Lapel batters the Patriots

LAPEL — The Patriots lost three key offensive starters in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs took out their starters at halftime with a comfortable lead.

Injuries to skill players hampered any chance the Patriots had at moving the football offensively while Tyler Dollar ran rampant through the defense as the Jay County High School football team limped its way through a 35-0 loss to the Lapel Bulldogs on Friday at The Boneyard.

“We lost our best receiver the first play of the game,” said JCHS coach Grant Zgunda, whose team dips to 3-5 on the year after three consecutive losses. “Then two of our running backs in the first quarter. We’re not deep. It was an ugly game.

“I hope we’re able to get all those guys back. A couple other guys went down (too). We’ll have to reevaluate Monday and go from there.”

It was the final regular-season road game for Jay County, which hosts the Heritage Patriots on Friday for the Patriot Trophy.

Senior Kess McBride fielded the opening kickoff and hurt his left ankle as he was tackled. Not long after that, running back Brady Davis dislocated his shoulder and he spent the rest of the night on the sideline with his right arm in a sling.

To add even more salt to the Patriot wounds, Jay County’s leading rusher and receiver, senior Quinn Faulkner, was knocked out of the game late in the first quarter with an upper body injury.

The combined absence of McBride, Davis and Faulkner, who also start on the defensive side of the ball, allowed Dollar to weave his way in and out of the JCHS defense en route to the end zone on four occasions.

Dollar scored on a 30-yard run in the first quarter after Jay County punted on its first possession, which was the general theme for the night as well.

Lapel (6-2) scored on its second drive, too — a 9-yard pass from Brennan Stow to Will Alexander.

Dollar reached the end zone for the second time on the Bulldogs’ next possession, breaking free at the JCHS 40 for a 47-yard TD.

The 5-foot, 10-inch, 180-pound junior, who had 1,085 yards on the season before Friday night, scored on a 13-yard run less than four minutes into the second quarter and added a 59-yard scamper with 3:39 before halftime.

“I think the injuries we had early, the whole team, everything went down,” said Zgunda, whose team trailed 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and 35-0 at halftime. “We didn’t do a good job of tackling him, obviously.

“He’s a good back. He’s already rushed for 1,000 yards coming into tonight but we made him look better.”

Dollar finished with 187 yards and four TDs on just seven carries. Stow ended his night 8-of-11 passing for 92 yards and one touchdown.

Jay County went three-and-out on three of its first five possessions, and only had two first downs before halftime. One was on the opening drive — with a healthy roster — and the other was late in the second quarter as the result of a Lapel penalty.

The Patriots hobbled into halftime with a mere 14 yards of total offense as eight of their 23 plays over the first two quarters went for negative yardage.

Jay County ended the night with 37 yards of total offense on 34 plays (1.08 yards per play) while Lapel had 370 yards on 37 plays (10 YPP). Sheldon Minch’s seven punts covered 231 yards, just one more than what the Bulldogs had rushing for the game.

Kadin Ridenour led Jay County in rushing with 20 yards on two fourth-quarter carries. He had a 15-yard run that put the Patriots in Bulldog territory for the first time all night. Caleb Hale had 15 rushing yards on five totes.

Quarterback Sam Dunlavy, who was sacked four times for a loss of 20 yards, didn’t have much time when throwing the ball. He completed just three of his seven pass attempts for 10 yards.

“It’s frustrating, but like I told them, we have games left to play,” Zgunda said. “I’m not giving up. You’re not giving up.

“The main thing for us is going to be injuries (and) if those guys can play and play effectively.”