By Leeann Akers - Staff Writer
CNHI
August 31, 2010 —
The Rowan County Vikings traveled to Lincoln County Friday night for the Death Valley Bowl. The guys in green slammed the Patriots 42-20.
The Vikes grabbed an early 14-7 lead in the first quarter and jumped up 21-14 at the half. Rowan pushed in one touchdown in the third, shutting Lincoln out completely. RC grabbed two more TDs early in the fourth quarter to lead 42-14, but Lincoln was able to hit paydirt one last time before the final buzzer.
Rowan quarterback Adam Wing showed off his versatility holding the reins for the Vikings. Wing went 7-for-10 in the air and had 74 yards in nine carries. He also scored three of the Vikings’ seven touchdowns.
“We gave Adam Wing the opportunity to make plays,” Coach ShaDon Brown said. “With his feet and with his arm down the stretch, he really showed what he could do.”
Brown was forced to use Wing a lot more than he wanted on defense in the second half, but the coaching staff was pleased with how well the linemen on both sides of the ball held Lincoln at bay.
Darrell Cross returned to the field Friday hungry for glory. With one 68-yard touchdown run, 17 carries for 162 rushing yards, and an additional TD, Cross was a welcome addition to the Viking offense.
“Darrell was able to come back after being out last week with the benching,” Brown said. “He worked hard in practice getting ready to play the last two weeks. Of course I am happy with his performance when he was holding the ball, but Darrell is expected to rush 100-yards every game. What I am most proud of for this game is the way he blocked and hustled.”
Stephen Williamson had nine carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns
“Williamson had some big runs,” Brown said. “He was getting four to five yards up inside early on but we told him to stay steady. In the third he popped loose and he made a big play for us that put us out of reach.”
Overall, the Vikings rushed for nearly 300 yards and nailed 150 in the air, showing off a balance that they didn’t have last season.
“Our kids can do just about anything we put to them,” Brown said. “It’s a really good thing as a coach when we can just stand back and let them do their magic out there.”
The Viking defense had some tough breaks in the first half but got Lincoln’s number in the second. Punter Rhett Hughes played a big role in keeping Lincoln down. He pinned the Patriots behind their 25-yard line with two big kickoffs in the second half.
“Field control gave us the advantage,” Brown said. “They didn’t have the passing game, and we work hard on our kicking game. We are lucky to have Rhett. He is a soccer player kicking for us and he is doing a really good job.”
Conditioning played a huge part in Rowan’s win. For most of the match up, the Vikings played a no-huddle offense that befuddled the Patriot defenders, never giving them a moment to catch their breath.
“We missed a whole week of practice with the heat issues,” Brown said. “But we have worked really hard and now we’re in game shape. The kids knew from the Morgan game that you don’t have fun when you get tired.”
The Vikings travel to Estill County this Friday for week three’s match up. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
