By JACOB MOORE, for The Democrat

Brown County kicked off the 2019 football season in impressive style Aug. 23, dominating the visiting Pike Central Chargers en route to a 41-19 win.

The game was even more one-sided than the final score suggests, with Brown County playing few if any first-string players in the second half.

The Eagles soared ahead early and never looked back. The season’s first points came just over two minutes into the game on a 1-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Noah Carter to senior wide receiver Brandon Fleischman.

The Eagles’ second score came on the ground. With 6:41 remaining in the first quarter, halfback Kody Walsh went 27 yards for a touchdown.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

Special teams would help turn the game into a rout on Pike Central’s ensuing possession. The Chargers were forced to punt near midfield, but the snap sailed over Levi McCorter’s head. McCorter eventually chased down the ball, but was immediately smothered by a flock of Eagles, who then took over on Pike Central 30-yard line.

While the Eagles did not score on that possession, the stage was set for the defense to get on the scoreboard. The Chargers took over the ball deep in their own territory and eventually attempted a deep pass over the middle. Sophomore Seth Oliphant intercepted the pass and scampered 25 yards for a touchdown to put the Eagles up 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Pike Central struggled to consistently move the ball in the first half. “We punished them on the line,” said senior nose tackle Landon Hunter, who had a tackle and sack in the game.

Early in the second quarter, Pike Central scored its only points against Brown County’s first-string defense on a short run by Wyatt Frasure. That tightened the score to 20-6.

But the Eagles wasted no time in pulling away, with Noah Carter quickly throwing his second and third touchdown passes. The first came with 7:11 remaining in the quarter on a 33-yard connection with senior Javan Oliphant. Carter then found Walsh in the end zone on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt to extend the lead to 28-6.

Senior defensive back Nicholas Huls intercepted a Pike Central pass on the next series, which set up a 25-yard touchdown strike from Carter to senior Jordan Oswald. This put Brown County up 34-6 at halftime.

“We came out playing like we expected to win,” said Carter. “They really struggled to defend the pass; it was there all night.”

Carter completed 16 of 20 pass attempts for 209 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Oswald led all Brown County receivers with 6 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown in the first half. Those wound up as their final statistics for the game as well, because Head Coach Randy Minniear chose not to play starters in the second half.

“I thought we played well and set the tone early,” Minniear said after the game.

As for benching the first-string players, Minniear explained that the game was in hand and that he wanted to get experience for younger players and minimize the risk of injury to starters.

At the start of the second half, Brown County’s reserve players looked strong despite playing against Pike Central’s first-string. Seth Oliphant — who had scored as a defensive back in the first half — relieved Carter at quarterback and would complete all three of his pass attempts for 25 yards.

On the Eagles’ first possession of the second half, sophomore running back Wanblee Roux plunged into the end zone from one yard out. The extra point made the Brown County lead 41-6.

This led to a historic first for Brown County football: the “mercy rule.” The rule, newly enacted by the Indiana High School Athletic Association this season, calls for a running clock if either team establishes a 35-point lead in the second half. When the rule is in effect, the game clock only stops for time-outs, scores, and the change from the third quarter to the fourth.

Against Pike Central, the rule had the desired effect of shortening an uncompetitive game. However, Minniear has misgivings about the rule. “Our job, as coaches, is to work with everybody, and this shortens time for the young guys,” he said.

Minniear added that he doesn’t believe in running up the score, but believes coaches generally can be trusted to avoid that while getting reserve players more playing time.

Playing mostly against freshmen and sophomores in the second half, Pike Central managed two more touchdowns to narrow the final deficit to 41-19.

The Eagles’ next game will be on the road against Jennings County on Friday, Aug. 30.