–Vikings dominate 4th quarter in upset of Owen
22 September 2007By Derek Norton
Photos by Lee Barrett
NEWLAND-September 21, 2007- Between 2000 and 2006, the Owen Warhorses and Avery Vikings faced each other eight times, and each time, the Warhorses were victorious, winning by an average of 38-15. Of course, that doesn’t matter too much in 2007, as the Vikings shocked Owen with a 28-21 homecoming win despite trailing 21-14 at the end of the third quarter.
“This is probably the biggest win we’ve had. I can’t even explain it,” said junior QB/WR Adam Pate, who finished with 185 total yards and two touchdowns. “It’s the greatest feeling. We knew we had to work hard and the whole team stepped up.”
The Vikings received the opening kickoff and drove 67 yards down the field in 5:29 to take a 7-0 lead after a 3 yard run by Preston Jennings.
After trading possessions, the Warhorses looked to knot the score up after a 35 yard run by Dion Wilson gave them a 1st and 
10 at the Avery 14, but the drive stalled at the Avery 10 with Owen turning the ball over on downs after a dropped pass.
Two plays later, Avery junior Travis Thomas burst through the line and was surrounded by defenders, but while the Warhorses thought Thomas was down by his forward motion being stopped, he sprinted forward 10 yards, stopped and turned around to find that the ball was in fact still live, and sprinted for a 92 yard touchdown. Myles Farthing’s extra point was good and the Vikings took a 14-0 lead.
After a short Avery punt two drives later, the Warhorses took over with prime field position at the Avery 39 with 6:24 remaining in the first half. Two minutes later, facing a 3rd and 2 at the Avery 14, Wilson sprinted up the middle for the score,
cutting the lead to 14-7 after Aaron Reese’s extra point.
The following drive, the Vikings were able to reach Owen territory in just two plays after 
a great kick return that started the drive at the Avery 45, but on 3rd and 11 from the Warhorse 46 Owen sophomore Andy Coleman picked off a pass at the 20 and returned it all the way to the Avery 35 with 0:52 remaining in the first half. The next play, Reese connected with Tyler Martin for a 35 yard score that tied the game at 14.
The score would remain 14-14 at halftime, though Avery nearly re-claimed the lead after driving 54 yards in 31 seconds, but junior Tyler Blalock was stopped at the 1 yard line as time expired.
On Owen’s second drive of the second half, Reese found Bradley McMahan for a 28 yard gain that would have given the Warhorses a 1st and 10 from the Avery 12, but a ruled fumble allowed the Vikings to take over on Owen’s 18.
The Warhorses took over again after a big fourth down stop and took their first lead of the game five plays later on a three 
yard run off of right tackle by Wilson with 0:44 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
It was in the 4th quarter when the Vikings stepped up for the win, scoring two touchdowns and holding the Warhorses to just 23 total yards and two first downs.
The first touchdown came on the second play of the quarter, with Pate finding Jennings for a 48 yard score that tied the game at 21. Then, with the Warhorses facing 4th down in their own territory with just under 4:00 remaining in the game, the Vikings blocked the Warhorse punt and took over at the Owen 12 yard line. The next play, Pate dashed into the end zone to give Avery a 28-21 lead with 3:38 remaining.
Owen started their final drive at their own 18 with 3:33 remaining, and a 14 yard screen pass to Wilson and a 9 yard run by Reese put the Warhorses at their own 41 with 3:05 to go. A sack by Avery senior Logan Lecka pushed Owen back seven yards, but a 12 yard scramble by Reese on 3rd and 8 kept the Warhorses in business.
The next play, Reese completed a 5 yard pass to Jerome Wilkins, but back-to-back sacks by junior defensive lineman Christian Montgomery forced Owen to face 4th and 18. After calling their final timeout, the Warhorses called for a pass play that saw Wilson wide open in the middle of the field, but heavy pressure from the Vikings forced a hurried throw that landed out of Wilson’s reach. The defensive stop allowed Avery to run out the clock with a single kneel.
“We’re excited about this win,” said Avery coach Darrell Brewer. “We didn’t talk much about it being Owen or about it being homecoming. We just prepared our guys for all the things they would throw at us.”
The loss brought back haunting memories of Owen’s 24-7 loss to Mitchell in the 2006 regular season, and ensures that the 
Warhorses will need help in order to earn a share of their sixth straight WHC title.
“I know our guys, and I know they wanted to win,” said Owen coach Kenny Ford. “But there was team in black who wanted it a little bit more.”
The Vikings (2-3, 1-0) will visit West Henderson next week, while the Warhorses (3-2, 0-1) will host Mitchell.
1 2 3 4 F
Owen 0 14 7 0 21
Avery 7 7 0 14 28
GAME STATS
Owen Avery
First Downs 11 18
Rushing 32-149 34-163
Passing (Comp-Att-INT) 8-16-0 14-23-1
Pass Yards 121 221
Total Yards 270 384
Fumbles (lost) 1(1) 2(0)
Penalites-Yards 7-55 7-50
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Passing
Adam Pate (Avery) 9-15, 154 yds, TD
Preston Jennings (Avery 5-8, 67 yds
Aaron Reese (Owen) 8-16, 121 yds, TD
Rushing
Travis Thomas (Avery) 8 carries, 101 yds, TD
Adam Pate (Avery) 7 carries 31 yds, TD
Dion Wilson (Owen) 13 carries, 89 yds, 2 TD
Aaron Reese (Owen) 16 carries, 60 yds
Receiving
Preston Jennings (Avery) 4 rec, 90 yds, TD
Chris Childress (Avery) 3 rec, 45 yds
Travis Thomas (Avery) 2 rec, 35 yds
Tyler Martin (Owen) 3 rec, 46 yds, TD
Jerome Wilkins (Owen) 3 rec, 33 yds
1st Quarter
A-Preston Jennings, 3 yd run (Myles Farthing kick) 6:26
2nd Quarter
A-Travis Thomas, 92 yd run (Myles Farthing kick) 11:01
O-Dion Wilson, 14 yd run (Aaron Reese kick) 4:22
O-Tyler Martin, 35 yd pass from Aaron Reese (Aaron Reese kick) 0:45
3rd Quarter
O-Dion Wilson, 3 yd run (Aaron Reese kick) 0:44
4thQuarter
A-Preston Jennings, 48 yd pass from Adam Pate (Myles Farthing kick) 11:49
A-Adam Pate, 12 yd run (Myles Farthing kick) 3:38
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