Sheets of rain fell in sideways with harsh winds in a low-scoring matchup between Yorktown (6-2) and Pendleton Heights (4-4). The Tigers came out on top with a 15-6 win where the defense highlighted their performance.
Yorktown was led by Jamarius Evans on both sides of the ball as he provided the Tigers with two fumble recoveries and a 45-yard rushing touchdown, marking his longest rush of the season.
“The linemen kept giving me great holes, and with the touchdown, there was a clear entrance with no one else out front, and they just cleared the way,” Evans said. “It was not me at all. It was the linemen.”
Evans contributed on defense as he was all over the field making tackles.
“I could tell from the start he was on it as he was making a lot of tackles, getting to the line of scrimmage, and that first touchdown run was just outstanding,” head coach Mike Wilhelm said. “We know he has that potential, and he has gotten better and better this season.”
The weather made it difficult to produce numbers, but Evans fought through it with 79 rushing yards. Wide receiver Austin Hill also saw some time at running back, and he put up 68 rushing yards.
The pouring rain meant less passing and more running. Quarterback Reid Neal only attempted four passes in the game.
“We obviously could not throw the ball,” Wilhelm said. “We proved we could play in games like this with running the ball and taking advantage of some turnovers they had.”
Yorktown is a team that loves to pass, and Evan said the conditions helped improve the team in different facets of the game.
Despite the weather, Wilhelm said a win is a win, especially when beating a team coming off of defeating Delta, who is 7-1 and ranked second in the conference.
“It was not pretty, but it was just a huge win to beat a team where we were the underdogs,” Wilhelm said. “We have had issues in those situations in the past. We played hard and with a lot of excitement.”
With the excitement surrounding the victory, Yorktown’s focus is already forward.
“We can enjoy this for 30 minutes and then have to beat Mount Vernon next week,” Wilhelm said.
Contact Ian Hansen with comments at imhansen@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ianh_2.
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