No. 17 Owensboro scores 61 unanswered behind DaMarcus Ganaway's school-record six passing touchdowns

After a surprising loss to Apollo last week, No. 21 Madisonville – North Hopkins could have really used a win over cross-district rival No. 17 Owensboro. The Maroons started their season with a red-hot 7-0 record which included a 25-22 win over No. 14 Paducah Tilghman.

A win over a top 20 team like the Red Devils could have cemented them as one of the true best teams in Class 5A. However, it was Owensboro who could come away with the win, and it wasn’t even close.

After Madisonville got up 7-0, Red Devils junior quarterback DaMarcus Ganaway would proceed to throw a school-record six passing touchdowns as Owensboro would finish the game by putting up 61 unanswered points.

Evan Wilson scored first in the game to make it 7-0 Maroons, but that’s all that would happen for Madisonville offensively on Friday night.

Owensboro would respond immediately via a Kingston Dillard 67-yard receiving touchdown with 9:53 to go in the first quarter. Red Devils senior linebacker Xavier Conrad would then get an interception on a 50-50 ball in the middle of the field, which then led to a 37-yard touchdown run for four-star tailback and future Vanderbilt Commodore Evan Hampton to make it 14-7 through one.

Madisonville would get their second quarter going with a rather nice, methodical drive down the field, but unfortunately for the Maroons, they’d just miss a 42-yard field goal from the left hash. It only got uglier from there.

The Red Devils would proceed to pile on touchdowns in a multitude of ways. Through the air, of course, but they also got a 60-yard scoop and score and in the blink of an eye, Madisonville was staring at a 28-7 deficit, their largest of the season (until a few minutes later.)

At the half, it was 34-7 Owensboro, and yet, the domination would only continue to ensue as Red Devils head coach DaMarcus Ganaway Sr. (yes, he’s the quarterback’s dad, and yes, he named his kid after himself) would leave the starters in the game.

With the postseason quickly approaching, it’s important to make sure your guys are well-conditioned for a four-quarter fight, right?

Madisonville’s Evan Wilson would get an interception in the second half, but the Maroons just couldn’t capitalize. They were dead in the water following their scoring drive way back in the first quarter. Wilson would also later block an Owensboro PAT — a big night for the senior on senior night. It just sucks for Madisonville that he was their only player that really had a performance to remember.

A few more passing touchdowns from Ganaway and a school-record later, and Owensboro would walk away with the 54-point victory. There’s a lot of really good teams in Class 5A like Cooper, Atherton and Pulaski County just to name a few, but maybe — just maybe — the Red Devils are the best of them all.

They definitely showed why you could make that argument on Friday night.