RABBITTOWN — For all the yardage and headlines that East Hall's explosive offense has earned, it is the play of the Vikings defense that is starting to make a real difference.
East Hall forced three turnovers on downs and came away with the ball in more conventional fashions on Friday en route to a 42-14 victory over Lumpkin County in Rabbittown.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway came on the Indians' first offensive play, as East Hall's Isaiah Jenkins stripped the ball and wheeled away with a touchdown return to give the Vikings a 14-0 lead.
"That was a great night for us all-around, and the defense played great. The first team guys pitched a shutout," East Hall coach Bryan Gray said after watching his team reel off its fourth straight win and move to 1-0 in Region 7-AAA. "It was a huge win for us; we've been focused on the region all offseason, and this was a huge first step. But the great thing is I got a feeling tonight the kids are not satisfied. They want more."
East Hall's offense certainly looked hungry, as the Vikings scored on their first offensive play, a 58-yard strike from Austin Parker to Austin Brock. Parker went on to connect on two more scoring passes, as Sedrion Morse and Tripp Rider also caught touchdowns.
Vikings running back Cambren Harrison also did plenty of damage, as he ripped off scoring runs of 21 and 47 yards to help East Hall build a 35-0 halftime advantage.
The Indians (0-5, 0-1) added two fourth quarter touchdowns.
"We have to fine-tune some things and clean up and get better at what we do," Gray said. "But we're getting better fundamentally."
East Hall plays host to Union County next week.
Lumpkin County has a bye next week before facing North Hall on Oct. 6.
