Progress in defeat

Eddie Fields called time out with 8:31 on the clock in the second quarter.

To that point, his team had 55 yards of offense and four first downs.

The Class 2A No. 1 defending state champions had run three plays, gained 5 yards and punted.

Eventually the game shifted, with Adams Central imposing its will. But there was significant progress for the Jay County High School football team Friday despite its 40-0 loss to the visiting Jets.

“I thought we moved forward. I thought our kids grew, and they were better,” said Fields, who is in his first year leading JCHS. “I thought the positives out of our kids — the toughness and playing hard — came back. And we hadn’t seen it for two weeks.”

The Patriots were left reeling a week earlier when they lost 21-14 to a Southern Wells squad that had dropped 21 in a row overall and 25 straight in the Allen County Athletic Conference.

In between, they regrouped.

“We bounced back hard this week,” said senior quarterback Nick Laux. “We focused on doing the little things right and working hard — playing together no matter the outcome.

“I thought we came out and just worked hard. That was the biggest thing. We used that experience we had last week to humble us, and everybody rallied together this week and went at it.”

Jay County (1-3, 0-2 ACAC) started in a completely new look, eschewing the offensive formations they had run over the course of the first three weeks in favor of the double wing.

It was effective early.

Using the tightly packed formation based on deceiving the defense, the Patriots needed just two plays to get a first down on carries of 4 and 7 yards from Leighton Brown. They punted three plays later, but responded by forcing a three-and out for Adams Central (4-0, 1-0 ACAC).

    Jay County running back Leighton Brown takes a handoff from quarterback Nick Laux during the second half of Friday night’s 40-0 loss to the Class 2A No. 1 Adams Central Jets. Brown carried the ball on the first two plays of the game and picked up a first down for the Patriots. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)

JCHS gained more momentum on its second drive, which started with an 8-yard run from Brady Jetmore. It chipped away, with Carter Fugiett converting a fourth-and-2 on the first play of the second quarter en route to moving the ball to the 29-yard line.

The home team tried to get the first points on the board, sending freshman kicker Jacoby Penrod out to attempt a 46-yard field goal. He had the distance, but his boot hooked just wide left.

Still, to that point the Patriots had held the ball for 13 minutes, 37 seconds, while Adams Central had run just three plays.

“Their game plan was such that they took us out of what we wanted to do,” said ACHS coach Michael Mosser. “We came into this ball game not knowing what the heck they were going to do. We’ve seen a gamut of things from them offensively. …

“We had no clue. And this, to be honest, I didn’t think this. …

“Kudos to them. It’s a good game plan against us. And if their game plan was to hold the ball and drive and prevent us from scoring, they accomplished that.”

The game turned when his Jets touched the ball for the second time, with senior running back Joey Everett breaking a 67-yard sweep for a touchdown around the right end. After Vance Miller ran in a 33-yard score, Adams Central quarterback Jamison Roach hit Everett for a 29-yard TD that made it 19-0 at the half.

The visitors went on to score on every possession after their short-lived opening drive, with Miller adding touchdown runs of 5 and 3 yards in the third quarter as part of his 12-carry, 122-yard evening. Thomas Laughlin reached paydirt on a 3-yarder in the fourth.

Though the scoreboard was more lopsided than in the previous two seasons against ACHS, the Patriots walked off the field Friday night with a much more hopeful outlook than they had seven days earlier.

“We told our kids this week, we’re going to bet on our toughness,” said Fields. “We’ve tried the option game; it hasn’t worked. It’s not who we are.

“I thought they played really tough. … That’s who we’ve got to be. And I think that fits the community. …”

“We left New Castle kind of confused. We left Southern Wells with very little hope,” he added. “I think our kids were scared we were a bad football team. Even as bad as the score is, I think we leave tonight as a hopeful football team that can grow and win football games.”