Hot early, clutch late, Owensboro stuns Douglass in Class 5A semis
Owensboro’s Red Devils knew after taking a 21-0 lead in the first half of their Class 5A state semifinals game Friday that their heralded opponent, Frederick Douglass, wasn’t just going to lie down or go away.
And the Broncos didn’t, storming back with huge plays on offense and defense to rally to a 27-21 lead with 5:00 left in the game.
But the No. 1 rated Red Devils (12-0) had their own clutch answer.
Owensboro quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, one of the top dual-threat junior signal-callers in the nation and a University of Kentucky recruiting target, hit his running back Ethan Avery in stride on a swing pass in the right flat. Avery did the rest, sprinting in from about 8 yards out and lunging for the front corner pylon to help put Owensboro back in front 28-27 with the made extra point and 1:56 left on the clock.
“I saw the corner. I saw the defender closing in. I was getting that touchdown no matter what, I promise you that,” Avery said of the moment. “I watched the ball go right into the pylon. I knew it was a touchdown. I can’t even put it into words, man.”
Douglass (7-2) had time enough for one last push, but after driving to the Owensboro 10-yard line, the Broncos faced a fourth-and-inches with 23.7 seconds left. Douglass Coach Nate McPeek opted to try a go-ahead field goal from 27 yards out. It missed wide. Owensboro took a knee to wind out the clock from there and advance to next week’s Class 5A state championship in Lexington.
“We got down in the first half and obviously didn’t play very well — starting the game out with a pick-six,” McPeek said afterward. Douglass’s first offensive snap led to an interception return for a touchdown by Owensboro’s Kenyatta Carbon. “Our kids fought really hard. I’m really proud of them. We just didn’t make enough plays at the end.”
Owensboro’s defense frustrated Douglass early and set up short fields for Wimsatt and the Red Devils’ offense. Wimsatt threw a 13-yard TD pass to a wide open Treyvon Tinsley in the first quarter and an 8-yard score to Steve Stevenson in the second quarter to stake Owensboro to a 21-0 lead with 9:25 left until halftime.
Douglass, while rated No. 9 in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s RPI, which is used to seed the second half of the playoffs, rated higher in the Herald-Leader’s Dave Cantrall rankings and in each week’s Associated Press media rankings than the RPI No. 1 Red Devils.
After spotting Owensboro three scores, Douglass began to show why.
On a third-and-21 on its own 17-yard line, Douglass quarterback Samuel Cornett threw a deep ball to junior wideout Dane Key who reached over two defenders and plucked it away as his pursuers fell to the ground. He raced on for an 83-yard TD to cut Owensboro’s lead to 21-7 with 7:02 left in the third quarter.
In the second half, Douglass’s defense began to get stops and got key interceptions from Isaiah Kenney and Caden Johnson.
Kenney’s interception on the Owensboro 13 set up Darius Neal’s 4-yard TD run to cut the lead to 21-14 midway through the third quarter. An Owensboro turnover on downs set up another Douglass scoring drive capped by a Neal 27-yard run to tie the game at 21 early in the fourth quarter. Johnson’s interception at midfield set up Cornett’s 31-yard pass to Dekel Crowdus to give the Broncos the lead, 27-21, after a crucial extra-point miss.
“They were going to battle back, and we knew that was going to happen,” Owensboro Coach Jayson Fallin said. “I’m very proud of how our kids responded to that. It’s a game of momentum and sometimes when momentum’s not going your direction, you’ve got to grab it and take it back and our kids did that tonight.”
Owensboro’s kickoff return and a Douglass penalty started the Red Devils’ final drive in Douglass territory. Wimsatt took advantage with short passes and timely runs out of the pocket to put his team in position for the win.
“I knew I had to go out there and make plays because it was going to be a four-quarter game,” Wimsatt said. “We’ve just got to be able to finish. … I knew (Avery) was going to be open (on the go-ahead score). I had faith in him getting the touchdown.”
Next, Owensboro will face Bowling Green, a 20-0 winner Friday night over defending Class 5A state champion Covington Catholic. The Class 5A finals will be played at 3 p.m. Dec. 19 at Kroger Field in Lexington.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to go to a state championship,” Wimsatt said. “They’re going to be another tough team. It’s going to be another four-quarter game, so, we’re going to have to prepare.”
Highlights
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 12:25 AM.
