Encouraging opener

It’s hard to be happy after a loss.
However, given the recent history of the rivalry between Jay County and Delta, the Patriots can take a lot of positives away from their season-opening defeat.
JCHS fell 24-8 to the visiting Delta Eagles on Friday, but it was on the board first, trailed by just six at halftime and had more than three times as many yards in the first half as it did in the entire game a year ago.
“It was a football game. It hasn’t been that way in a couple years,” said Steve Boozier, whose Patriots lost to Delta 58-7 and 55-0 in his first two seasons at the helm. “I think we found some things we can do. We’ve got to get better at executing them.
“We’ve all watched it the last few years. Two years ago it was 50-0 at halftime and last year it was 28-0 at halftime. That wasn’t the case this year.
“There are a lot of positives.”
Jay County, which has lost 20 straight on the field to Delta, started the game on a positive note by holding the Eagles (1-0) to a three-and-out on their first possession and then driving the ball 39 yards in eight plays. It gave the ball away on a fumble at Delta’s 35-yard line, but the visitors’ ensuing drive didn’t last long.
Senior Darren Bogenschutz made a one-handed interception on an attempted swing pass by Delta quarterback Cade Jones and returned it 35 yards up the right side for a touchdown.
“It was a great way to start a game,” said Boozier. “It’s the second year in a row … we got a turnover early in the game. This year we capitalized on that turnover. It was exciting.”
The play, which put JCHS up 6-0, had both the sidelines and the stands buzzing, but Delta tied the game on its next possession.
The Eagles marched down the field in seven plays, and Jones connected with Jalen Robinson on a 23-yard jump ball over Cameron Kunkle on the left sideline.
Another 23-yard connection from Jones to Robinson following an interception got Delta going on its second-quarter scoring drive. Bryce Dishman added a 27-yard run on a counter play, and Mason Bechdolt gave the Eagles the lead for good on a 15-yard TD run.
Delta was up by six at the intermission, Bechdolt scored on a 17-yard run in the third quarter and Joe Spegal added another 17-yard TD run less than three minutes into the fourth to make it 24-6. Jay got its final two points when a snap sailed over the head of punter Eagles Rob Fox and out of the end zone for a safety.
“I’m impressed with Jay County. They’re a good football team,” said Delta coach Grant Zgunda. “It was a hard-fought game.
“You’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. They’re solid. … It was a tough game.”
Robinson keyed the Delta offense in the first half with three catches for 78 yards. Bechdolt carried the ball just eight times, but picked up a team-high 65 yards.
“I was really impressed with Mason Bechdolt in the second half,” said Zgunda. “He got some good first downs for us.”
Zach Metcalf picked up 86 rushing yards on 21 carries for the Patriots to lead the offense. Cade Price and Radney Pearson each had 11 tackles.
And Kunkle, a sophomore, also drew high praise from defensive coordinator Tim Millspaugh and Boozer.
After getting beat by Robinson for Delta’s first touchdown, Kunkle came up with an interception in the end zone in the third quarter. He also picked off a pass on a 2-point conversion attempt, and nearly had a third interception.
“Cameron Kunkle is the shining star,” said Boozier. “We knew he had tremendous athleticism. We weren’t sure if he knew he had tremendous athleticism.
“I’m not proud of the fact that he got two picks and almost got a third. I’m proud that he did it after he got burnt, because in the life of a (defensive back), you’ve got to forget.”
With Jay County’s scores coming from the defense and special teams, the Patriot offense went scoreless against Delta for the second straight season. But it was much more effective at moving the ball, picking up 136 yards in the opening half after the varsity players gained just 28 yards in the entire game a year ago.
Two lost fumbles and an interception helped derail potential JCHS scoring drives.
“We’ve got to stop the fumbles,” Boozier said. “We had three fumbles. We had two we lost, and then we had the one that stopped the drive. We just can’t do that, especially against the better opponents on our (schedule).
“All in all, we were able to move the ball up and down the field. Now we’ve got to be able to continue and get some scores.”[[In-content Ad]]