Lewis County trampled by Nicholas

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August 19, 2012

Lewis County trampled by Nicholas

Lions struggle to stop run game, lose 32-16

RAY SCHAEFER For The Independent The Daily Independent Sun Aug 19, 2012, 02:28 PM EDT

MOUNT STERLING — Nicholas County football coach Robert Hopkins called his team “not very athletic” before Saturday's game against Lewis County.

The Lions would definitely disagree. Senior Austin Allison's 17 carries for 170 rushing yards and four touchdowns gave the Bluejackets a 32-16 win in the 65th Montgomery County Recreation Bowl.

Allison scored on runs of 50, five and 15 yards, and he caught a J.D. Wagoner pass for another 49. He thought it amply atoned for last year's 33-30 loss to the Lions in Carlisle.

“Quite a bit,” Allison said. “We gave it away in the last quarter.”

The offenses actually played to nearly a standoff. Nicholas County (1-0) finished with 277 total yards to Lewis County's (0-1) 280. The Lions can look at other reasons for its woes: two lost fumbles; an incomplete pass on fourth down at the Nicholas County 13 last in the second quarter; and allowing the Bluejackets to score on its first three possessions.

Lewis County coach Josh Hughes said the Bluejackets didn't do anything he didn't expect.

“They ran the same stuff they did when I was in high school,” Hughes said. “We didn't stop it.”

The most frustrating thing for the Lions? To Hughes, there was more than one.

There was Finn Brutsman's score on a fourth-and-2 from the Lewis County 12.

There were the two fumbles Lewis County lost (the Lions bobbled four times altogether).

There was Allison's 49-yard touchdown catch on a fourth-and-24 when Wagoner converted a pass on a fake punt. It was a play about which Hughes and his assistants tried to warn his team.

And some suspect blocking and shaky tackling, especially among the linebackers.

“Linebackers are supposed to make tackles,” Hughes said. “That was obviously a factor.”

Hopkins said before the game it would be a trick play if his team threw the ball, but Brutsman and Allison used some backfield deception for the Bluejackets' first score.

After Wagoner gave the ball to Allison, he started right before handing off to Brutsman, who ran untouched around left tackle.

Nicholas County gained 147 yards at halftime — including Allison's 10 carries for 108.

“(Allison) played hard,” Hopkins said. “We play in the toughest Class A district in the state.”

By the third quarter, Lewis County was sending five receivers, and the Lions finally scored on quarterback Levi Clark's three-yard run with 5:27 left in the third. Clark, who finished with 14-for-28 passing for 189 yards, converted a fourth-and-11 on a 30-yard pass to Tyler Mustard and hit Nick Ruark on the two-point conversion.

Wagoner-to-Allison on the fake punt covered several Nicholas County mistakes: delay of game and holding penalties on consecutive snaps; Wagoner's fumble, which he recovered and barely gained a yard; and two incomplete passes.

Clark hit Chase Parker for a 20-yard score with 5:45 left in the game. Hughes thought Clark's run and passing were two bright spots.

“Second half, we matched them in scores,” Hughes said. “We moved it. I thought Levi completed some passes, I thought we ran some routes better.”

NICHOLAS CO.   8   12   6   6    —    32

LEWIS CO.   0   0   8   8    —    16

FIRST QUARTER

NC — Brutsman 12 run (Wagoner run), 5:56

SECOND QUARTER

NC — Allison 50 run (run failed), 9:11

NC — Allison 5 run (pass failed), 2:37

THIRD QUARTER

LC — Clark 3 run (Ruark pass from Clark), 5:27

NC — Allison 49 pass from Wagoner (run failed), 2:25

FOURTH QUARTER

NC — Allison 15 run (run failed), 10:34

LC — Parker 20 pass from Clark (Ruark pass from Clark), 5:45

       NC            LC

First downs   9   12

Rushes-yards   36-217   28-91

Passes   2-5-0   14-28-0

Passing yards   60   189

Punting   0-0   2-19.5

Fumbles-lost   3-1   4-2

Penalties-yards   4-40   4-17

Return yards   0   0

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Nicholas Co. rushing: Allison 17-170, Brutsman 9-12, Wagoner 9-33, Hurd 3-2.

Lewis Co. rushing: Mustard 2-(minus-3), McCann 2-11, Christy 12-72, Thurman 6-12, Clark 4-(minus-8), Parker 1-9, Ruark 1-(minus-3).

Nicholas Co. passing: Wagoner 2-5-60.

Lewis Co. passing: Clark 14-28-189.

Nicholas Co. receiving: Allison 1-49, Bussell 1-11.

Lewis Co. receiving: Mustard 1-30, Ruark 4-81, Parker 6-62, McCann 1-7, Christy 2-8.

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Lewis County trampled by Nicholas

Lions struggle to stop run game, lose 32-16

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