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LaBrae hammers Flashes

LEAVITTSBURG – Two weeks ago, the LaBrae Vikings had a gut-wrenching loss at Lakeview.

The Vikings gave up a touchdown pass with 29 seconds left to lose the game, dropping them to 1-2, and potentially demoralizing a team that had a return trip to the postseason on their minds.

After that game, Vikings coach John Armeni said he was going to challenge his team’s “manhood.” Apparently, that tactic worked, as his team has since responded, first by beating Campbell in Week 4, and then by blowing-out rival Champion on Friday night, 43-6.

“A couple weeks ago, we (LaBrae) felt like we gave one away at Lakeview,” Armeni said. “I challenged those guys at halftime, and this is an angry, upset football team. They haven’t let that (loss) go, they swished around that bad taste in their mouth and they’ve played with that (since).”

LaBrae (3-2) came out strong with an 11-play, 65-yard drive that took up more than half of the first quarter, resulting in a Carlton Brown to JT Wolke 3-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal, putting the Vikings ahead, 7-0.

Champion subsequently fumbled away their first offensive snap, a sign of things to come. LaBrae eventually put together another lengthy drive a couple possessions later, as Arjay Oliver burst through the Champion defensive line untouched, for a 15-yard score.

Champion (3-2) found themselves pinned back at their own 2-yard line on the ensuing drive, which resulted in a Brice Taylor blocked punt in the end zone for a safety. The Flashes’ second kickoff out of bounds on the night put LaBrae at the Champion 45, and four plays later, Brown ran in a 6-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 23-0.

Brown, who struggled as much as anybody on the LaBrae football team over the first three weeks of the season, has bounced back tremendously since then. On Friday, he went 7-for-12 with 128 yards and a pair of touchdown tosses.

“After a tough loss against Lakeview, we worked hard in practice for the last couple weeks,” Brown said. “Coach (Armeni) always says, ‘You practice how you play.’ We’ve been working hard, trying to get the ball downfield, trying to move the ball, in the passing game and the rushing game.

“I’ve been working on that for the past couple weeks. I had good practices and it turned out well in the games. It was (a matter of) reading whether they (Champion defense) were in zone or man (coverage). A couple of them (passes) were just plays we usually call against anybody, and our receivers made some good plays.”

Brown eventually picked off Champion quarterback Brandon Allen and took it back 25 yards for the score. Soon after, Brown’s second touchdown pass came right after a Walt Ali interception. Brown connected with Oliver down the middle of the field on a 52-yarder, extending the lead to 37-0.

For Champion coach Nick Wagner, despite the tough loss, he remained in good spirits after the game, and said that his team needed to tackle better, and that Champion simply lost to a bigger football team, who were hard to block or defend.

“They’re (Champion players) a great group of kids and we’ve become a team,” Wagner said. “They’re becoming close, we’re becoming close as coaches. That’s what’s gonna get us through this time and get us back out and ready for next week. We’re not one and whatever, we’re 3-2.

“We still got a winning record and we still got some games that we go out and win and we’re still there (in the playoff hunt). The season’s not over by any stretch of the meaning, after one loss, that’s for sure.”

As for LaBrae, joeeitel.com currently has them back up to third in the latest Division V, Region 17 rankings. Armeni certainly expects his players to continue to play with a chip on their shoulder every single week, and for the Viking players, they hear that message loud and clear.

When asked if the team’s bounceback since the Lakeview loss will motivate him and his teammates to continue to come out angry and fighting, week in and week out, Brown just gave a big smile.

“Yes sir,” he said. “Every week we’ll be working hard, (trying to) get back to where we should be and try to win every game from here on out.”

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