Sports
Vinton County Faces Tough Test Against Southeastern
By: Nick Henthorn
Posted on:
The Vinton County Vikings (0-1) will be hosting the Southeastern Panthers (1-0) Friday at 7:30 p.m. in a non-conference game.
Both teams found themselves on opposite ends of a blowout in their first outing of the 2018 season, and this contest will go a long way in determining what kind of year it will be for the two squads.
Southeastern rolled through week one, securing a 34-0 victory over Northwest High School. It was a familiar display of dominance from a team that went undefeated in a 2017 season that was capped off by a Scioto Valley Conference Championship. All of the top Panthers showed up in their debut game to spearhead the landslide performance, especially senior linebacker John Winfield and junior quarterback Lane Ruby, who made the type of plays that the Southeastern faithful have come to expect from the upperclassmen.
Expectations for Vinton County, however, may have to be tempered after their 21-6 defeat at the hands of Unioto. The Vikings defense looked flimsy, allowing Unioto running back Jamarcus Carroll to gain 259 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Following a year in which Vinton County finished 5-5 thanks to a week 10 victory, Coach Daniel Joseph’s players will have to find a way to shore up their defense if they do not want to dig themselves into a hole early in the season.
While Southeastern could be favored in this game based off of last season’s success, the lack of familiarity between the two teams could create some unpredictability. Friday’s matchup is the Panthers and Vikings’ first in over ten years, meaning neither has a tried-and-true gameplan against the other.
Tune into Gridiron Glory on Friday at 11:30 p.m. or Saturday at 11:30 a.m. to see all the highlights from this contest and plenty of others across Southeast Ohio.