It turns out, the Bulldogs fare pretty well against Buckeyes.
One week after it earned a 21-14 home win over Eastern Local, Van recorded a 58-12 a road victory over St. John Central on Saturday.
“I’m excited about the win,” Van coach Bob Mullett said. “Anytime you score that many points, and you do it with the pass and you do it with the run and you have that kind of success on special teams, the coaches and the kids are always excited.”
The Bulldogs (3-2) never trailed versus the Fighting Irish (0-5). Van led 22-0 after the first quarter, 46-6 at halftime and 58-12 after the third quarter.
The Bulldogs’ offense, particularly their ground game, racked up the yards against their out-of-state opponents.
Van amassed 465 total yards (356 rushing and 109 passing) against St. John Central one week after it accumulated 382 total yards (268 rushing and 114 passing) against Eastern Local.
“That was by far our best game,” junior tailback Nick Green said of Saturday’s performance.
Green topped the 150-yard mark for the second game in a row. He rushed nine times for 179 yards, most of which came on his three touchdown runs (34, 55 and 66 yards). He also returned a punt 62 yards for another score.
“I feel good running the ball right now,” said Green, who now has 559 yards and seven touchdowns on 53 carries. “Everything is starting to come together.
“Our offensive line is doing so much better than it was before. If it wasn’t for them, nothing would happen.”
Senior quarterback Corey Castle threw for more than 100 yards for the second straight game. Castle completed 4-of-6 passes for 109 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Castle also ran for one two-point conversion and threw for three more (one each to senior wide receiver Jeremy Gannon, junior wide receiver Tony Giachetti and junior fullback Victor Niemec).
Senior wide receiver and running back Matt Slone had two catches for 41 yards.
Slone also had a 53-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion run. He finished with 60 yards on two carries.
Giachetti’s and Niemec’s only receptions were touchdown catches. Giachetti’s covered 15 yards and Niemec’s spanned 53 yards.
Giachetti has caught a touchdown pass in three consecutive games.
Niemec added 41 yards on five carries, including a 34-yard touchdown run.
Senior fullback Scotty Branham rushed seven times for 40 yards. Junior tailback Jesse Lusk contributed 34 yards on nine carries.
“Nick Green had the best game of his career,” Mullett said. “Corey Castle is still doing a great job leading the team and running the offense.
“Victor Niemec and Scotty Branham did a great job blocking and running the ball. Our offensive line played better. They opened up some holes. I think they are finally starting to jell.”
Sophomore middle linebacker Loren Harshbarger led Van with 10 tackles. Slone added eight stops from his outside linebacker position.
Branham and junior defensive lineman Derrick Bias added five tackles apiece.
Sophomore defensive ends Casey Harris and Jordan Lane each collected four stops, the same number as Gannon, senior linebacker Steven Cook and senior defensive tackle Brett Eversole.
Giachetti, Green and Lusk each made three tackles in the secondary. Senior defensive lineman Steven Doss also made three stops and “had his best game this season,” Mullett said.
Senior defensive lineman Dustin Jones and junior defensive lineman Roger Runion added two tackles apiece, and Castle and Niemec each had one stop.
The Bulldogs allowed 376 total yards (314 on the ground and 62 through the air) but forced five turnovers to keep the Fighting Irish out of the end zone.
Gannon, Green and Lusk each intercepted a pass in the secondary. Harshbarger and Niemec each recovered a fumble from their middle linebacker spots.
“We stepped it up defensively,” Mullett said. “Coach Hendricks always talks about takeaways and giveaways, and he said we have been taking the ball away more than we have been giving it away. Generally, you can win that way. So, we need to keep doing that.”
Van is idle this week but travels to Seth to face Boone County rival Sherman next week.
The open week “will help the kids,” said Mullett, whose team didn’t practice Monday. “With such a small number of players on this team, we need to be healthy. It gives us a chance to recover. It will be good to rest physically and mentally.”
Van will need it, he said, with a second-half schedule that includes home games against Burch and Paden City and road games versus Williamson and Montcalm.
“Sherman, Paden City and Williamson … those are three good teams,” Mullett said. “I have seen them play, and let me tell you, we have a mountain to climb. I don’t say that lightly. It isn’t a hill. It’s a mountain.
“I have already cautioned the kids and some of the parents. Everyone is happy because we are 3-2, which is wonderful. We were 0-5 at this point last year. The kids have worked hard. They deserve it. They are playing together as a team.
“But we have a lot to improve on. You can never block well enough or tackle well enough. Those are two areas where we have miles to go. But I like their heart and I like their attitude. I just want them to know that we have a tough second half ahead of us.”
The Bulldogs will face the Tide on Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Zontini Field.
Before that, however, Sherman (1-4) will host Webster County (2-3) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Tide’s size worries Mullett.
“They are big up front, on both the offensive and defensive lines,” he said. “By our standards, they are huge. They have several kids who are in that 250- to 270-pound area. And it isn’t like they have one or two of them. They have five or six of them.”
“Knowing that we have to go over there and play at their place” makes the task even tougher, Mullett said.
“But I know our kids are excited about it and I’m sure their kids are excited about it,” he added. “I think it will be a good game. I’m glad we get to play it.”
Contact Managing Editor Jacob Messer at HYPERLINK "jacobmesser@coalvalleynews.com" jacobmesser@coalvalleynews.com or 369-1165.
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