The Dragons have a bit of a new look and some new faces, but their season started against a state championship runner-up from 2014. The Owensboro Red Devils came into Jimmy Feix Field with the remembrance of a season ago, when they were on the doorstep of a trophy on that very gridiron. New coaches on both sides as Clay Stephens took the helm for the Dragons and Jayson Fallin became head coach of Owensboro. Both in their first game as head coach, and certainly with the usual trial and error of week one, this was a tough game to call.
Owensboro struck first as GeKove Gardner sacked Chance Shanklin and the Red Devils cashed in on the ensuing possession on a TJ James short touchdown run. Malik Peele would answer for Warren Central with a one yard scamper and the game was tied at 7. Unfortunately for WCHS, that would also be the number they would see on the scoreboard at the end of the fourth quarter. TJ James rushed for three scores for the Red Devils and junior Landon Board had a touchdown and over 100 yards on the ground. Nick Locher has moved on, but new quarterback Zach Gross played admirably, throwing just three incomplete passes in the first half on his way to an efficient night.
One bright spot for the Dragons was defensive takeaways, as they forced fumbles all night long and recovered three of them. Conversely, the Dragons offense had an extremely difficult night snapping the football, which led to several wasted downs and inevitably, punts deep in their end zone.
After all was said and done, the Red Devils tacked on a late touchdown run, the longest of the game for Board, and Owensboro finished off Warren Central at Western Kentucky University by a score of 29-7. Next up for the Dragons is a trip to McCracken County, a very dangerous week two foe. Owensboro heads home to play Madisonville North-Hopkins.
Warren Central vs. McCracken will be streamed live on the Sporting Times Broadcast Network.
