Henderson County faced its toughest challenge of the season Friday night, meeting a top-15 Owensboro Senior High team. The Red Devils rolled to a 65–3 win over the Colonels to close out the regular season at Rash Stadium.
Owensboro (8–2) entered the night riding a seven-game win streak and looked every bit the powerhouse they’ve been all season, piling up 564 yards of total offense compared to Henderson’s 83.
On the first play from scrimmage, senior running back Evan Hampton took a handoff up the left side, ran through a wide gap, and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown.
Henderson County (4–6) managed to put together one scoring drive in the opening quarter, a 15-play, 60-yard possession. Junior quarterback Brody Belt completed a pair of key passes to junior wide receiver Christian Haygan, while running back Anzerion Marigny chipped away with several short gains.
The drive stalled deep in Owensboro territory, but junior kicker Miles Pryor drilled a 40-yard field goal to put the Colonels on the board. Pryor, a reliable piece all season, provided the Colonels’ lone points. He’s now 27-of-29 on extra points and 3-of-4 on field goals this season.
Then, the Red Devils got the ball back. On their very next offensive play, the Vanderbilt-commit Hampton repeated the act, bursting down the field for a 64-yard score.
Two plays, two touchdowns. Less than 8 minutes into the game, Owensboro led 14–3 and did not look back.
Owensboro’s offense, quarterbacked by junior Damarcus Ganaway, Jr., was relentless. The Mandarin High School (Fla.) transfer and son of the head coach threw three touchdowns and ran for another.
His favorite target, sophomore receiver King Dillard, caught two touchdowns, including a 10-yard strike in the second quarter that broke Owensboro’s single-season record for receiving touchdowns with 13.
By halftime, the Red Devils led 37–3, only a point away from triggering a running clock to start the second half. The home team tacked on four more scores in the second half to close out the game.
Despite the margin, Head Coach John Elliott said he was encouraged by improvements in discipline and execution.
“I thought we did better tonight,” he said. “The illegal procedure calls, some of the penalties, some of the mistakes we had from lining up in wrong formations or coverages—we cut back on a lot of those tonight.”
Belt finished 5-of-14 passing for 52 yards, finding Haygan three times for 40 yards. The Red Devils’ secondary shut down Henderson’s leading receiver, Avant Baxter, holding him without a catch for the first time this season. Baxter entered the game with 438 yards and five touchdowns on the year.
Henderson’s offense failed to establish the run. The Colonels averaged just one yard per carry against a tough Owensboro defense, led by 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker Ty Ashley, who recently secured an offer from Penn State.
Marigny led Henderson with nine carries for 28 yards, followed by Kieran Cole with 11 yards and Kingston Shidler with eight.
Marigny has been a standout this season, rushing for over 400 yards while also holding down a starting spot at cornerback. Reflecting on the team’s performance, he pointed out areas for improvement.
“We need to tighten up our coverage,” Marigny said. “The secondary has to get it right, and really, everyone has to do their part heading into next week.”
Senior linebacker Jack Ryan Reusch and junior safety Jaxton Duncan led the Colonels’ defense. Reusch finished with seven tackles, while Duncan added six. Haygan added five tackles, including a sack and a tackle for loss. Senior linebacker Zarian Rideout also contributed four tackles and one tackle for loss.
Duncan, coming off a small breakout performance, emphasized preparation. “We need to show up to practice and get everyone to their assignment,” Duncan said. “Hopefully, we can build on the positives and carry them into the playoffs.”
The Colonels finish the regular season at 4–6 under first-year head coach Elliott, whose focus now turns to the postseason.
“We’ve made some progress and made some inroads in changing the culture a little bit,” he said after the game. “It’s taken a while, but I think the kids have adapted to what we’re trying to get done. We’re looking forward to the playoffs.”
After running into the power of an Owensboro team that’s outscored its last seven opponents by 341 points, the Colonels now shift their sights toward redemption in November.
Henderson will face Meade County (2-8) in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs next Friday. The Colonels enter the matchup looking to recapture some of the offensive rhythm that carried them early in the year.
“We’re going to continue to get better in practice each day this week,” Elliott said. “On Friday night, we’re going to start our ‘Wander Kentucky’ tour, and we’re going two hours to Meade County.”
Kickoff in Brandenburg will be set for 6 p.m. Central Time as the Colonels start the Class 6A playoffs.
BOX SCORE
Owensboro 65, Henderson Co. 3
Henderson Co. Owensboro
6 First Downs 17
29-31 Rushes-Yards 17-295
5-14-1 Comp-Att-Int 12-18-1
52 Passing Yards 269
83 Total Yards 564
2-2 Fumbles-Lost 0-0
2-20 Penalties-Yards 3-35
4-37.5 Punts-Avg. 1-18.0
Henderson Co. 3 0 0 0 — 3
Owensboro 21 16 14 14 — 65
O – Evan Hampton 70 run (Cooper Ellis kick)
HC – Miles Pryor 40 field goal, 15 plays, 37 yards
O – Hampton 64 run (Ellis kick)
O – Kingston Dillard 33 pass from DaMarcus Ganaway (Ellis kick)
O – Safety
O – Ganaway 30 run (Ellis kick)
O – Dillard 10 pass from Ganaway (Ellis kick)
O – Hampton 52 run (Ellis kick)
O – Ayden Fountain 53 pass from Ganaway (Ellis kick)
O – Omarian Tee Green 42 run (Ellis kick)
O – Khalil Shemwell 27 pass from Tyson Biggs (Ellis kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Henderson Co. – Anzerion Marigny 9-28, Kieran Cole 4-11, Kingston Shidler 6-8, Jack Dalton 7-4, Brody Belt 2-(-3), Team 1-(-17).
Owensboro – Evan Hampton 9-198, Omarian Tee Green 2-53, Amare Roney 4-23, DaMarcus Ganaway 2-21.
Passing
Henderson Co. — Belt 5-14-1 52.
Owensboro – Ganaway 10-15-1 224, Tyson Biggs 2-3-0 45.
Receiving
Henderson Co. — Christian Haygan 3-40, Jack Ryan Reusch 1-12, Hezekiah Harris 1-0.
Owensboro – Kingston Dillard 5-112, Jaileon Bryant 3-43, Ayden Fountain 1-53, Khalil Shemwell 1-27, Kalil Shemwell 1-18, Christopher Coy 1-16.
