VZN sports website (Nov. 1 issue)

Vandals break losing skid with win over Brownsboro, 48-14

DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

After back-to-back losses in district play, the Van Vandals were looking to break into the win column as they hosted one of their rivals, the Brownsboro Bears, in a rare Thursday night game Oct. 22 at Van’s Memorial Stadium.

Mission accomplished for the Vandals as they evened their season record at 4-4 overall and their district mark to 1-2 following a 48-14 blowout victory over the Bears.

Vandal senior quarterback Rawly Hinch led the Vandal offensive attack as he completed 10 out of 13 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in addition to carrying the ball 10 times for 126 yards and two TD’s.

Running back Jalyn Robinson contributed 80 yards rushing on six carries and one TD. Tim Jones carried the ball 10 times for 65 yards rushing.

Parker Rainey had 52 yards rushing on eight carries and one TD in addition to catching two passes for 51 yards.

On the receiving end for the Vandals, there were two 100-yard receivers including Braxton Bass, who caught four passes for 102 yards and three TD’s. Cash Walker caught four passes for 101 yards and one TD.

“It was a good win and a big win considering what our district record was going into the game,” recalled Vandal Head Football Coach Jared Moffatt. “We needed to find a way to get a win. Our players found a way to get the job done and they played well overall. We started fast. Everything went according to plan, especially in the first half, except for the fact that we were 0-2 on fourth down. We allowed Brownsboro to hang around for a while. Instead of being ahead 28-0 at halftime, we could have been up 35-0 or 42-0 at that point. 

“Our defense made a big play in the end zone near halftime with Parker Rainey’s interception,” continued Moffatt. “With the exception of one deep ball that we allowed, I thought it was a pretty good night overall for the defense. It was a much needed win but now, we need to turn the page and get ready for Athens.”

Moffatt discussed the importance of getting more people involved offensively against Brownsboro.

“Whoever we are playing each week, we must have contributions from a lot of people,” emphasized Moffatt.  “We are depending on Rawly Hinch to make a lot of plays for us at quarterback. He has played really well this season. He gives us a chance to win games. Our running backs are running hard, but we have to run the ball consistently better. We have had opportunities to make plays in the passing game. Cash Walker has been a pretty consistent receiver for us. Braxton Bass made some big plays for us against Brownsboro. Relying on the play of our offensive line is pretty important as well. We just need to continue to make plays that will give us a chance to win. Moving forward, we need contributions from everybody, offensively and defensively. We have two tough games remaining.”

Moffatt pointed out some other individual performances from the game against Brownsboro.

“Our running backs ran hard in the game,” said Moffatt. “Parker Rainey gave us a couple of big plays in the passing game. We have had some sickness go through the team and Tim Jones was probably the sickest of them all, but he ran the ball well during the game. He did not practice one day last week. Our offensive line did a really good job in the game. Jayse Wilson is really playing well at center. This is his first season to play center. Brock Bostick at right guard continues to get better. It is important that we continue to run the ball well over these next two games coming up.

“Defensively, collectively, we played well,” summarized Moffatt. “Carter Admire (linebacker) was around the ball quite a bit in the game. Parker Rainey at strong safety made some big plays for us. We moved Boston Blalock from safety to outside linebacker, where he played for the past two seasons. That forced us to move Cash Walker to safety on every play. I was real proud of Cash. He played a ton of downs playing on both sides of the ball. 

“Our extra point unit has done a good job for us, our kicker, our holder, and our deep snapper,” said Moffatt. “They have gotten better throughout the season. We were shaky at the start of the season. Logan Weems has been our holder since Week 3. Jadon Sewell has done a good job snapping. Elijah Colorado has continued to improve as our kicker. Due to a heel injury he suffered the previous week, we were not sure about Elijah’s availability prior to the Brownsboro game. Rawly Hinch was ready to kick if we needed him.”