Bowling Green travels to Owensboro for western Kentucky high school battle

Week two of high school football in the Bluegrass is upon us.

KSR will have boots all over the state this weekend. Brady Byrdwell travels to Versailles where No. 21 Woodford County (0-1) hosts regional foe Simon Kenton (1-0) in the Kroger KSR Game of the Week on Friday. Daniel Hager will make the trip to Danville on Saturday to watch No. 10 Lexington Christian Academy (1-0) play No. 1 Boyle County (1-0) — each team won their respective games in the Rafferty’s Bowl last week at Western Kentucky University.

As for myself, I’ll be heading up north to cover a Top 25 matchup featuring No. 14 Bowling Green (0-1) at No. 22 Owensboro (0-1). Both squads will look to bounce back after suffering tough losses in week one.

Bowling Green’s talent

Remember last week’s Kroger KSR Game of the Week? Remember when junior quarterback Deuce Bailey produced 478 yards? Well, despite this, the Purples fell just short of victory to LCA. But, you can count on Bowling Green coming in with more will to win than ever.

Bailey is backed by absolute weapons on all sides of the ball. Trevy Barber is a sophomore WR for the Purples who totaled 101 yards receiving and 138 yards off of kickoff returns (including a 90-yard run on a return for a touchdown to start the game). Matthew Klein and Ethan Warder were also big contributors to the Purples offense, combining for 202 yards receiving.

Even though LCA’s offense proved to best the Purples’ defense, I expect high intensity on the latter’s side of the ball Friday for Bowling Green. A loss to LCA speaks more to the raw talent on the Eagles roster (four-star Kentucky commit Cutter Boley among them) and less to the Purples’ defense. I expect a good week of practice and film sessions will assist the Purples in adjusting whatever holes may lay in their defense. After all, it is only week two.

How does Owensboro match up?

Red Devils junior QB Trevor Delacey had a good night against No. 9 Christian Academy of Louisville, which bested Owensboro 28-14 in last week’s season opener. Despite this, Delacey threw for 201 yards, converting on 14 of 23 attempts. Owensboro, led by head coach Jayson M. Fallin, put up 325 yards of total offense.

Other big contributors to Owensboro’s offense include sophomore Evan Hampton, who tallied 93 yards receiving, and sophomore Chadyn Morris, who followed with 59 receiving yards of his own.

The Red Devils will benefit off of momentum shifts and keeping their offense explosive this Friday. Tight defense is also going to be crucial for a successful game against the Purples, considering the weapons within Bowling Green’s roster.

The home-field advantage also plays a major factor in Friday’s matchup. The Red Devils get to enjoy their fans on their turf in their town. Although an hour drive isn’t a horrible trip for Bowling Green fans, it may disincentivize people to come out and support their team.

Nevertheless, Friday night lights is back in the Bluegrass, and you can expect both of these teams to come out with a chip on their shoulder. The game will start at 8:00 p.m. EST on Friday night at Rash Stadium in Owensboro.