KSR’s Southwire Football Media Day takeaways and storylines (Part Two)

It’s almost football time in the Bluegrass, not only for the Kentucky Wildcats, but also for the 222 high school football teams around the state as well.

ESPN’s Owensboro radio affiliate, 102.7 The Game , held a Football Media Day to put a spotlight on teams in the greater Owensboro area. KSR was on site for the festivities, so here are our takeaways and storylines from each team’s time behind the microphone.

Note: Butler County, Ohio County and Daviess County were not in attendance at the event despite being scheduled for an appearance. Indiana high schools Tell City, South Spencer and Perry Central were also in attendance, but we’re here to talk about teams from around the Bluegrass, so they aren’t included in this.

You can find McLean County, Muhlenberg County, Breckinridge County, Hancock County, Edmonson County and Grayson County in Part One here .

Meade County

In a world where things are continuously changing, it’s nice to have some continuity and consistency, and nothing fits that better than Larry Mofield and Meade County football.

Mofield is heading into his 35th season at Meade County, and this will be his 21st season as the head coach of the Green Wave. However, something to take note of is that Meade County hasn’t had a winning season since 2014, the year after they were runners up in 6A.

Part of that is having to play against some of the powerhouses in the Louisville area like Trinity, St. Xavier and Male game in and game out.

However, despite the fact that Meade County has struggled to recapture their magic from the early 2010s, Mofield and company still believe this season can be a big one for them. As it does with most every football team, the potential for what the Green Wave can be starts at the quarterback position.

Luckily for Mofield, he has Cade Scott behind center. In just six games, the then junior threw for 1,080 yards and 11 touchdowns. Additionally, he led the team with 434 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. And, again, that was all done in just six games.

On the other side of the ball, junior linebacker Wyatt Raney is expect to lead the defense after having a big sophomore season. Last year, he tallied 54 tackles, three tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries, one of which he took to the house.

The Green Wave open up their season against Henderson County on August 23rd. Last season’s matchup was a 35-34 shootout in favor of the Colonels, so that should be a good game yet again this year.

Henderson County

After an impressive 10-3 season in 2022, Henderson County took a bit of a step back last season, going just 5-7 and losing in the second round of the playoffs to McCracken County — a team they had beaten 56-28 in the regular season.

Of course, Head Coach Josh Boston is ready for the Colonels to bounce back and get back to their winning ways. It doesn’t help that Henderson County has a brutal schedule ahead. However, that’s mainly because smaller schools in the area don’t necessarily want any of Henderson County’s smoke.

“The biggest thing is we gotta find teams that want to play us,” Boston said. “Whenever you’re surrounded by a bunch of small schools, those guys, they don’t want to play you. It’s not that we went out purposefully and put that tough schedule together. It’s what we had to have.”

On offense, Boston and the Colonels should be just about set. They’ll be returning senior quarterback Trajdon Davis who lead the team in passing with 1,118 yards and 12 touchdowns through the air. Then, he was able to record 494 rushing yards and then nine touchdowns on the ground as well.

Addtionally, senior running back Anthony Burrus should have another big season after recording 1,075 rushing yards and and a team-high 10 touchdowns. He also had 219 receiving yards and six touchdowns there as well.

On defense, however, there will only be three returners. Of course, roster turnover is the story every year for Henderson County, but losing that much experience certainly hurts. Something that doesn’t hurt, however, is that Andrew O’Nan will make the move from the defensive line to linebacker this season.

“Andrew played defensive line for us last season, but we moved him to linebacker this offseason,” Boston noted. “He ran track this year and got his 40 time down to about a 4.5, and just worked really hard this year, and so we moved him to linebacker.”

Last season, O’Nan recorded 31 tackles and a team-best 4.5 sacks as well. He also had two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery on the year.

Apollo

Now, we’re to the Owensboro schools, and first we start with the Apollo Eagles — the high school that Kentucky basketball legend Rex Chapman went to.

Of course, we’re here to talk about the gridiron, not the hardwood. On the gridiron, Apollo has seen better days. After back-to-back 2-9 seasons, Head Coach John Edge needs to turn things around quick, and he would be the first to acknowledge that. After handing off the offensive play-calling duties, Edge has decided that it’s best if he resumes that role.

“We’ve made we simplified everything,” Edge said about Apollo’s offense. “We’ve simplified our pass protection. There’s not a lot of thinking. If you’re gonna play fast and play really ultra-fast, you can’t be really ultra-complicated.”

On both sides of the ball, Apollo has improved in the trenches. On last year’s squad, the offensive line was a major weak point, but getting some of those guys up front more experienced will prove to be pivotal this season.

Plus, now sophomore quarterback Max Johnson said that starting behind center as a freshman was “nerve-wracking”, but he’s dialed in and ready to do big things moving forward. He even noted that he wants to eventually play on Saturdays as well.

Again, despite the rough times for Apollo, they’re looking to bounce back and be among the best teams in Owensboro. Edge and the Eagles have their sights set on potentially hosting a home playoff game. The road starts on August 23rd against the Owensboro Catholic Aces.

Owensboro

The Owensboro Red Devils have been a football powerhouse for over a decade now. Even through coaching changes, Owensboro is always in the mix for a state title, regardless of class. Since making the jump to 5A in 2015, Owensboro has been matched up against some of the best teams in the Bluegrass, and still, the Red Devils are very competitive.

Head Coach Jayson Fallin is looking to cement his place in history and bring home a state title, and the schedule is clearly set up to prepare his team for the playoffs. On Friday, the Red Devils scrimmaged against Mayfield, the defending 2A state champs. In just six days, his team will be scrimmaging against Boyle County, who just four-peated in 4A.

Oh, and they play Christian Academy-Louisville and Bowling Green, who just won state titles in 3A and 5A. Somehow, we still haven’t mentioned that they have to play Owensboro Catholic too, who just got runners-up in 2A.

Hardest schedule in the state, perhaps?

Evan Hampton , who is actually committed to Kentucky baseball, returns to the backfield. As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,552 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also led the Red Devils in receiving yards with 527.

Then, senior quarterback Trevor DeLacey will round out his career in Owensboro after throwing for 2,165 yards and 22 touchdowns. On the ground, he recorded 458 yards and six touchdowns as well. DeLacey looks to build his chemistry with his teammates even further heading into this season.

“The biggest thing is get connected with the guys,” DeLacy noted. “Always got to have a strong relationship with the line receivers. Definitely try to get with each other as much as we could over summer. Just build that relationship.”

With a revamped Rash Stadium in the works, DeLacey is hoping to give the fans a reason to get invested in this team.

“My biggest thing is being able to read the defense, the matchups, everything. Just becoming more confident with the coverages and matchups. Overall, being more confident in the pocket, and just being a confident quarterback. Getting ready to go and lead the Devils to more victory down the road.”

Owensboro could get that first victory when they take on Christian Academy-Louisville at home in week one.

Owensboro Catholic

Last season, Owensboro Catholic was a part of one of the best KHSAA football state championship games of all-time when the Aces took on Mayfield in a 53-48 classic. Of course, the Aces would fall just short of an undefeated season, but now, Head Coach Jason Morris can try and get this team back to the top.

While the Aces are losing some valuable experience on the offensive line, they have a very dangerous weapon behind center. Enter Brady Atwell, the nephew of former Kentucky football player and 1999 Kentucky Mr. Football Travis Atwell.

Last season, Atwell threw for 4,743 yards and 68 touchdowns. Additionally, the WKU baseball commit led the team with 695 yards on the ground and 17 rushing touchdowns. He’ll be one of the best players in the Bluegrass this season, and he’ll have a real shot at winning Mr. Football like his uncle did 25 years ago.

Also, Owensboro Catholic will be returning senior linebacker Vince Carrico, who has led the state in tackles in two of the last three years. He was 2nd in the state in 2022 with 183. Last season, he tallied 197 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss.

Additionally, Owensboro Catholic returns nine of 11 defensive starters, and they added senior transfer running back Dereon Crowe from Owensboro. Crowe, who is committed to play football at Illinois State, caught 28 passes for 432 yards and five touchdowns. Running the ball, he recorded 153 yards and six touchdowns.

The Aces are looking to win the 2A state title this season, but that all starts in week one against crosstown rival Apollo in an away game.

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