-yard touchdown run to make it 29-7. On the next possession, Tyce Beehn intercepted the Ball for the Panthers to set up a 45-yard touchdown pass from Ball to Parm, making the score 36-7 heading into the half.
Parm caught another touchdown pass after a Ball scramble to make it 43-7 and implement a running clock.
Daviess County returns to the gridiron next Friday on the road at Steele Stadium when they take on cross-town foe Owensboro Catholic. Catholic is coming off a dominant performance against Apollo.
“We’re going to have to continue to work on improving on our mistakes,” he said. “We’re going to have to bring our a-game. They have a solid quarterback in Atwell. But ultimately, we just need to continue to make minor improvements.”
