Alexander quarterback Trey Bennett channeled his inner Michael Vick as the quarterback ran for five touchdowns and threw for two more in the Spartans’ 53-15 win against Vinton County on Friday night.
The Spartans controlled the line of scrimmage all night, amassing 297 yards on the ground, 203 of which came from the legs of Bennett as Alexander dominated the time of possession.
After receiving the ball after halftime, the Spartans went on a 12-minute scoring drive to drain the entire third quarter clock.
“I think that’s been characteristic of the things we’ve done in the past several years,” Alexander coach Sean Arno said. “We’ve been able to have more sustained drives and control the ball and mix it up a little bit.”
With successful running campaigns by both the Spartans’ backs and Trey Bennett, Alexander was able to confuse the defense and open up running lanes, with much of the team’s success coming from the option.
“(I was) just focusing on the defensive ends,” Bennett said. “I scored three touchdowns on the same play. Sucking in the defense and knowing where you’re going makes it a lot easier.”
Despite Bennett’s offensive prowess, the game wasn’t all offense. Alexander’s defense was in control as well, forcing five turnovers including one that was taken back for a touchdown on a Gage Miller interception early in the fourth quarter.
“(The turnover ratio) is something I’ve noticed when I look at the stats each week and that’s a big deal,” Arno said. “When the defense sets you up, man that’s good stuff.”
With the win, Alexander’s seniors are now 4-0 against Vinton County, capping off a perfect career and living out something that may have been near impossible to believe a decade ago.
Before Alexander’s run of four consecutive wins against the Vikings, the Spartans had lost 23 in a row, dating back to 1984.
“It’s nice to see that Alexander is actually a winning program and nice to be a part of that and making a tradition of winning here,” Bennett said.
With the loss, Vinton County falls to 1-5 on the season but the Vikings coach Justy Burleson said they aren’t giving up hope and that Friday’s performance was uncharacteristic of his ball club.
“The team that played for us tonight wasn’t the team that I’ve seen in previous weeks,” Burleson said. “We had plenty of bad things that put us in the position that we were in.”
Alexander faces the meat of their TVC-Ohio schedule in the next three weeks, facing opponents with a combined 15-3 record.
BOB: Final Stats
Alexander 53 vs. Vinton County 15
Passing
Trey Bennett (ALEX): 8/10 137 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Trey Bennett (ALEX): 13 car. 203 yards, 5 TDs
Tyler Smith (ALEX): 15 car. 56 yards
Receiving
Gage Miller (ALEX): 5 rec. 51 yards, TD
Tyler Davidson (ALEX): 1 rec. 57 yards, TD
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