Vikings At A Loss In 42-13 Rout By Dobyns-Bennett

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Tennessee High Vikings junior fullback Bradley Tallman confessed that he was at a loss for words.

Vikings star junior running back Keenan Shepard had taken his jersey and shoulder pads off, and was getting his torso wrapped in plastic and ice.

And Tennessee High coach Greg Stubbs was issuing a challenge to his team, just moments after the game clock hit :00.

The Vikings’ season-opening non-conference road contest against Dobyns-Bennett?

Yeah, not so good.

A 14-0 halftime deficit turned into a 42-13 rout by the Indians on Thursday evening.

And other than showing a stronger heart in the second half, the Vikings would almost certainly take a do-over.

“I was very pleased with the way our kids came out in the second half. We fought back. We put a couple drives together. That showed me that we can do it,” Stubbs said. “We’ve got to anchor the ship. We gotta get off. We’ve got to get some things done before we get back on the ship and sail again. There’s some things missing in this football team; we’ve got to find [them].”

The Vikings (0-1) started strong and held momentum in the first quarter. Tennessee High’s offensive line opened deep holes, and the Vikings were initially able to ride Shepard (60 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries).

Yet while Tennessee High found itself inside D-B (1-0) territory on its first three possessions, the Vikings were unable to convert. And a failed fourth-down conversion on 4th-and-1 at Dobyns-Bennett’s 14-yard line with 1 minute, 13 seconds left in the first quarter was the peak of the Tennessee High’s frustration.

“Everybody … I don’t even know. It’s crazy,” Tallman said. “We were supposed to come in here and just blow it down their throats, is what I had pictured. I was ready, but … I don’t know.”

A tight game turned on two plays in the second quarter.

First, Dobyns-Bennett junior starting running back Chris Sensabaugh was forced to leave the contest after being pulled down from behind on a tackle. Sensabaugh’s exit opened the door for Indians senior Justin Sylvester. And Sylvester made the most of his moment.

Where Sensabaugh ran tall and big up the middle, Sensabaugh ran towards the sidelines and cut sharp. The Vikings were not prepared for the change.

Sylvester quickly racked up yards, quickly guiding D-B into Tennessee High’s red zone. And a 10-play, 60-yard Indians drive culminated with a 1-yard touchdown dive by Dobyns-Bennett quarterback Jamie Crawford with 4:35 remaining in the second period, giving the Indians a 6-0 lead.

The Vikings followed with a three-play-and-out drive. And the Indians hit right back via a 22-yard run down the left sideline by Crawford and a 2-yard jump into the end zone by Sylvester (115 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries) with just 26.5 seconds left in the first half.

“The [offensive] line did a good job of opening holes,” Sylvester said. “All I had to do was read it a little bit and make my cuts.”

D-B’s quick one-two punch left Tennessee High looking for answers – the Vikings walked off the field at halftime with their heads hanging downward and their early momentum an afterthought.

Tallman and Shepard led a brief charge by Tennessee High in the second half, while Vikings quarterback Mason Canty (6-of-10 passing for 70 yards and one interception; one rushing touchdown) settled down and found a groove.

But Sylvester kept running. And the Indians kept pushing, putting up 28 second-half points.

“We gotta find ourselves. We’ve got to create an attitude within us … and play within ourselves. We … gotta know what our capabilities are and we’ve gotta play within that format,” Stubbs said. “And if we can do that and play with aggression and play with intensity and play smart, we can become a good football team.”

btsmith@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2569

Tennessee High 0 0 6 7—13
Dobyns-Bennett 0 14 14 14—42
Scoring Summary
D-B – Jamie Crawford 1 run (Craig Mitcham kick)
D-B – Justin Sylvester 2 run (Mitcham kick)
D-B – Sylvester 35 run (Mitcham kick)
TH – Keenan Shepard 3 run (Kick failed)
D-B – Derrick Steele 45 pass from Crawford (Mitcham kick)
TH – Mason Canty 5 run (Ben Perrin kick)
D-B – Sylvester 2 run (Mitcham kick)
D-B – Sylvester 10 run (Mitcham kick)
Team Stats
First Downs: Rushes-Yards: TH 23-84, D-B 39-155; Passing Yards: TH 70, D-B 85; Comp.-Att.-Int.: TH 6-10-1, D-B 6-7-85