Indian Creek hung with Class 2A No. 9 Lapel for most of the first half Friday, but the visiting Bulldogs spoiled the Braves’ homecoming thanks in large part to their high-octane passing attack, along with some Indian Creek miscues.
Lapel (4-0) scored three touchdowns in the last 4:08 of the first half, turning a manageable 7-0 deficit into an insurmountable 28-0 hole and setting the tone for a 42-12 Bulldogs victory.
Indian Creek (1-3) forced three punts and a turnover on downs at the Braves’ 4-yard line in Lapel’s first five possessions, but the Bulldogs exploded with a fury after that. A 24-yard punt return gave the Bulldogs possession at the Indian Creek 25-yard line, and while the Braves’ defense was stout, Lapel found the end zone seven plays later on a fourth-down touchdown pass from Devin Craig to Jaxson Cripe with 4:08 to play in the first half to make it 14-0.
After the Bulldogs forced an Indian Creek punt, a 73-yard pass from Craig to Brice Burress set up another Craig-to-Cripe touchdown pass with 50.7 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Braves, the Bulldogs weren’t done scoring yet in the half.
One play after an Evan Clark interception, Craig found Isaiah Priest streaking down the right sideline wide open for a 49-yard touchdown pass with 17.2 seconds remaining in the half. That gave Lapel a 28-0 halftime lead and effectively concluded any drama that remained.
“I thought our defense started out well,” Creek coach Max Goodin said. “A little bit of adversity struck, and we flinched at the end of the half, which was disappointing to see. We challenged the kids in the second half, and I feel like they responded better, but we’ve just got to learn how to deal with adversity better.”
Indeed, the Braves played the Bulldogs dead even (14-14) in the second half. Creek’s running game was strong throughout the contest, with Malachi Mink rushing 30 times for 155 yards and both Braves touchdowns. But it wasn’t enough to offset Lapel’s superior passing game.
Craig finished with 355 passing yards, completing 19 of 25 passes to five different receivers, four of whom scored touchdowns. Craig threw five touchdown passes overall but didn’t throw a pass in the fourth quarter, which was played with a running clock after the Bulldogs built a 42-6 lead with 1:43 remaining in the third quarter.
“They’re well coached; they’ve had the same coach (Tim Miller) for 13 years, and that goes a long way,” Goodin said of Lapel. “They’ve got a senior quarterback; they’ve got some good athletes. But there were blown coverages where guys just weren’t doing their jobs. There was one (route) where a guy is running with a guy on a vertical, and he falls down. It’s something we’re going to have to reflect on and see what we can get better at, but they’re second in the state in passing for a reason.”
Indian Creek plays at Greencastle in Week 5.
