BCF 8-28-24

Bedford County Post, Wednesday, August 28, 2024— 13A Fast start evaporates as Vikings fall in opener By RICKEY CLADRY Sports Writer H OHENWALD — The Community Vikings got o ff to a fast start and took the opening lead and only trailed 7-6 after one quarter, but the Vikings could not stop a Lewis County Panther onslaught in the second quarter as the Panthers put up 43 points and put the game out of reach as Community fell 64-6 in the opening game of the 2024 football season Friday night. The Vikings could not have asked for a better start after the Panthers took the opening kicko ff to start the game. After Lewis County picked up a fi rst down on its opening possession, the Panthers fumbled the ball and Issac Jacobs recovered to give the Vikings possession at their own 30-yard line. The Vikings followed on their second play from scrimmage as quarterback Nyles Barnett teamed up with Jacobs for 68 yards, giving Community a fi rst-and- goal at the Panther 4-yard line. TheVikingdrivestalledasCommunity lost nine yards on the next two plays, but on third down from the Panther 13, Barnett found Charles Haskins in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown to give Community the lead. The run for two failed as Community led 6-0 with 8:35 remaining in the opening quarter. “My left guard went down on play one with a collarbone injury, so we were trying to fi nd that piece, but Coach Eady was talking about they were trying to hit Isaac on a slant,” Coach Chris Grooms of the Vikings said. “We know Haskins can fi nd space,” Grooms added. “He’s our go to in the fi eld.” On the ensuing kicko ff , the Vikings kept their momentum with Haskins recovering the kick, giving Community possession at mid fi eld. “Haskins got the little hop,” Grooms said. “We had a lot of hats on the ball and got it. It was going our way.” The Vikings used two Panther o ff side penalties to gain a fi rst down and moved the ball to the Panther 35-yard line, but two false starts pushed the Vikings back. The momentum shifted as a Panther interception gave Lewis County the ball at its own 43. A key third down conversion and a 17- yard run with a Viking penalty tacked on gave the Panthers a fi rst-and-goal at the Community 8. Braylon Bean followed with an 8-yard run to put Lewis County on the scoreboard. The extra point by Henry Sharp gave the Panthers a 7-6 lead with 3:02 left. A three-and-out forced the Vikings to punt, giving the Panthers possession as time expired in the quarter with Community trailing by just one. But with turnovers and mental mistakes plaguing the Vikings in the second quarter, the Panthers went on a scoring spree that Community could not stop. Lewis County continued its drive from the fi rst quarter, culminating with a 2-yard run by Brycen McDonald that gave the Panthers a 14-6 advantage with 11:12 left. After the Panthers recovered the ball on the kicko ff , Lewis County added to its lead as Bean scored from nine yards out to give the Panthers a 20-6 leadwith 9:44 remaining. With the Vikings failing to pick up a fi rst down the remainder of the half and penalties hurting the Community cause, the Panthers added four touchdowns and took a 50-6 lead to the intermission. The Panthers added two touchdowns in the second half to end the scoring for the night.“ When you’ve got kids going bothways and we don’t have their subs ready to go, it’s hard to be mentally prepped when you’re out there for 48 straight minutes playing,” Grooms said. “We knew we were going to have some freshmen playing,” Grooms added. “We trained them and taught them to do the best you can, but when you’re going against a senior and you’re a freshman, sometimes they just outrun you.” Community returns to action with its fi rst home game of the season against Eagleville next Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m. Community 6 0 0 0 — 6 Lewis Co. 7 43 7 7 — 64 First Quarter C — Charles Haskins 13 pass from Nyles Barnett, (2pt. run failed) 8:35. L — Braylon Bean 8 run, (Henry Sharp kick) 3:02. Second Quarter L — Brycen McDonald 2 run, (Sharp kick) 11:12. L — Bean 9 run, (kick failed) 9:44. L — Kobe Feichtinger 45 pass from McDonald, (kick failed) 7:27. L — Bentley Kelsey 2 pass from McDonald, (Bean 2pt. run) 6:34. L — Dakota Hull 6 pass from McDonald, (Kade Carroll 2pt. pass from McDonald) 2:52. L — Aiden Wise 21 pass from McDonald (Bean 2pt. run) 0:44. Third Quarter L — Carroll 9 pass from McDonald, (Sharp kick) 1:07. Fourth Quarter L — Gavin Coker 28 run, (Sharp kick) 6:20. Charles Haskins hauls in a 13-yard pass from Nyles Barnett for the score, giving the Vikings the lead in the opening quarter. –Post Photos by Rickey Clardy Cascade can’t hang with Moore Co. in 2nd half STAFF REPORT L YNCHBURG — An inspired fi rst half wasn’t enough for Cascade as the Champions couldn’t match Moore County’s pace in the second half and dropped the 2024 season opener, 33- 7, on Friday night in Lynchburg. Moore County’s Isaac Petty struck the fi rst blow and put the Raiders on the board in the second quarter with a short touchdown run. Cascade answered the Raider score in short order when Max Smith tied the game at seven, following the successful Gabe Perez kick after. With 2:31 left in the half, Moore County utilized its two-minute drill and Raider quarterback Gavin Wise connected with Logan Cashion on a 25-yard touchdownpass toput the hosts up 14-7 at the break. Moore County padded its lead with its longest scoring drive of the night and Wise again went to the air, this time fi nding Petty on a 15-yard touchdown pass. Moore County added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, both coming from junior tailback Chris Merical for the fi nal margin. Cascade returns to the Stable for the home opener on Friday night, hosting Richland at 7 p.m. Cascade 0 7 0 0 — 7 Moore Co. 0 14 6 13 — 33 Second Quarter MC — Isaac Petty TD, (Jax Ross kick), C — Max Smith TD, (Gabe Perez kick), 2:31. MC — Logan Cashion 25 pass from Gavin Wise, (Ross kick), 0:33. Third Quarter MC — Petty 40 pass from Wise, (Kick failed) 4:51. Fourth Quarter MC — Chris Merical TD (2pt. attempt failed), 9:51. MC — Merical 4 run, (Ross kick) ABOVE: Max Smith tries to escape the Moore County pressure. He scored Cascade’s lone touchdown on Friday night in Lynchburg. RIGHT: Quarterback Peyton Wireman scans the field, looking for a receiver. –Photos courtesy of Je ff Reed Isaac Jacobs is off to the races after catching a 68-yard pass from Nyles Barnett, setting up a first-and- goal for the Vikings in the opening quarter.