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| Vikings hand Tribe 7th loss |
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11/8/2019
By Dan Manley
Advocate Sports Editor
The night after Halloween began as a good one for the Montgomery County Indians.
’Twas a crisp, clear moonlit night at Viking Stadium in Morehead.
Senior Austin Eichenberger began the night with a 39-yard kickoff return to the Viking 37 yard line.
Eleven plays and over six minutes later the Indians hit the end zone on a nine-yard pass from Trey Ishmael to Tanner Orme.
The Indians did fail when they went for two on the extra point but still led 6-0 with 5:38 to play in the opening period.
Montgomery County got a taste of things to come after the ensuing kickoff. Rowan County went 74 yards in 12 plays for a first and goal at the Tribe’s six yard line. Fortunately for the Indians, play No. 13 of the series turned unlucky for the Vikings when they fumbled and junior Ayden Gilreath recovered for the Indians at the three yard line.
That, however, only proved to be a brief reprieve for the Indians.
Montgomery County used runs of 26, 13 and nine yards by senior fullback Josh Wheaton, who went over 1,000 yards on the season during the drive, to march to the Rowan County 28. But then a 15-yard penalty and an incomplete pass led to the Vikings taking over on downs at their own 34.
They scored in seven plays as junior halfback Cole Wallace recorded the first of what would be three touchdowns on the night on a nine yard run. Nathan Besant booted the extra point and the Vikings had a lead they would never relinquish.
The Indians only other possession in the first half saw them give the ball up on a pass interception with under a minute to play before intermission.
The game would continue to be a grind it out stalemate through the third period.
Rowan County took the opening second half kickoff an went 61 yards in 11 plays in a drive that took 5:12, scoring on Wallace’s 10-yard run as the Vikings moved in front 14-6.
But the Indians came right back with a 63-yard drive in nine plays, scoring on a 29-yard pass from Ishmael to Orme on fourth and 13 with 2:32 to play in the third quarter.
The Indians failed on another two-point conversion try and still trailed 14-12 and things went downhill from there.
Rowan County linebacker-fullback Jacob McDaniel, a 6-2, 223 pound senior, stopped the two-point conversion try and then on the first play after the Montgomery County kickoff he rambled 34 yards to the Montgomery County 20 yard line to set up another Wallace scoring run of five yards just seven plays later that all but iced the game.
That touchdown gave the Vikings a two-score lead at 21-12 with 10:24 to play.
The Indians were stopped on downs on their next possession and this time Rowan County had to travel only 25 yards as Nick Johnson scored on a 13-yard run to finish off the scoring with just 2:54 to play in the game.
The Vikings dominated the game without the aid of a passing attack. They threw only two passes, completing one for 10 yards.
But the rushing attack was enough between junior speedster Cole Wallace and bruising senior fullback Jacob McDaniel.
Those two players combined for 218 yards on 27 carries and Wallace scored three times, bringing his season touchdown total to 21. His rushing total for the season is now a 1,397 yards on 161 rushing attempts.
Wallace was certainly no surprise with his exploits but McDaniel was another story.
Going into the game he had had carried the football just 38 times on the season for 186 yards.
Friday night he toted the pigskin 14 times for 104 yards.
Meanwhile, the Indians were relying on senior Josh Wheaton for most of their offense. He carried the football 20 times for 93 yards in the first half but just six times for 12 yards after the intermission.
Quarterback Trey Ishmael was six of 12 with two interceptions, though the interceptions had little bearing on the game, coming at the end of the half and the end of the game.
Senior Tanner Orme had a pair of touchdown catches and has now caught a total of four passes on the season and three of them have gone for scores.
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