It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the Christian County Colonels will take a high school football win any way they can get it.
Despite four turnovers and 130 yards of penalties, the Colonels ended their 12-game losing streak by hanging on to defeat host Daviess County 12-10 Friday night in a Class 6-A, District 1 game in Owensboro.
Kemarion Ford intercepted Daviess County quarterback Remington Davis at the Colonels’ 10-yard line with 37 seconds left and ended the Panthers’ last scoring threat.
“It wasn’t pretty, but at this point we’ll take a win any way we can,” said Christian County coach Ethan Atchley after the game. “We’re going to enjoy this one, but we have a lot of work to do to fix some things before next week.”
Friday’s victory was Atchley’s first at Christian County. His Colonels are now 1-6 overall and 1-0 in district play.
Christian County took a 6-0 lead with 6:35 to play in the first half on a 23-yard pass from Jaiden Williams to Josh Bridges. The conversion failed.
Daviess threatened to take the lead late in the half after a 67-yard run by Gatlin Maysey. However, the Colonels’ defense stiffened and force a field goal attempt and Asher Hendrix’s 36-yard attempt was wide right on the last play of the half.
Christian County squandered two other scoring opportunities. The Colonels were inside the Panthers’ 20-yard line twice in the first half but came away empty due to penalties and mistakes. A 17-yard scoring pass from Williams to Bridges was called back due to a penalty early in the second quarter.
Daviess took its first lead with 5:20 to go in the third quarter when the Panthers fumbled the ball into the end zone and offensive lineman Ben Barren fell on it. Hendrix’s extra point gave the Panthers a 7-6 advantage.
Ford fumbled three plays later and Daviess turned the mistake into a 25-yard field goal from Hendrix for a 10-6 advantage with 1:45 left in the third.
The Colonels answered on their next drive, going 78 yards in eight plays. Tristan Dillard scored on a 22-yard run, carrying a pair of Panther defenders with him into the end zone with 10:16 to go. Dillard finished the night with 113 yards on 21 carries. It is the first time this season that a Colonels running back has gone over the 100-yard mark in a game.
On the next drive, Daviess drove to the Colonels’ 19-yard line, but Maysey tried to pitch the ball to a teammate as he was being tackled and the Colonels’ CJ Banks scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the Panthers’ 1-yard line.
However, Christian County fumbled the next snap and the Panthers got the ball back with 6:23 to play.
The Colonels caused the Panthers to turn the ball over on downs at their own 12, but Christian County turned it back over to Daviess on downs with 2:40 to play.
Thanks to two 15-yard penalties on third-and-10, the Panthers worked the ball to the Colonels’ 17-yard line. But Ford’s interception sealed the win for the Colonels.
Maysey led all rushers with 207 yards on 28 carries. The Panthers outgained the Colonels 284-265.
Christian County returns to action Oct. 18 at home against McCracken County in another Class 6-A, District 1 game. The Mustangs defeated Henderson County 59-57 Friday night in another district game.
Score by Quarters
Christian Co. 0 6 0 6-12
Daviess Co. 0 10 0 0-10
Individual Scoring:
CC: Jaiden Williams, 23-yard pass to Josh Bridges; Conversion run failed.
DC: Ben Barren, fumble recovery; Asher Hendrix, kick.
DC: Hendrix, 25-yard field goal.
CC: Tristan Dillard, 22-yard run; Conversion run failed.
File Photo