Apollo and Daviess County took turns making spectacular, big-yardage plays early in Friday night’s football matchup, leaving the teams tied at halftime. Then Niles Board, who scored four touchdowns and had 222 yards from scrimmage, helped the Eagles put the Panthers away, with Apollo securing a 41-21 victory at DCHS.
Emotions flared as the game wore on, with Apollo head coach John Edge saying both sides were passionate and eager for a win against rivals.
“It’s a rivalry game. They’re not easy games. Credit to them. They did a great job, especially in the first half. I thought our defense played really well after that, when everything got settled down,” he said.
For much of the season, the Panthers’s offense has struggled. Not so at the outset of Friday’s game. Their first play from scrimmage was a 66-yard pass from half back Gatlin Maysey to Jace Hunt. Maysey then easily carried it in from 6 yards out to give DC a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the game.
The Eagles nearly answered with a big gain of their own, but a 50-yard run was negated due to a penalty. Apollo eventually made it to midfield before turning it over on downs on their own 48-yard-line. The Panthers got to the red zone but failed to convert a fourth down of their own to give possession back to Apollo on the Eagles’ 17-yard-line.
A steady dose of rushes by Board was capped off with a 21-yard pass from Max Johnson to Board for a walk-in 21-yard touchdown, knotting the game at 7-all with 11:53 to play in the half.
Jace Hunt returned the ensuing kickoff 83 yards to the end zone, untouched, to put the Panthers back on top.
On Apollo’s next play from scrimmage, Hunt picked off Johnson and returned the ball 22 yards. However, DC couldn’t pick up a first down, and the 32-yard field goal attempt went wide left.
The Eagles stuck to the ground game for a steady march down the field, with Board catching a 23-yard pass on 3rd-and-17 to get inside the red zone. On the next play, the snap sailed well over Johnson’s head. He picked it up on the second bounce, rolled out to the right, and found Landen Bratcher near the sideline. Bratcher stopped in his tracks to make one defender miss, then shook off another before diving across the goal line to even the score at 14-14 with 5:42 left in the half.
Four plays later, DC’s Garrison Barker found Jayden Hamilton streaking up the middle of the field. Hamilton had slipped past the defenders and raced to paydirt for a 52-yard score.
Maddox Lanham returned the kickoff 63 yards to set the Eagles up on the DC 25, and five plays later Board scored again, this time on a 1-yard carry.
There was still plenty more action in the final minute before the half. Ehmadjai Badger intercepted Barker near midfield, then Apollo had a couple of passes knocked down near the goal line. The score remained 21-21 at the half.
The second half was a different story. Apollo took the first lead when Board broke through a few tackles for a 25-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the third quarter.
DC’s next play ended with Maysey fumbling and Apollo’s Jamison Brown recovering the ball on the Panthers’ 24. Board carried it for 20 yards and then scored again on the next play with a 4-yard run for a 35-21 advantage.
“I thought Niles played a really good game,” Edge said. “That was good for our offensive line. It was the first time in a while that we’ve run the ball well all game.”
Daviess County was unable to sustain drives, and the Eagles put the game away late in the fourth quarter. A 15-play drive that consumed more than 7 minutes ended with Johnson hitting Jamin Comer for a 3-yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, leaving the score at 41-21.
DC head coach Anthony Payton said while it was disappointing to lose, his team didn’t give up and showed signs of improvement.
“We’ve gotten better every week. That’s just part of the process,” he said. “The kids played their behinds off like they do all the time. It’s a growing thing. We’re going to keep getting better, and that’s all I’m looking for, if we can just get 1% better every single week.”
Apollo’s Johnson went 14-21 with 130 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Board had 165 yards on the ground and 57 receiving yards, with four total touchdowns. For DC, Barker went 5-11 with 80 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He added 56 rushing yards, and Maysey had 59. Hunt had 77 receiving yards and Hamilton had 69.
Both teams finished as the No. 4 seed in their respective districts.
Apollo (5-5; Class 5A District 1) will travel to South Warren (9-1; Class 6A District 2) next week.
“Going into next week, if we’re able to run the football, we’ll be able to do a lot of run-option stuff. We’re happy with tonight. It was a good win,” Edge said.
Daviess County (1-9; Class 6A District 1) will play at North Hardin (7-3; Class 6A District 2) next week. The Trojans topped the Panthers 35-6 earlier this year.
“Right now, I have to teach these guys how to learn from setbacks,” Payton said. “After you after you drop so many games back to back to back, it’s hard to find the light at the end of the tunnel. You start to question a lot of things, and winning fixes all that. However, I tell them all the time, you have to go through to get through. It’s growing pains for him, but they have the fight in them.”
