Dodge Slips By Indians

Courtesy of VHS

A potential game winning drive for the Vidalia High School Indians came up short Friday night as they fell to Dodge County 13-7. The #7 team in the State, left the door open for the Indians after missing the extra point on the go ahead score with 7:45 to go in the game. After the two teams exchanged punts, the Indians took the ball from their 13-yard line to the Dodge 26-yard line before Jackson Berry’s 2nd down pass was picked off with time running off the clock. With the loss, the Indians fall to 3-2 on the year and will take this week off before facing Pierce County for Homecoming on September 27.

“I 100% believe everyone who played, gave 100%,” said Vidalia Head Football Coach Rodney Garvin. “It was a war of a football game. We did all we could do and gave all we had to give,” Garvin added.

The game was a defensive game from the start with both teams getting crucial stops after long drives to open the game. Dodge received the ball to begin the game and drove all the way to the Indian 23-yard line before the Vidalia defense bowed their backs forcing a 40-yard field goal attempt, which came up just short.

The Indians responded with a long drive of their own, which took 11 plays and traveled 58 yards, consuming 7:58 before stalling at the Dodge 18-yard line. Dodge then got on the board first following a 17 play, that lasted the remaining 2:09 of the first quarter and the first 5:54 of the second. The drive was capped by a 3-yard run by Alabama commit Duke Johnson to give Dodge County a 7-0 score following a successful PAT with 6:06 to go in the half.

The Indians responded though, with a 41-yard drive that moved the ball from the Vidalia 33-yard line to the Dodge 23-yard line before stalling. The Indians had appeared to pick up the needed yardage on a 4th down and short, but the back judge called a chop block on the Vidalia offensive line, thus moving the ball back to the 26-yard line. Adam Crutchfield was called on to try and put points on the ball for the Indians, but a high snap forced a scramble and throw by holder Ian Moye, who could not connect with a receiver in the endzone.

That’s the way the half ended, with Dodge County leading 7-0. The second half saw the Indians take the opening possession of the half and move the ball all the way to the Dodge 11-yard line, before stalling. The Indians relied on the hard-nosed running of Jamarion Phillips to get the ball within Field Goal range, but with 6:47 to go in the third quarter, another high snap negated the try, despite Moye completing a pass which came up short of the first down.

The Vidalia defense then went to work, holding Dodge to just two first downs and giving the offense the ball back with 2:38 to go after a short Dodge punt. The Indians wasted no time with Jackson Berry hitting AJ McLendon on a pass around the 10-yard line and watched as McLendon backed his way into the end zone to give the Indians their only score of the night. Following Adam Crutchfield’s PAT, the score was tied 7-7 with 16 seconds to go in the 3rd quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Crutchfield initiated a perfect pooch kick which saw the Dodge receivers back away from the ball and the Indians apparently recovering. But after a long discussion by the officials, the Indians were called for “Kick Catch Interference” giving the ball back to Dodge at the spot of the foul.

Dodge County then went 13 plays in 4:26 to get what was the game winning score on Johnson’s second Touchdown of the game, a 10-yard run with 7:45 to go in the game. The PAT was no good and Dodge led 13-7.

Neither team was able to move the ball on their next possession, but Dodge pinned the Indians deep, making the come back drive a little too much for Vidalia as the clock expired on the interception at the 14-yard line.

On the night, the Indians offense racked up 305 total yards, with Berry throwing for 127 yards and a TD, and Jamarion Phillips gaining 109 yards on the ground on 21 carries. Alton Boles was the leading receiver with three catches for 81-yards.

The Indians will take the week off before hosting the Class AA #1 team Pierce County next Friday at 7:30 p.m., and then will have another week off before opening the Region schedule on October 11 on the road against the #1 Private School in A-AAA, the Savannah Christian Raiders.