Career first

DECATUR — Twenty-two years ago to the day Mark “Tank” Addington scored his first career touchdown against the Braves to help the Patriots to a win in the sectional opener.

On Friday night, a Patriot repeated history.

Defensive lineman Austin Schoenlein intercepted a pass from Daniel Selking and took the ball the 25 yards to the end zone, scoring his first career touchdown as the Jay County High School football team rolled to a 42-7 victory over the Bellmont Braves in the IHSAA Class 3A Sectional 28 opener on Friday.

With the victory, Jay County (3-7) snapped a six-game losing streak and claimed its first postseason win since 2017. 

“This is all about (the players),” said JCHS coach Grant Zgunda. “I’m happy for them that they get the chance to get a win. 

“We’ve come close here a few times in the last six weeks and that’s a long stretch to go without winning a game.

“I’m just happy for them, as far as history goes. They played hard. I just like this team. They work hard and get better and better each week.”

The Patriots move on to host Bishop Luers (6-4), which beat Norwell 42-7 Friday.

The Jay County defense had faltered briefly in the second quarter to allow the only Brave points of the game, but it locked down in the second half.

On the first play of Bellmont’s opening drive of the third quarter, Will Franze got stood up on a rush for a 1-yard loss. Selking dropped back on the second play, but received immediate pressure. Lucas Strait managed to get a hand on the ball before Schoenlein caught it around the 25-yard line and took it to the house for his first career TD. (More than two decades earlier, Addington caught a fourth-quarter touchdown pass — the first of his career — from Patriot quarterback Cameron Hummel to lift JCHS over the Braves in a sectional opener.)

“Lucas tipped the ball and I was right behind him to catch it,” Schoenlein said. “The first thing I thought was to run for a touchdown.

“I can’t believe I caught the ball, made a touchdown, first career touchdown. I was just so excited.”

The defense stepped up in other ways in the second half as well. The Patriots sacked the Bellmont quarterbacks five times — Selking took four hits and Easton Curtis took one — after the intermission. Rhysin Blowers and Corey Emery took Selking down on back-to-back plays, Strait got to him once and Isaac Dues hit both quarterbacks once. (Jay County had six total sacks for a loss of 44 yards.)

“That was our game plan to get after the quarterback,” Zgunda said. “We blitzed and brought our outside linebackers in to bring six-seven guys a lot tonight. … Isaac Dues was phenomenal. Austin Schoenlein was phenomenal, really happy for him. Lucas Strait, he’s just a phenomenal player.”

The Patriots didn’t have much trouble scoring against Bellmont (0-10). They went to the ground early and often, scoring their first three TDs on rushes from A.J. Myers (2 yards), Leighton Brown (11 yards) and Bailey (2 yards).

After getting off to a strong start, the Patriots faltered a few times at the end of the second quarter. They pushed the lead to 20-0, but a roughing the passer call that erased third-and-13 eventually allowed the Braves their only touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Selking to Cole Barger as two Patriot defenders slipped on the grass.

The offense had a miscue as well with a false start that eventually created a third-and-7 situation. Ward and Sean Bailey made up for the mistake with a 42-yard TD pass to go up 26-7 at the half.

Bailey also broke out for a 60-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to finish the night.

“It’s the five guys up front,” Bailey said. “That’s all that matters right there. If they can block, we can move the ball. And I trust in the block.”

The win secured the goal coming into the season of bringing a sectional victory back to Jay County.

“This is amazing,” Bailey said. “That was my one goal coming into the season to get a sectional win. … It’s great momentum, we rolled over them. We just gotta keep our heads level and continue to work and get ready.”