VIDALIA — Four different players scored rushing touchdown helping host Vidalia end a 10game losing streak with a 35-0 homecoming victory over Brantley County here Friday night.
The Indians (1-3) broke the game open with a 20point second quarter building a 27-0 halftime lead against the penaltyplagued Herons, who were flagged for seven personal fouls in the 13 administered infractions.
“We just couldn’t get anything going on offense,” said second-year head coach David Shores. “We also kept shooting ourselves in the foot with all those personal fouls (five) in the first half. We couldn’t find a way to get into rhythm in that first half. Every time something good would happen we would back ourselves up.
“That was really frustrating and really disappointing. We’ve got to find a way to move the ball and we’ve got to find a way to score points. The personal fouls are selfish football. That’s getting in to your feelings and lashing out being an individual.”
Brantley County will have a week off with the first of its two byes. The Herons open Region 1A play September 19 at unbeaten Jeff Davis (3-0), which entered the Top 10 after running wild on Tattnall County posting a 6321 victory.
Vidalia scored on its initial possession of the night when the Herons were unable to grab its own onsides kick trying to catch the Indians napping.
The home team sped 47 yards in three plays needing just 28 seconds to take a 7-0 lead. Quarterback D.J. Wallace (nine carries, 46 yards) rushed for a 31yard gain on the second snap with Tyler McKinney (four carries, 39 yards), one of seven skill players with a carry, going the final three yards with 11:32 showing on the clock. Jake McCaw’s PAT put the lead at 7-0.
“We opened up the game with a surprise onside kick and thought we could get it,” said Shores. “It was a good kick, it just bounded out of bounds before we could recovery it. We got a couple of stops in a very physical game and felt like we could play with them.
Brantley County, after struggling the first two times it had the ball, put together its best drive of the first half on its third possession following Clark Carter’ fumble recovery at midfield.
A 22-yard run by Mason Kicklighter (13 carries, 69 yards) on the final play of the opening stanza moved the ball to the Vidalia 12. A personal foul against the Herons two plays into the second period moved the ball from the Indians’ four out to the 19.
“That penalty was big,” Shores said. “We had a chance to tie the score and shot ourself in the foot.”
A third down pass by Kaden Hendrix (3-of-9, interception, 39 yards) into the left flats was undercut by Vidalia’s Brycen Burns at the 10 and returned 48 yards to the BCHS 42.
The Indians capitalized with a six-play drive ending with a Wallace threeyard run up the middle of the Brantley County defense. The PAT failed leaving the score at 13-0 with 8:25 remaining in the half.
A 4:15 possession for the Herons followed and ended with a 35-yard punt. Vidalia needed on eplay, a 48-yard run off left tackle by Andre Jackson (two carries, 66 yards) extending the margin to 19-0. A pass for the two-point conversion fell incomplete with 3:57 on the second quarter clock.
BCHS’s final possession of the half stalled at the Vidalia 43 with a punt pinning the Indians at their own three.
The home team needed just four plays and four penalties against the Herons to score with no time left in the half.
Bryce Burnes (five carries, 36 yards) had a second down 21-yard gain with a 15-yard penalty tacked on moving the ball out to the Indians’ 46. A 49-yard completion from Wallace to Jackson advanced the ball to the BCHS five.
Wallace would score from three yards out and add the two-point conversion for a 27-0 halftime lead. Two personal fouls were sandwiched around the touchdown and a third following the twopoint conversion, which was assessed to start the third quarter.
After Brantley County chewed 5:15 off the clock with its opening drive ending in a punt, the two teams swapped turnovers. Dennis Raulerson recovered a Vidalia fumble at the Indians’ 25. The Herons gave the ball right back two plays later with Vidalia making the recovery at its own 12.
The Indians turned the miscue into eight points racing 88 yards in five plays. Jamarre Wiggs sprinted 78 yards on second down with Malachi Saunders making the touchdown-saving tackle at the Brantley County eight.
Vidalia scored three plays later on a quarterback keep by Ryan Brantley from a yard out. He added the twopoint conversion pushing the lead to 35-0 with 3:02 to play in the third period.
The Herons ensuing possession spilled over into the “mercy rule” final period eating up 10:02 on 16 timeconsuming runs. The drive ended at the Vidalia 33 when a fourth-and-three came up one yards short of the first down marker.
A 78-yard run by Payton Hanchey (five carries, 26 yards) on the fourth play of the series down to the Vidalia one was wiped out by a holding penalty on BCHS and a face mask penalty on the touchdown saving tackle.
“I thought they (Indians) got away with a lot not being called,” said Shores. “I didn’t expect to get any warm welcome, but they got away with some stuff and we didn’t.
“We have to play mistake free and error free football, and we’ve yet to do that.
The Indians, who snapped the ball just 11 times in the last 24 minutes, ran out the final five minutes of the clock.
