Van-Far needed a good performance Thursday to lock down a first-round bye and home game for the playoffs.
The Indians' second half secured that as Class 1 No. 7 Van-Far defeated Scotland County 28-10 in Vandalia. Van-Far (7-2) allowed the Tigers (4-5) to score all 10 of their points in the second half, but the Indians scored 22 points in that time frame while stopping Scotland County three straight times on fourth down. After Scotland County narrowed Van-Far's lead to 12-10 with less than three minutes left in the third quarter, the Indians failed to score from 11 yards out but then took advantage of a botched punt to punch in a one-yard touchdown from Evan Utterback, going up 20-10 with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Another stop on fourth down gave Van-Far only 31 yards left to go and eventually a seven-yard touchdown run by quarterback Reece Culwell, who ran for two touchdowns in game.
Dalton Hays and Easton Sharp each led the Indians with seven tackles, and Utterback and Jackson Fischer each followed with five tackles. Carson Huff and Isaac Wardlow each came away with two interceptions in a first half that contained six combined interceptions. Wardlow had three interceptions in two games.
Tyson Douglas ran for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage for a 12-3 lead with more than six minutes in the third quarter. Douglas finished with more than 100 rushing yards.
As of Thursday, Van-Far has the No. 3 seed in Class 1 District 1 behind Crystal City and ahead of Charleston. The Indians will host a game on Nov. 8.
Look for the full story in the Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, edition of the Mexico Ledger.
