By JACOB MOORE | For The Democrat
The Brown County Eagles played hard on Oct. 29, but ultimately the season came to an end with a 34-0 defeat in the second round of sectionals against Owen Valley.
Brown County finishes the season with a record of 5-6. The Eagles were 5-5 last year and 5-6 in 2019. Those seasons mark the first time Brown County has won five games or more in three consecutive seasons since a stretch from 1986 to 1989.
After Pike Central jumped out to an early 6-0 during the first round of sectionals Oct. 22, Brown County rallied for a 47-20 win in an opening-round Class 3A sectional game.
The Eagles scored 47 consecutive points to lead 47-6 at halftime. Senior Wanblee Roux scored on touchdown runs of 2, 10 and 10 yards and a 27-yard reception from senior quarterback Seth Oliphant, all in the first quarter. Oliphant threw two scoring passes to senior wide receiver Malachi Nickels and ran for another touchdown in the second period.
After winning against Pike Central, Brown County then hosted Owen Valley in the sectional semifinals on Oct. 29.
The Oct. 29 game was a rematch with the Eagles having kicked off the 2021 campaign with a trip to Owen Valley on Aug. 20. The Patriots prevailed in that contest 52-6. That game was an omen of things to come for Owen Valley, which boasted a 9-1 record coming into Friday’s game and was ranked sixth in Class 3A.
“[The game] was a unique opportunity to play a team 10 weeks later and see how we stack up now,” said Head Coach Colton Sample after the game.
“I am proud of the team. When things got rough they could have folded, but instead fought their butts off the whole way.”
The rematch was a more competitive game.
Though the Eagles were ultimately shut out, that is somewhat deceptive as two would-be touchdown passes were dropped in the end zone. Another dropped pass would have put Brown County inside Owen Valley’s 10-yard line in the first quarter.
After a relatively dry start, the clouds opened up midway through the first quarter and a steady downpour of rain continued the entire game.
Owen Valley kicked off the scoring with a 1 yard plunge by junior running back Christian McDonald with 6:05 left in the first quarter. Junior Kyler Walker added the extra point to put the Patriots up 7-0.
McDonald would strike again with 3:22 in the opening quarter, this time on a 32-yard run that put Owen Valley up 14-0.
Owen Valley would add to their lead with a long drive in the second quarter.
The drive was keyed by a 37-yard run by junior quarterback Brody Lester, which then took the ball into Brown County territory.
Later, Owen Valley faced a fourth down and one from Brown County’s 12-yard line. Lester ran a quarterback keeper to get the first down, but then shook off a would-be tackler and found the end zone to put Owen Valley up 21-0 at the 3:00 mark.
One of Brown County’s best chances to score came on the last possession of the first half with the Eagles driving all the way to the Owen Valley 17-yard line with 25 seconds to play.
On second down, Oliphant escaped a sack and scrambled to his left. Meanwhile, Nickels came open in the end zone. Oliphant threw under pressure and it would have required an impressive over-the-shoulder catch, but unfortunately Nickels couldn’t secure the ball.
In the third quarter McDonald found the end zone for the third time on another 1-yard dive and extended Owen Valley’s lead to 28-0 with 10:42 in the quarter.
Scoring would be closed out with a 79-yard scamper by Lester with 7:11 left to play in the third quarter. The extra point was missed making the score 34-0.
The second half ended much like the first with Brown County driving inside Owen Valley’s 10-yard line. Oliphant found senior running back Kody Walsh in the end zone, but as Walsh went to the ground the ball escaped his grasp. Time would ultimately run out before the Eagles could score.
The constant rain played havoc with Brown County’s spread offense. The Eagles operate almost exclusively from a shotgun formation and most running plays begin with the running back running parallel to the offensive line to take a handoff and then cutting up field.
“The field was a sloppy mess,” said Walsh. “It was hard to make any cuts.”
Sample agreed, “The rain affected our running game. And if you can’t run it makes it harder to throw.”
Owen Valley’s offense is less sophisticated and relies on the running talents of Lester and McDonald. Most plays involve either Lester or a running back getting the ball and plowing ahead. On a soaked field, that simplicity was an asset as Owen Valley operated their offense essentially as normal.
Though this was his first season as head coach, Sample has been a part of that improvement as he was an assistant under Randy Minniear who retired after the 2020 season.
Sample credited the team’s 12 seniors, but is also optimistic the program can continue its upward trajectory.
“We’ll have four starting offensive linemen coming back, three wide receivers and five guys who’ve played a lot on the defensive front,” he said.
Owen Valley proceeds to the sectional championship game this Friday, Nov. 5 at Vincennes Lincoln.
