Crawfordsville couldn’t overcome the early lead that Heritage Christian built up, and it turned in to a 47-12 season opening football loss.
The Athenians ran 20 more plays than the visitors (68-48) and had the ball nearly four more minutes, but it was what the Eagles did when they had it that made the difference, especially early.
“It was the first varsity experience for a lot of these guys,” Crawfordsville coach Brad Clark said. “There were some nerves, maybe a little shock early, and Heritage Christian put up some big plays and got the lead. The guys settled down, though, and really worked hard the entire game. They never quit, and I’m really proud of them for that effort. They never let their guard down.”
HC scored on their first five possessions, using the run game in the middle of the field to set up quarterback Eli Nix for four touchdown passes in the first half to four different receivers.
Running back Elijah Pimental was the running workhorse, picking up 122 first half yards and the other TD.
The Athenians regrouped at the half, though, and played the Eagles, who finished 7-4 last season, even through the second half.
The home squad took the second-half opening kick down the field and put the first points of the season on the board when quarterback Kaden Patton found Sam Minnette from seven yards out for a TD.
That scoring drive was the third straight possession by Cville of 10 plays or more, but the first to pay off. For the game, the Athenians had five drives of nine plays or better, and had only one three-and-out all game.
“Patton is a team captain and has had some starts for us,” Clark said of the senior who finished 16-of-30 for the game for 162 passing yards. “He has played a lot of football, and he is one cool customer – nothing rattles him.”
Patton would throw two picks and be sacked three times as the Athenians relied on the pass game. “We wanted to spread the ball a bit” Clark said, “in order to open the running lanes.”
Patton’s favorite target was Ethan McLemore, as the senior hauled in eight catches for 82 yards and was the target on nearly 10 incompletions. “Ethan is our playmaker,’ Clark said of the senior. “When we needed a big catch, he went and got it. He is just a great football player.
Minnette finished with five grabs and 48 yards and the score, plus had a couple pass attempts late in the game. Anthony Lee led the ground attack for Cville, as the junior ran for 30 yards on 13 carries. He also had a fourth-quarter TD run, going 15 yards for the end zone after HC’s only punt of the game went two yards.
Freshman Maddox Ronco also electrified the home crowd with a 42 yard, followed later by a 37 yard kickoff return.
“Big plays like that fire up the sideline and the crowd,” Clark said.
The Athenians travel to take on North Fountain Central next week, and will get to go scout the Mustangs when they take on Southmont Saturday.
“We saw a lot of positives,” Clark said, “and a lot of things that need to be fixed are very fixable. We played hard, and I’m proud of that. We will learn a lot from this first game. I think when the guys look at the video and see just how close a lot of plays were, I know they will go out and make those improvements.”
