The Vidalia Indians scored on six of their first seven possessions and ran by Bacon County 43-3, Friday night in Vidalia. It was a night that saw Senior Quarterback Bryce Davis throw for 181 yards and three TD’s and rush for 78 yards and two more TD’s to assure the Indians their 10th straight playoff appearance and it’s 11th out of the last 13 years.
Davis, who was 8 of 9 on the night, threw touchdown passes to three different receivers and, with the 181 yards through the air, set a single-season record with 1623 yards, with one regular-season game and playoff game to go. On the year, Davis now stands with 2380 combined yards and 23 touchdowns.
The Indians got off to a fast start, scoring two touchdowns in their first two possessions of the game. After winning the toss and deferring to the second half, senior kicker Tate McDaniel executed a perfect onside kick down the middle of the field, which he recovered at the Bacon 47-yard line.
Four plays later, Davis would score from 4-yards out to make 6-0 just:52 seconds into the game. Davis had set up the TD with a 39-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. The Indians failed to convert a 2 point try and then turned it over to the Indian defense.
Bacon County opened up their first drive of the night on their 15-yard line, and after getting one first down, the Indian defense stiffened and forced the Red Raiders into a punting situation.
Following a 37-yard punt, Davis and the Vidalia offense would go to work again. With a mix of hard running by Darrell Brown and Zach Howard, the Indians would move the ball down to the Bacon thirty-five. From there, Davis would hit Jacaree Washington on his first of four catches on the night for eleven to the Bacon 24-yard line. Davis would try the same combo on the next play, with Washington not able to haul it in at the one-yard line. But an interference penalty on a Raider defender would give the Indians a first down at the 12-yard line. Two plays later, Davis would run a QB Draw and get his 2nd TD of the night, and following a McDaniel PAT, the Indians led 13-0 with 3:51 to go in the opening quarter.
The Indians next score would come in the second quarter when Davis hit Kaleb Bennett on a quick shot at the Bacon 19, and Bennett would sprint down the home sideline for his 3rd TD of the year to make the score 19-0 with 7:31 to go in the half. The Indians would once again try for the two-point conversion, and this time it was Davis on the run who would get half of his body across the line for the score to make it 21-0.
The Indian first-team defense, which only gave up 163 yards of offense and zero points on the night, would again come up strong and force Bacon to turn the ball over on downs after holding Bacon on a 4th and eight at the Indian 28-yard line.
Davis would hit Washington on a 34-yard seam route to the Bacon 38-yard line on the next play. Davis would again find Bennett for a 15-yard catch and run for a first down to the Raider 23 yard-line. But on the next play, the Indians were called for a chop-block which moved them back to the 37-yard line. Undeterred Davis would again hit Washington down the Bacon sideline, and the sophomore would catch the ball at the 12 and appear to go down. But Washington landed on the defender and alertly rolled over, keeping his feet, and battled to the one before being brought down. Davis would reward Washington for the effort, hitting him in the end zone on the next play for the TD, Washington’s 5th of the year. Bennett would take a direct snap on the PAT and follow his offensive line in for the score to make it 29-0 with 3:32 to go in the half.
Bacon’s best chance to score in the first half came on their next possession when they drove the ball from their 31-yard line to the Indian 23. But once again, the Vidalia defense would rise up and force a 34-yard field goal attempt by Abraham Meza, which missed wide to the left.
The Indians would take over on their 20-yard line, and on the first play, Bennett would take a jet sweep and run to the 35-yard line and get out of bounds with 13 seconds to go in the half. On the next play, Davis hit Jordan Powell in stride at the Bacon 20-yard line and, despite being held before the catch, scampered in for the score to make the halftime lead 36-0.
The second half was played with a running clock, and the Indians last score of the night would come on their first possession of the half. On the opening kick, Powell took the kick at the 18-yard line and raced right up the middle for what appeared to be an 82-yard touchdown. But a block in the back would negate the return and move the ball back to the Indian 25.
On the very first play from scrimmage, Joshtin Troup would take a handoff from QB Tucker McDonald and sprint down to the Bacon 23yard line for a first down. On the next play, it was Tyran Jacobs on the jet sweep, spinning away from defenders and powering down to the 4-yard line for a first and goal.
Troup would get the call again on the next play and get some blocking from the left side of the line, which opened up a hole for Troup to sprint through for the score, making it 43-0 with 9:22 to go in the 3rd quarter following McDaniel’s PAT.
Bacon’s points would come off the foot of Meza, who would boot a 31-yard field goal with 2:52 to go in the game, making the final score 43-3.
After the game, Head Coach Jason Cameron said that his team needed a win of this type. “We needed one of these, where we clicked on all cylinders, we still have room for improvement, but we are 1-0 from this point forward.”
The Indians, who moved to 3-6 on the year and 2-2 in 2AA play, racked up 442 yards of offense on the night, including 261 yards rushing. Up next is the final regular-season game of the year on Friday night as the Indians will travel to Swainsboro with a 7:30 Kick.You can hear the game on Classic Hits, 98Q and at southeastgeorgiatoday.com. (Courtesy of VHS)
