By Cameron Baker
For the Daily Journal
Amid a losing streak that stretches back to last season, a three-game scoring drought and an injury crisis that would give any coach a headache, Edinburgh looked to find the same offensive groove they found last season against North Daviess, a game that saw the Lancers put up 28 points.
However, they were unable to recapture that magic from last season and once again proved to have no answer for the opposition, as they lost the game 37-0 and both continue their winless season and go through a fourth consecutive game without scoring.
“It’s hard, but we have 16 freshmen and sophomores that get a lot of playing time,” Edinburgh coach Tyler DeSpain said. “That group has a lot of heart, a lot of desire and they’re working hard every day to get better.”
After recovering an onside kick try from the Cougars (4-1), the Lancers’ first drive moved only backward, as they lost three yards in their first three plays and a delay of game penalty that left them at fourth and 18 before punting.
North Daviess then broke off three consecutive runs of 20-plus yards to open the scoring, a preview of what was to come. The Cougars scored again just under two minutes later thanks to a blocked punt and a 24-yard run from Wyatt Bishop that set up the first of his two rushing touchdowns on the night.
Things seemed to only go downhill from there for the Lancers (0-5), as the North Daviess defenders were in the backfield nearly every single snap and their offense was moving the ball with little to no resistance.
The Cougars had already amassed a 22-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, and the Lancers picked up another injury early in the second quarter that left them even more undermanned than before.
“We went into this game with six starters on both sides of the ball out. We almost had as many white jerseys as red jerseys on the sideline,” DeSpain said.
Edinburgh did eventually show some signs of life late in the second quarter, when they started to break off some short runs and get their first first down of the game as well as recover a North Daviess fumble. Despite the positive end to the first half, the Lancers had only mustered a total of 25 yards through the first two quarters while giving up nearly 200.
Edinburgh started the second half how it ended the first, with an onside kick recovery, and put together an offensive drive that lasted nearly the rest of the game, due to the running clock. The Cougars eventually got a stop but then only managed to get a couple of plays off before the officials ended the game early due to the weather that delayed every other game in Johnson County.
“I think our kids just kind of started playing at the level they’re supposed to,” DeSpain said. “They put a little more heart into it and got excited after the onside kick recovery.”
The Lancers will travel to Switzerland County in Week 6.
