CERRO GORDO—The West Columbus Vikings were on a mission Friday night and they completed the mission with a 36-16 defeat of West Bladen.
The Vikings were honoring Coach Brandon Smith, a long-time assistant who passed away earlier in the week. West Columbus celebrated his life in a ceremony before the game and took that energy to the field with a win in his name.
DJ Graham started the game out with a couple of touchdown passes, the first to Jaceon Keel and the second to JayShawn McKenzie to put the Vikings up 14-0. In the second quarter, Ouziyiah Reaves found the endzone from one-yard away to push the Viking ahead 20-0 at the half.
West Bladen scored on their opening drive of the third quarter as quarterback Gaston Russ ran it in from nine yards to cut the lead to 20-8. With 1:19 left in the third quarter, DJ Graham showed why he is a linebacker as well as a quarterback as he went 64-yards on a scoop-n-score fumble recovery to push the Vikings up 28-8. Reaves completed the two-point conversion.
The Vikings added to the lead in the fourth quarter with another Reaves score to make the it 36-8 West Columbus. West Bladen scored in the final minute of the game as Russ found Keon Whittington from 41 yards away for a touchdown to make the final score 36-16.
Ouziyiah Reaves led the Vikings with 110 yards rushing and two touchdowns. DJ Graham threw for two scores and recovered a fumble for another. Ja’Shae Drye led the Knights with 81 yards on the ground.
The Vikings move to 1-2 on the year. They will travel to Elizabethtown on Sept. 18 to face East Bladen (2-1). The Knights (0-3) will host Heide Trask (0-3) on Friday in Dublin.
