Patriots travel to battle Vikings on Friday

Jay County Patriots

Portland, 0-1

Coach: Tim Millspaugh, seventh year

Conference: Allen County

Last week vs. Norwell: After a relatively promising opening drive, Jay County struggled mightily to move the football and gave up nearly 500 yards of total offense in a 47-0 loss to Norwell. The?Patriots, who managed just 43 yards on the ground, only ran six plays in the second half.

Season leaders: Passing — Quinn Faulkner – 0-for-5 passing for zero yards and one interception. Rushing — Faulkner – 10 carries for 35 yards. Receiving — None. Defense — Kess McBride – 11 tackles, one tackle for loss.

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Huntington North Vikings

Huntington, 0-1

Coach: Bob Prescott, first year at school, 23rd year overall

Conference: Northeast 8

Last week at Warsaw: Huntington North trailed 24-13 at half and didn’t score again in a 52-13 loss to the Warsaw Tigers. Warsaw’s Juan Jaramillo rushed for 239 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers amassed 379 yards on the ground. Deven Newcomb scored both Viking touchdowns, the first on a 99-yard kickoff return and the second on a 41-yard pick-six. Huntington North finished with just 57 yards of offense.

Season leaders: Passing — Reid Johnson – 2-for-5 for eight yards. Rushing — Aiden Denns – seven carries for 33 yards. Receiving — Cam McCarver – one catch for eight yards. Defense — Jackson Holzinger – seven tackles.



Last season: Huntington North’s Deven Newcomb intercepted a pass in the end zone with 45 seconds remaining as Jay County’s hope for a second consecutive comeback fell short in a 27-22 home loss to the Vikings. Grimes threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns, but his pick was the nail in the Patriots’ coffin. A safety in the third quarter and a fourth-quarter field goal for the Vikings broke a tie proved to be the winning points.

Game notes: This is the 25th meeting overall between the two schools, and the Vikings hold a 17-7 edge in the series which was not played from 2004 to 2017. Jay County’s last win over Huntington North was a 28-7 triumph in 2002. ... Jay County hasn’t started a season with back-to-back losses since 2008. ... Huntington North has a Sagarin rating of 42.1, which is 179th overall and 43rd in?Class 4A. Jay County, meanwhile, has a rating of 27.89 for 240th overall and 53rd in Class 4A. ... John Harrell predicts the Vikings to win, 31-30.