DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

With a 21-point lead in the first half and a 17-point advantage in third quarter, all signs pointed to the Van Vandals having an easy victory at Van’s Memorial Stadium, but the visiting Dallas Carter Cowboys refused to go away quietly.

It took a final offensive drive by the Vandals to run out the remaining five minutes of the fourth quarter to preserve a 38-35 victory over the Cowboys in the regular season opener for both teams.

The Vandals finished the contest with 20 first downs and 421 yards of total offense (258 rushing and 163 passing).

Dallas Carter ended the game with 25 first downs and 410 yards of total offense (335 yards rushing and 75 yards passing.

The difference in the contest was in the turnover margin where the Vandals suffered one turnover while the Cowboys had two lost fumbles, a pass interception returned for a Vandal touchdown, and a muffed kickoff return.

Individually, the Vandals were led by senior running back Da’Quavion Williams who finished the game with 162 yards rushing on 16 carries and three TD’s. Parker Rainey contributed 45 yards rushing on four carries and a TD.

Junior quarterback Rawly Hinch, making his first varsity start, completed nine out of 20 passes for 163 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.

Senior Aiden Willis led the Vandal receiving group with two receptions for 71 yards.

Defensively, Rainey, playing the ‘Bandit’ position, finished with 18 total tackles for the Vandals followed by linebacker Carter Admire with 11 total tackles and defensive back Ian Hopson with 10 total tackles.

New kicker Alex Acves added a 34-yard field goal for the Vandals in the third quarter.

After the Cowboys cut Van’s lead to 38-35 with 4:59 remaining, the Vandals took the ensuing kickoff and moved from their own 29 to the Dallas Carter 19 in 12 plays (11 running) to run out the clock without giving the ball back to the Cowboys.

Following a bad 15-yard punt by the Cowboys, the Vandals’ first offensive possession of the 2025 campaign turned into a touchdown drive as Van advanced 63 yards in six plays to take the lead.

Williams ended the march with a 2-yard TD run. Acves added the extra point giving the Vandals a 7-0 advantage with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter. Key plays in Van’s first TD drive of the season including a 16-yard run by Williams, and pass completions from Hinch covering 10 yards to Willis and 21 yards to Williams in addition to a pass interference penalty against the Cowboys.

It appeared that Dallas Carter was on its way to getting on the scoreboard on its next offensive series as they moved from its own 25 to the 45 in four plays including a 13-yard pass completion from QB Montraveon Smith to wide receiver Jayden Lacy but on second down and four at the Cowboy 45, running back Damarion Boozer fumbled and Van defensive end Brigg Barton recovered the ball for the Vandals at the Cowboy 49.

Six plays later, Williams ended the drive with a 4-yard TD run. Acves added the extra point giving the Vandals a 14-0 lead with 11:22 remaining in the second quarter. Pass completions from Hinch covering 10 yards to receiver Connor Ammons and 14 yards to receiver Cash Walker were key plays in the scoring drive for Van.

Van’s defense again stepped up to make a big play on Dallas Carter’s next offensive possession as the Cowboys moved from their own 26 to the Vandal 18 in four plays including running gains of 13 yards by Smith, 27 yards by Boozer, and 13 yards by RB Antoine Nelson.

Facing second down and two at the Van 18, Smith’s attempted screen pass to Boozer was intercepted by Vandal linebacker Boston Blalock and returned 76 yards for a TD. Acves added the extra point giving Van a seemingly comfortable 21-0 advantage with 10:09 to play in the second quarter.

Following a Dallas Carter punt, the Vandals took over possession at their own 46 but were unable to pick up a first down and punted the ball back to the Cowboys.

Lacy returned the Vandal punt 53 yards giving Dallas Carter excellent field position at the Van 32.

Five running plays later, Smith ran seven yards for a TD. Emiliano Bravo added the extra point cutting Van’s lead to 21-7 with 4:48 remaining in the second quarter.

Dallas Carter continued their comeback on defense as an attempted screen pass by Hinch over the middle was intercepted by Cowboy defensive lineman Jeremiah Shaw, who returned the interception 40 yards for a TD. Bravo added the extra point and suddenly, Van’s lead was reduced to seven points, 21-14, with 3:46 to play in the second quarter.

The Vandals responded by advancing 75 yards in five plays to extend their lead as Williams ended the march with a 2-yard TD run. Acves added the extra point giving the Vandals a 28-14 lead with 1:54 remaining in the second quarter. A 61-yard pass completion from Hinch to Willis that included a personal foul penalty against the Cowboys was a big play in the scoring march for the Vandals.

It only took four running plays for Dallas Carter to get right back in the game as Smith raced 30 yards for a TD on the next offensive series to end the possession. Bravo added the extra point, once again cutting Van’s lead to seven points, 28-21, with 59 seconds to play before halftime. Running gains of 14 and 15 yards by Boozer set up Smith’s TD run.

Pass completions by Hinch covering 11 and 16 yards to Rainey helped the Vandals move from their own 30 to the Cowboy 34 before the first half clock expired.

The Vandals took the third quarter kickoff and moved from their own 22 to the Cowboy 29 in five plays, including a 33-yard run by Williams, but the scoring threat ended on fourth down and seven at the Dallas Carter 29 when an attempted screen pass from Hinch to Williams was incomplete giving the Cowboys possession.

Three plays later, the Vandal defense again rose to the occasion as a fumble by Smith was recovered by Blalock at the Dallas Carter 48.

Four plays later, including a 37-yard run by Rainey, the Vandals suffered three consecutive offensive penalties (offensive holding, illegal procedure, and delay of game) moving the ball back to the Cowboy 17.

Facing fourth down and 16, Acves was sent in to attempt a 34-yard field goal and he responded with a perfect kick extending the Vandal lead to 31-21 with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter.

Van’s momentum continued on the ensuing kickoff as the Cowboys muffed the return allowing Blalock to fall on the loose football at the Dallas Carter 28.

Three plays later, Rainey ran 14 yards for a TD. Acves added the extra point extending Van’s advantage to 38-21 with 5:47 to play in the third quarter. A defensive pass interference penalty against the Cowboys was a key play in what turned out be the final scoring drive for the Vandals.

Dallas Carter refused to go away as they advanced 74 yards in nine plays to get on the scoreboard once again.

Smith ended the scoring march with a 31-yard TD run. Bravo added the extra point cutting Van’s lead to 38-28 with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter. A 15-yard run by Boozer and a 14-yard pass completion from Smith to WR Charles Anderson were key plays in the Dallas Carter scoring drive.

Following a Vandal punt, the Cowboys continued their comeback offensively as they moved 75 yards in 13 plays with Smith ending the long time-consuming march with a 1-yard TD run. Bravo added the extra point cutting Van’s lead to three points, 38-35, with 4:59 remaining in the fourth quarter. Key plays in what turned out to be Dallas Carter’s final scoring drive and final offensive possession included running gains of 20 and 11 yards by Boozer, and 20 and 11 yards by Smith.

Van’s final offensive drive began at its own 29 and ended at the Cowboy 19 as the Vandals ran 12 offensive plays (11 running) to seal the contest including a 23-yard pass completion from Hinch to Ian Hopson, and running gains of 17, 13, and 21 yards by Williams.

“I was real proud of our players and coaches because we found a way to win,” recalled Vandal Head Football Coach Jared Moffatt. “There were a lot of highs and lows in that game, a lot of momentum switches. We got up 21-0 in the first half and felt pretty good about that. All of a sudden, we went from being up 21 to being up by seven points with a ton of game left. In the second half, we were up by 17 in the third quarter. All of a sudden, our lead was down to three points. That last drive offensively was a huge drive for us to run out the clock. Our only pass attempt in that final drive was a 24-yard completion from Rawly Hinch to Ian Hopson. That was a great throw and a great catch. That play went a long way for us to seal the game at the end. ‘Q’ (Da’Quavion Williams) had some big runs for us in that last drive getting first downs for us. I was proud of how our players continued to battle throughout. 

“Our offensive line played well. We had three sophomores playing in the line at various times,” continued Moffatt. “We used six offensive linemen at times throughout the game. ‘Q’ ran the ball well. He is a talented running back who is also playing cornerback. Rawly played well in his first varsity game. He has the right personality to play quarterback. He made some big plays for us. Aiden Willis played well at receiver. Parker Rainey came in and ran the ball well for us. Cash Walker and Connor Ammons made some catches for us at receiver. Ian Hopson got some touches offensively and he will be getting more opportunities moving forward. Tate Young also did a good job of deep-snapping for us.

“Defensively, we played well at times but there were also times when we did not tackle well,” pointed out Moffatt. “Dallas Carter had something to do with that. Brigg Barton (defensive end) and Waylon King (defensive lineman) did a good job. I like the way our linebackers played including Carter Admire, Tim Jones, and Braydon Karwowski. Those guys are going to continue to get better. Our defense gave up a lot of yards in the running game, but our defense also forced some turnovers. Boston Blalock made a huge interception and ran it back for an 80-yard touchdown. We won the turnover battle against Dallas Carter.

“There are going to be games you win and games that you can lose on special teams, especially in the first game of the season,” emphasized the Vandal head coach. “We place a premium on our guys playing well on special teams. We still have plenty of work to do. Our kickoff coverage was pretty good. We were 100 percent on extra points and field goals. Overall, I was just proud of our guys for finding a way to win the football game.”

Prior to the regular season opener against Dallas Carter, Moffatt discussed the importance of his team, with a number of new faces, needing to make a statement.

“I think the statement that they made was not a surprise to me and our coaching staff,” said Moffatt. “The names and the faces may change, but the way that we play football in Van does not change. The mentality and the physicality that this team showed against Dallas Carter was impressive. We had some guys get banged up during the game. We play football a certain way here. Our coaches and our players believe that we are going to have a good football team this season. We played a team that is predicted to win their district this season. This team is going to play hard, be physical, and play tough football. They are going to battle you for the entire game. They are going to find ways to win the game.”

Moffatt further discussed the final offensive drive for the Vandals in which they ran out the final five minutes of the game with a three-point lead and not giving the ball back to Dallas Carter.

“We have been able to do that a number of times through the years, run out the clock with a lead in the fourth quarter,” pointed out Moffatt. “We had to make plays to do that. We have to continue making plays moving forward. Credit our offensive line in those situations.”

Moffatt discussed the new ‘two-minute timeout rule’ that was implemented into the rule book this season and how that affected when the Vandals would handle their ‘kneel-downs’ at the end of the game in their efforts to run out the clock offensively.

“I don’t hate the rule, but I wonder why we need it in high school football,” emphasized Moffatt. “I was not for the rule initially. I am not a big proponent of change. The NFL has had the rule forever, but does that mean we need it in high school football? College football put the rule in last season, but again, does that mean we need it at the high school level? The rule change gives each team essentially an extra timeout. It will give you something to think about when you are trying to manage the clock late in each half. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either. Against Dallas Carter, we were on that verge of whether we could take three ‘kneel-downs’ and run out the clock. It was dicey. Fortunately, everything turned out okay at the end.”