Campbellsville hands Danville fourth straight shutout loss

Danville hit the road but still couldn’t get to the end zone.

The Admirals traveled an hour from home in their longest road trip so far this season only to be shut out for the fourth consecutive game Friday as they fell to Campbellsville 36-0.

The Admirals’ offense put its defense in difficult positions with turnovers and trouble moving the ball.

Danville (0-6) turned the ball over four times in the first half and five times in all and managed only 43 yards on offense – 29 rushing yards and 14 passing yards.

Campbellsville (7-0) took advantage of the Admirals’ mistakes to score five times in the first half, starting the running clock before the end of the second quarter.

Campbellsville is the No. 1-ranked team in Class 1A in the statewide media poll, and coach Dale Estes keeping his team focused and humble has been a key to the Eagles’ success.

“You won’t play for us if you’re not giving us effort. My coaches and staff do a great job coaching them and keeping them humble,” Estes said.

After the Admirals were forced to punt on their first series, Cross Watson gained 27 yards on Campbellsville’s first play from scrimmage to set the tone for the game.

An Eagles touchdown was called back due to a penalty minutes later before Watson ran the ball 10 yards for their first score.

Braylon Beard scored on a 5-yard run to give Campbellsville a 14-0 lead, but the Admirals responded with a first down on their next series. However, Beard intercepted a pass by Naythan Doyle and returned it 2 yards for a score that made it 22-0 in the closing seconds of the first quarter.

An interception by Rowan Peteet gave the Eagles the ball back early in the second quarter, but Danville’s defense held on fourth and 1 to give the Admirals the ball back.

However, the Admirals were intercepted once again on third down, this time by Les Colvin, who scored on a 20-yard return.

The Admirals seemed to be moving the ball downfield on multiple occasions, but the Eagles always had a response.

Yet another interception – Beard’s second of the game – led to a touchdown that started the running clock with 5:26 left in the first half.

Danville got some first downs and had multiple scoring chances against Campbellsville’s junior varsity, but little mistakes such as penalties and turnovers kept them off the scoreboard in the second half.

The fourth quarter went by quickly with the running clock ticking down fast. Danville gained another first down but couldn’t take it to the end zone to end their dry spell.

The Eagles coach Dale Estes said, “You won’t play for us if you’re not giving us effort. My coaches and staff do a great job coaching them and keeping them humble.” He clarifies that keeping his team “focused and humble” is essential on and off the field.

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Danville begins its District 2A-6 schedule this Friday with a game against Leslie County at Centre College’s Andy Frye Stadium.

Leslie (4-2) is coming off a bye week following a win over Paintsville in which quarterback Landry Collett threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

Collett has thrown for 1,309 yards and 14 TDs for the Eagles, who have gotten two-thirds of their offensive yardage through the air.

The Admirals played the closest game of their winless 2023 season against Leslie, falling 25-19 in Hyden.

K.J. Dismeaux, right, of Danville tries to break free from a Campbellsville defender as teammate Sasha Wade (52) moves in to block during the first quarter Friday. (Photo by Daejah Montgomery)

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