By JACOB MOORE, For The Democrat
Brown County hosted West Vigo Sept. 16, as the Eagles sought their first win of the season. The visiting Vikings had other plans, and used a potent aerial attack to build an early lead then leaned on a triple-option running attack to chew up yards and time en route to a 41-12 victory.
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West Vigo wasted no time seizing the lead. On the second play from scrimmage, Viking quarterback Kaleb Marrs found tight end Preston Montgomery on a crossing route.
Montgomery hauled in the pass in stride and ran untouched for a 60-yard touchdown.
Marrs struck again with 7:05 left in the first quarter when he found wide receiver Eli Roach for an 18-yard touchdown pass. West Vigo missed its first extra point but kicker Kyson Daugherty converted his second kick to put the Vikings up 13-0.
With 3:11 left to play, Marrs threw his third touchdown pass of the first quarter, this one a 24 yard toss to wide receiver Deandre Lowe. The touchdown put West Vigo up 20-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Vikings’ success through the air came as something as a surprise, at least based on their offense, the traditionally run-heavy triple-option. For the remainder of the game, West Vigo’s offense returned to earth with all three remaining scores coming on the ground.
The first of these proved to be the lone second quarter score, a 19-yard rumble by running back Rhyan Shaffer which extended the Vikings’ lead to 27-0.
For their part, the Eagles struggled to find a rhythm on offense. Montgomery, who had scored the first points of the night and also plays on West Vigo’s defensive line, had three sacks in the first half. Overall, West Vigo would register five sacks in the game. The lack of sustained offensive drives put even more pressure on an Eagle defense already stretched thin.
Low numbers and youth have been an ongoing struggle for Brown County this season. There were 25 Eagles in uniform against West Vigo, and only seven of those were juniors or seniors. “A ton of those kids are freshman who haven’t played before.
“There’s obviously talent there but there’s also a lack of experience,” head coach Colton Sample said after the game.
Brown County’s first possession of the second half ended with an interception returned deep into Eagle territory by West Vigo’s Tyree Cuffle.
Two plays later, fullback Brock Higgins took a handoff up the middle and barreled 16 yards into the end zone, carrying multiple would-be tacklers with him for the last 10 yards. The extra point extended the West Vigo lead to 34-0 with 10 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter.
West Vigo’s next drive culminated with Higgins’ second touchdown of the night, this one from five yards out.
Coach Sample referenced Higgins after the game.
When asked about the challenge of a team mostly of mostly freshmen and sophomores taking on juniors and seniors, Sample said, “Oh yeah. You look at a 15-year-old, a freshman, and then look at – for example the fullback for West Vigo – he’s got a full beard and been in the weight room for three years. Physical maturity makes a big difference.”
The Eagles answered with their best drive of the night, notably against West Vigo’s first-string defense which had been stifling up to this point. The drive was sparked by a 34-yard pass between sophomore quarterback Noah Lewis and freshman receiver Dominic Daniels.
Two plays later, Lewis lofted a ball toward the endzone and junior wide receiver Brady Bond out-jumped a Viking defender to haul in a 22-yard touchdown.
“It was a go route. Just one-on-one,” Bond said.
“The ball seemed to hang in the air for eternity.”
The extra point attempt was no good, leaving the score at 41-6 with 2:20 to play in the third quarter.
With a rolling clock and both teams playing reserves, the fourth quarter moved quickly. It was nearly a scoreless quarter, but with West Vigo attempting to run out the clock, Brown County sophomore defensive back Kody Shugars stripped the ball from a West Vigo ball carrier and ran it in for a touchdown.
“Some of my boys had hit him and he was almost still so I just reached in and ripped the ball away,” Shugars said after the game.
The score was the last play of the game and accounted for the 41-12 final score.
Brown County’s next two games will be on the road, first at Greencastle then at South Putnam. The Eagles will close the regular season with two home games, hosting North Putnam on Oct. 7, then rival Edgewood on Oct. 14.
