JOHNSTOWN – Bracen Davis and Andy Beatty know a thing or two about waiting their turn.
The former, a junior at East Knox, had to watch patiently from the sideline these last two years, as all-state quarterback Peyton Lester guided the Bulldogs to consecutive playoff appearances and a conference title. Davis threw just three varsity passes his sophomore year, while dominating at the junior varsity level.
The latter, a longtime fixture in the local coaching scene, had to pay his dues on the East Knox sideline over the last seven years, serving as an assistant during Cody Reese’s dynastic reign. Beatty coached the defensive line and running backs (as well as the junior varsity squad), helping lead the Bulldogs back to regional relevancy after years of hardship.
The two had operated behind-the-scenes, in their own way, for quite some time now. They’d kept their heads down, continued working, and patiently waited for their opportunity to shine.
And thus, it was fitting late Friday, when moments after the clock struck zero at Viking Stadium, the two found each other. Davis, now the team’s starting quarterback, embraced Beatty, the team’s new head play-caller, in a bear hug right after the buzzer.
Their opportunity had come. Their moment, after all these years, had arrived. And on a night filled with nerves and uncertainty and palpable anticipation, the duo took full advantage of it.
East Knox cruised past Northridge, 26-13, on the opening night of the 2022 high school football season.
The Bulldogs led from start to finish, sprinting out to a 20-7 first quarter lead before cooling down over the final three stanzas. The Vikings narrowed the margin to 20-13 at halftime, but couldn’t draw any closer, as East Knox stretched the lead to two scores late in the third quarter and cruised to victory in the fourth.
It was a statement win for the Bulldogs, who lost seven offensive starters and six defensive starters to graduation this offseason. Reese, the architect behind East Knox’s modern-day football renaissance, had stepped down as well. But none of that mattered Friday, as the Bulldogs – winners of two of the last three Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference titles – got right back to their winning ways.
“This game showed that we play hard,” Davis said. “We’re gonna do that all season, and we’re gonna see what we can do in the playoffs, hopefully.”
THE GAME: East Knox took control early and never looked back.
Sophomore tailback Cole Delaughder got the visitors on the board first with a 3-yard touchdown scamper up the left side. This came after East Knox forced and recovered a fumble deep in Northridge territory, setting up the four-play, 16-yard drive.
Northridge struck back on the game’s next play. Junior Drew Bingham took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards to the house, evading would-be tacklers and gliding into the end zone to tie the game at 7 with 6:47 remaining.
But East Knox did not waver. Delaughder returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield, and Davis led the Bulldogs on a 44-yard death march that resulted in another score. His 11-yard touchdown strike to sophomore tight end Blake Elliott over the middle gave East Knox the lead once again.
“I definitely had nerves,” Davis said of the lead-up to the game. “I was excited though, I was really excited. We got some good film on these guys and it went well in the end.”
The Bulldogs would strike once more before the end of the opening stanza.
Davis reared back with 1:44 left and found senior wideout Carson Steinmetz open down the sideline, with only two defenders ahead of him. Steinmetz shed the first Viking, then sprinted past the second, en route to a 65-yard touchdown romp that broke the game wide open.
“It felt great, really,” Davis said of the groove he found himself in early on. “Especially when guys are doing their jobs and everything, it’s really amazing. That’s a good team right there.”
Northridge inched closer in the second quarter, taking advantage of a botched East Knox punt. Senior quarterback Lane Hess, listed at 6-foot-3 and 172 pounds, followed a 30-yard dash up the gut with a 5-yard touchdown scamper to the edge, making it 20-13 with 3:05 left until halftime.
But that’s as close as the Vikings would get. East Knox scored again late in the third quarter on a 17-yard end zone strike from Davis to Delaughder, stretching the margin to two scores.
And the Bulldogs’ defense dominated the rest of the way. Northridge did not score in the fourth quarter, punting twice and turning the ball over on downs once, while East Knox proceeded to run out the clock.
When the final buzzer sounded, Davis was the first one to embrace Beatty. Yes, he understood the patience required to get to this point; for the last two years, Davis was Beatty’s JV quarterback. But he also understood what the moment likely meant to him.
“It was good,” Davis said afterwards, a smile stretching across his face. He’s coached here for a little while. We all know him and we all love him.
“He’s a great guy and he’s a smart coach, and we trust what he says and we do what he says. So it was a good win.”
Beatty couldn’t stop smiling in the moments after the win. He was congratulated by friends and family, as well as his coaching staff and teammates, on the field as the stadium cleared.
“It’s a huge sense of relief right now, especially with the way that game unfolded. It just felt like we couldn’t get out of our own way. And I know we won it, (but) it was like it just kept moving,” Beatty said.
“But I’m really proud of how they fought back (against) some adversity there.”
KEY FACTORS: For a team that replaced seven starters offensively this offseason, East Knox looked relatively comfortable on opening night.
Davis, in his first varsity start, appeared unflappable. He threw 14-of-21 for 250 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also ran the ball nine times for 25 yards.
Beatty said he trusted the first-year quarterback to deliver, and he did just that.
“I thought he had really good composure. He has a really good perspective of the game. You know, sometimes players, especially the first time or two they start, they kind of get locked in to just one little thing or one read. He does a good job kind of taking that, stepping back and seeing everything,” Beatty said.
“Because there were times where he’s suggesting or seeing things and communicating, and that’s super helpful, when your first-year quarterback can see some of those things.”
Delaughder, meanwhile, tore Northridge to shreds on the ground. The returning all-Ohioan carried the ball 17 times for 150 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Steinmetz proved equally tough. The senior caught seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, while serving as a threat out of the backfield as well.
Beatty said heading into this week’s opener that, given the Bulldogs’ inexperience this year, players like Delaughder and Steinmetz would need to step up and contribute at a higher level than they ever have before. It’s safe to say they met those expectations Friday night.
“I can’t speak enough about Cole Delaughder and Carson Steinmetz. After a practice this week, they both looked exceptionally gassed, so I sent them a text and just said, ‘Hey, you guys need to hydrate. You need to stretch. Because I’m gonna ride you hard this weekend.’ And they were like, ‘I hope so!’ And I think they realized exactly how true that was (tonight) – with a brand-new quarterback, all new receivers – and they stepped up to the challenge,” Beatty said.
“They are both absolutely spent, and yet I was like, ‘Cole, do you have another run in you?’ And he’s like, ‘Absolutely.’ So it was cool to see that growth happen.”
Defensively, East Knox applied constant pressure to Hess, a fast and physical multi-threat quarterback. The Bulldogs defensive line – consisting of juniors Bryar Householder and Alex Dolby and senior Jacob Neighbarger – regularly broke into the backfield, disrupting the Vikings’ offensive game plan from start to finish.
“We always feel like if we can make them take five guys to block our three, really good things are gonna happen. And we don’t do anything fancy, we just try to be really disciplined – hand placement is a huge key for us – and the three guys that started, the guys that rotated, they bought in,” Beatty said.
“They knew exactly what was expected and they brought it pretty much every time. That quarterback, (Hess), he is a really good ball carrier.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Northridge (0-1) will host another KMAC foe in Fredericktown (0-1) next week. The Freddies fell to Highland, 17-14, on the road Friday.
East Knox, meanwhile, will return to Howard to face Ashland Crestview (1-0). The Cougars were labeled this preseason as a state title contender in Division VI, and Beatty knows his Bulldogs will have a challenge on their hands.
But he believes his team will be able to compete if it does the little things right.
“What I told the guys was, we’ve gotta stop shooting ourselves in the foot. You know, a lot of the adversity we faced tonight was totally self-inflicted. And Ashland Crestview, who we’re facing next week, is a really good opponent. They will capitalize on those in a way that will really hurt us,” Beatty said.
“So we have to go 11-for-11. People will have to understand their assignments, do it and communicate across the board. One of the things I saw, especially tonight, was I think we had a lot of guys that are used to playing some, but weren’t used to the level that we needed them at for four quarters. So I think that’s a big part (of it), is when you start to get tired, you start having more mental errors.
“So we need to make sure we’re in shape and we’re hydrating, and we’re getting good rest and we’re eating right. Those things take no talent, you know? It’s not always super fun or flashy.”
