jester270

How did the defense do tonight? Looked like much improvement from what I saw. What does 102.7 think?

SW CAL BG Madison Central Beechwood TB: 38 pts

Apollo's D will be battled tested yet again against a run heavy offense. Will they be able to adjust to their mistakes made in week 1? This game could be a huge determining factor as to whether or not Apollo can hit their ceiling. Give me the Eagles with their first W of the season!

Cal by a lot.

My response should have answered your question, Homer

Come on now, we are questioning John Edge now? Get out of here with that. Have you followed football in the area in the past 2 decades? They graduated a whole defensive unit and now it’s a coaching problem? Week one is over. They will adjust and improve. Teams can have growing pains, but it’s all about how they overcome those issues. If anyone can figure adjustments out for the Eagles, it’s John Edge. They will figure their depth out and will continue to get better throughout the season. I have said it before and will say it again…. This Apollo team last night fought hard to stay in the game. They faced one of the best blocking units in the state. Heritage Hills will be another HUGE test, but I am confident they will bounce back. Apollo is battled tested early on to prepare for a tough district. Previous Apollo coaches would have loaded their schedule with less competition. Edge plays chess, not checkers. If this team stays healthy and figures out their defensive box, then they will be a sleeper when games matter the most.

How many rushing yards did Hampton have against CAL last year? This game could start the conversation of Walker>Hampton if OHS is competitive

Very irritating lol. Wait until OC plays OHS. He is a BIG OHS homer

Hats off to Murray. They earned it. But I’m not sure how we jumped from “Apollo gave up 58 in a double OT shootout” to questioning whether they can contend in 5A after one game. If we’re going to evaluate the whole team and make brash claims, let’s evaluate the whole team. Apollo ran the football better last night than they did at any point last season. That’s a pretty significant development. The offensive line opened holes in the run game and gave Max Johnson plenty of time to throw. When Max had time, he made plays. Apollo finally showed the ability to hurt you on the ground AND through the air. That should probably be part of the conversation too. Does the defense need to improve? Absolutely. Nobody wearing blue is celebrating giving up 58. Tackling, assignments and getting off the field all have to get better. But declaring a team questionable as a 5A contender after Week 1 because of the final score of a DOUBLE OVERTIME game seems a little premature. Especially while conveniently ignoring everything Apollo showed offensively. Murray deserves credit. Apollo’s defense needs work. Both things can be true. But it’s August 22nd, not November. Might want to give the Eagles more than four quarters and two overtimes before making predictions about being contenders in 5A.

First game, a lot of growing pains at the LB position. One thing I liked is the fight that Apollo had. Past teams wouldn’t have fought as hard. #75 may the best lineman in Western Kentucky, IMO.

Can't wait to see how this young matches up against Dillard for OHS!

No disrespect, but you need two tackles to field an offensive line. I am not sure how strong they are at the other tackle position, or as a collective unit.

If Driver lines up at DE, I do not imagine anyone from OC being able to keep him off the QB.

On paper, Apollo should dominate the district, and should be one of the favorites for the region. Luis Rosado has entered Apollo's halls, standing at 6'6 with a massive frame. He will be a huge compliment to the size that Apollo already has.

Michael Lawrence has committed to Murray State. Big news for Michael and the Apollo Eagles.

Apollo’s defense will be tested in this one, especially up front with the size Murray brings along the line of scrimmage. The Eagles will have to tackle well and keep mistakes to a minimum, but I think they have the depth and experience defensively to keep this one close. Offensively, Apollo has plenty of skill around Max Johnson to make Murray defend the entire field. Lillpop, Williams, Green, Milburn, Jones and Mattingly give them a lot of different options, and with four returning offensive linemen, this is an experienced group that should be able to move the football. Apollo's run game seeks to see much improvement after last year, too. Based on their scrimmages, they have a great running back rotation with several guys who can make explosive plays in their own ways, respectively. (Milburn, Mattingly, Jones, and rising sophomore Llayton Wade) Big thing for me is how well Apollo travels. Going to Murray is never an easy trip, and they’ll need to come off the bus ready to play. If they handle the road environment, limit mistakes and get the ball to their athletes, Apollo will win.

Highlands Trinity Scott Co. Owensboro Apollo TB: 56

From what I heard, Apollo was really focusing on depth at the WR position this week. With that in mind, they moved the ball GREAT. 2 fumbles, a few dropped passes killed those drives. Defensively, their offense had them in bad spots, but managed to have some great stops. Caldwell's QB has been a 3 year starter (?) and he has improved every year that Apollo has played them. Their defensive ends played really well, too. The key positive that I can take away from this scrimmage is the great showing by Apollo's defense, but offensively, they had way too many mistakes. It will be interesting to see how they game plan against Murray. Apollo struggled in the Caldwell scrimmage last year, but turned around and hung with Murray the following week. If they can eliminate mistakes and turnovers, they will be right there with them again.

Apollo at Murray will be an interesting game. This game was very close last year.

All of the baseball guys that came out seem to have found a solid role. Burger (FB/TE/DE), Lillpop (played a lot of outside receiver and made a tremendous grab in 1v1 coverage), Milburn (hasn't missed a beat since returning from his injury) and Jackson Carder (looks to play DE?)

I would never sleep on St. X. I have Owensboro starting 0-2

I was very impressed with Barren’s D-Line last year when they played Apollo. Is their big nose tackle back? He might have been one of the best DTs Apollo faced all year, IMO.

Yes, him and Brayden Mattingly both ran the ball well. O Line has improved greatly.

Williams, Lillpop, Green, Gabe Jones just to name a few. Lillpop made an absolutely ridiculous catch over a DB in man coverage. From what I saw, that kid is legit. Apollo has some dudes at the skill positions.

Apollo executed very well. They will need to tune up their run defense (Meade has a couple of good looking RBs), but overall great cohesion- especially offensively.