Bryce Blanton leaps over a Huntland defender to gain yardage on a kickoff return. (Post Photo by Rickey Clardy)
Noah Land gains yardage while Adriel Rodriguez runs interference for the Vikings. (Post Photo by Rickey Clardy)
By RICKEY CLARDY
Sports Writer
UNIONVILLE — The Community Vikings fell behind early to the Huntland Hornets and the Vikings could not recover as Community fell 46-7 in a delayed and weather-shortened non-region football contest Friday night.
With lightning prevalent in the area, the game began two hours after its scheduled start, and with the late start, the quarters were shortened from 12 minutes to 10 minutes along with a 5-minute halftime.
The Hornets took the opening kickoff and put the first points on the board as Jed Ashley rushed six yards for a touchdown.
The extra point by Julio Ramirez put Huntland up 7-0 with 7:59 left in the first quarter.
After Community (0-3) could not move the sticks on its first possession, the Hornets added to their lead as Grant Jernigan scored on a 15-yard run to give Huntland a 14-0 advantage with 4:28 remaining.
Disaster struck the Vikings on the kickoff as a fumble was recovered by the Hornets and gave Huntland a first down at the 3-yard line.
Brooklyn Reynolds scored on the next play to up the Hornet lead to 21-0.
The Hornets made it 28-0 as Jernigan connected with Ellis Stewart on a 36-yard pass play with 2:23 left.
“We’re not going to use it as an excuse, but it’s one of those deals where we were ready to go at 6:50, and probably ready to eat nails, and you come out and then get told you can’t come out,” Coach Glenn Tidwell of the Vikings said.
“And then you sit for an hour and a half and then you come out.”
“And then one thing leads to another. The next thing you know you’re down 28-0,” Tidwell added.
An interception set up the next Hornet score as the game moved into the second quarter.
Reynolds scored his second touchdown on a 39-yard run as Huntland went up 34-0 with 8:22 left.
Another Viking turnover was costly as Alfonso Cabera recovered a Community fumble and went 36 yards for the score to increase the Hornet lead to 40-0 with 8:09 remaining.
With turnovers hurting the cause early, the Vikings put together a clean and impressive drive to put Community on the scoreboard.
Starting at its own 31, the Vikings rushed twice on their first two downs, including a 7-yard run by Isaac Jacobs which set up a third down at the 39.
On the third-down play, Jacobs’ number was called again and the senior found an opening up the middle and went to the outside and outran the Hornet defense to the house for a 61-yard TD run.
The extra point by Jarrett Yancey cut the Huntland lead to 40-7 with 6:48 left.
“It shows them if they do what they’re supposed to do, and they block who they’re supposed to block, look what happens,” Tidwell said.
The Hornets added their last score as Cabera rushed 28 yards for the touchdown to put Huntland up 46-7.
After a scoreless third quarter, lightning appeared again on the Unionville horizon.
The game was stopped at that point and declared over with the Hornets taking the win.
Tidwell knows it’s a play-by-play, game-by-game process to get the Vikings past the early mistakes from the first three games.
“We are better than the way we’re playing and I don’t know if they believe that yet,” Tidwell said.
“That’s the process of trying to get them to understand they we don’t revert back to old habits or I want to do it my way.”
“That’s the battle and we’ll get it figured out,” Tidwell said.
“We’ll show them the positives and then we’ll show them the negatives and get back on the horse on Monday and try to get better.”
Community travels to Woodbury to take on Cannon County in a non-region game next Friday night.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Huntland 28 18 0 — 46
Community 0 7 0 — 7
First Quarter
H — Jed Ashley 6 run (Julio Ramirez kick) 7:59.
H — Grant Jernigan 15 run (Ramirez kick) 4:28.
H — Brooklyn Reynolds 3 run (Ramirez kick) 4:11.
H — Ellis Stewart 36 pass from Jernigan (Ramirez kick) 2:23.
2nd Quarter
H — Reynolds 39 run (kick failed) 8:22.
H — Alfonso Cabera 36 fumble return (run failed) 8:09.
C — Isaac Jacobs 61 run (Jarrett Yancey kick) 6:48.
H – Cabera 28 run (pass failed) 2:35.