Aces hoping to build on late surge

Aug. 19—It was a tale of two halves with regard to the 2021 football season for Owensboro Catholic, with a remarkable seven-game winning streak — following a 0-5 start — having Aces players, coaches and fans exceedingly optimistic about what can be accomplished this fall.

"A lot of people wrote us off midway through the regular season," Aces head coach Jason Morris said, "but we made no excuses, we believed in each other, we kept the faith, and we developed into a much better football team down the stretch.

"Looking ahead, I'd say we're right there. We feel like the way we finished the 2021 season has put us in a position to be even better this season — a good foundation has been built for us to take the next step.

"We have a great environment here, and we're ready to go."

OFFENSECatholic's dynamic attack will be directed by 6-foot-3, 225-pound sophomore quarterback Brady Atwell, who went 33-of-64 through the air for 379 yards and six touchdowns as a backup last fall.

"He's as talented a kid as I've coached at any position," Morris said. "Brady has the size, athleticism and skill to be a very special football player."

Stellar sophomore Vince Carrico figures to be a top-tier running back, with senior Jack Terry, junior Eli Blair, and freshman Miles Edge also expected to be impact ball carriers. Catholic must overcome the loss of 1,000-yard rusher Hunter Monroe, who transferred out of the program.

Junior Tut Carrico, meanwhile, will lead a receiving corps that will also include senior Will Edge, senior Tanner Roberts, juniors Deuce Sims and Reid Clark, along with sophomore speedster Warryn Ebelhar.

Up front, Catholic will be talented and deep, showcasing seniors Logan Bell, Chris Lewis, Gabe Davis, Gabe Hodskins and Tyler Simone, juniors Major Pride and Luke Frey and sophomore Michael Lyon.

"I really love our chemistry on offense," said Morris, whose unit must also overcome the graduation loss of multifaceted Braden Mundy. "We have the capability of being very balanced and unpredictable, because I see us being able to throw and run the ball with great effectiveness.

"Our line is very solid, and I see our attack as being tough to defend."

DEFENSEThe Aces — who will operate out of a 3-3 stack or 4-2-5 — were ferocious on defense down the stretch last fall, led by 5-foot-11, 195-pound linebacker Vince Carrico, one of the commonwealth's elite tacklers as a freshman (199 tackles, including 16 for loss).

His brother, Tut Carrico, and junior Eli Blair should hold down the other linebacker posts, with Lyon, Atwell and sophomore Chris Burns also in the mix.

On the line, Lewis, Davis, Lyon and Frey will see action at the end slots, and at nose guard Simone leads a group that includes Hodskins, Bell and junior Noah Girten. A key sub along the line figures to be freshman Barrett Evans.

There are a host of contenders to fill roles in the secondary, including Clark, Sims, Will Edge, Roberts, seniors Lincoln Ferguson and Michael Hyland and juniors Carson Lewis and Kaiser Frick.

"Any time you're returning your leading tackler, it's a good thing, and that help sets the tone and expectations for the entire unit," Morris said. "We also return our entire secondary, and I expect us to be a stronger, faster and more experienced defense than we were last year.

"Once we settle in on this side, we're going to be tough."

SPECIAL TEAMSSenior Dominic Ranallo will handle place-kicking chores, and the kickoff duty is likely to go to freshman Andrew Garvin. Atwell will handle the punting chores, making him a threat to run or throw the football on fourth down.

Kick returners are Tut Carrico, Terry, Clark, Will Edge, Miles Edge and Cam James.

"Losing a kid like Braden Mundy is a blow to our special teams," Morris said, "but I feel very good about the personnel we have. We put a lot of time in on special teams because we know it can be the difference between winning and losing."

OUTLOOKCatholic won two KHSAA Class 2-A postseason games last fall and would like to double that production, and then some, this time around.

"The expectations here are always high in this program, and that's the way it should be," Morris said. "We're trying to take the next step up the postseason ladder, and I believe we have the type of group to make that happen.

"The goals within this program are always lofty. We want to win the 2-A regional championship and put ourselves in position to win the state championship. We'll always take it a game at a time, of course, but those are our goals."