The Owensboro Catholic defense put together an impressive game and the offense overcame some mishaps as the Aces rolled to a 28-2 road victory at Henderson County to remain perfect on the season.
The typically high-octane Catholic offense was slower than usual out of the gate, in part because quarterback Brady Atwell rolled his ankle on the first series. While he was out, a poor snap by the Aces resulted in a safety, giving the Colonels what proved to be their only points of the night.
Henderson moved the ball down the field on the ensuing possession, but the Aces’ Dereon Crowe blocked a field goal attempt.
Catholic finally got on the board with the first play of the second quarter, when Atwell hit Xavier Maddox for a 29-yard touchdown and a 7-2 lead.
Henderson threatened again with time winding down just before the half. After converting a 4th-and-1, the drive stalled and they attempted a 45-yard field goal that went wide left with 53 seconds on the clock.
That was plenty of time for the Aces. Needing just a few plays, Catholic got into the red zone and then added a touchdown with a 20-yard run by Atwell with 6 seconds left.
The Aces’ defense kept the momentum going in the second half, with Jude Cecil securing an interception on their own 35. Atwell found Crowe for a 45-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 21-2 with 5:46 left in the third.
Henderson then had a pair of chances to reach the end zone but came up short both times. The first drive ended with them fumbling on the Catholic 5-yard line. After then intercepting Atwell on the Aces’ 35, Henderson pushed the ball deep one last time.
However, with the Colonels facing 4th-and-goal from the 3, the Catholic defense stood tall and stopped them on the 1.
The Aces were later forced to punt, but Henderson fumbled on the ensuing possession. Atwell connected with Waryn Ebelhar for a 56-yard touchdown to push the lead to 28-2 with 4:39 to play.
Cecil hauled in another interception to put the finishing touches on a strong defensive night for the Aces.
Catholic will return home next week to take on Crittenden County.
