When it came down to it in Friday night’s home opener for the Vian Wolverines against the Eufaula Ironheads at St. John Stadium, it was Vian’s defense that saved the day.
The Ironheads had two shots to score late to snatch away a win from the jaws of defeat, and they were 0-for-2 in their season opener as the Wolverines made the defensive stops each time as Vian won 35027.
Trailing 33-27 with 8:14 left to play in the game after Eufaula quarterback Ledger Folsom scored on a 6-yard touchdown run in which the conversion was a failed snap and a failed pass, the Ironheads (01) used their defense to give them a shot at the lead as linebacker Aaron Spoehr recovered a Vian fumble at the Vian 33 with 6:07 remaining in the game.
However, about 90 seconds later, Folsom’s pass was intercepted by Vian cornerback Nathan Creasey at the Vian 5 with 4:41 remaining to play.
The Wolverines (1-1) chewed up clock as they methodically moved down field. However, the Eufaula defense rose to the occasion again as Vian quarterback Masyn Wright’s pass was intercepted by Eufaula defensive back Maddox Bridges at the Eufaula 7 with 1:19 left in the game.
However, on the next play, Folsom was tackled hard in the end zone by Vian linebacker Tristan Wiley for a safety, and a Vian 35-27 lead with 1:12 left to play.
On the ensuing kickoff, Eufaula tried an onside kick, which was recovered by Vian — which ran out the clock.
“(Assistant) Coach (Lance) Winans did a great job with the defense,” Vian coach Gary Wills said. “The boys came through. We put them in bad situations, and our defense saved our rears.”
Another turning point in the game came at the close of the opening half as the Wolverines scored twice in the final 2:59 to go from being behind 21-20 to taking a 33-21 lead at the break.
Vian got a 52-yard TD run by Draighton Fletcher with 2:59 left before halftime, but the two-point conversion pass failed to put the Wolverines ahead for good at 26-21.
With a second left in the opening half, Wright scored on a 6-yard touchdown run. Tyrick Mosley’s extra point gave Vian a 33-21 lead at halftime.
The game started off with a bang as Wright returned the opening kickoff 82 yards for a TD. Due to a bad snap on the conversion, it failed to keep Vian ahead 6-0 with only nine seconds elapsed.
The Ironheads responded on their ensuing drive as running back Peter Lee took it in from seven yards out with 8:14 left in the first quarter. Bryan Lynn’s PAT put Eufaula ahead 7-6 after a period.
The Wolverines regained the lead with 11:42 left in the first half on a 5-yard touchdown run by Fletcher. Mosley’s extra point went wide left, keeping Vian ahead 12-7.
On the ensuing kickoff, Eufaula’s Keonte Youngblood returned it 90 yards to paydirt. Lynn’s PAT put the Ironheads back on top 14-12 with 11:35 remaining before halftime.
Vian’s defense set up its next score as Wright recovered an Eufaula fumble at the Eufaula 23 with 8:13 remaining in the first half.
Just 44 seconds later, Wright scored his second TD of the game on a 12-yard run. Fletcher ran in the two-point conversion to put Vian back ahead 20-14 with 7:29 left in the first half.
The Ironheads responded with a scoring drive capped by a 31-yard touchdown run by Folson for his first of two TDs on the night.
Lynn’s PAT regained the lead for Eufaula at 2120.
“it was a great effort,” Willis said. “We got the win. We’ll take it. There’s a lot of things to work on, but we’re a young team. We’ve got three seniors. We’ve got a bunch of sophomores playing.”
One of the biggest things the veteran Vian coach saw was improvement from the zero week opener at Washington to Friday night against Eufaula.
“We did take a step forward,” Willis said. “Draighton Fletcher played really well at running back. In a lot of positions, we saw a lot of improvement. We ran into a buzzsaw at Washington. We were outmatched. We grew from it, and we’re heading in the right direction. We’ve got to keep growing.”
