VALDOSTA — At times Friday night, it seemed as though Aalim Brown was a one-man wrecking crew.
The senior running back, nicknamed Roaddawg, broke off for key big runs as he and the Vikings (4-0) overcame a slow start to put away the Manatee High Hurricanes (2-1) 30-15.
“He’s such an explosive play kid,” Lowndes head coach Adam Carter said of Brown. “You almost come to expect that now. … Roaddawg broke the game open for us.”
The Hurricanes, who hail from Bradenton, Florida, gave the Vikings fits throughout much of the first half, limiting a high-powered Viking offense to just 14 points through two quarters.
Still, that didn’t stop Brown from creating lightning early in the second quarter as he broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown run for the first points of the night.
The next major dose of action from either side wouldn’t come until late in the half. With the Vikings driving and looking to extend their lead, the Hurricanes came up with a big turnover to end the Vikings’ scoring threat. The Hurricanes brought pressure to sophomore quarterback Jayce Johnson, forcing a desperation throw into coverage that was picked off by cornerback Jamari Parker.
The Hurricanes took advantage of the turnover, marching right down the field to tie the game. Quarterback Andrew Heidel capped the drive with a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalen Bryant.
Despite that, the Vikings were able to reclaim the lead in the final seconds of the first half. Brown again rumbled his way to the end zone, this time on a 58-yard burst, denying the Hurricanes a potential two-for-one opportunity in the process.
Carter believed it was a strong response from his team in the face of adversity.
“You have that whole team concept where there’s going to be times where the offense scores 60, and there’s going to be times where the offense turns it over,” Carter said. “It’s going to be the same thing [defensively], where the defense is playing bad, and the offense has got to pick us up. Very proud of that moment right there for the kids to come out and have their backs against the wall there a little bit and just make a big play.”
The momentum shift carried over into the second half. On the first play of the third quarter, the Vikings came up with a huge turnover of their own, forcing a fumble that was recovered by senior defensive back Landen Wright.
That turnover was ultimately cashed in for six as senior quarterback Marvis Parrish kept it himself for a two-yard score to double the lead.
It was the epitome of Carter’s message to his defense at halftime.
“The whole message defensively was if they don’t score again, we win,” Carter said. “They came out with their hair on fire and made a play right out the gate which kind of set the tone for the entire second half.”
Beyond that, the third quarter was one largely dominated by defense as both offenses again found themselves in a rut.
For the Vikings, a pair of scoring opportunities instead resulted in blocked kicks. The first block came on a quick kick from Johnson, with the latter coming on a 48-yard field goal try from junior kicker Aiden Andrews.
“It was probably the most disappointing thing of the whole night,” Carter said of the blocked kicks.
However, Manatee was unable to take advantage of either block as the Vikings defense quickly shut down both drives.
The next points came not from the offense but from the defense. Backed up deep in their own territory, the Hurricanes had a high snap that resulted in a safety, making the score 23-7 at the end of the third.
Things got chippy in the fourth quarter as tensions started to boil over on the Manatee sideline. The animosity reached its peak when senior wide receiver JaQuan Thomas was rocked during a punt return after signaling for a fair catch, prompting an uproar from the home crowd and resulting in an ejection.
The ensuing drive proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Hurricanes. A 26-yard run on a third-and-seven by Brown helped set up the game-sealing score as senior wide receiver Jaylin Carter ran it in for a two-yard touchdown run as the Vikings went up 30-7.
The Hurricanes would score a touchdown and get a two-point conversion on the following drive, but the game was already well out of reach.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will wrap up their non-region slate when they host the Kell Longhorns (3-1) on Sept. 13 at 8 p.m.