Owensboro Catholic isn’t just the No. 1 seed from its district. The Aces are the top seeds overall in Class 2A and could play at home in the football playoffs through the state semifinals.
Caldwell County gets the first shot at Owensboro Catholic Friday night at Steele Stadium.
The Aces are perfect so far this season, carrying a 10-0 record into the postseason.
Perhaps more importantly, Owensboro Catholic leads the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s RPI, which would keep the Aces at home for the first four rounds of the playoffs, as long they keep winning. The only road trip would be a visit to Kroger Field in Lexington Dec. 1 for the state championship game.
Caldwell, meanwhile, is a huge underdog in this week’s matchup. However, the Tigers will go into the postseason with some momentum after picking up their first win of the season last week — a 41-7 triumph over Trigg County in the annual 139 Bowl.
But Caldwell is just 1-9 and is averaging only 11 points a game. Owensboro Catholic puts up 47 points a night behind heralded junior quarterback Brady Atwell.
Atwell leads the state with 3,073 passing yards in 10 games and also tops the state in touchdown passes with 45. He has been intercepted just five times for an Owensboro Catholic team that averages almost 460 yards of offense a contest.
Atwell also leads the Aces with 444 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing.
Last month, SBLive Sports named Atwell one of the Top 20 high school quarterbacks in the nation.
So far, though, Atwell’s only college scholarship offer has come from Eastern Kentucky University.
Senior William Carrico is Owensboro Catholic’s top receiver with 59 catches for 1146 yards and 118 touchdowns. He is also second on the defense in tackles with 79 and has four interceptions this year.
Junior linebacker Vince Carrico leads the Aces on the defensive side of the football with 150 tackles this season, including four sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Caldwell is led by junior running back Gus Fox, who has rushed for 376 yards and four touchdowns this season while also leading the Tigers with 17 receptions for 233 yards and four more scores.
Junior quarterback Luke Parker has passed for 415 yards and five touchdowns while being picked off just twice.
Sophomore linebackers Jack Roach and Cooper Mobley head up the Caldwell defensive effort. Roach has a team-high 106 tackles along with three interceptions and a fumble recovery while Mobley is second on the team with 80 stops.
Caldwell and Owensboro Catholic have met five times previously — all in the playoffs. The Aces have won four of those, including the last meeting in 2010, 43-14. The Tigers’ win over Owensboro Catholic was a 14-13 decision in 2000 — the only one of the matchups to be played in Princeton.
However, the teams aren’t totally unfamiliar with one another after scrimmaging two seasons ago in Owensboro. The Aces visited Caldwell for a preseason tilt the previous year.
Kickoff time is set for 7:00 on Friday.
The winner will face either Crittenden County or Todd County Central in the second round.
The Tigers-Aces matchup can be heard on WPKY 1580 AM, 103.3 FM Friday night and online at WPKYonline.com.
