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All season long, the goal for the Collins football team has been to get back to Bowling Green, site of the Class AAAA state championship game.

The Titans, last season’s runners-up, are one victory away.

If they can win today’s state semifinal at eighth-ranked Owensboro (10-3) (kickoff is set for 4 p.m. EST), the No. 5 Titans (11-2) will return to the title tilt and face the winner of tonight’s other semifinal, No. 1 Highlands (12-1) at No. 6 Lexington Catholic (10-3), at 4 p.m. EST next Saturday at Western Kentucky University’s Houchens Industries/L.T. Smith Stadium. Highlands won last year’s final, 47-0.

“We’re one game away from playing for a state championship. I know our kids are excited,” Collins Coach Jerry Lucas said. “But we know the road to Bowling Green goes through Owensboro.”

In the Red Devils the Titans likely face their toughest 4A foe of the season.

“They are an outstanding football team,” Lucas said.

Owensboro, whose only losses this season were to 5A No. 1 Bowling Green (12-0), a team many consider the best in all of the state’s six classes, 41-7, on Sept. 13; traditional 5A power Warren Central, 28-7, on Oct. 4; and 6A heavyweight Henderson County, 28-27, on Nov. 1.

The Red Devils average 37.3 points per game and allow only 16.8.

“They are really good with what they do,” Lucas said.

What Owensboro does is run the triple-option.

“They run the option as well as any team I’ve seen,” he said.

Through last week the Red Devils, who average 235.5 rushing yards, ranked fifth in 4A in that category and boast a very balanced attack, with six players averaging 21 or more rushing yards per game.

Sophomore fullback Anthony James leads with 44 yards per game (576 yards and seven TDs on 71 carries), and junior running back Airius Phillips had 43 yards per game (559 yards and nine TDs on 71 rushes). Junior quarterback Nick Locher, who has passed for 986 yards and 17 touchdowns with five interceptions this season, is third on the team with 36 rushing yards per game and leads the team with 13 rushing TDs.

Senior fullback Brandon Alessi led Owensboro with nine carries for 87 yards and one touchdown in its 21-13 victory over Franklin-Simpson in last week’s Region 1 final.

“Their option attack presents us with a different scheme than any we’ve faced,” Lucas said. “First and foremost, you are going to have to stop them from running the football to win the game.”

Last week the Titans held North Oldham, which entered the game with the top-ranked rushing attack in 4A, 68 yards below its collective average.

“We still have to play assignment football, and we’re going to have to fly to the ball,” said Lucas, whose team allows 136.4 rushing yards per game.

On the flip side, Owensboro allows just 115.8 rushing yards (the Red Devils rank second in 4A in that category) but 277.2 passing yards per game.

“For us we’re just going to do what we do,” said Lucas, whose team averages 167.1 rushing yards and 224.3 passing yards per game. “As always it should come down to turnovers and who can control the line of scrimmage.”

http://www.sentinelnews.com/content/one-...title-game