VikingsComeback

**THE COMEBACK VIKINGS: **

WARRENTON — Down 20-16 with 37 seconds to play, Warren County put the ball in the hands of its playmaker, running back Jaquan Cheek.

On fourth and 12 from the Northern Vance 37, Cheek took the handoff before being upended in his backfield on a thunderous hit from Vikings defensive back Vincent Merritt to end the game. The result: Northern’s first win since Week 5 of last season, coach Darian Harris’ first win as Vikings coach — and a Gatorade bath that’s been a long time coming.

“I was proud of myself. I’ve never been Gatorade-splashed,” said Harris. “I’ve always avoided it because I’m so quick, but they got me tonight. I lost focus.”

Northern overcame a 16-0 halftime deficit, taking the lead with 3:35 to play in the game.

“It’s a tremendous feeling,” said Harris. “After playing a horrible first half, we challenged the guys at halftime and they responded. I’m so proud of the guys.”

Warren County’s last drive started at their own 30 after the go-ahead Northern touchdown.

The Vikings got a heavy dose of Cheek, who carried the ball on every play on the drive but two. He ran for 40 yards on the drive and finished with 112 yards on the game.

Warren County had a first down at the Northern 35-yard line with under two minutes to play, but a fumble, recovered by the offense, made it second down with no gain.

After the two teams traded penalties, freshman back Chris Privett carried for no gain before a reverse to Benjamin Bullock resulted in a loss of two yards and an Eagle timeout to set up the final play.

“It was a bad call,” said Warren County coach Steve Powell. “I just made a bad call. I thought I saw something that I didn’t. I’m not going to put any weight on the kids. That one’s on me.”

Powell’s Eagles fall to 0-2 on the season, while Northern improves to 1-2.

“Northern outplayed us,” said Powell. “They wanted it more and my compliments to them. They never quit, even when we moved the ball on them or stuffed them. Their players rose and we have to get to a point where our players rise through adversity.”

The Vikings’ game-winning drive started at the Warren County 30 with 6:59 to play.

A 12-yard strike from quarterback John Nelson to Eric Jefferys put Northern at the 14 before two carries from Jefferys put the visitors in goal-to-go territory.

A the Eagle 3, Nelson faked a handoff to Demontre’ Dozier and swung out to the left corner on a bootleg to make it 20-16. The two-point conversion was no good.

“Eric Jefferys made some tremendous plays. John Nelson made some plays,” Harris said. “I couldn’t ask for a better drive to end the game.”

The Northern offense exploded for 152 yards in the second half behind Nelson, who finished 13 of 25 for 155 yards. Warren County quarterback Markell Pitchford completed 5 of 8 passes for 2 yards on the game.

The Vikings got within two points at 16-14 when Nelson connected with Jefferys on a 14-yard play down the right sideline with 2:03 to play in the third quarter. A passing attempt for two points was incomplete.

Down 16-0 at the half, Northern wasted no time getting back into the game, scoring on its opening drive of the second half.

Nelson hit D.J. Williams on a 30-yard pass play to the Eagle 18, ultimately setting up a Jefferys rushing score on first and goal. A pass to Tray Elam for two made it 16-8.

“We talked about heart, having heart,” Harris said of the halftime talk. “We felt like in the first half, Warren County had our heart. We challenged the kids to go out in the second half and take their heart back — and they did.”

Northern came close to going to the locker rooms down three scores instead of two.

On the kickoff following a Warren County score to make it 16-0, the Eagles appeared to have recovered a muffed kick for a touchdown with just 16 seconds to play in the first half.

The officials ruled that Northern never had possession of the ball, thus negating a wild sequence that ended with the Eagles’ Derek Wortham on top of the ball in the end zone.

“I think that would have put the nail in the coffin,” said Powell. “Being up by three (scores) as opposed to two changes the whole tempo of everything.”

The tempo was in favor of Northern to start the game.

Warren County fumbled the opening kickoff, giving the Vikings the ball deep in Eagles territory.

But Warren County’s defense came up big as Kenneth Kearney picked Nelson for a 70-yard interception return down the right sideline to open the scoring on the night. The 2-point conversion was good.

“It was critical,” Powell said of the play. “It really reset the tone. The tone had already been set with the muff and then he reset it with the interception.”

That was the first of four turnovers on the night for Northern, which had near double-digit penalties by halftime.

“We couldn’t have played a worse first half,” said Harris.

Harris said he didn’t know whether to blame the sloppy play on nerves or the rivalry between the two schools — a rivalry that impressed Harris, who was getting his introduction to the Eagles-Vikings matchup.

“I looked up with a few seconds left and I saw people everywhere,” he said. “It’s amazing, the support. And that says a lot about Warren County and Henderson that folks come out and support this rivalry. That’s huge.”

Cheek made it 14-0 on a short rush up the middle and added another run to make it 16-0 with 22 seconds to play in the first half.

“Cheek is amazing,” Harris said. “He ran the ball hard every play, he’s a load to bring down. He’s not a big kid, but he’s powerful. I’m very impressed with the way he runs the football.”

Northern heads to South Granville next week while Warren County searches for its first win at home against Weldon.

“We have to work on creating a new culture,” said Powell. “When you’re in a situation where you’re losing, there’s so many things that you have to adjust. We’re not thinking like winners, but it will happen. There’s no question about it.”

Contact the writer at kholtzman@hendersondispatch.com.

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