Out of reach

HUNTINGTON — The Patriots answered the Vikings’ quick score with a strike of their own.

And for nearly five minutes, they had a one-point lead.

But once the Vikings jumped back out front, things started to unravel offensively.

Jay County High School’s football team committed three turnovers — two of them led to points at the other end — and had trouble stopping the Huntington North rushing attack in a 45-13 loss to the Vikings on Friday at Kriegbaum Field.

“Once we got down a significant amount at half … we’re not a throw-the-ball-every-down team, especially when opposing teams know you’re going to do it,” said JCHS coach Grant Zgunda, whose team dipped to 1-1 on the season. The Patriots will open Allen County Athletic Conference play on Friday against the Southern Wells Raiders (0-2) in Poneto. “We had some injuries — I’m not making excuses — it was just a bad night all around.”

Once Huntington North (1-1) jumped back out front, 12-7, following Noah Wagner’s second touchdown of the night, Jay County’s next drive ended in an interception.

With his corners playing man-to-man, safety Colt Hacker provided help over the top and hauled in an overthrown Sam Dunlavy pass for the pick. It took the Vikings two plays to go 41 yards as Luke Teusch scored from the 28.

Hacker had another pick late in the first half.

“We decided to go one-on-one with our two corners,” said HNHS coach Bob Prescott, a 1984 Jay County graduate. “That was by far his best game he’s played for us.”

The Patriots, who trailed 18-7 at half and stopped the Vikings in the red zone on the opening drive of the second half, were six plays into their ensuing possession before Sam Close stripped Caleb Hale and took the ball to the house for a 38-yard touchdown.

“Across the board we had breakdowns everywhere offensively and defensively,” Zgunda said. “We’re going to learn from it and it’s part of the process.”

Huntington North set the tone for its offense on its first play from scrimmage when Wagner, who finished with 160 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, got a bulk of his yardage when he broke free at his team’s 30 and sprinted to the end zone for a 76-yard score. 

Both Garret Johnson (113 yards) and Wagner eclipsed the century mark for rushing yards as the Vikings amassed 421 yards on the ground. (Huntington North totaled 502 against the Patriots last year.)

With a mix of fullbacks up the middle or around the right side, or Wagner going to the left on a counter, the Vikings were able to move the ball almost at will by keeping the Patriots guessing.

“When we pulled we got to the linebackers and got them sealed and got some seams for our running backs,” Prescott said. “I think our kids communicated pretty well and for the first time our pullers got on linebackers and stayed.”

In a 41-6 defeat last week against Eastbrook, Huntington North had played more of a spread offense, and that’s what Zgunda said he and his coaching staff had prepared for and expected the Vikings to do.

“It was one of those things that happens from time to time,” he said. “We had some guys get hurt. I thought we made adjustments at halftime when we had time to do it and came out and played better in the second half defensively. By then it was too late.”

Coming off a week in which he rushed for a career-high 179 yards and three touchdowns, Faulkner again surpassed the 100-yard mark with 129 yards and a TD on 15 carries.

Hale, who reached the end zone for a 25-yard TD late in the contest to end a stretch of 39 consecutive Viking points, finished with 68 yards on five carries.

“We have just got to keep trying to be more physical,” Zgunda said. “That’s the name of the game in football. We’ve made strides there, but when you play someone like Huntington that is a real physical team, you have to match that.

“At times we did and at times we didn’t.”