Ball had a good debut for Daviess County football
Aug. 22—Heading into the season opener against Meade County, Daviess County had two quarterbacks to use Friday night at Reid Stadium.
Senior Jack Ball and junior Lake Wilson would handle the quarterback spot and direct the Panthers' Multiple Pro Style offense.
They were teaming up to fill the job after Joe Humphreys graduated after throwing for 3,940 yards and 48 touchdowns last season.
Ball and Wilson weren't scripted for an amount of plays to get in the game, this new approach for the Panthers would be based on how things were working on the field.
"Coach Oliver and I talked about playing the hot hand, if we're rolling let's don't make a change," DC head coach Matt Brannon said, talking about offensive coordinator Dalton Oliver.
Ball took some time to get comfortable, missing his first couple of passes, but his performance improved in the second quarter as the Panthers scored on four straight possessions in the first half and their first possession of the second to build a 43-7 lead. DC won 43-14.
"I really settled down in the second quarter," Ball said.
Ball finished 8-of-12 passing for 235 yards and four touchdowns. He hit Decker Renfrow three times for 186 yards and three touchdowns, one for 76 yards and another for 70.
Ball did a good job of keeping pass plays alive by scrambling, and he worked the read option run game for 31 yards on seven carries.
"I'm just glad Jack kind of woke up in the second quarter," Brannon said. "He's a gamer, when the lights go on he plays much better. He just needed to get hit a few times, we talked about that, let's call a play that gets him hit early, get him flowing. Jack has a little more in the run game, we want to get him more involved in the run game, I think that's why we stayed with him. It's a 2-headed monster back there with Jack and Bryson running the ball."
Bryson Parm had 12 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns.
Brannon thought there were a few more times that Ball could've kept the ball instead of giving it to Parm.
"When he keeps it, Jack has got the pass option to go with it. That's triple option but it looks different," Brannon said.
Having a fast target like Renfrow who can turn medium-range catches into long gains also helped Ball.
"It's a good combination," Ball said of running and throwing. "It helps me get going in the pass game and the run game. Coach Oliver did a great job with the play calling."
Renfrow thought Ball handled his debut game quite well.
"Jack did a great job," Renfrow said. "He may not be the most vocal person but he's going to come out and put in the work. He's not one who you can question his effort at all. He's going to do whatever to help the team. He's playing defense every snap and then he's quarterback, he's throwing a great ball, scrambling running his heart out."
Both Ball and Wilson play defensively for DC.
Wilson played a couple of series at quarterback in the second half. Brannon said the quarterback situation will remain the same, with an even split reps throughout the season.
"We'll make sure Lake understands he's still in the competition," Brannon said. "Lake is starting on defense, it's not like we're using Lake to spell Jack. They're both playing on defense. Both are great athletes, they have unique abilities."
