No. 8 Owensboro rolls past No. 10 Pulaski County to capture first state title since 1986

The Class 5A State Championship would serve as the sixth and final game of the weekend — a top 10 matchup between No. 8 Owensboro and No. 10 Pulaski County. Both programs carry a winning tradition that rings excellence, yet neither one had won a state championship in over a decade. The Maroons last one won in 2014, and as far the Red Devils go, you’d have to go all the way back to 1986 to find their last state championship.

Under first-year head coach Damarcus Ganaway Sr., Owensboro has been an absolute wagon. After starting the year 0-2 with losses to No. 2 Christian Academy-Louisville and No. 7 St. Xavier, Ganaway’s team won 12 consecutive games entering the state championship. Last week, they really opened some eyes around the state with a 49-6 win over No. 21 Woodford County.

As for Pulaski County, they came into Saturday night as winners of eight straight after losing to No. 16 Johnson Central and No. 3 South Warren in back-to-back weeks. They scored north of 40 points in every playoff game leading up to last week when they shut out No. 17 Atherton 17-0.

Both teams were on a hot streak heading into Saturday night, but at the end of the day, only one team could reign victorious.

That team ended up being Owensboro as they got a 35-7 win over Pulaski County in the Class 5A State Championship to clinch their first state title since 1986 and third in program history.

According to Ganaway Sr., it was their mental toughness and focus that propelled them to victory on Saturday.

“It was just about a mindset,” the Red Devils’ head coach explained. “Every week, we had a different mindset to kind of keep us focused on the task at hand. Also, it was just about us continually trying to find corrections, find ways to get better, continue to come together and play for each other because at the end of the day, we knew what it was going to take to hoist the trophy at the end of this tournament.”

We got some fireworks early as Owensboro’s Tre Shemwell returned a Pulaski County punt for an 84-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 Red Devils early. Shemwell danced and ran practically sideline to sideline as he evades the Maroons’ special teams unit.

Pulaski County would go to punt yet again with 3:57 to go in the first quarter, but the Red Devils muffed it as the Maroons pounced on the ball to set themselves up for a Kasen Brock rushing touchdown to even the score at seven apiece.

Four-star Vanderbilt signee and Owensboro running back Evan Hampton would get the second quarter started by breaking free for a 43-yard dash to the end zone to give the Red Devils the 14-7 lead. Then, as time expired in the first half, Hampton would muscle the ball into the end zone for a two-yard score on 4th & Goal. It was 21-7 Owensboro at the break.

Red Devils receiver Chadyn Morris reeled in a deep 41-yard pass from quarterback Damarcus Ganaway Jr. to extend the lead 28-7 in Owensboro’s favor to get the second-half party started. Hampton would follow that up by recording a three-yard rushing touchdown to make it 35-7 — the score it would be as the Red Devils officially reached the mountaintop for the first time in 39 years.