By JACOB MOORE, for The Democrat
The Hoof and Talon Trophy is back in Nashville.
Brown County (5-4) closed out the regular season with a 28-18 homecoming victory over rival Edgewood Friday. The win broke a nine-game losing streak against the Mustangs and secured the Eagles’ first regular-season winning record since 2013.
The win also means the rivalry trophy — which the winning school retains, just as Indiana and Purdue play for the Old Oaken Bucket — is in Eagle talons for the first time since 2010.
Brown County controlled the tempo of the game, outgaining the Mustangs 326 yards to 227 while running 71 offensive plays to just 51 for Edgewood. Senior lineman Derek Sears felt improved line play was key. “We stepped it up. We haven’t done that in a long time and I’m proud of everyone,” he said.
Edgewood scored first with a 26-yard field goal by kicker Andre Adkins with 6:08 left in the first quarter.
That lead was short-lived, as Brown County claimed a 6-3 lead on its ensuing possession with junior quarterback Seth Oliphant connecting with senior Travis Ely on a 48-yard touchdown pass with 4:45 left in the first quarter. Most of those yards came after the catch, with Ely catching a pass across the middle, then breaking a tackle and streaking to the end zone.
“I knew I had to put it right over the linebacker but I thought the free safety would come up,” Oliphant explained after the game. “But Travis put on the wheels and went right around him and broke it into a huge play for us. It was a great way to start the game.”
Oliphant and Ely would connect again for a score in the second quarter when Oliphant spotted Ely open in the end zone and lofted him a 32-yard pass. On the two-point conversion, Oliphant found junior Carter Kelly on a pass to put the Eagles up 14-3 with 8:19 left in the half.
Edgewood pulled back within one score at the 4:44 mark when quarterback Andrew Blessinger ran around the right end for a 25-yard touchdown run. The extra point tightened the Eagle lead to 14-10, and that score would remain through the end of the half.
The third quarter was relatively quiet with the teams exchanging punts and the score holding firm at 14-10. One noteworthy occurrence came late in the quarter when Edgewood drew first one and then a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a play. The enforcement of both penalties made for a 30-yard change in field position and set the Mustangs up for second down and 44 yards to gain for a first down.
While the third quarter was scoreless, a 16-second span in the fourth quarter would blow the game open.
First, the Eagles broke the scoring drought when junior running back Wanblee Roux broke a tackle and darted 25 yards for a touchdown to expand the Eagle lead to 20-10 with 8:40 left in the game.
That score turned out to be the opening of a “one-two” punch. The remarkable ensuing kickoff began routinely, with an Edgewood returner fielding the kick. But as the returner neared oncoming Brown County players, the ball shot up into the air. It was unclear in the moment — and even upon review of the video — whether this resulted from an attempted lateral or if the untouched returner somehow lost grip on the ball and batted it upward.
Whatever the cause, Brown County junior Malachi Nickels recognized an opportunity. Nickels managed to get a hand on the airborne ball, knocking it away from the Edgewood returner. The ball then bounced off the turf and directly into Nickels’ arms, allowing him to sprint into the end zone for a touchdown.
“I saw it go loose,” Nickels said. “I just got big eyes, grabbed it, and just kept trucking for the end zone.”
Nickels’ score, along with a second two-point conversion pass between Oliphant and Kelly, put Brown County up 28-10 with 8:24 to play.
Edgewood backup quarterback Quinton Fortier, who normally plays wide receiver, scored on a 15-yard quarterback keeper with 5:01 to play. He then found Shane Wickens on a rollout pass for the two-point conversion to make the score 28-18.
Any Mustang hopes for a comeback were quashed when Brown County recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
“I am so proud of these boys.” Head Coach Randy Minniear said after the game. “They’ve worked so hard. They’ve turned the corner and begun to believe in themselves. As we say, ‘It’s not me, it’s we.’”
The schools won’t have to wait a year to face off again. Brown County drew Edgewood as its first opponent in the sectionals. It was not immediately clear whether the Hoof and Talon Trophy will be up for grabs, or if Brown County will retain possession of the trophy, win or lose.
After the game, Sears saw a straightforward way to settle that question. “We played a good game tonight, but we have to do it next week and win in the sectionals.”
The sectional rematch will be played at Edgewood and kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23.
