It was an all-around impressive performance for Indian Creek Friday night, as it shut out visiting Owen Valley, 38-0. Led by a defense that stopped the Patriots on fourth down on six different occasions and quarterback Jalen Sauer, who was phenomenal with both his legs and his arm, the Braves dominated the contest from the opening kickoff.
“All of the credit goes to Coach (Leland) Kinnett and the defensive staff,” Braves coach Casey Gillin said after the game. “They made some adjustments, our kids responded, played their assignments and played very well tonight.”
It was that Indian Creek defense that stepped up early in the contest. The Braves (1-2, 1-0 WIC) stopped Owen Valley twice on fourth down, both leading to scores for the offense. Following the first fourth-down stop at their own 48-yard line, the Braves drove down the Patriots’ 11-yard line before the drive stalled.
From there, Braves kicker Aiden Long drove a 28-yard field goal through the uprights to give Indian Creek a 3-0 lead with 7:17 left in the opening quarter.
After receiving the ensuing kickoff, Owen Valley got to the Indian Creek 19-yard line before the Braves’ defense once again stepped up and stopped Owen Valley on fourth down.
The Braves’ next scoring drive started with great field position at the 38-yard line of Owen Valley. Sauer had consecutive runs of 12 and 13 yards to move the ball down to the 16-yard line. From there, he finished what he started and scampered in from 16 yards out, putting the Braves up 10-0 with 9:47 left in the first half.
But Indian Creek was not done yet. Following an Owen Valley punt, the Braves took over possession at their own 15-yard line with 1:15 left in the half. Sauer found Malachi Mink for a quick 20-yard reception. On the next play, Sauer found Jaxson Palmer over the middle for another sizable gain.
Following two Sauer runs to move the ball down to the Patriots’ 37-yard line, the quarterback once again put on his running shoes, finding room around the right edge and bolting to paydirt, giving the Braves a 17-0 lead going into halftime.
“Jalen is just learning the quarterback position. He’s great with his legs, and you won’t find a better leader. He has room to grow in the passing game, but he hasn’t play quarterback since seventh grade, and he knows he still has learning to do,” Gillin said.
The Braves stayed hot to begin the second half, as they took the kickoff and drove right down the field against the Patriots defense. Following a penalty, Indian Creek’s Jaxon Ramey took a reverse handoff for 34 yards to put the Braves at the Owen Valley 17-yard line. After driving to the 10, Sauer found Mink in the end zone for his first passing touchdown of the night with 10:05 left in the third quarter.
After stopping Owen Valley on fourth down for the fifth time, the Braves once again struck quickly. Sauer found Mink on a shovel pass, after which Mink weaved his way through the Patriots’ defense for a 41-yard score to put Indian Creek up 31-0 with 9:13 left in the game, essentially putting the game out of reach for the visitors.
The Braves added another score with 9:13 left in the game when Sauer found Palmer on a quick screen pass. Palmer did the rest, rambling 52 yards for the score.
“This was our most complete game by far this year,” Gillin said. “Our defense did not play this well the first two games, but I am happy with how we came out tonight.”
