<p>NASHVILLE</p>
<p>The Brave-Eagle traveling trophy, symbolic of the Indian Creek-Brown County football rivalry, will stay in Trafalgar as the Indian Creek Braves rolled to the first 35 points of the night and exited Brown County with a 42-14 Western Indiana Conference victory.</p>
<p>The Braves (2-2, 2-0) pulled away quickly to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, ultimately getting to 35-0 after Owen Sego’s finished his third rushing touchdown to start the second half-scoring.</p>
<p>Indian Creek coach Brett Cooper was able feel good about the end result, as the Braves won one of the annual highlights on their schedule.</p>
<p>“This game is the first thing on our checklist every year — to beat Brown County,” Cooper said. “This trophy has been in our house since 2003. We look forward to this every year; it is a big deal.”</p>
<p>Indian Creek used its defense to set a tone with a heavy pass rush against Brown County’s prolific quarterback Noah Carter. Then, the Braves found success in their running game as Sego scored from 4 and 1 yards out in the first quarter.</p>
<p>Sego’s heroics sandwiched a defensive touchdown, as Jordan Gorham snatched an interception from Carter and made good on a 56-yard touchdown return.</p>
<p>“We knew we had to get pressure on Carter and not let him run around,” Cooper said. “And we got the train going with our running game tonight.”</p>
<p>The good feelings of the first quarter were humbled a bit in a very uneven second quarter for both sides. Indian Creek quarterback Roman Purcell and Carter were both intercepted twice, and Brown County missed its only first-half scoring possibility on a missed 23-yard field goal.</p>
<p>The lone highlight either side came on Purcell’s 65-yard touchdown run, which gave the Braves a 27-0 halftime lead.</p>
<p>“We are young and going to make some mental mistakes sometimes,” Cooper said. “We got away from running the ball, and it became an interception-fest. We have to protect the football, because that will be needed in some bigger games.”</p>
<p>Needing eight points to reach the IHSAA mercy-rule threshold, the Braves quickened the night by going 69 yards in six rushing plays. Brandon Murray ate up the biggest chunk with a 36-yard run before Sego crossed the goal line from 4 yards again.</p>
<p>Owen Neathery capped off Indian Creek’s scoring with a late 6-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>“This was our fourth game this year, and the fourth time we have played with the running clock,” Cooper said. “But the down side is we do not get to play as long. We are glad to be 2-0 in the conference, but now Triton (Central) is a big game for us because we have not beaten them in some time.”</p>
<p>The Braves’ rushing offense was the difference with 366 yards. Murray was tops at 154 yards on 13 carries, while Purcell was close behind at 138 yards in just nine attempts. A passing-based Brown County offense reached just 116 yards on this night, with Carter limited to 7 of 19 for 49 yards and three interceptions.</p>
